PsyDuck90

You can take them at a community college (not sure if they are a thing where you are), but in the US those credits tend to be pretty cheap. Also, look up the specific master's programs you are interested in and make sure what courses you actually need for those programs. 

It's about that time where we are seeing multiple students asking about their chances of getting into a program this next app cycle. Rather than having many threads about the same thing, it will be easier to have all these questions in one place. 

If you are a US citizen, your application will be viewed as a US citizen. Where you are living now won't really make any difference to them, especially if your whole educational history is in the US. Also, your husband's legal status is also likely not of relevance to the university. I would speak to an immigration attorney regarding your husband's status and options. 

Look for programs with faculty doing research that is a good fit for your interests. In the US, PhD programs primarily provide their own funding, as students typically work as research or teaching assistants in exchange for tuition remission and a stipend. 

These are very broad and distinct career paths. However, you could achieve many of them by either getting a PhD or PsyD in clincial psychology or counseling psychology, a masters in mental health counseling or marriage and family therapy, or a master's in social work. You can also pursue a masters, PhD, or PsyD in school psychology to work in a school setting. Social workers can also work in schools. The master's in social work and subsequent LCSW is probably the most versatile of the master's level license-able degrees, so I would probably go that route. 

Many research coordinator positions are 2 year contracts. This also gives you time to get posters/pubs out, which, as you said, will help significantly in your application. 

The license you get as a clinical psychologist and a counseling psychologist is identical. The difference is more of a philosophical one than anything else, especially since APA-accredited programs must have certain coursework regardless of which type. There are more clinical psych programs out there than counseling psych programs. As far as why hospital systems will hire LMHCs and LCSWs over counseling psychologist, the answer is just that it's economically better. Master's level providers are cheaper, and you often don't need as many people doing assessments as you do people doing therapy. You can hire 1 or 2 psychologists for assessments and then let counselors and social workers handle the therapy. 

The license you get as a clinical psychologist and a counseling psychologist is identical. The difference is more of a philosophical one than anything else, especially since APA-accredited programs must have certain coursework regardless of which type. There are more clinical psych programs out there than counseling psych programs. As far as why hospital systems will hire LMHCs and LCSWs over counseling psychologist, the answer is just that it's economically better. Master's level providers are cheaper, and you often don't need as many people doing assessments as you do people doing therapy. You can hire 1 or 2 psychologists for assessments and then let counselors and social workers handle the therapy. 

Most of the university-based PsyDs with funding and small cohorts also care about research experience, so I would definitely get involved in research if you can. While a PsyD doesn't necessarily do as much research as a PhD, it's important to have a solid understanding of the research process and be a good consumer in order to be able to be a good clinician and deliver evidence-based treatments. 

Most of the university-based PsyDs with funding and small cohorts also care about research experience, so I would definitely get involved in research if you can. While a PsyD doesn't necessarily do as much research as a PhD, it's important to have a solid understanding of the research process and be a good consumer in order to be able to be a good clinician and deliver evidence-based treatments. 

Honestly, the best thing is to look at the recent research that is of interest to you, and then look up where those people are located. From there, look at the school. The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology is also a good book to purchase. When you say "outside of the US," do you mean Canada or elsewhere? Be mindful that training done in a country other than the US or Canada may not allow you to obtain a clinical license to practice psychology in the US. If that is not a concern, then no worries! However, if you want to practice (or teach in most clinical grad programs), you will need to be licensed. 

Honestly, the best thing is to look at the recent research that is of interest to you, and then look up where those people are located. From there, look at the school. The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology is also a good book to purchase. When you say "outside of the US," do you mean Canada or elsewhere? Be mindful that training done in a country other than the US or Canada may not allow you to obtain a clinical license to practice psychology in the US. If that is not a concern, then no worries! However, if you want to practice (or teach in most clinical grad programs), you will need to be licensed. 

One of the biggest flaws with CACREP accreditation is that it requires that all faculty within the program have a PhD in Counselor Education. If you look at the faculty list at NYU, it looks like they are all psychologists. My university has a masters in counseling program, and they are not eligible for CACREP accreditation because the faculty are all psychologists and it is housed in the psychology department. However, the program meets the licensing standards of the state. I say all this to say that I would look beyond CACREP accreditation and look at the available clinical placements in the program and licensure rates. I would also look at cost. The average LPC does not make enough to justify six figured of student loan debt. Also, licensure requirements differ state to state. Programs typically align with the requirements of their state, so make sure if you think you may want to relocate after graduation that the program meets the educational requirements for licensure in the other states you may be considering. 

