PhD/PsyD Received clinical psychology offer but have concerns

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

I received an offer from a clinical psychology PhD program in the US and I have concerns regarding the program and mentor. Any constructive advice is highly appreciated!


1) My potential supervisor used to conduct research I am interested in but will now focus on another line of research that I am less interested in. How heavily should I weigh this factor in making my decision?


2) The program has no in house clinic. How big is this of an issue? How many clinical hours do most programs expect on a weekly basis?


3) The clinical psychology program has been APA accredited for less than 5 years, so there are no students that have graduated from the clinical program yet.

Please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything!

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[ClinPsyWMH]

This is just my take on things (for context, I'm a fifth year in a clinical psych PhD program in the US, and have applied for internship this year):

1) Only you can decide how much the change in focus is bothersome. If you aren't interested in the new line of research at all, then this will likely impact the enjoyment that you get out of your work the next few years, and could prevent you from getting the experiences (and publications) in an area you really are interested in.

2) That sounds awful, quite frankly. Whether it is the first year, or any year after that, a few hours drive a few times a week is going to really eat into your life. I'm at a program where some, but not all, of the placements are an hour away, and when I was doing that drive for a year it was rough. But it was only an hour each way twice a week, so I did it. A few hours twice (or more) a week for several years sounds terrible, if I'm honest.

3) If you haven't met any current students, it is more than appropriate to contact them. You should get their opinions and feedback. I'd ask for contact information for a few students and see what their takes are on the issues you raised above (like how bad the drives are, and many hours you are on placement, my program expects 20 hours per week on site, but programs differ) and on internship and other concerns.

Congratulations on at least one offer, and best of luck making your decisions!

 

[bcliff]

Is it APA accredited, or planning to pursue accreditation after graduating its first class? I would not enter a non-accredited program. Does it offer funding?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If it isn't APA-acred, I'd want to know where in the process they are (and confirm w APA). I'd want to talk to current students too. I'd want to know whst internships have been secured. If the program isn't housed at an established university, I'd have serious concerns. Free-standing program + not APA-acred = huge No Go.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

Is it APA accredited, or planning to pursue accreditation after graduating its first class? I would not enter a non-accredited program. Does it offer funding?

It is APA accredited and has a really good stipend.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

If it isn't APA-acred, I'd want to know where in the process they are (and confirm w APA). I'd want to talk to current students too. I'd want to know whst internships have been secured. If the program isn't housed at an established university, I'd have serious concerns. Free-standing program + not APA-acred = huge No Go.

Thank you for your tips! The program is APA accredited and housed in a reputable university. I am planning to ask about how 5th year students are doing in terms of internship applications to see if most students are completing their degree in time and if they have been secured.

 

[counselor2b]

It is APA accredited and has a really good stipend.

You may want to double check on the APA status. If they have not graduated anyone from their program yet, I do not believe they can be APA accredited.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

This is just my take on things (for context, I'm a fifth year in a clinical psych PhD program in the US, and have applied for internship this year):

1) Only you can decide how much the change in focus is bothersome. If you aren't interested in the new line of research at all, then this will likely impact the enjoyment that you get out of your work the next few years, and could prevent you from getting the experiences (and publications) in an area you really are interested in.

2) That sounds awful, quite frankly. Whether it is the first year, or any year after that, a few hours drive a few times a week is going to really eat into your life. I'm at a program where some, but not all, of the placements are an hour away, and when I was doing that drive for a year it was rough. But it was only an hour each way twice a week, so I did it. A few hours twice (or more) a week for several years sounds terrible, if I'm honest.

3) If you haven't met any current students, it is more than appropriate to contact them. You should get their opinions and feedback. I'd ask for contact information for a few students and see what their takes are on the issues you raised above (like how bad the drives are, and many hours you are on placement, my program expects 20 hours per week on site, but programs differ) and on internship and other concerns.

Congratulations on at least one offer, and best of luck making your decisions!

Thank you for your wonderful advice! I will definitely contact the department and students about the clinic issue. When you say that your program expects 20 hours a week, are you referring to second and third year practica for a PhD program? Do you think it is more appropriate to ask these questions to the DCT or to the current students?

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

You may want to double check on the APA status. If they have not graduated anyone from their program yet, I do not believe they can be APA accredited.

Thanks! They are definitely APA accredited, but they do have an upcoming visit and I'm trying to see the status.

 

[ClinPsyWMH]

Thank you for your wonderful advice! I will definitely contact the department and students about the clinic issue. When you say that your program expects 20 hours a week, are you referring to second and third year practica for a PhD program? Do you think it is more appropriate to ask these questions to the DCT or to the current students?

