phd in neuropsychology

[xveruskax]

hi everyone, i'm new here

i have an ms in counseling, specialization in school psychology but i wanted to switch over to neuropsychology

my understanding is that there are two routes but i'm still confused about which yields to my preference

i would like to work as a private neuropsych conducting assessments, or at a hospital or educational setting, only

i have really no interest in conducting research but that might depend on the specializations of a particular phd program

route 1: get a phd in psychology (3-4 yrs), then certificate in neuropsychology (3 years)

route 2: phd in neuropsych (4-5 yrs depending on school)

for obvious reasons i'd prefer route two but i'm having significant difficulty finding programs that offer the all-inclusive phd in neuropsychology alone.

anyone know where i can look or of this type of program specifically.

any help is greatly appreciated.

thank you

andrei

[neuropsych76]

hi everyone, i'm new here

i have an ms in counseling, specialization in school psychology but i wanted to switch over to neuropsychology

my understanding is that there are two routes but i'm still confused about which yields to my preference

i would like to work as a private neuropsych conducting assessments, or at a hospital or educational setting, only

i have really no interest in conducting research but that might depend on the specializations of a particular phd program

route 1: get a phd in psychology (3-4 yrs), then certificate in neuropsychology (3 years)

route 2: phd in neuropsych (4-5 yrs depending on school)

for obvious reasons i'd prefer route two but i'm having significant difficulty finding programs that offer the all-inclusive phd in neuropsychology alone.

anyone know where i can look or of this type of program specifically.

any help is greatly appreciated.

thank you

andrei

From what I've heard (I was strongly considering clinical neuropsych before I decided to go into cogneuro) it that it is much better to obtain a phd in clinical psychology FIRST and then do a post doc in neuropsychology afterward. there are only a few neuropsych phds and they will probably continue to disappear. neuropsychologists are clinical psychologists first and i think it is more marketable to have a well rounded skill set.

[xveruskax]

From what I've heard (I was strongly considering clinical neuropsych before I decided to go into cogneuro) it that it is much better to obtain a phd in clinical psychology FIRST and then do a post doc in neuropsychology afterward. there are only a few neuropsych phds and they will probably continue to disappear. neuropsychologists are clinical psychologists first and i think it is more marketable to have a well rounded skill set.

like i'd said, i'd prefer a straight phd in neuropsych if possible. id' still like to know of possible options in this category.

however, if the traditional clinical psych then post doctoral route is to be followed, which clinical psych programs nationwide offer an emphasis in neuropsychology?

preferably on the westcoast.

Edited November 18, 2010 by xveruskax

[neuropsych76]

like i'd said, i'd prefer a straight phd in neuropsych if possible. id' still like to know of possible options in this category.

however, if the traditional clinical psych then post doctoral route is to be followed, which clinical psych programs nationwide offer an emphasis in neuropsychology?

preferably on the westcoast.

it is possible but probably not a good alternative. because it's less time you are losing lots of training that other neuropsychologists will have.

there are a good amount of schools that offer training in neuropsych, this should get you started

http://www.div40.org...ning/index.html

Edited November 18, 2010 by neuropsych76

[xveruskax]

it is possible but probably not a good alternative. because it's less time you are losing lots of training that other neuropsychologists will have.

there are a good amount of schools that offer training in neuropsych, this should get you started

http://www.div40.org...ning/index.html

thank you for helping me out sir/madam.

i did some digging around and found a Psy.D in clinical psychology, which allows an emphasis in neuropsychology in anticipation of post-doctoral work.

is there a significant qualitative difference between a phd and a psyd in clinical?

again, thank you for your input. .

Edited November 22, 2010 by xveruskax

[lewin]

is there a significant qualitative difference between a phd and a psyd in clinical?

A PhD is a research based degree where you also learn to practice. A PsyD is practice-based. You could check with specific places, but generally PhD degrees follow the scientist-practitioner model and PsyD's are more likely to follow the Practitioner-scholar model. Wikipedia has articles on both of those models. Do you like research? Then a PhD might be for you. Both can lead to clinical practice but a PhD might leave open more career options (e.g., university teaching).

[Olie89]

I'm in the same boat as you, Decaf. I'm looking for a graduate program in clinical psychology where I can specialize in neuropsychology (I want to be a clinical rehabilitation neuropsychologist for people with traumatic brain injuries) or just work with faculty members who do work in neuropsych with my desired population. Is this too specific of an interest for me to be looking for in a grad school? I'm having a very difficult time finding grad schools with faculty members who do exactly this, and the ones I do come across, I have no idea what kind of reputation they have. Decaf, what school did you end up finding that has what you want?

Could anybody tell me if any of these schools are any good or not??

Nova Southeastern University School of Professional Psychology

Pacific University School of Professional Psychology

Fielding University (APA-on probation, which makes me nervous)

University of Florida

Adler School of Professional Psychology

My biggest concern is going to a school that is not well-known or of poor reputation and consequently not being able to land a decent job with my degree. I'd like to be a clinical neuropsychologist in a clinic setting...maybe hospital. Any insight on any of these schools would be extremely helpful! I am continuously receiving conflicting information on whether particular schools would be good for me to apply to (e.g. professors at University of Iowa told me to not apply there, or any research-focused program, as they only want to accept students who will go into research or teaching as a profession, but I was told by a clinical neuropsychologist that several clinicians do get training there....so do I or do I not apply?!)

Thanks!

[Olie89]

Oops, I am new to this and I mistakened the name on top of the picture "Decaf" as the username. I meant, xveruskax when I addressed Decaf.

[hwbulls]

The only school I know off that list is UF, my undergrad alma mater. They are a pretty strong neuropsych program, you get a general education as with any PhD program but you can take the formal neuropsychology track and many successful matches come out of that program. There are some great clinicians to work with there as well.

To add to this list, I'm currently at UAB and we have a neuropsych-directed student program within the Medical Clinical Psychology PhD program (ANST, Association for Neuropsychology Students in Training) which helps direct us on a neuropsychology track, find practium sites, direct coursework, etc. There's a lot of freedom here to study what you want and it's the biggest trauma center of Alabama, so there's a lot of opportunity for a variety of problems between the major hospitals nearby and the VA. I'm a first year so I'm still getting started, but if I were you I'd take on a clinical PhD with a focus on neuropsychology. Unless you really hate research, in which case a PhD program isn't good for you at all and you should reconsider. The point with that is that PhD programs all want to produce researchers, and when applying I would never tell them you plan to be a private practice clinician. That was a huge no-no when I was applying and interviewing. Once you're in they can't dictate what you do with your life, but it will be a mark against you if you volunteer that info. The typical answer I heard from clinically-based people for the "what do you want to do with your career" question balanced some sort of research focus with clinical populations.

[hwbulls]

Also, I'd search out specific researchers as well as programs to see what the resources are as far as clinical and research opportunity. If you can find a good match with a prolific, respected researcher in a program that has a decent match rate you'd be better off than applying blind.

[Olie89]

Thanks, hwbulls! That was some helpful info. I think I screwed my opportunity with UIowa by telling them I wanted to practice.