Which masters?!

[dancedementia]

End goal is PhD in Counseling Psychology.

Have some offers (spring start) for a Masters in Experimental Psychology (e.g. research only, no clinical training) and a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (e.g. would lead to LPC/LMHC credential). 

I hear people say that research prep is best for grad school, but... personally I'd like a fallback plan (LPC/LMHC) in case the doctoral program never works out haha.

[clinicialpsych1979]

If your end goal is a PhD in Counseling Psychology, always remember that a PhD is a research degree. Your chances of being accepted into a credible PhD program without research experience are minimal. A masters degree in clinical mental counseling is AMAZING, if all you want to do is clinical work. But getting the masters in counseling just because you want a fall back plan...? It won't help you get into a PhD program. I can give this advice because I have been there-- I have the masters degree in clinical mental health counseling. I had to leave the field and focus on research before even thinking about applying to PhD psychology programs. (I got in, am in my 3rd year.) But I guarantee you I would have not gotten in with only a counseling degree. The field is way too competitive, and you are up against people with a lot of research experience. If you want the PhD, I would recommend that experimental masters degree. 

[Psychologyandpizza]

I was in the same situation you are in now. Last year as a senior in undergrad I was attempting to decide if where I should all apply... I eventually am hoping to get a PhD in counseling (or clinical) psychology, but new that my application wasn't as competitive as it should be to apply to clinical programs. One reason was because I did not have pubs to show for, and my gpa wasn't as high as i would have liked. 

I ultimately decided to enter a MS program in Experimental Psychology to fill the gap. So far, I have one accepted pub this year, 2 in review, and one in prep (so I'm less worried about that now). My research experience is great (mainly because I chose to enroll in the MS program at the university where i received my BS) as I could continue working on projects I had started during my senior year. Receiving a MS degree essentially in research methodology and behavioral statistics (i'm hoping) will set me up for success in doctoral programs and set me apart from other students applying who might not have that education.

If you aren't sure if you will end up going to a PhD program though, and you know you want to be in the counseling field, you could look at entering a program where you can become licensed. I have seen a number of counseling phd programs that actually look for students who have went through those types of programs as opposed to experimental programs like the one I am currently in. It's a personal decision that you need to make for yourself. I would suggest looking into counseling programs listed on the APA website (i think there are 60 or so that are accredited) and look at whether or not their websites state a preference for students coming in with Masters degrees. 

Good luck!

[dancedementia]

15 hours ago, clinicialpsych1979 said:

If your end goal is a PhD in Counseling Psychology, always remember that a PhD is a research degree. Your chances of being accepted into a credible PhD program without research experience are minimal. A masters degree in clinical mental counseling is AMAZING, if all you want to do is clinical work. But getting the masters in counseling just because you want a fall back plan...? It won't help you get into a PhD program. I can give this advice because I have been there-- I have the masters degree in clinical mental health counseling. I had to leave the field and focus on research before even thinking about applying to PhD psychology programs. (I got in, am in my 3rd year.) But I guarantee you I would have not gotten in with only a counseling degree. The field is way too competitive, and you are up against people with a lot of research experience. If you want the PhD, I would recommend that experimental masters degree. 

The thing is, I have pretty good research experience already. Nearly 5 years of part-time volunteer research spread across 4 labs, 5 posters in the last year alone, a symposium at APA, one paper submitted for pub (no idea when that's going to happen though). The only thing going against me is my TERRIBLE undergraduate GPA (3.0), which I am hoping the masters will help raise. Given this information, would you still recommend a research-focused masters?

Edited October 26, 2016 by dancedementia

[clinicialpsych1979]

13 minutes ago, dancedementia said:

The thing is, I have pretty good research experience already. Nearly 5 years of part-time volunteer research spread across 4 labs, 5 posters in the last year alone, a symposium at APA, one paper submitted for pub (no idea when that's going to happen though). The only thing going against me is my TERRIBLE undergraduate GPA (3.0), which I am hoping the masters will help raise. Given this information, would you still recommend a research-focused masters?

This is a tough decision. A masters degree in clinical mental health counseling will give you around 0 research experience. So, that means if you do the counseling program for 3 years, with no added research, you will be 3 years out of research. I honestly don't know what PhD programs will think about that. Maybe you can reach out to some Counseling Psych PhD programs and ask for some guidance? I would also really think about your end goal: research or clinical? Why do you want a PhD? Counseling is a great field. There are a lot of restrictions though. I would also look into Social Work programs that have a clinical route. It all depends on where you want to work one day. Hospital? Most hospitals you need a PhD or social work license. Community agency or private practice? You can work at those with any of the masters/PhD degrees. 

[dancedementia]

On 10/26/2016 at 4:51 PM, clinicialpsych1979 said:

This is a tough decision. A masters degree in clinical mental health counseling will give you around 0 research experience. So, that means if you do the counseling program for 3 years, with no added research, you will be 3 years out of research. I honestly don't know what PhD programs will think about that. Maybe you can reach out to some Counseling Psych PhD programs and ask for some guidance? I would also really think about your end goal: research or clinical? Why do you want a PhD? Counseling is a great field. There are a lot of restrictions though. I would also look into Social Work programs that have a clinical route. It all depends on where you want to work one day. Hospital? Most hospitals you need a PhD or social work license. Community agency or private practice? You can work at those with any of the masters/PhD degrees. 

University counseling center is the end goal. PhD in Counseling Psychology is more or less required (with LCSW a close second, but the amount of clinical practice done in social work programs is simply not the same. I have the option to do research in my masters program, so I wouldn't be 3 years out of research - I would take a thesis option and already have research arrangements outside of the program. I'm just afraid that taking the clinical masters would be poor signaling to the admissions committee.