Msc\Phd advice

[Le10]

Hello!

I am russian bachelor student in so called Special Psychology (psy of the kids with special needs (autism. icp, ds, speach defects, and other developmental and genetic problems)).

 

I plan to continue my education after completing my bachelor. And i see myself mostly in research with a little of therapy\councelling practice.

 

My research interests: neuropsychology, neurodevelopment and everything concenrned with NS of people with autism and schytzophrenia, and mental problems in general.

 

That is why i need and avice in:

1) wheather i take masters and then Phd or it is more reasonable to apply for Phd  just after Bsc

2) which programm feets better for me, if i want to research in mentioned area together with providing psychotherapy - clinical psychology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, cognitive psyhology, or maybe u can advice something else and better!

3) maybe u can advice me a lab or a professor, or a websight with information in current researches in the area of my interest.

 

Thank u for any  advice and link and forgive me my english!

Edited November 8, 2014 by Le10

[crazycatmaniac]

1. You would need really outstanding GPA, CV and letter of intents and recommendation to apply for a PhD straight from BSc. If you so happen to be able to go into PhD straight from BSc, you would be really research-focused and even when you said you have had interest in research, have you had research experience and truly liked it?

 

2. A PhD in Clinical Psychology would have both components of research and practicum which would suffice your interests.

 

3. Depends on where you're applying to. There's a lot of researchers with different interests, unless you're only interested in following world-renowned researchers.

 

Good luck!

[kara.spinney]

1. If you have a competitive GPA, excellent GRE scores, and plenty of undergraduate research experience, it is better to go straight into a Ph.D. program; however,  I would suggest applying to both Master's and Ph.D. programs to increase your chances of acceptance.

2. Either clinical psychology or clinical neuropsychology would be your best bet in terms of meeting your interests of research and practice.

3. I would suggest just doing some Google searches of your interests. I don't know where you plan to apply, but if you're looking at schools in the United States or Canada there is a great book called "The Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology". This book lists probably a hundred programs, along with all of the areas of research available at these programs. You could search for neuropsychology in the book and it will list all the programs offering this area of study...the only thing is that the book only lists programs in Canada and the US, so if you're not planning on applying to schools in those countries then it won't help you.

[juilletmercredi]

1. In the U.S. in psychology I still think it is most common for PhD students to come into the program without a master's.  Sometimes they have a few years of experience (1-3) between college and grad school, but most will not have a master's.  So you don't need to have a master's first, necessarily.  The caveat, though, is that you have a foreign bachelor's degree.  Many international students do a domestic MA first to prove that they can excel in graduate school before applying successfully to PhD programs.  I think you should apply to both kinds and see what happens.

 

2. If your intention is to practice in the U.S., there are only a few kinds of subfields that will allow you to do counseling work: Clinical psychology, counseling psychology, and school psychology.  You need to go to an APA-accredited program, as most states will only allow licensure if you graduate from an APA-accredited program (check out the APA website).  If you are interested in neuropsychological assessment and treatment, then you'll want to look for a clinical neuropsychology program; try Division 40 of the APA (they have a list).  I would only choose school psychology if you specifically wanted to work with children, and particularly children in schools and how their developmental disorders/issues impacted their education.

 

Cognitive psychology and neuroscience would not allow you to practice as a therapist.