Clinical Psych Porgrams

[csierrah]

Hello,

I am in the process of figuring out which programs to apply in the states. I guess I will be applying to a mixture of clinical PhD, master programs in the states. I have been having trouble going through the large amount of schools that provide these programs and was wondering if anyone has an idea on how to do this more efficiently.

In case you are wondering, I am interested in doing process-outcome research for personality (i.e., BPD) and mood disorders (i.e., Depression). This is some of the work I have been involved with in the past and would like to continue with it.

Thanks for your help!

[nessa]

You're right, there are an overwhelming number of schools and it can be hard to know where to begin.

I would recommend reading through the literature in the area you want to work in. Who are the people publishing those papers? Are they at programs where you can work with them? If they're senior in the field, it can also help to track down old postdocs or grad students of theirs who have gone on to start their own labs; they are often working in related areas and will be newer researchers with (probably) fewer applicants wanting to work with them.

Secondly, if you know any researchers in that subfield, see if they're willing to talk with you about your interests and recommend people or programs to you. They may also recommend you to them, which always helps!

Once you find some programs, take a closer look. What is their emphasis on research vs. practice, do they have a good internship match rate, what do their graduates end up doing, etc.

I did not use this, but people also found a book called the insider's guide helpful for finding clinical psych programs.