Looking to go into clinical psychology and need advice!

[LN4395]

Hello, everyone! I want to go into clinical psychology. I am currently in the second semester of my freshman year of undergrad and I will be graduating a year early with a double major in Japanese language and literature and psychology. I will also receive a psychology research certification by the time I graduate. My current cumulative GPA is about a 3.4. I want to start preparing for graduate school but I was wondering if it would be better for me to get a PhD or a PsyD. Also, should I go to a larger university for this or a smaller school just for psychology? What should I be doing now to prepare for this? A lot of schools I've looked into want their applicants to have completed some amount of community service. What are they looking for with that? And how much should I do? Any advice is welcome! Thank you all so much!

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[WisNeuro]

What would you like to do for a career?

 

[LN4395]

What would you like to do for a career?

I would like to be a clinical psychologist.

 

[WisNeuro]

I would like to be a clinical psychologist.

Good to hear. Anything more specific than that? Clinician? Researcher? Work with specific populations? Etc. Without some more specific goals. it's hard to offer advice.

 

[MCParent]

Hello, everyone! I want to go into clinical psychology. I am currently in the second semester of my freshman year of undergrad and I will be graduating a year early with a double major in Japanese language and literature and psychology. I will also receive a psychology research certification by the time I graduate. My current cumulative GPA is about a 3.4. I want to start preparing for graduate school but I was wondering if it would be better for me to get a PhD or a PsyD. Also, should I go to a larger university for this or a smaller school just for psychology? What should I be doing now to prepare for this? A lot of schools I've looked into want their applicants to have completed some amount of community service. What are they looking for with that? And how much should I do? Any advice is welcome! Thank you all so much!

http://psychologygradschool.weebly.com
HTH!

 

[LN4395]

Good to hear. Anything more specific than that? Clinician? Researcher? Work with specific populations? Etc. Without some more specific goals. it's hard to offer advice.

I want to be a clinician. I also would really like to work with abnormal disorders because I have a huge interest in them.

 

[WisNeuro]

I would suggest going to MCP's website first. But I would also suggest talking to a psychologist in person about what their career is like. In terms of grad school interviews, you will need to be much more specific on your goals.

 

[erg923]

What's a normal disorder lol.

But seriously, I think the are many, many ways to serve as a mental health professional and the choice to be a psychologist requires some very specific goals, commitments, interests, etc.

Are you committed to scholarly inquiry, scientific and empirically based thinking and practice? Are you aware of the risks, both financial and personal, in entering into such lengthy and intensive schooling?

 

[LN4395]

Thanks, guys! I have spoken to many therapists about their jobs and it sounds like what I want to do. What should I be doing now to prepare?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I want to be a clinician. I also would really like to work with abnormal disorders because I have a huge interest in them.

You're likely going to want to start significantly narrowing your interests at some point (e.g., what types of "abnormal disorders"--depression, anxiety, substance abuse, trauma, severe mental illness, etc.), although I'd plenty of folks don't really pare things down until a bit later in undergrad (or even once already in grad school). In general, though, there are some fairly ubqiquitous recommendations for grad school in psychology: get at least a couple years' worth of experience as a research assistant in one or more psychology labs, try to get at least a few poster presentations from your research work if possible, keep your GPA as high as possible, and rock the GRE. With the community service, if the program explicitly requires it, then I'd imagine volunteering at nursing homes/assisted living facilities or state facilities for folks with various developmental disabilities could work.

As for PhD vs. PsyD, there are multiple threads on these forums discussing that very topic that you could search for and read through, and that should be helpful. The general advice there: regardless of the degree type, pick a program that offers solid funding, will provide you with the training you want and with which you have a good research/clinical fit, that has strong outcome statistics (e.g., APA-accredited internship match rates, EPPP passing rates, licensure rates of recent graduates, etc.), and whose graduates go on to work in settings that are similar to your professional goals.

Edit: Also, the "DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads" sticky at the top of the forums seems like a good place for you to start on your quest for clinical psych knowledge. Many of your current and future questions may already be addressed there.

 

[LN4395]

You're likely going to want to start significantly narrowing your interests at some point (e.g., what types of "abnormal disorders"--depression, anxiety, substance abuse, trauma, severe mental illness, etc.), although I'd plenty of folks don't really pare things down until a bit later in undergrad (or even once already in grad school). In general, though, there are some fairly ubqiquitous recommendations for grad school in psychology: get at least a couple years' worth of experience as a research assistant in one or more psychology labs, try to get at least a few poster presentations from your research work if possible, keep your GPA as high as possible, and rock the GRE. With the community service, if the program explicitly requires it, then I'd imagine volunteering at nursing homes/assisted living facilities or state facilities for folks with various developmental disabilities could work.

As for PhD vs. PsyD, there are multiple threads on these forums discussing that very topic that you could search for and read through, and that should be helpful. The general advice there: regardless of the degree type, pick a program that offers solid funding, will provide you with the training you want and with which you have a good research/clinical fit, that has strong outcome statistics (e.g., APA-accredited internship match rates, EPPP passing rates, licensure rates of recent graduates, etc.), and whose graduates go on to work in settings that are similar to your professional goals.

Edit: Also, the "DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads" sticky at the top of the forums seems like a good place for you to start on your quest for clinical psych knowledge. Many of your current and future questions may already be addressed there.

Thanks so much for the great advice!

 

[erg923]

Thanks, guys! I have spoken to many therapists about their jobs and it sounds like what I want to do.

if thats your sole interest, then only get a masters degree.

