advice on tough situation

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need_advice

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I was hoping to get some advice from current faculty as well as internship directors on a tough situation I am in. I have just finished my first year at a fully funded APA accredited clinical psychology program. I have done very well academically, but there have been a multitude of reasons that have made me second guess if this program is the right program for me. For fear of being too specific and losing anonymity, I will keep it as vague as possible while still trying to convey my message. This program started a new emphasis this year in the area I want to specialize in one day, and the professor who made me my offer talked about promising practicum experiences the emphasis students would be getting. However, none of those have panned out, and there is no real solution in sight as to how the emphasis students (both my year and the incoming year) will get the experience they need to be competitive for internship. I feel pretty mislead, as these practicum experiences were a huge deciding factor in me coming to my program. When I asked the DCT if students could trail blaze their own practicum sites, they said this was discouraged. Furthermore, my advisor's research interests are not really in the area they were advertised to be in when I was applying, and now I am feeling like neither my research or my practicum experiences are in the areas that I believed they would be in, and areas that will one day make me competitive for internship. The students just keep getting vague promises that "we will definitely get the experience we need by the time we need to apply". I want to stand up for my professional career, and if I had known this was the situation, I absolutely would have reapplied again to try my chances at getting in a lab/program that would have helped make me competitive for the specialization I want to go into one day. Would I have any sort of case for reapplying to other programs this fall? Or would that be perceived negatively by other schools, and one day future internship sites? If I were to reapply, would I need a letter of rec from my DCT and/or advisor? Or could I use the letters of rec from my prior school/work experience? It feels so unfortunate that it is a poor professional fit but that I might ultimately be punished for it. A PhD program takes a lot of time and sacrifice, and I just want to do it right! Any advice anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
 
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First of all, sorry to hear that things haven't shaped up to bethe experience your were told it would be.

This exact issue arises from time to time in this forum, so I'd recommend searching for some older threads since the same advice applies...like "leaving PhD program" or similar search words. Generally, folks tend to recommend staying and making the best of it since program acceptance is so competitive and it isn't an easy "I'll just transfer" situation to have to reapply and interview all over again. You would also need to be VERY cautious about explaining why you left your current program for a new one to avoid creating the impression that you're an inflexible student with expectations that are too high/rigid. Saying you were misled might backfire on you, so many would advise you to frame it as goodness of fit issues with research interests if you did decide you couldn't manage in your current program, but there are no guarantees if you walk away from an APA-accredited program, whereas if you stay, you'll still ultimately graduate and become licensed.

Definitely a tough situation to be in, though.
 
That does suck — Sorry to hear that you’re going through this right now. I would recommend pursuing solid, broad, generalist training while looking for opportunities to branch out either into other labs or clinics at other institutions (even if not a “formal” practicum) to get more specific experiences/training, then focus on specializing at internship. Doctoral training should be breadth focused first and foremost, so I think as long as you’re still getting that, then I’d stick it out. Try to find tangentially related experiences? Internship is often an opportunity to round out your training, so you’ll still be able to make a strong narrative when it comes time to apply for why an internship more in line with your interests will be an important step in your training.


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How disparate is the new training program you hoped to be part of from what is currently offered / available in terms of coursework, practicum, and research opportunities? Likewise, how different are the placements graduates go to on internship from that which you want to attend?

This may be an easier question answered in PM if you are uncomfortable doing so with detail.
 
Could you ask about trying to arrange your own practicum (even though they said it was discouraged) citing the fact that the experience you thought you were going to get has not panned out?
 
Based on what you've shared (perhaps a PM conversation would be helpful if anonymity is a concern), the situation you're in, while frustrating, is not sufficient to justify leaving a fully funded doctoral program. Assuming you are still able to get good generalist training, I would carry on and aim to get a good breadth of training experiences while looking out for opportunities that are relevant to your specific interests. You might consider joining an organization relevant to your career goals. Many professional societies have affordable student memberships.

Switching labs, though never an option to be taken lightly, may be another option if you think a different faculty member might be able to better meet your training needs. This has to be handled carefully and each program's culture tends to differ with respect to how people view or embrace these transitions.
 
I also am happy to PM as a current faculty member in a clinical program, because I need more information here. There are some specializations that will really need graduate level training, and others where you can get the requisite training later on. I've definitely known people who were able to specialize with what looked like "insufficient" graduate training. For example, I know someone who now works as a neuropsychologist but had no neuropsychology research and one neuropsychology practicum experience, but was able to land a neuro internship and from there the required 2year neuro postdoc.

