Counseling versus Clinical Psychology

[futurepsychgirl]

Hi all! 

I'm currently trying to decide between Fordham's Counseling Psychology PhD program and Long Island Uni-Brooklyn's Clinical Psychology program. I hope to become a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in children and adolescents. I would ideally like to focus on trauma. Can you help me decide what program to choose or how to compare? THANK YOU.

[EnPsychlopedia]

Hi--

There's no such thing as a "licensed clinical psychologist" in most states. There's just "licensed psychologist," which can be achieved with a doctorate in clinical, counseling, or school psychology. The license is the same no matter which degree one has. 

As for the general differences between clinical and counseling psychology, the latter normally--but not always--focuses around less severe presentations of mental health disorders (e.g., mild to moderate depression, anxiety, trauma, adjustment disorders, and substance use). The orientation tends to be a little more "strengths-based" and focused on folks who generally function well and have relatively low treatment needs. Clinical programs tend to be more oriented toward more severe presentations of the disorders I just mentioned, as well as personality disorders and SMI (psychosis, BP d/o, severe depression, etc.). However, these differences are diminishing over time, with SMI still being rarely seen in counseling programs but more severe presentations of other disorders becoming more and more part of the DNA of counseling programs. Trauma is an area of significant overlap between counseling and clinical psychology, so you are positioned in a good area in which to be flexible about choosing a good program for following that interest. The practica you will have access to may be slightly different, and most counseling psychology programs are housed in Depts. of Education/Counseling rather than Depts. of Psychology, so you may find it somewhat more difficult to work with psychologists who aren't licensure-oriented (e.g., social psychs, dev psychs, cognitive psychs) during your time. This will be institution-dependent.

Ultimately, your choice should come down to which program offers the best overall fit with your funding needs, research interests, and clinical placement goals. If one program has more opportunities to do trauma research and practica, that matters. Funding also matters, especially in NYC.

Happy to chat more if you still have questions! 

Best of luck!