PsyDuck90

This is likely going to be really dependent on the individual program. As Rerun mentioned, I’d look at the student handbook for any policies regarding extended leave. In my program, we had a person in the cohort above us have a baby during her program, and she essentially took a semester off and then came back the following semester. Depending on the structure of classes, it may be easier at some programs than others (our program had a specific schedule of classes mapped out for all 4 on-campus years, while others have more flexibility of what you take when and what is offered each semester). The program faculty may also vary in their support (which is definitely not ok, but I’ve heard stories that run the gamut of willing to work with the person however possible and just flat out thinking the decision to have a child was a mistake). If you have the baby during your internship year, then that will depend on the policies of the internship site. Unfortunately, there’s no standardization, even though the majority of individuals who pursue clinical/counseling psychology doctorates are women of child-bearing age.

Oh, I see. Maybe you can speak with someone in the department if the programs you are interested in or cold email/cold call some masters level school psychologists in your area and offer to buy them a cup of coffee or lunch for their time?

Are you currently in a research lab? Your PI should be a good source of information. Typically, given the highly competitive nature of clinical psych grad admissions, applicants are actively involved with research mentors who often assist with this process.

In the US, to practice as a clinical psychologist, a person needs a PhD or a PsyD in clinical or counseling psychology. A mental health counseling masters degree can lead to licensure as a licensed counselor. You won’t find too many clinical psychology masters degrees since they don’t need really lead to much and are often research focused to help people improve their applications for doctoral programs.

Overall, your profile looks solid. The main thing is to make sure you are applying to faculty with a good research match and you explain your research interests clearly in your SOP. Also, just given the high level of competitiveness for clinical/counseling PhDs, make sure you are applying broadly (as in, not just applying to schools in NYC/Chicago/other desirable cities) and to enough programs (just statistically speaking, if a mentor takes only 1 student per year, then that means a low rate of acceptance for that 1 mentor).

I don’t know any specifically off-hand, but I think a program housed in a university rather than a free standing professional school will have a more robust student accessibility center, which should help you with whatever accommodations you need. Also, the distinction between reputable PsyD programs and balanced science-practitioner based PhD programs is pretty much non-existent so I wouldn’t just focus on PsyDs. Actually, the PhD programs will probably be far more accessible since they are almost always fully funded and therefore if you do have to spread your courses out, you will not be accumulating more debt.

The university-based PsyDs, especially the ones with funding opportunities, are going to care more about research experience then clinical.

Areas of concentration are mostly found in the for-profit professional schools as a marketing gimmick. As long as the program has access to practicum sites with your populations of interest, you’re good.

They typically take positions as research coordinators as full time jobs between undergrad and grad school. Even in my PsyD, most of us had extensive research experience such as being a research coordinator or first author publications prior to starting. You would have to talk to your research supervisor about that. Some are more open about students getting on things quickly, while others may have certain amount of time earned before getting onto a poster or paper. It’s really dependent on lab and supervisor.

It’s a numbers game. Clinical Psych PhD programs often have a cohort of about 4-7, while med schools take in over 100. There are just literally significantly less spots per program. There were just shy of 4000 applicants in this APPIC match this year. Meanwhile, a little over 33,000 MDs and over 12,000 DOs participated in the residency match this year. Make sure to get your name on some posters and maybe even a publication if you can. Applicants for clinical psych PhD programs typically have several years of research experience, with multiple research products, sometimes even 1st author publications. The biggest factor is also research mentor fit. Your research interests need to be a strong fit for the mentor you are applying for.

I would check with the program, but MSW programs typically do not have any research requirements. If they do, they are very minimal. If you are set on applying to a clinical psych PhD program, you’re better off trying to find a job as a research coordinator for a year or 2 and then apply. These programs are incredibly competitive. Statistically speaking, it is easier to get into a reputable US-based med school then a clinical psych PhD program. I’ve heard stats that it’s easier to get into Harvard med school than it is to get into any clinical psych PhD program but I can’t necessarily confirm that one. PhD programs typically don’t put much stock in prior clinical experience. In fact, that’s sometimes a negative because then there’s a higher chance that, not only do they have to train you in clinical practice, they may have to also try and train out bad practices you may have already learned. An MSW in general is not really going to set you up for a PhD in clinical psych. If you are set on a masters to help boost your application, a research focused psych masters would be the way to go with that.

This is not true at all. Yeshiva has a pretty well known clinical PsyD program. LIU has one as well. Pretty sure there are a few more. Have you looked at the APA website at all? There’s a search tool where you can see all APA accredited programs by state. Also, any PsyD is still going to require at least some research. You have to do a dissertation, and many also have other research requirements as well. If you truly have no interest in research, then go the masters route. Part of being a doctoral level provider is the greater ability to assess the research that has been done and implementing it into your practice (hence the scholar-practitioner model of PsyD programs). In order to be able to do that effectively, you need to be knowledgeable about the research process and research methodology, stats, etc. Technically, you can get licensed as a psychologist with a school psych doctorate, but you will need to acquire an internship that’s appropriate for clinical/counseling psych through the APPIC match. School psych folks are already often not very competitive for these programs. You would be competing with all of the clinical and counseling psych students in NY and NJ for the practicum sites, so it may be difficult for you to get those non-school clinical hours. Also, if you are that geographically restricted to just NYC, then you will have a very hard time getting an APA accredited internship because you are then competing against trainees from across the country who all also want to do their internship in an NYC-based training site. As an aside, boarding in clinical psychology is an entirely separate process that is done through ABPP and is not a requirement for clinical practice. OP, based on the myriad of questions you have posted on this site, I would recommend you do some more research into these various degrees and programs and maybe speak to some practicing clinicians. Find someone doing the type of job you want to have, see what their credentials are, and then offer to buy them coffee or something so you can ask them some questions. I wouldn’t just go off info you’re getting from the admissions rep because they have a financial interest in getting you to pay a large sum of money for a degree that, based on what some of your goals are, is going to add an incredible amount of extra difficulty to get you to where you want to be, which is already a difficult path. What exactly is it that you want to do in your career? Because for most people, a masters level license is sufficient. And in this case may be more appropriate than trying to sneak into clinical psych the back way through school psych, which, while not impossible, is not as simple as just that. You also likely wouldn’t have covered much of what will be on the EPPP, the national licensing exam, so you’ll be starting out from behind on that as well. And NY is one of the stricter states to get licensed in as a psychologist.

You can find much cheaper places in parts of NJ than you can in NY. I also worked for several years before going back to school for my PsyD, so I had some savings, and my partner and I lived together. There were people in my program who lived together as roommates. I think some schools may have dorms, but that will be school dependent if grad students have access to those.

Pre-reqs are typically a “check the box” kind of thing. I would also look into your local community college, as it’s probably much cheaper and they often have evening classes.

I worked full time through my undergrad and masters, living in a cheap, tiny basement studio in the middle of nowhere Queens. I also went to a CUNY for both due to cost. For my doctorate, I only applied to programs with funding and went to a PsyD in NJ at a state school that offered funding through being either a GA or TA and a good research fit with my mentor. Cost is definitely an important factor to consider because some PsyDs can rack up six-figure debt loads which just aren’t justified based on the average salaries of a licensed psychologist. When applying to doctoral programs, I’d also look at PhD programs as those tend to have more funding, and also look at programs outside of the NY metro area. State schools across the country offer great psych training and it is not uncommon for people to move for grad school, internship, or post-doc, or all 3. A balanced PhD program (most of them that aren’t billed as a clinical science program) train future clinicians and any of the reputable PsyDs in clinical psych will have just as much research requirements as those balanced PhD programs.