PsyDuck90

Trainees typically have their own (very cheap) malpractice insurance either that they pay, their university pays, or VA covers if you work there. However, the reason it isn’t that expensive is because we are providing services under our supervisor’s license. The supervisor would have to check with their own malpractice insurance to ensure they are covered for their trainees as well. The last thing you want is to have never inquired and then find yourself in the position of needing that insurance because of a trainee.

I would email your primary advisor and just double check with them before submitting to the library.

I am so sorry, as that is definitely a really bum deal. Even though your faculty isn’t going to be part of your institution anymore, is it possible for them to serve as an outside collaborator on your work? I’ve known people whose dissertation committee chairs left for other universities and they were able to at least serve as a committee member and assist in the process. Before jumping ship, I would speak with your advisor who is leaving as well as the program head to see what exactly can be done to ensure you are still on track. If you haven’t done so already. Also, make sure to get all of it in writing.

Getting involved with your married faculty member is a bad idea for a whole host of reasons. I would probably have as little contact with this person as possible. Academia is a small world and you don’t want to establish the wrong kind of reputation, in addition to the general morality concerns.

There really isn’t any transfer process. You would have to apply again as you did the first time. Its possible that you may get some credits transferred but you are more likely to just have to start as a 1st year again. Additionally, it will be challenging to get any interviews if you don’t have the support of your current program. Clinical Psych PhD programs are not short of qualified candidates, so they would be wondering why you are transferring and what is the risk of you leaving their program prior to completion.

When you apply to any program, you need to send transcripts for any programs you’ve attended. So yes, they will see your PhD grades. However, how much they will factor into the decision making process isn’t clear. If they are courses that highly overlap with the MSW curriculum, maybe.

…. I’m almost done with my PsyD in clinical psychology and I know what program that is for (I don’t go there but know people who do). Save your money and time trying to figure it out. The cost of that program is outrageously high and does not match up with psychologist salaries. Also, the people I know who go there haven’t had the best experiences.

You can practice clinically with a masters in counseling, so what is it specifically that you hope to accomplish with the PsyD? Alternatively, why apply for a masters at all if your goal is the doctorate? A masters can be good if you have a lower undergrad GPA and want to show that you are capable of doing grad level work. Others, there isn’t a whole ton of utility for a masters first.

Are the programs you're applying to even requiring the GRE? Many have stopped asking for it. Unfortunately, unless things have changed, the Quant and Verbal are really the only 2 scores programs look at if they are taking the GRE into consideration.

A few thoughts: given your lower undergrad GPA, I would maybe consider a master's program to show that you can excel at graduate level work. A high master's level GPA can counterbalance the low undergrad GPA. Most PsyDs require a minimum 3.5 GPA. Additionally, what is that you want to do as a day to day? Depending on your goals, you may be able to achieve them with a master's level licensure, such as a mental health counselor or clincial social worker. "Practicing psychology" is a relatively vague term, as there are myriads of ways people can practice psychology, including being academics with no clinical responsibilities.

PhD programs in clinical psych are just generally very competitive. The Southern/Midwestern schools may get less applicants overall (which you should be able to see in the outcomes data on the program websites), but the main factor that increases chance of acceptance is going to be your research fit. The average applicant applies to approximately 8-12 programs I believe.

Any legitimate doctoral program in clinical psychology is going to provide training in "historical and theoretical biases of the conceptualization of pathology and treatment orientations." A doctoral degree aims to train students as independent scholars/scientists and practitioners, being able to understand and disseminate the science behind what we do as clinicians, and understanding the biases and historical/ sociocultural contexts the mental health diagnostic system in the US is based on is a cornerstone of that. In your search for programs, I would think about what kind of research you want to pursue (even a PsyD will require a dissertation) and find programs that have faculty who conduct research within that area. A good way to do so is to do a lit search of recent articles published in that subfield and see where those authors are located. UMASS Boston is solid school. I have never heard of Point Park, so I can't speak to them. A good way to distinguish programs is looking at APA-accredited internship match rates, EPPP pass rates, and licensure rates.

What degree are you looking into? A masters degree is going to be different from a PhD. Also, a clinical degree is going to be different from a research-only PhD such as social psych or developmental psych. Answers will definitely change depending on what type of degree you're aiming for but for the sake of answering your questions, I will answer based on clinical psych PhDs, which are also the most competitive. Pre-reqs will be program-dependent but they are typically some combination of research methods, statistics, abnormal psych, and lifespan development. You should be looking at programs based on research match of available faculty. You need research experience. Whether that is from a formal RA position or volunteering or through work is a little more variable. Faculty want to know you have a grasp on the fundamentals of research, and products (conference posters/presentations and/or publications) to show that you can take initiative on a project. Additionally, many people spend years honing their applications with research directly related to their interest area. Some faculty prefer non-traditional students, so your background may be appealing, especially if your CS experience includes a lot of stats/modeling and the use of programs like R.

