Counseling Psych PhD Advice

[Nisha Umesh]

Hi all! I just joined the forum to gain some perspective and advice on the path I am planning to embark on this coming fall. I graduated from college spring 2018 with a BA in Sociology and also in Gender Studies. I also have a minor in Psychology and African American Studies. I've spent the past two years working as a Teacher Assistant at a Children's Academy. I wanted to take some time off just to work and figure out what I wanted to do education wise before rushing into things. Right now I'm contemplating how to go about this next year. I am interested in pursuing a PhD in Counseling Psychology but am wondering if the best path en route to a PhD would be a Masters first or not. I currently do not have research experience but would do my best to accumulate as much experience as I can prior to applying if I decide to not go with a Masters first. I graduated from college with a 4.0 and have a decent GRE score. I'm just wondering from anyone's personal experience if going into a PhD with a master's first is worth it or not. Also if it would just be best to stop at a Counseling Master's degree or continue onto a Phd. I wish to start my own private practice and my goal is to be financially stable, which I know can be difficult as just a mental health counselor. I would appreciate any advice! Thanks so much. 

[Yep]

Hey,

with your current degree I would find it extremely challenging to gain Acceptance into a Ph.D program in counseling psychology. I would suggest a masters degree either in counseling or a research oriented program. That’s just my opinion.

 

[PsychPhdBound]

If you want to go into practice and not continue with research or into academia, I was under the impression that you only need a master's degree, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm pursuing a PhD in Developmental, but want to stay in academia. 

I think the best bet would be to reach out to people who are currently doing what you hope to be long term and ask them about their journey. It sounds like a PhD would be way more then you need, but again, people currently working in the field would have more insight. Good luck!!

[ClinicalApplicant2019]

Post-Master's, incoming Counseling Psych PhD student here! So of course I'm biased but can also completely relate to what you're currently thinking through. If you want to go into private practice, you can most definitely do that with a Master's and get your licensure as a professional counselor. It's a two year program plus two years of post-grad supervision before you get your LPC and can have your own caseload/bill insurance. You'll save tons of money and time going this route and can begin practicing before many people are done their doctorate. On the other hand, having a PhD simply opens up so many doors and opportunities that Master's level clinicians may not have. You can test, diagnose, treat, assess (the latter two can be done with a Master's though). LPC's get paid pretty well but obviously the higher the degree, the higher the income. I think you have to at least somewhat like research before going into a PhD, where it is expected that you'll be doing research and writing up a lengthy dissertation. And some PhD programs have less research focus, while there also are PsyD programs that are predominantly focused on clinical (not research training). A PsyD may be something for you to look into but keep in mind that there is very little funding offered to students in PsyD programs.

Of course feel free to DM me if you'd like to chat further. I can only speak to my experience but sounds like you're in a similar thought process I was in so I'm happy to help!

Edited April 2, 2020 by ClinicalApplicant2019