Between those 2, I would go with Yeshiva. If you look at the outcomes data, it's a safer bet. Much smaller cohort sizes (William James had 103 incoming students last year compared to 20 in Yeshiva's combined program) and even with a captive APA-accredited internship (which is half time for 2 years, and also not great), William James still doesn't have a 100% APA-accredited internship match rate, and it looks like the match rates hovered at or below 50% prior to the start of the captive internship, meaning the bulk of these students were not nationally competitive for internship. Yeshiva reports a 100% APA-accredited match rate for students who applied to accredited sites last year, with a cumulative 72.2% matching to accredited sites of all students when factoring in those who did not go the APA-accredited match route (which makes sense if a portion of the students were interested in pursuing school psychology only, as that doesn't require an APA-accredited internship). Although, it is a little odd that the outcomes data for Yeshiva'a combined PsyD is not easily accessible on the website, since that is a requirement for APA accreditation. I eventually found it on the APA directory. 

I would follow Sigaba's suggestion and check out the history forum for more guidance. This may be discipline specific, but faculty in my field would be confused if someone reached out to them for help. People often reach out when they are about to apply and hoping to discuss research match. 

Drift on over when you get the chance...
 
https://forum.thegradcafe.com/forum/38-history/

What is it that you want to do ad a job? A PhD is still a means to and end, so I would start by figuring out what your ideal career path is and then look at what degree most people in that field have. If your goal is academia, then I would consider what it is specifically that you want to study and what departments are faculty doing that type of research. 

Start by researching articles of interest. Do a search in Google Scholar and find papers of stuff you envision yourself doing. Who are the people doing that research? What departments are they in? This will help you build your list of potential mentors/schools. 

These are very broad and distinct career paths. However, you could achieve many of them by either getting a PhD or PsyD in clincial psychology or counseling psychology, a masters in mental health counseling or marriage and family therapy, or a master's in social work. You can also pursue a masters, PhD, or PsyD in school psychology to work in a school setting. Social workers can also work in schools. The master's in social work and subsequent LCSW is probably the most versatile of the master's level license-able degrees, so I would probably go that route. 

I know several people who graduated from there who do fabulous work on an institutional level as well as in a clinical capacity. That said, I know just as many who do similar work with an MSW from Rutgers for a fraction of the cost. MSWs really don't make a ton of money, and I'm personally not convinced that school recognition warrants a loan balance that is not commensurate with expected earnings. While people don't typically get into the field to make money, one should still expect to be able to live with some means of financial security post-grad. 

You don't need an exact match. When the time comes for you to actually apply for grad schools, reach out to people who are doing similar research and ask if they have considered/would be open to integrating the ideas you have. In the meantime, just focus on your undergrad studies and try to get involved in research there to learn the basic skills. Continue to look for publications on your area of interest. I just did a quick Google scholar search on "media and body image" with a ton of results. Look at the authors of these studies and then see where they're at. 

What things do you like about psychology/the mental health field? What do you envision doing on a day to day basis? You can get creative with opportunities with a PhD, or even a master's. If you're currently in a program, what is the degree you're getting? That may give us more information about what jobs are more feasible. 

I would email the PI and state your interest in connecting with your new lab mates and see if she can facilitate it by giving you some emails. 

You don't need an exact match. When the time comes for you to actually apply for grad schools, reach out to people who are doing similar research and ask if they have considered/would be open to integrating the ideas you have. In the meantime, just focus on your undergrad studies and try to get involved in research there to learn the basic skills. Continue to look for publications on your area of interest. I just did a quick Google scholar search on "media and body image" with a ton of results. Look at the authors of these studies and then see where they're at. 

Faculty may shift foci over time, so what someone is studying now is not necessarily the exact thing they will be studying in 4 years. Just something to keep in mind. Also, faculty are often not looking for carbon copies of themselves. If your research interests align 90% but you want to add in the body image variable, it is most likely not a nail in the coffin. Typically, you do work on their projects, but the idea is that you will, via your dissertation at the minimum, be developing your own research study.