PhD/PsyD Does getting a degree in Clinical Psych bar you from Counseling Psych work and vice versa?

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simplybaroque

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Sorry for the overhashed "clinical vs counseling" question :( Some of the threads have been very helpful on distinguishing the differences in academic and practicum choices between the two, but I was curious about this:

What happens if I get a PhD in Clinical Psychology and later in life want to work in a traditionally Counseling Psych position (for example, in a university mental health center or open a private practice focusing on relationship therapy)? Will the Clinical Psych degree make me less desirable for those roles? That is, if there were two individuals with similar credentials, will the university health center usually choose the Counseling Psych person over the Clinical Psych person?

How about in the reverse? If I got a PhD in Counseling Psych but received adequate training (practicum, postdoc, etc.) in psychopathology, would I still be able to work with mentally-disordered individuals (schizophrenia, ADHD, the works)? Or would you need a Clinical Psych degree to even begin thinking about assessment/treatment of mental health disorders?

I mainly ask because my stats aren't that good, and I plan on applying to both Clinical and Counseling programs and just seeing where I'll get in... still not sure where I want to end up eventually (I am more interested in psychopathology but probably have the personality type that would be more successful with counseling....)

Thanks!

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In my experience, not at all. I've found prac experiences to be much better at opening doors (I.e., clinical psychs don't magically get va positions handed to them with no va or hospital experience, and counseling psychs I know who had hospital and va experience got hospital and va jobs, and the converse).
 
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Great to hear :) I'm leaning more towards Clinical, but I would honestly not complain if a school threw me a bone and gave me a chance with either. So I guess I should focus primarily on landing a good practicum (and postdoc if applicable)?
 
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Differences between the two are pretty slight these days. They do exist, but the "bell curve" of possible jobs largely overlaps. I doubt either degree would absolutely bar you from employment in any particular type of setting. You absolutely will see more people with certain types of degrees in certain settings, but that is often just a matter of interest. Look at what opportunities are available and what graduates have done. Being the first isn't impossible...but I wouldn't want to roll the dice on something like that.

I generally encourage people to just look at what interests them and apply to those places regardless of clinical/counseling designation. You will see differences in the sense that you will far less likely to find someone studying genetic markers of schizophrenia in a counseling program and far more likely to find someone studying the stigma of SPMI (just as an example). I think it makes less of a difference if you are looking at clinical careers. Even with research there is more overlap than not (its just extreme examples like the one above where you see divergence).
 
Regarding internship, I think it depends on the program quite a bit. I'm currently at a highly ranked clinical science program and was told by faculty not to apply to UCCs because our students never receive interview invitations. However, at another clinical psych Phd program I interviewed at, the students of my potential advisor all ended up at UCCs. I think asking about past students and where they ended up for internship is really important. The answer weighed heavily in my final decision on what program to attend.
 
Differences between the two are pretty slight these days. They do exist, but the "bell curve" of possible jobs largely overlaps. I doubt either degree would absolutely bar you from employment in any particular type of setting. You absolutely will see more people with certain types of degrees in certain settings, but that is often just a matter of interest. Look at what opportunities are available and what graduates have done. Being the first isn't impossible...but I wouldn't want to roll the dice on something like that.

Oh, ya, you'd want to find a program with the pracs you might want to do for sure.
 
I think the one big difference that shows up for for folks who are more research focused has to do with whether you will be working in a psychology department or in a school of education. I realize there are a handful of psychology departments that include counseling psychology but this seems to be less and less common.

It also surprises me that with the similarities in training, when job ads for faculty positions come out they are often specifically trying to recruit either a clinical psych OR a counseling psych. I understand where this comes from (CACREP and APA accred etc), but I would rather hire the best person for the job, especially in cases where the department says they are especially interested in applicants with an emphasis on conducting research with diverse populations.
 
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I agree that the differences should not be the decider at the beginning of a career, as doors remain open and it is the kind of clinical settings you train in that shapes the trajectory far more than any designation of the doctorate. I happen to be a Counseling Psych PhD but my internship and all that followed were in community mental health/SMI work. I have trained students with Counseling Psych degrees who have gone on to the VA and students in Clinical Psych that go on to UCCs....so you can make your choice based on where you are admitted and apply to both and see what happens. There is some research (but now probably a decade old) showing that Counseling Psych programs do a better job of funding their students.
 
never mind, early morning reading comprehension failure!
 
I think the one big difference that shows up for for folks who are more research focused has to do with whether you will be working in a psychology department or in a school of education. I realize there are a handful of psychology departments that include counseling psychology but this seems to be less and less common.

It also surprises me that with the similarities in training, when job ads for faculty positions come out they are often specifically trying to recruit either a clinical psych OR a counseling psych. I understand where this comes from (CACREP and APA accred etc), but I would rather hire the best person for the job, especially in cases where the department says they are especially interested in applicants with an emphasis on conducting research with diverse populations.

I'm not sure about this--I was in an education department with a counseling psych program, and the counseling psych faculty were extremely productive, including a big name professor in rehab psych. I think this more has to do with the type of institution than what type of department the program is housed in.
 
I agree that it entirely depends on where you choose to do your practicum placements. I'm finishing up my PhD in counseling psych housed in a college of education. I've done field placements at a psych hospital, county jail, and VA hospital. I'm currently on internship at a VA hospital, and have a VA postdoc lined up for next year. I've had supervisors look at my CV and say that it looks like it belongs to a clinical psych student. I've always felt drawn to counseling psych philosophically, but I've still carved out a more traditionally clinical training path. (Also, I should note that this is not unusual in my department. We have students match to VA, rehab, neuro, academic medical center, state hospital/SMI internships every year.)
 
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I'm not sure about this--I was in an education department with a counseling psych program, and the counseling psych faculty were extremely productive, including a big name professor in rehab psych. I think this more has to do with the type of institution than what type of department the program is housed in.

Maybe my post wasn't clear- I wasn't talking about a productivity comparison between clinical and counseling.

All I was saying is if you are considering whether to pursue a clinical or counseling psych degree AND want an academic position, then the type of degree you get will likely determine whether you are in a traditional psychology department or a school of education.
 
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