 

[WisNeuro]

if thats your sole interest, then only get a masters degree.

Or Social work, plenty of them doing therapy.

 

[CheetahGirl]

I second the search past threads suggestions...it's tedious, but after being a member of the Forum for many years...almost everything has been discussed ad nauseum.

With the community service, if the program explicitly requires it, then I'd imagine volunteering at nursing homes/assisted living facilities or state facilities for folks with various developmental disabilities could work.

I'll also add that volunteering in community service may be any volunteer position that puts you in circumstances that allow you to empathize with others in distress - this is a highly useful skill to have BEFORE you begin graduate school for clinical psychology. Look into schools (although - they may be filled by those interested in teaching or school psych), hospitals, suicide hotlines, domestic violence programs (like shelters or advocacy programs). When I trained at an outpatient hospital facility, there were volunteers who would play with the children in the waiting room as they waited for their therapy or medical appointments. There are many volunteer positions out there...find one best for you (it doesn't have to be in mental health, but best if it is) and tweak the experience so it matches your growing interest in the field; for example, say you hone in on an interest in psychotic disorders (stemming from your abovementioned interest in "abnormal disorders"), and you find a volunteer position in pediatrician's office...you can begin to see how parents relate to their kids (or not) and how it plays out in their behavior...then, think about how those kids will grow up and how those parent-child interactions may influence a hypothetical diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. There's a lot of supposition in my example, but make your experiences work for you. And all of it will help guide your general interests to be more specific.

Most volunteer programs require you to be 18 years or older, and it is important to be mature and professional when volunteering. I screen volunteers for a domestic violence advocacy program where I am a volunteer, and maturity & reliability are both very important in the initial screening process because without it, you are turned away to be a volunteer. These experience are all great prior to application time, especially coming straight from undergrad.

To the OP: without the intention to debate PsyD vs. PhD (search past thread on that topic - for sure, and I will discourage you from starting another debate on your thread), there seems to be a great misunderstanding in that PsyDs are more clinical than PhDs in clinical psych. When a PsyD exits most programs, he/she is deeply aware of the scholarly effort that goes into any degree in clinical psychology - whether they conduct independent research or not (as most PhDs are required to conduct their own individual research, i.e., at the very least, the dissertation). I'm suggesting to look into both PsyD and PhD programs in your ultimate search. There will be good and bad programs for both degree types.

Good luck!

*Edit: And if others seem to be discouraging you, it is because you really need to have a scholarly interest to carry you through the training (whether it be PhD or PsyD in clinical psych)...or get masters level-therapist training or a social work degree...although those PhDs in Social Work usual rock out with their research.*

 

[JeyRo]

I want to be a clinician. I also would really like to work with abnormal disorders because I have a huge interest in them.

I agree with all who have suggested getting more specific about what kind of work you want to do. What kind of disorders, specifically, and what populations (e.g., child, adult, geriatric, forensic, DD, etc.) would narrow things down much more helpfully.

Also, again, at the risk of being redundant with others, if you just want to be a therapist, don't be a clinical psychologist. Focus on getting into a high-quality Social Work program, or a high-quality MFT program (do those exist? I'm sure they do).

 

[LN4395]

I second the search past threads suggestions...it's tedious, but after being a member of the Forum for many years...almost everything has been discussed ad nauseum.



I'll also add that volunteering in community service may be any volunteer position that puts you in circumstances that allow you to empathize with others in distress - this is a highly useful skill to have BEFORE you begin graduate school for clinical psychology. Look into schools (although - they may be filled by those interested in teaching or school psych), hospitals, suicide hotlines, domestic violence programs (like shelters or advocacy programs). When I trained at an outpatient hospital facility, there were volunteers who would play with the children in the waiting room as they waited for their therapy or medical appointments. There are many volunteer positions out there...find one best for you (it doesn't have to be in mental health, but best if it is) and tweak the experience so it matches your growing interest in the field; for example, say you hone in on an interest in psychotic disorders (stemming from your abovementioned interest in "abnormal disorders"), and you find a volunteer position in pediatrician's office...you can begin to see how parents relate to their kids (or not) and how it plays out in their behavior...then, think about how those kids will grow up and how those parent-child interactions may influence a hypothetical diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. There's a lot of supposition in my example, but make your experiences work for you. And all of it will help guide your general interests to be more specific.

Most volunteer programs require you to be 18 years or older, and it is important to be mature and professional when volunteering. I screen volunteers for a domestic violence advocacy program where I am a volunteer, and maturity & reliability are both very important in the initial screening process because without it, you are turned away to be a volunteer. These experience are all great prior to application time, especially coming straight from undergrad.

To the OP: without the intention to debate PsyD vs. PhD (search past thread on that topic - for sure, and I will discourage you from starting another debate on your thread), there seems to be a great misunderstanding in that PsyDs are more clinical than PhDs in clinical psych. When a PsyD exits most programs, he/she is deeply aware of the scholarly effort that goes into any degree in clinical psychology - whether they conduct independent research or not (as most PhDs are required to conduct their own individual research, i.e., at the very least, the dissertation). I'm suggesting to look into both PsyD and PhD programs in your ultimate search. There will be good and bad programs for both degree types.

Good luck!

*Edit: And if others seem to be discouraging you, it is because you really need to have a scholarly interest to carry you through the training (whether it be PhD or PsyD in clinical psych)...or get masters level-therapist training or a social work degree...although those PhDs in Social Work usual rock out with their research.*

Great! I'm definitely going to look into a couple of the volunteer opportunities that you mentioned. Thanks so much!