Grad recently interested in a practice-oriented masters (and later a PhD or PsyD) in clinical psych

[psychhopeful7]

I am a recent graduate and I have recently become interested in ultimately having my own practice. Right now I think I have to get a masters first since I do not have any research or clinical experience. I would love for the masters and PhD or PsyD programs that I apply to to be mainly practice-oriented since I do not want to go into academia. Also, I think I would enjoy a more practice-oriented program. Does anyone know of any good options? (Preferably in California, but other options are ok as well). Also, how important is research experience for those who are applying to a more practice-oriented masters program? It is hard to find research opportunities when you are out of college. I would prefer to get some clinical experience and then do my research while at a masters program before applying to a PhD or PsyD. Would that make sense? Thanks for the help in advance!

 

 

[_kita]

If you are sure you want practice only, I suggest looking at licensed masters level programs first. LPC programs will qualify you a bit better. Honestly, getting a doctoral may not really 'help' you professionally as much as you might think. If you decide to get a doctoral though, research is still important. Even the PsyD (which is a practice-oriented degree) they are training future scholars and evidence-based practitioners. Having a research baseline is important for both. That being said, research should be more about intervention techniques and strategies than anything else.

 

Yes, it is difficult finding research positions out of college. Like any other job out there, you have stiff competition. I suggest instead of trying to do one or the other at a time, try to incorporate both! Talk to old faculty about research your interested in doing on your own. Be inspired by your clients and the system around you. I worked in the field for 3 years before going back for my masters. I can tell you, I started reading and designing research experiments throughout that time. Perhaps create quality and satisfaction surveys for your company. That will allow you to merge interests easily. 

[psychhopeful7]

If you are sure you want practice only, I suggest looking at licensed masters level programs first. LPC programs will qualify you a bit better. Honestly, getting a doctoral may not really 'help' you professionally as much as you might think. If you decide to get a doctoral though, research is still important. Even the PsyD (which is a practice-oriented degree) they are training future scholars and evidence-based practitioners. Having a research baseline is important for both. That being said, research should be more about intervention techniques and strategies than anything else.

 

Yes, it is difficult finding research positions out of college. Like any other job out there, you have stiff competition. I suggest instead of trying to do one or the other at a time, try to incorporate both! Talk to old faculty about research your interested in doing on your own. Be inspired by your clients and the system around you. I worked in the field for 3 years before going back for my masters. I can tell you, I started reading and designing research experiments throughout that time. Perhaps create quality and satisfaction surveys for your company. That will allow you to merge interests easily. 

 

-Thank you for your advice

Can you elaborate more on why you think that a PsyD or PhD doesnt help people professionally as much as they think? I was just thinking that more schooling will allow me to be better equipped to help those in need. 

[_kita]

Most people assume that to go into private practice they need a PhD/PsyD. It looks more prestigious on the wall and shows how much you know.  In reality, the more internships and real world experience you have, the better off you are. Practice is a hands-on skill. Taking on summer internships concretely helps you get you those skills. A PsyD/PhD does help, but in knowing the theory, not knowing the practice. It will train you to be a more capable evidence-based practitioner and expand your awareness of other intervention techniques. Just because you know them; however, does not mean you can use them effectively. Luckily all of these programs help you get the internships to get that experience.

 

The question is, if you see someone 28 years old as your therapist, would you rather have them tell you: "I've worked with other clients who's struggled this way too, let me show you tools that helped them." or "I studied this topic thoroughly and know all the research." Neither are bad, just one makes you more directly competent quicker than the other. 

Edited July 29, 2015 by psychkita

[Losi]

I believe that there are two different paths you can choose from. You can go the school route and one of the best schools for a clinical program is at UCLA. It is one of the best schools regarding this field and has awesome faculty and a research program. The second route in my opinion is getting on hands experience by doing an internship or shadowing someone in the field you want, while doing online schooling. I believe getting an education is key! I hope this helps! 

[psychhopeful7]

Most people assume that to go into private practice they need a PhD/PsyD. It looks more prestigious on the wall and shows how much you know.  In reality, the more internships and real world experience you have, the better off you are. Practice is a hands-on skill. Taking on summer internships concretely helps you get you those skills. A PsyD/PhD does help, but in knowing the theory, not knowing the practice. It will train you to be a more capable evidence-based practitioner and expand your awareness of other intervention techniques. Just because you know them; however, does not mean you can use them effectively. Luckily all of these programs help you get the internships to get that experience.

 

The question is, if you see someone 28 years old as your therapist, would you rather have them tell you: "I've worked with other clients who's struggled this way too, let me show you tools that helped them." or "I studied this topic thoroughly and know all the research." Neither are bad, just one makes you more directly competent quicker than the other. 

What you're saying makes a lot of sense. I was thinking of applying to masters programs first anyway, so that I can really see what I am interested in. That being the case, I would like for the masters to also prepare me to apply to a PsyD program in case I decide that I want to take that step. Do you think that programs that prepare you for the LMFT and the LPC would also prepare you for a PsyD program? Just for reference, my interests include depression, mood disorders, marital/couple therapy, spirituality, existential, life coaching, and suicide prevention among other things. Also, I love the idea of the humanistic approach.