There are all kinds of ways to make things work. If your advisor isn't doing research in exactly the area you want, that actually could be a good thing for you *if* they are open to *you* providing the bridge between where they are and where you want to go. This will set you up as a more independent scholar than if you were just doing the things they are doing.

The other thing is that you probably want to sit down with your advisor and the DCT and raise your concerns. Not the "I feel betrayed by the promises you gave me that you're now not keeping" concerns, but the "I came to this program because I am truly interested in specializing in X, and it would help ease my mind to understand the steps that are being taken to get me (and others in my position) the experiences I was hoping to get in graduate school. Is there anything I can do to help make this happen?"?
 
need_advice said:
When I asked the DCT if students could trail blaze their own practicum sites, they said this was discouraged.
Click to expand...

I did some trailblazing myself for a practicum site and ended up having a nice experience which subsequently opened up a new relationship between my program and the prac site. If there's a way to get around the faculty's "discouragement" somehow, that might be helpful. I wish you all the best.
 
So sorry to hear about your current situation! I would echo others' advise to try to stick with it and continue to advocate for yourself (unless this is a non-APA accredited program, in which case trying to make a shift may not be such a bad idea). Good generalist training with at least a bit of experience in your area of interest may very well make you perfectly competitive for internship.

If you do decide to stay (or even if you don't) there are still lots of creative ways you can augment your training and exhibit a dedication to your specialization of interest. If there are nearby programs with access to your specialization, you can explore options for enrolling in or auditing courses, attending relevant didactics, or collaborating on side projects with researchers. Also be sure to join professional organizations for your specialty! I am most familiar with neuropsychology organizations (INS, NAN, AACN, SCN/division 40, ANST), which have AMAZING resources you could utilize as a trainee (if that is the specialization you are referring to). For example, NAN offers online courses and I believe is currently rolling out a mentorship program for students exactly like you who may have limited access locally to NP mentors. I would also encourage you to try to get involved with such organizations by attending and volunteering at conferences (and definitely presenting your research if at all possible), as well as through leadership positions that are available for trainees.

Best of luck!
 
aanders8 said:
I did some trailblazing myself for a practicum site and ended up having a nice experience which subsequently opened up a new relationship between my program and the prac site. If there's a way to get around the faculty's "discouragement" somehow, that might be helpful. I wish you all the best.
Click to expand...

I did this as well x 2 for both therapy and assessment focused sites. It worked out well for me twice and both times my program kept this as a standing relationship/practicum opportunity.
 
thanks to everyone for their thoughtful responses! it sounds like the underlying consensus is to stick it out. for those of you have successfully re-applied (or know someone who has), what were the circumstances surrounding this situation?
 
I have never known anyone who has successfully reapplied after starting a program. I've known plenty of people who reapplied after not getting into the kind of program they wanted, and a few people who switched programs to follow an advisor or when an advisor left, but none under this particular situation.
 
EmotRegulation said:
I have never known anyone who has successfully reapplied after starting a program. I've known plenty of people who reapplied after not getting into the kind of program they wanted, and a few people who switched programs to follow an advisor or when an advisor left, but none under this particular situation.
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Likewise.
 
To provide an alternate anecdote, I do know one person who left their program after year 1 and entered a new program the following year. This person had "fit" issues with the first program and began applying for new programs during their first semester. They were accepted, switched programs, and graduated -- both were funded APA programs. However, I think the switch added a year or more to their length of program.
 
calimich said:
To provide an alternate anecdote, I do know one person who left their program after year 1 and entered a new program the following year. This person had "fit" issues with the first program and began applying for new programs during their first semester. They were accepted, switched programs, and graduated -- both were funded APA programs. However, I think the switch added a year or more to their length of program.
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Know of 1 person who did this as well. Was due to fit. Not in touch with them anymore to check in about it or how hard to process was. I do know they started over from square 1 in the new program.
 
calimich said:
To provide an alternate anecdote, I do know one person who left their program after year 1 and entered a new program the following year. This person had "fit" issues with the first program and began applying for new programs during their first semester. They were accepted, switched programs, and graduated -- both were funded APA programs. However, I think the switch added a year or more to their length of program.
Click to expand...

Hi calimich...would you mind direct messaging me about this situation? I would love to know more!
 
calimich said:
your profile seems to not accept DMs...I'm pretty sure mine does, go ahead and message me if you'd like to chat more
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hi calimich...for some reason I cannot send direct messages to you either! I have had a few other private conversations with folks on this, so I believe that my profile allows it? so sorry for any confusion but I would love your input if we can figure it out!
 
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