The difference between reputable PsyD programs, such as Rutgers, Kean, and William Paterson compared to balanced PhD programs is negligible. Also, most students entering those programs have similar research experiences to students entering scientist-practitioner model PhD programs. I would keep trying for RA positions-look on listservs, cold email researchers who you are interested in working with, and ask your advisor if they happen to know someone (use your network). If you can't find a paid RA position, would you be able to dedicate some time volunteering in a lab of your interest? Honestly, a master's is usually best for people who maybe didn't have as great of a GPA and need to make up for it. However, there are some, like Wake Forest, which are fully funded and have a strong record of placing graduates into PhD programs. While research experience (especially products like conference posters/presentations and publications) is an important part of the application, so is research fit. You want to be applying to programs that have a strong mentor fit, as you often apply to work with a specific individual or lab. So you also want to spend some time really thinking about what you want your research to focus on and your career goals after graduation, and it's ok if these change over time--its incredibly common.

What do the application instructions say? If they allow "three or more" then that is fine. However, if they say three, then it's 3. A lot of application portals won't let you even attach extra things they aren't asking for. The question isn't so much who is older. Having 1 early career person and 2 more established people is fine. You want to think about which 3 will write you the strongest letters and what that person can add that maybe the others can't speak to.

PhD students on average get the same as,or actually more clinical hours throughout their training compared to PsyD students. If you're using the Insider's Guide book, the programs themselves are the ones providing the rating on their research/clinical emphasis. Typically, programs that bill themselves as a clinical science model (like UC-Berkeley, SUNY-Stony Brook, SUNY-Binghamton, etc.) are going to be interested in preparing academics. PhD programs that are scientist-practitioner are going to usually be equal emphasis. That being said, some labs within a program may be more academic focused than others, so you have to look at the specific faculty you're interested in working with. The small cohort university-based PsyDs will typically also be equal emphasis. The large-cohort for-profit programs typically have a much smaller/non-existant research requirement.

Just be prepared to talk about what your research interests are, career goals, and reasons you are attracted to that program. There may also be chances to interact with other prospective students and also current students. Make sure you are personable and yourself. If you get to the interview stage, it's because you're a qualified candidate. The interview is largely to assess if you're someone they would like to work with for the next 4-6 years. Make sure to have lots of questions prepared for faculty and current students, as a lot of the interview time is spent on them answering your questions. The whole idea is to assess fit for you, the faculty mentor, and the program as a whole.

Emeritus faculty have retired, so it is unlikely they are taking on any new students. The term is designed to still give them an honorary title while indicating their status as a retired professor.

Yes. I imagine 3.5/4.0 means a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. If your GPA is a 3.5, then you meet that minimum.

I'm not sure about CCNY specifically, but the CUNY grad center overall is a huge research-producing institution across many disciplines, including psychology. Can you speak to any current masters students? And does the program have any stats on how many of their grads go on to PhD programs?

Go with CCNY. Because New School only takes PhD students from their masters and does not accept all their students, it is an incredibly toxic and competitive environment (I have a friend who is intimately familiar). Also, there isn't a whole ton of research opportunities, which is what will make you competitive for PhD programs.

Go with Wake Forest. Where are you getting these rankings? Grad school is different from the undergrad rank lists you see everywhere. NYU uses the bulk of their MA programs as cash cows. Will you learn? Sure. Will you learn more than at Wake Forest? No. Also, the research experience is what will make you competitive for PhD programs, so if there is no guarantee that you will get extensive research experience at NYU, that's a major red flag. Wake Forest has an excellent reputation at feeding their students into fully funded PhD programs.

I'm sorry, but chances are that, if you haven't heard back, you will likely get a rejection letter after April 15th (deadline for accepted students to make their final decisions). If you've interviewed, you may still be on a waitlist in the event other people decide to decline their acceptance.

Even though you find many areas of research interesting, you need to narrow down something more specific. Following that, you look at which faculty are doing that kind of research. Your statement of purpose, regardless of whether it's a clinical psychology or counseling psychology program, is by and large going to focus on your fit with an individual mentor's program of research. While there are a few minor philosophical differences between counseling psychology and clinical psychology, those differences have shrunk significantly over the years. The end license is identical and the work settings are about the same as well. For instance, you can find a counseling psychologist in an inpatient psychiatric unit and a clinical psychologist in a college counseling center. However, if you don't have significant research experience, including posters or even a publication, you may need to get some more research experience to make your application more competitive.

The MFT degree is license-eligible at the master's level only, so the person could only bill as a master's level provider, regardless of the PhD. The counseling psych PhD is a doctoral level licensure. Unless you intend to be a TT faculty at an MFT, I don't really see the benefit of the PhD vs just the master's for an MFT. A counseling psychology PhD will allow for the person to bill as a licensed psychologist and conduct doctoral level assessment, as well as therapy.