In my program (and they are all going to be different, so your mileage may vary), there isn't a set number of hours/week we work in practicum during our second year, which is in our in-house psych clinic. I can't quite remember how many hours I spent in clinical work that year, but... maybe 20-ish? After that (3rd, 4th, 5th year if you are on placement 5th year) the requirement is 20 hours/week at an external placement site. That's why I was driving there 2-3 times per week (fine when it was in town, cumbersome when it was an hour away. Can't imagine driving several hours each way and still finding time to get everything else done and have any semblance of a life). I would definitely get clarification on all of that from someone in your program specifically, and I would think it would be fine to ask students, your advisor, or the DCT.

I also echo everyone above to really check to make sure it's accredited. I missed that in my first read, but APA does not accredit until the first class has graduated, so you might want some clarity of that (from the DCT, your POI, etc.)

 

[empathiosis]

I'll just echo what some of the others have said re accreditation. To my knowledge, a program can't be APA accredited until at least one class has graduated. You may want to check their accreditation status here, just to be sure:

http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/programs/

Now to your concerns:

1.) The research issue is one you'll have to weigh carefully. I don't think I would have enjoyed doing research that I really wasn't that interested in since research is a major part of my program. I had a research assistantship for the first two years of my program and even though I did not love every aspect of my advisor's research, I at least liked all of it to some extent.

2.) My program had an excellent training clinic and it was one of the highlights for me. In most programs you will be doing practicum and course work at the same time, and sometimes an assistantship as well. Most of the practica in my program require 12-16 hours per week, but if you're doing a clinical assistantship you wouldn't necessarily be doing a practicum. I think you need to find out exactly where the practicum locations are and whether there are any that are closer than two hours. For me that would definitely be a deal breaker, but again, you have to decide what you can live with. If you only have to go to the practicum site two days a week, it might be doable.

3.) I am getting the sense that you did not have an on site visit, is that the case? If so, you may want to consider asking if you can visit and meet with students. When I was applying, being able to talk to students and ask these types of questions and others, was crucial to helping me make a decision. Don't be afraid to ask questions of both faculty and students. You are about to invest 5+ years of your lifetime into this program. Be sure you know exactly what you're getting into.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

I'll just echo what some of the others have said re accreditation. To my knowledge, a program can't be APA accredited until at least one class has graduated. You may want to check their accreditation status here, just to be sure:

http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/programs/

Now to your concerns:

1.) The research issue is one you'll have to weigh carefully. I don't think I would have enjoyed doing research that I really wasn't that interested in since research is a major part of my program. I had a research assistantship for the first two years of my program and even though I did not love every aspect of my advisor's research, I at least liked all of it to some extent.

2.) My program had an excellent training clinic and it was one of the highlights for me. In most programs you will be doing practicum and course work at the same time, and sometimes an assistantship as well. Most of the practica in my program require 12-16 hours per week, but if you're doing a clinical assistantship you wouldn't necessarily be doing a practicum. I think you need to find out exactly where the practicum locations are and whether there are any that are closer than two hours. For me that would definitely be a deal breaker, but again, you have to decide what you can live with. If you only have to go to the practicum site two days a week, it might be doable.

3.) I am getting the sense that you did not have an on site visit, is that the case? If so, you may want to consider asking if you can visit and meet with students. When I was applying, being able to talk to students and ask these types of questions and others, was crucial to helping me make a decision. Don't be afraid to ask questions of both faculty and students. You are about to invest 5+ years of your lifetime into this program. Be sure you know exactly what you're getting into.

Thank you for your advice! The program shows up as accredited on the APA website. I will definitely check with my POI on future research directions and the program on the practicum options. I should have clarified that I did actually visit the school and met with current students. I just don't remember meeting any 5th year students, which is why I would like to talk to these upper year students to see how they are doing in terms of internships and graduation status.

 

[empathiosis]

Thank you for your advice! The program shows up as accredited on the APA website. I will definitely check with my POI on future research directions and the program on the practicum options. I should have clarified that I did actually visit the school and met with current students. I just don't remember meeting any 5th year students, which is why I would like to talk to these upper year students to see how they are doing in terms of internships and graduation status.

Just keep in mind that Match Day is February 19 this year so they won't know if they matched, and to where, until then.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

Just keep in mind that Match Day is February 19 this year so they won't know if they matched, and to where, until then.

This is extremely helpful advice! I will likely contact the department after this date.

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

I received an offer from a clinical psychology PhD program in the US and I have concerns regarding the program and mentor. Any constructive advice is highly appreciated!


1) My potential supervisor used to conduct research I am interested in but will now focus on another line of research that I am less interested in. How heavily should I weigh this factor in making my decision?


