Best Career Path for being a therapist?

[NikkiDJB]

Hi all,
My name is Nikki and I am new to this site and a little confused on how to use it so let me know if I didn't post this in the right forum. Also I looked at other forums but could not find one that answered all my questions.

Right now I'm attending Binghamton University and I am majoring in psychology. I am planning on minoring in Biology however I am not sure if it is necessary or if I should minor in something else so advice on this would be helpful.

Ultimately I would like to someday have a private practice. I would like to work as a therapist. I love helping people and don't have too much preference on the population I work with. Marriage and Family counseling is an interest of mine as well as working with children. But really I'm open to all populations. I like the idea of working with people to figure out why they do "destructive" things and how to fix it. For example, figuring out why a child is constantly stealing and help the parents fix the issue.

My problem is I have no idea what path to take to meet my goals. Whenever I ask people tell me "Oh you only just finished your first year of college don't worry about it" I am worried though and the more certain I am about what I am gonna do and what path I am going to take, the more motivated I am.

I have looked into getting a PsyD. However I do not want to spend too much money or time in school.(A PhD does not interest me that much since it mainly focuses on research.) I also looked into mastering in psychology with a terminal degree but a lot of forums have said this is useless. I am also interested in mastering in social work. However if I do this what kind of job should i expect to get after graduation? My mom has told me that mastering in social work is a bad idea since jobs wont pay enough and the jobs will be exhausting if I find one. But I think she was thinking about me becoming a social worker. I really just want to work one on one with people and help them in any way I can. Making a lot of money is not a big concern of mine however I want to be able to support myself comfortably as well.

Please, any advice would be very much appreciated. I would also love if people who have gotten a PsyD or masters in psychology and social work can speak on their experience in getting a job.

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[MasterOf.Science.]

I started out wanting a PhD in psych. I looked into PsyD's because I also wasn't as interested in research. They are too expensive and not worth it at all. I was seriously looking at the Forest Institute in MO. They just shut down and all their students who spent 100K+ in loans were left with nothing.

I double majored in undergrad and now have a bachelors in psych and a bachelors in human sexuality.
I'm getting ready to start a M.S in counseling psychology program. The program is 2-3 years long. If you want to be a counselor, after you graduate with your masters, you need to do 3,000-4,000 of work(2 years at least). A lot of the time I think it's unpaid or very low pay- because you won't have your license yet. You will only have a provisional license. After taking the exam and doing the 4,000 hours of counseling work with at least 50% being direct patient contact, you can apply for your counseling license. Then you can open your own practice as a counselor- but I would advise working somewhere for a few years to gain experience.

If you want your own practice, I STRONGLY would encourage you to double major or even minor in business.

If you're interested in sciences like biology- you might want to consider occupational therapy. I wish I had thought of that sooner. My graduating gpa was 3.2, which is not enough to get into an OT program. But OT's make good money and it's a field related to psych.

 

[NikkiDJB]

A lot of the time I think it's unpaid or very low pay- because you won't have your license yet.

Do you know how much I should expect to make in those two years or what type of jobs I should be looking for? Would I be able to support myself on that job alone or will I need a second job. I have loans to pay off as soon as I am done with school and start working so this is really the only thing that concerns me. Thanks

 

[MasterOf.Science.]

Do you know how much I should expect to make in those two years or what type of jobs I should be looking for? Would I be able to support myself on that job alone or will I need a second job. I have loans to pay off as soon as I am done with school and start working so this is really the only thing that concerns me. Thanks

The two years of internship? I have no idea. I think a lot of it COULD be unpaid. If it's not, I would assume they would pay a lot lower..like 8 an hour? But I really have no idea. I'm not planning on working during grad school. I'll be taking 12 credits a semester along with summer classes, which is pretty full time, in my opinion. My school offers TA positions for grad students, so you could look into that.

 

[deleted343839]

Since you want to minimize the amount of time you're in school and you want to be in private practice, then my advice is to go to your school's library and find books on counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy careers. Volunteer with mental health organizations or hospitals. Learn about the field and the various kinds of mental health professionals. Obtaining this knowledge for yourself first-hand, and preferably meeting people in these professions, will help you decide on your next steps. In the meantime work hard to make the best grades you possibly can. For right now, keep your options open. Fortunately, time is on your side.

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Do you know how much I should expect to make in those two years or what type of jobs I should be looking for? Would I be able to support myself on that job alone or will I need a second job. I have loans to pay off as soon as I am done with school and start working so this is really the only thing that concerns me. Thanks

Internships are mostly unpaid. To me, the quickest way to start making a income is to attend a CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs) accredited program in Counseling att he Masters level in which you gain license hours WHILE IN THE PROGRAM. The income isnt that bad for a LPC (licensed professional counselor) with the average around 45-50k with alot of counselors in private practice making more than the average. Or you could do something similiar which is going for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy that is accredited by the AMFT (association of marriage and family therapy) make the same amount of money as a LMFT and start a private practice

 

[MasterOf.Science.]

Internships are mostly unpaid. To me, the quickest way to start making a income is to attend a CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs) accredited program in Counseling att he Masters level in which you gain license hours WHILE IN THE PROGRAM. The income isnt that bad for a LPC (licensed professional counselor) with the average around 45-50k with alot of counselors in private practice making more than the average. Or you could do something similiar which is going for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy that is accredited by the AMFT (association of marriage and family therapy) make the same amount of money as a LMFT and start a private practice

Can you explain more about acquiring hours while still in the program? I wasn't aware of that.

 

[PsychMajorUndergrad18]

Can you explain more about acquiring hours while still in the program? I wasn't aware of that.

Most CACREP programs have you accquire hours that you can use towards your LPC or LMHC license while in the masters program by doing internships and practicum experiences.

 

[MasterOf.Science.]

Most CACREP programs have you accquire hours that you can use towards your LPC or LMHC license while in the masters program by doing internships and practicum experiences.

That's really good news for me! 😛 I thought you could only get hours after you got your provisional license

 

[MAClinician]

Most CACREP programs have you accquire hours that you can use towards your LPC or LMHC license while in the masters program by doing internships and practicum experiences.

The amount of misinformation that gets passed around on this board is mind boggling at times. Licensure is determined by states, NOT CACREP. Each state decides what hours are needed and when those hours count. The majority of states require practicum and internship experiences during the masters degree, but these hours generally don't count towards licensure hours. They are considered part of the educational requirements. This list is from 2007, and individual states may have made changes, but in general most states won't let licensure hours accrue until AFTER the degree is conferred.

The most important skill any future mental health professional needs to learn, whether it is doctoral, masters, psychology, counseling, social work, or marriage & family, is how to find information for him or herself, and how to make sure the information is correct. The final authority on licensure is the state licensure board, not some random poster on a forum. Know where to look for answers, and know what sources are considered legitimate.