Counseling vs Clinical Psych?

[olayak]

Do you think that it is easier to get into a counseling psychology phd progam than a clinical psych program?

 

[ParisGeller]

*disclaimer* I come from a Canadian context so I'm not sure if it'll be the same everywhere

For most CPA accredited counselling programs I've noticed they have higher acceptance rates (although sometimes this difference is 6% compared to the 4% acceptance rate of a CPA accredited clinical psych program I applied to), lower GPA requirements, and usually offer a course-based option that is less rigorous, suggesting counselling is easier to get into.

 

HOWEVER, I think it mostly comes down to your background and goals. Are you extremely research oriented, have extensive research preparation, have a psychology publication? Do you want to work with clinical populations? As most clinical programs are more heavily research-focused and prepare you to work with actually clinically diagnosable populations, this might indicate you are a better clinical applicant.

Are you extremely counselling focused or have extensive mental health-oriented preparation (e.g. volunteering with a crisis hotline)? Are you more interested in therapy than research? Do you have a particular non-clinical group you'd like to work with (e.g. immigrants)? This might indicate you are a better counselling applicant.

 

There's so much overlap between the 2 that you can pretty much shape your application to make it suitable for both. I've applied to both types of programs and got accepted to both! I'm just still in the phase of trying to decide what I want (which should be your top priority above which is easier to get into, as despite the overlap, the programs are very different).

[nugget]

Do you think that it is easier to get into a counseling psychology phd progam than a clinical psych program?

 

Without a doubt, yes. A clinical program prepares you to be a researcher,counselling psychologist and to assess clients. The degree prepares you for a broader range of jobs and fewer spots are typically available in clinical psyc programs than counselling. All these factors, I believe, make it a more competitive program to get into. 

[nugget]

At Canadian universities, typically somewhere between 4-10 applicants are selected out of 250 applicants. 

[SeanDDavies]

It's easier to get into Counseling Psych vs. Clinical but it's not a huge huge difference. I say focus more on what you like rather than which one is easier because neither is really "easy". Clinical deals with more severe disorders, counseling more every day mental wellness. Depends on what you are interested in and where your research interests lay.