Career pathway options

[SweetAmby]

I just joined The Gradcafe. I must say it is very helpful and overwhelming at the same time as there are numerous threads and pool of information. I personally found some to be very intimidating !

To be honest I am looking for someone to look at my qualifications and experience and tell me what I can do with it. 

I live in Arizona USA currently. It's been three years since I moved here. I have BA in Psychology (From India) and MA in Developmental and Therapeutic Play (From UK) ( almost no one knows about this program unfortunately). I have worked in the field of Early Childhood Care and Education for more than a decade. I have experience of working as lead teacher (3 years), Program Coordinator (6 years), Academic Coordinator (6 Years), Teaching faculty (at a private teachers training institute, 6 years).

I had pursued Psychology degree to work as psychologist, child psychologist to be precise. Due to many personal life reasons I ended up working in completely different field and I have developed numerous skills and have loved it. 

Since moving to the USA I am finding it difficult to understand or let's say come to a decision on what I'd like to do as there's just too many options.

Few questions I have are

What is the difference between a therapist and a psychologist?

How does the work that a school psychologist/ counsellor/ clinical psychologist does vary?

Which program will prepare me the most to work with children with say learning differences or broadly speaking children who needs therapy, ABA? Play therapy? counseling?

Is play therapy type of counseling or is separate from counseling?

How I visualize my work?: I think I'd like a career where I work as a professional who provides therapy to children and family as part of an already established center - private or hospitals which may lead to private practice with good amount of experience. I also have good skills (and love )to deliver training sessions for practitioners i.e. teachers, parents etc. 

I am 31 years old and I have been in the dilemma for a while now and need to make an informed decision as indecisiveness is not at all my comfort zone. 

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

[PsyDuck90]

Please note, my response is relevant to the US system. I cannot speak to other countries. 

On 9/25/2020 at 8:29 PM, SweetAmby said:

What is the difference between a therapist and a psychologist?

A psychologist is a protected term reserved for those with doctoral degrees in psychology. A therapist is a term used to describe any licensed clinician (LCSW, MFT, LPC, PhD or PsyD in clinical/counseling/school psychology). 

On 9/25/2020 at 8:29 PM, SweetAmby said:

How does the work that a school psychologist/ counsellor/ clinical psychologist does vary?

A school psychologist, by and large, will work in a school, although they sometimes do private practice. I believe this may in part depend on if they meet the licensing requirements to get a clinical license to practice as a clinical psychologist. Check out this link to learn more about the types of things school psychologists do from the NASP. A counselor is a broad term, just like therapist, clinician, and psychotherapist that encompasses anyone who does therapy. A clinical psychologist is someone who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology (counseling psychology doctorates also function in similar ways to clinical psychology doctorates). Clinical psychologists can provide therapy, conduct and interpret assessments (masters level clinicians cannot interpret certain assessments, like those related to cognitive functioning). Clinical psychologists are also trained as academics and researchers, so they can be full-time professors and researchers if they so choose. 

On 9/25/2020 at 8:29 PM, SweetAmby said:

Which program will prepare me the most to work with children with say learning differences or broadly speaking children who needs therapy, ABA? Play therapy? counseling?

There are a lot of paths. School psychologists, clinical psychologists (with a specialization in children), and even master's level clinicians can all work with children. ABA is typically done by BCBA's, which is a separate licensure all together. 

On 9/25/2020 at 8:29 PM, SweetAmby said:

Is play therapy type of counseling or is separate from counseling?

In the US, play therapy is considered a form of therapy, just like Cognitive-Behavioral, Psychodynamic, and so on. There is no special license needed to conduct play therapy, but it is something you would most likely have to seek out additional training for, as I don't think it's really built into a lot of graduate curriculums. 

Based on what you described, a master's in social work (LCSW) or LPC (master's in counseling) may be good fits. You can also pursue a PhD or PsyD in clinical child psychology, but it doesn't sound like you are too interested in research, which would be required as part of the training. These programs will often expect students to have research experience upon entry to the program as well. 

Lastly, I suggest you read Mitch's Uncensored Advice for Applying to Graduate School in Clinical Psychology, which provides a nice overview of different careers in mental health and the application process for a PhD in Clinical Psychology. I've attached it to this post. 

I think I answered all the questions you posted, but let me know if you have any more!

MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf