ABA therapist - clinical vs. research experience?

[EileanDonan]

Hi folks,

Recently graduated from undergrad, and have been working on how to best maximize the coming year for application to clinical Ph.D's. For reference, I'm interested in pursuing forensic psych. I'm currently interning at a local clinic and assisting with a couple research projects at my alma mater. All unpaid at the moment. I would like to acquire a paid position in the near future, ideally in research, as I've gotten the impression that would be more beneficial to my CV.

My question is, I've recently learned of two ABA positions open nearby. My thoughts have been that taking one of these positions wouldn't necessarily help me that much, particularly as the population with which I would be working is not relevant to my population of interest (criminals), I've already been getting some clinical experience with my internship, and most of all, taking one of these positions would probably preclude me from taking a paid research assistant job. Am I thinking along the right lines here? What would the perspective of a grad admissions comm be here?

Sorry to add to the increasing clutter on this forum, but I wasn't sure if one of the already-present threads would be a good place for this question. Any thoughts appreciated.

[statsguy69]

Hi there,

I'm in a similar situation - recent undergrad looking to bolster clinical program application. I think you're thinking along the right lines - accruing research experiences and getting some clinically-relevant experience. The more volunteer RA work you have the more competitive you'll be for paid RA positions. 

[PsycUndergrad]

Definitely go for research. PhD programs don’t really care about clinical experience, and the more research the better. I’ve also encountered a lot of clinical psychologists with mixed opinions on ABA (won’t get into that too much!) so those positions might not be helpful to your application depending on which reads it. 

[dancedementia]

Go for the research if you have to choose between the two.

If you absolutely want to add more clinical experience to your resume, do not do ABA. Look for mental health tech jobs at psychiatric hospitals or PHP/day programs. If your internship has the possibility of turning into a paid job, that's another option

Edited February 22, 2019 by dancedementia

[OhHotDog!]

Research all the way! These experiences tend to speak for themselves and you can pull a lot from this training when working on personal statements and interviews!

[EileanDonan]

Thanks for the input everybody, looks like I was on the right track. ?