Cognitive-Behavioral Therapist... help!

[Suzanne51]

Hi all,

Thanks to grad school and preparing for my MA thesis, I've finally figured out what I want to do for a living: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. I have always known my interests were somewhere in the behavioral realm, but strictly being a "behaviorist" seems a bit too impersonal for me. During a thesis brainstorming session, it finally hit me... CBT. That's exactly what I want, I just sort of forgot it exists (blame it on grad school brain). But... woo! It's nice to have figured it out, lol.

I am writing to ask you all for any information you have pertaining to this career. The results from my searches are mostly for someone who needs a CBT. Additionally, the NACBT certification to become a CCBT states that you already must have "six years of post-graduate experience at providing cognitive-behavioral therapy." But, how do you even go about getting that experience?

I'm currently in my 1st year of graduate school in Long Island, NY. I'm pursuing an MA in General Psychology (strictly for the sake of gaining research experience to better my application to PhD programs) and will graduate next May. My grades are very high (almost only A+) and I am working with a highly-reputable faculty member on my thesis.

From this point, I do not really know where to go and the information online is not very helpful. What programs should I look for in the future? What training would I need? Aside from recommendation letters and what I've mentioned I'm already doing, (and the GRE scores, which I have plan to take this summer), what do you think I'll need for to better my PhD application? Any information you might have is very much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Suzanne

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[Tupelo Honey]

Hi Suzanne. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you're currently at SBU. That's good! It's a very behavioral focused program. I think training is going to change across programs so I'll just tell you how mine works (a clinical science program). For the first 2 years, we get to choose what kind of therapy training we'd like to do each year (CBT, psychodynamic, EFT) and get assigned to a supervisor in the community. After that, we can apply to externships at community clinics, VAs, hospitals, etc. There is a lot of flexibility in our program and a number of options in our area so we can choose an externship that focuses on CBT if we'd like. The thing to keep in mind is that internship sites often want people with a variety of experiences, so going strictly CBT throughout your graduate training could work against you at some sites.

As for what you should be focusing on now - if you are truly interested in getting into a PhD program, you should focus on research! I don't know how much experience you have but you may want to work in another lab (in addition to working on your master's thesis). Most PhD programs will not consider applicants who don't have a minimum of 2 years worth of quality experience. Keep your grades high, get to know your professors well, focus on research, get good GRE scores, and you'll be a competitive applicant.

 

[GoPokes]

It may be also worthwhile to start thinking about specifically what theorists influence your clinical work... CBT is a pretty broad area, encompassing lots of different approaches like REBT and ACT. Being a "CBT" therapist is pretty broad (in my opinion), so it may serve you well in future PhD program interviews to start thinking more specifically.

 

[deleted343839]

Suzanne, are you interested in a primarily clinical career or do you also want to be able to conduct research (eg, developing new CBT treatments, testing CBT in new settings or populations, etc.)? Many doctoral programs offer excellent training in CBT. Just make sure that your career goals (clinical practice, research, etc.) are compatible with the training that a program can provide.

As professional titles go, there is no such thing as a "cognitive behavioral therapist." You don't need special certification for this. Psychologists, counselors, clinical social workers, physicians, and others can provide CBT given the appropriate training and supervised experience. The NACBT credential does exist, but if it's worth anything, it's more valuable to non-psychologists who want to show evidence of competence in CBT. For psychologists, board certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP; www.abpp.org) is generally looked upon more favorably. You can become board certified in Cognitive & Behavioral Psychology, but in reality not very many psychologists do, including many bona fide CBT experts.

You might consider joining the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) as a student member.

 

[Suzanne51]

Wonderful! Thank you all for your replies.

I am only beginning to work on my thesis now, so I certainly don't have much experience there yet. After I receive my MA, I plan on taking a break for a year or so (for financial reasons) during which time I will take the GRE and hopefully work in a lab or somewhere that would help me gain more of the experience I need.

As for my specific interests, I keep coming back to CBT, exposure therapy, and things of that nature. At one point in my life I was on the receiving end of various therapies for severe panic disorder, phobias, etc. Now that I'm training to be on the other end, I want to help others overcome similar obstacles. I realize this can be done in a variety of ways, so I'm pretty open where that is concerned, but I feel that CBT would be best suited to my strengths. Mostly, I am a very goal-oriented "type A" personality and found that to be the most helpful aspect of my own recovery so, in my opinion, something like CBT (with goals, homework, etc) would be the best way for me to help others.

Thank you for telling me that there is no such title as "Cognitive Behavioral Therapist." That explains why I was having so much trouble researching it!