2) The program has no in house clinic (they do have a counselling center) and most community locations are a couple of hours drive, and practicum starts in second year, when students still have course work. How big is this of an issue? How many clinical hours do most programs expect on a weekly basis?


3) The clinical psychology program is 5 years old, so there are no students that have graduated from the clinical program yet. I was thinking I can call and ask about how current 5th years are doing (in terms of internships, etc.) but I don’t know if this is a good idea and if there is a better way. [edit: the program has been APA accredited for 5 years, sorry I wasn't clear on this]

Please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything!

 

[futurepsydoc]

I received an offer from a clinical psychology PhD program in the US and I have concerns regarding the program and mentor. Any constructive advice is highly appreciated!


1) My potential supervisor used to conduct research I am interested in but will now focus on another line of research that I am less interested in. How heavily should I weigh this factor in making my decision?


2) The program has no in house clinic (they do have a counselling center) and most community locations are a couple of hours drive, and practicum starts in second year, when students still have course work. How big is this of an issue? How many clinical hours do most programs expect on a weekly basis?


3) The clinical psychology program is 5 years old, so there are no students that have graduated from the clinical program yet. I was thinking I can call and ask about how current 5th years are doing (in terms of internships, etc.) but I don’t know if this is a good idea and if there is a better way. [edit: the program has been APA accredited for 5 years is what I meant, thanks to those who pointed this out!]

Please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything!

Congratulations on being accepted!!! I think everyone here has given great advice. There are few things I would also suggest considering.......

I strongly encourage you to look at the outcome data for the program:

1) What percentage of the program lands APA Accredited Internships?
2) How long, on average, does it take to complete the program?
3) What percentage of past students haved acquired their license in last 5-10 years?

The information above is very important. In terms of obtaining an APA Accredited Internship, a great number of jobs require an APA Accredited Internship and it can be difficult getting licensed in some states without it. There are multitude of threads discussing this matter in detail, as well literature on the matter. Similarly, I would be wary if the number of students getting licensed is low. In my opinion, low numbers in these domains would be clear red flags.

In terms of time to completion, I think this is connected the questions you asked about your potential supervisor, the distance of the external practicum, and quality of life as a student. With respect to your prospective primary supervisor, you will need to figure out if you on board with their new program of research. Is it something you want to pursue? How related is it to your career goals? Can you envision yourseld doing this for X (i.e., insert time to completion here) number of years?

In terms of course load and practicum, I was taking 4-5 courses and doing 2 full-days at an external practicum site my second year. I do not think that workload is abnormal. The distance, however, is extremely challenging. I did a 1-hour commute at that time, which is not that bad. I really wanted to be at that particular site and enjoyed it. The commute was annoying but manageable, the experience I gained was well worth it. In contrast, at least from my POV, 2+ hour commute is going to be very difficult to manage. I would definitely speak with current students, particularly 4th years and 5th years, as they have most information to provide about such matters. I would want to know how they were able to juggle their demands.

Wishing you all the best of luck!!!!

 

[Biopsychosocialmodel]

Congratulations on being accepted!!! I think everyone here has given great advice. There are few things I would also suggest considering.......

I strongly encourage you to look at the outcome data for the program:

1) What percentage of the program lands APA Accredited Internships?
2) How long, on average, does it take to complete the program?
3) What percentage of past students haved acquired their license in last 5-10 years?

The information above is very important. In terms of obtaining an APA Accredited Internship, a great number of jobs require an APA Accredited Internship and it can be difficult getting licensed in some states without it. There are multitude of threads discussing this matter in detail, as well literature on the matter. Similarly, I would be wary if the number of students getting licensed is low. In my opinion, low numbers in these domains would be clear red flags.

In terms of time to completion, I think this is connected the questions you asked about your potential supervisor, the distance of the external practicum, and quality of life as a student. With respect to your prospective primary supervisor, you will need to figure out if you on board with their new program of research. Is it something you want to pursue? How related is it to your career goals? Can you envision yourseld doing this for X (i.e., insert time to completion here) number of years?

In terms of course load and practicum, I was taking 4-5 courses and doing 2 full-days at an external practicum site my second year. I do not think that workload is abnormal. The distance, however, is extremely challenging. I did a 1-hour commute at that time, which is not that bad. I really wanted to be at that particular site and enjoyed it. The commute was annoying but manageable, the experience I gained was well worth it. In contrast, at least from my POV, 2+ hour commute is going to be very difficult to manage. I would definitely speak with current students, particularly 4th years and 5th years, as they have most information to provide about such matters. I would want to know how they were able to juggle their demands.

Wishing you all the best of luck!!!!

Thank you so much for your helpful advice and kind words! These are great questions and I will definitely try to find out more about the student outcomes.