Does my path make sense?

[doubleneg]

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[WisNeuro]

I feel like the MPH route sounds more likely to get you to your goal than the PhD route with the CDC/NAMI thing.

 

[CogNeuroGuy]

Also, I would advocate that the Dr.PH (Doctor of Public Health) seems to be a very good fit for your goals. Schools like Harvard provide an emphasis in behavioral health, epidemiology, etc. In some programs, you have the option to combine at least two paths such as epidemiology and behavioral health.

 

[Stannis]

What about clinical/community psychology phd programs (e.g., DePaul, Georgia State)? You can even go to Yale for internship. Clinical training and licensure, policy work, prevention at many levels, all in one training program. Unifying them into a single job, that might be harder.

 

[somedaypsych]

Are you familiar with Bruce Link's work? He is out of Columbia - sounds like his work/path might be up your alley.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Hi everyone.

I am applying to PhD programs for next year and am starting to question whether or not this is a smart idea. I have all the pre-reqs down (GRE's, LOR, manuscripts) and have been on this path for a while.

My research focus is mental health stigma and community mental health. My long-term goal is to work with mental health at the public policy level, be a mental health advocate, etc. Ideally, I would have a leadership position with NAMI or the CDC to focus on translating mental health research into prevention strategies. I also would like to be a professor, but I am NOT interested in tenure-track. I am aware of the sad-state that adjuncting is, but it is something I would like to do to supplement my career. I have not decided yet how interested I am in doing therapy full-time, but I do have an interest in it, and would like to receive training in it.

Now, I'm aware I can't be a psychotherapist, adjunct, and head a major government office, so ideally, I would work for public policy and teach on the side.

Out of all the programs I've looked at, it looks like I am best fit for a Counseling or Clinical PhD. I have looked at applied psychology PhD's but none of them seem focused on mental illness to the depth that I would like to receive training in. Also, I have had a hard time finding faculty in these programs that focus on stigma, which I know for a fact, I want to focus on. I believe that if I were an "expert" in mental health stigma and prevention, I would be more fit for a public policy position (or at least, consulting for one) than if I had my MPH or a PhD in Public Policy. So, my question is, would receiving a PhD in Counseling/Clinical Psych be the best route to prepare myself for a job like this (mental health policy at the government level, either state or national).

Can anyone weigh in on this?

My thoughts would be that a solid clinical psych program would provide you with the tools you need to succeed with your goals. As I have mentioned before in other threads, in psychology you develop your own focus and body of work to support your area of expertise. I would strongly vote for you to work on those issues as a psychologist because I think that is good for our profession and that you will find that your skill set would serve you well as you begin addressing the issues of stigma. I actually have spent a lot of time working against stigma as a clinical psychologist who is generally focused on providing treatment. In the rural areas where I have worked, I have been involved in community issues since day one of my post-doc. The policy makers and other community leaders know what a psychologist is and want our input on these matters. The other degrees mentioned don't exist around these parts.