clinical psychology vs public health in the global mental health arena

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River0fWords

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Hi there! I graduated with a BA in sociology/psychology from Harvard in 2013 and am currently working as a research coordinator at an anxiety disorders treatment center in Boston. I hope one day to - in addition to administering psychotherapy - design and implement programs for psychosocial support for communities affected by trauma, especially mass violence.

I intend to apply to graduate programs in the next year but feel as though I don't have the information I need to make a sound decision about which discipline within global mental health / international trauma is the best fit for me. I am currently on a clinical psychology PhD trajectory but am now considering a dual MSW/MPH degree, a PhD in public health/MSW combo, or even a PsyD. I'm posting here because I could use some insight about the differences in the roles played and approaches applied in global mental health by individuals with these educational backgrounds. How might the involvement of public health personnel (with an MSW) working on a global mental health intervention look different from that of a clinical psychologist's? What are the most notable differences in the training within each discipline for someone who intends to focus on community trauma interventions internationally? What do you think are the most important considerations as someone with my aspirations grapples with the question of which discipline to pursue? Lastly, any suggestions about jobs for the upcoming year that would give me good exposure to the subject matter at this early stage in my career? Any help would be SO appreciated as good advice has been hard to come by.

I'll end this by mentioning that I am not intent on pursuing a research or teaching career. I am more interested in practice, implementation, and leadership. However, I do have the conviction that effective programs and practice are informed by good research.

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Hi there! I graduated with a BA in sociology/psychology from Harvard in 2013 and am currently working as a research coordinator at an anxiety disorders treatment center in Boston. I hope one day to - in addition to administering psychotherapy - design and implement programs for psychosocial support for communities affected by trauma, especially mass violence.

I intend to apply to graduate programs in the next year but feel as though I don't have the information I need to make a sound decision about which discipline within global mental health / international trauma is the best fit for me. I am currently on a clinical psychology PhD trajectory but am now considering a dual MSW/MPH degree, a PhD in public health/MSW combo, or even a PsyD. I'm posting here because I could use some insight about the differences in the roles played and approaches applied in global mental health by individuals with these educational backgrounds. How might the involvement of public health personnel (with an MSW) working on a global mental health intervention look different from that of a clinical psychologists? What are the most notable differences in the training within each discipline for someone who intends to focus on community trauma interventions internationally? What do you think are the most important considerations as someone with my aspirations grapples with the question of which discipline to pursue? Lastly, any suggestions about jobs for the upcoming year that would give me good exposure to the subject matter at this early stage in my career? Any help would be SO appreciated as good advice has been hard to come by.

I'll end this by mentioning that I am not intent on pursuing a research or teaching career. I am more interested in practice, implementation, and leadership. However, I do have the conviction that effective programs and practice are informed by good research.
For your goals a MSW/MPH or Phd in Public Health/MSW probably has the most versatility and scope of practice. Once you are further into the field and know a network of people you can then sort out whether the LCSW (to allow psychotherapy practice) or the PhD in social work or public health may make sense. (Bothof those will give you a research base. And you are more likely to be able to get a fully funded program.) Seems like finding a position nationally or internationally with a health focused NGO or governmental agency could be the logical work environment to test out your interests.
 
What you describe as your career path sounds like it would be right in the wheelhouse of a clinical psychologist. I actually feel that we are best suited for program design/evaluation because of our strong research background.
 
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Hi there! I graduated with a BA in sociology/psychology from Harvard in 2013 and am currently working as a research coordinator at an anxiety disorders treatment center in Boston. I hope one day to - in addition to administering psychotherapy - design and implement programs for psychosocial support for communities affected by trauma, especially mass violence.

I intend to apply to graduate programs in the next year but feel as though I don't have the information I need to make a sound decision about which discipline within global mental health / international trauma is the best fit for me. I am currently on a clinical psychology PhD trajectory but am now considering a dual MSW/MPH degree, a PhD in public health/MSW combo, or even a PsyD. I'm posting here because I could use some insight about the differences in the roles played and approaches applied in global mental health by individuals with these educational backgrounds. How might the involvement of public health personnel (with an MSW) working on a global mental health intervention look different from that of a clinical psychologist's? What are the most notable differences in the training within each discipline for someone who intends to focus on community trauma interventions internationally? What do you think are the most important considerations as someone with my aspirations grapples with the question of which discipline to pursue? Lastly, any suggestions about jobs for the upcoming year that would give me good exposure to the subject matter at this early stage in my career? Any help would be SO appreciated as good advice has been hard to come by.

I'll end this by mentioning that I am not intent on pursuing a research or teaching career. I am more interested in practice, implementation, and leadership. However, I do have the conviction that effective programs and practice are informed by good research.

At the local level, anecdotally, I have seen master's-level (M.A. psychologists, LCSW's, even people with bachelor's degrees in Comparative Religion) actually be more upwardly mobile than PhD's/PsyD's within the organization (developmental center, state organizational structure, hospital) perhaps due to the fact that licensed doctoral level practitioners were needed on the 'front lines' and these non-doctoral folks were 'specialized' in terms of their political focus (i.e., not clinical/scientific focus) and put their energies into making alliances, jumping on board the 'trend' bandwagon, using the proper language/speech, and not ruffling feathers. This may be a totally local or anecdotal phenomenon, however. I definitely think that getting a doctorate in psychology makes you more qualified (in an idealized sense) to take the career path you describe...but I think that you will definitely encounter along the way the pressures to 'play ball' with the politically dominant team, support decisions that have no support clinically/scientifically in the literature, and spend a lot of time interacting with people who are more into the power/political game than the scientific/treatment game of psychology. I think we need good people in that fight, I just know that I couldn't do it and have any enduring career satisfaction, but people are different and it might be a good fit for you.

On a more positive and less cynical note, I came across a talk on YouTube by David Barlow discussing these issues at a conference and I think that in his talk he exemplifies the ways in which this form of advocacy can be 'done right':



We need good people doing this kind of work and you may have a fruitful career ahead of you facilitating much progress. Good luck to you!
 
Hi All, I know this is an old thread but I wanted to ask about the "PhD in public health/MSW combo" referenced by the OP. Is this track available as a dual degree program?
 
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