Help: Preparing for Counseling Psyc graduate studies

[PEIPSYC]

Hello!

 

I am looking for some insight for best preparing for applying to graduate programs.  I am interested in counselling psychology programs, but have read on other threads that these are being readily replaced by Mental Health Counselling programs.  Is the accreditation different/better?  Should I not be considering counselling programs and instead be looking for these alternatively named mental health ones instead?

 

I'd love to hear from people currently in various (Canadian) programs - advice about the application process, why you chose your institution, how interviews go, and where you plan to go after you finish your program.

I am considering a really broad spectrum of schools across the country and it would be nice to hear about other experiences and what is out there.  Being brutally honest about the competitive nature will only be enlightening.

 

I have also been advised that the M.A. versus M.Ed. programs are are personal decision.  I am working on an undergraduate thesis this year.  Should I want to be looking at one or the other in particular and what are the real benefits of each option?

 

Lastly, for filling out my CV and resume, what were some of the best volunteer experiences you've had?  Would you recommend them to someone interested in the field of counselling?

 

Thanks everyone!

Edited June 3, 2015 by PEIPSYC

[_kita]

Hello!

 

I am looking for some insight for best preparing for applying to graduate programs.  I am interested in counseling psychology programs, but have read on other threads that these are being readily replaced by Mental Health Counseling programs.  Is the accreditation different/better?  Should I not be considering counseling programs and instead be looking for these alternatively named mental health ones instead?

 

I'd love to hear from people currently in various (Canadian) programs - advice about the application process, why you chose your institution, how interviews organically were, and where you plan to go after you finish your program.

I am considering a really broad spectrum of schools across the country and it would be nice to hear about other experiences and what is out there.  Being brutally honest about the competitive nature will only be enlightening.

 

I have also been advised that the M.A. versus M.Ed. programs are are personal decision.  I am working on an undergraduate thesis this year.  Should I want to be looking at one or the other in particular and what are the real benefits of each option?

 

Lastly, for filling out my CV and resume, what were some of the best volunteer experiences you've had?  Would you recommend them to someone interested in the field of counseling?

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Are you interested in the study, or the practice, of counseling?

 

If you are interested on a practice level, the M.A counseling degree is preferential. The degree is specifically made to get you licensed and working. On the master's level, accreditating agencies (such as CACREP) are considered better. The accreditation allows the student to sit for their licensing exam sooner, and they can start acquiring their field work hours quicker. Some states do not care about the accreditation, but the more strict the state is on licensing, the more that CACREP program will help. If you really want, you can also get a PsyD, but there's really no difference professionally than the client going "ooo" more over having a doctoral. Might help for private practice, but a master's practitioner can still do that as well. Coming out with the doctoral, you'd need less field hours before licensing, and are considered more elite, but really, the field cares minimally. 

 

However, if you are interested in an academic career, the PhD is the better route in the long run. For this, you may be able to skip the masters all together. If not, look for masters programs which will allow a thesis and research in counseling psychology. 

 

If you want both options, get yourself ready for balancing a lot of professional work and research to make yourself applicable to both careers. You'll actually want both on your applications. From there, still go for the long haul PhD. Counseling, but you'll want to sit in for the license exam as well after completing your program. 

[Jay's Brain]

Hi, fellow Canadian here!

I recently accepted an offer to York University for their Clinical Psychology program. I'll be going down the Neuropsychology route, so it's a lot different from what you may be doing. However, I can tell you from a Canadian student perspective on how the process was like (I just went through it the last couple months after all!). 

 

The one school that I can think of right now that has both MEd and MA programs are OISE here in Toronto. You want to first figure out your potential research topic and the supervisors that may be of interest to you. Which part of counselling are you interested in (the types of interventions, etc). There are some changes going on with how Psychotherapy is considered and licensed in Ontario, so that's something you do want to consider. I'm not sure how it is in different parts of the country. 

 

In terms of MA vs. MEd, at least from what I've been told and seen with friends who have applied, MEd focuses a bit more on higher education (again, this is where honing down what you want to pursue is important). The MA, on the other hand, is more aligned with looking at research implications. Take a look at OISE's differentiation between the two degrees they offer: http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/lhae/Programs/Higher_Education/Degrees_Offered/Masters.html

 

I do have some insight as to the more general questions you were asking (choice of school, interviews, etc), so feel free to send me a personal message and I can walk you through my experience. The TL;DR version of it is that after a lengthy period, starting with completing my two sets of GREs early last summer, I submitted all my applications in the first week of December and confirmed my program of choice with external funding early April before the April 15th deadline.