Career choices for PsyD's

[stevenjw]

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Sorry if I didn't use the search function well enough but...

I want to know, realistically, what are the most common and some of the lesser common career choices for PsyD's. I know it's largely therapy but like many have said I don't see the point of going to school for just a therapy degree. I want to be well rounded and have many different options and the potential to have multiple part time jobs. Any advice/insight greatly appreciated!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Job opportunities will be dictated by licensure, training, gaining experience in the applicable areas (fellowship, certifications, research productivity, etc) and networking….not by degree type. The only significant exception to this is if someone is trying to secure a job at an ivory tower academic institution*, which may not consider Psy.D. applicants because of pre-existing biases against the degree.

A search will indeed turn up a plethora of threads about employment opportunities as a licensed psychologist, so I'd encourage you to search through the forum for additional information. If you are considering a therapy-focused/only practice, then doctoral training may or may not be a good fit for you. I think being grounded in research and having much more in-depth training is the best way to achieve competency as a clinician, but that path can be long and costly (in time, lost income, etc)…so it isn't for everyone.

*this can still happen (I've actually done it twice w. top tier R1 institutions), but it is much less common. Academia is simply another path, so it is much more about what you want out of your career.

 

[researchgirl]

I don't know the asnwer to your question, but I do know that many graduate schools will have a list of where recent graduates are now on their website. So, if you are considering a PsyD, you could go to the program websites of places you are interested in and see if you can see what their recent graduates are doing now.

 

[erg923]

Psyds are generally competitive for most all jobs that any PhD would also be eligible for (assuming APA accredited internship and program reputation that isn't terrible) with the exception of high-level academics or blended clinical faculty positions in med schools/medical centers. That said, there definitely continues to be stigma associated with degree throughout many, many works settings, including primary primarily clinical settings.

 

[HappyPhDHopeful]

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[cara susanna]

What makes the PsyD program excellent and the PhD program good? Match rate?

 

[erg923]

Fewer opportunities for what, exactly. You are likley to get slighty more clinical experience in a an average ph,d program than in the average psy,d progam these days. I would not go into heavy debt for one or two so called "amazing" practica is what I am saying.

 

[erg923]

One thing that I heavily advocate to potential students (I do a mentorship thing with my states psych associaton) that I have not akways done is making sure the program is preparing students with the skills and sense to function in the healthcare market 5-10 years from now. This means having both skills is brief models of service delivery (as opposed to 2 hour clinical interviews and rorschachs in order to get a "rich, deep, and comprehensnive understanding of personality function") and skills in things other than direct service delivery. Mid-level take over of the "therapy" market isnt going anywhere. Even here in the VA, LCSWs and some staff psychologist have very similar jobs. This isnt the norm or anything, but one program in my facility def has a couple of the its psychologists and couple of is LCSWs doing very similar things on a day-to-day basis.

 

[HappyPhDHopeful]

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[erg923]

So most of the training is in-house, right? Farming out all clinical training to sites doesn't mean it's quality. Obviously, one needs to get out of strictly academic clinical environments/setting (one year or two) but, again, frankly, most training should prob be done in in-house clinics or facilities under high supervision.

 

[HappyPhDHopeful]

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[Sanman]

Pretty much agreed with ERG. The only exception being if the PhD program won't train you in your interests( such as a psychodynamic program when your interests are brief CBT, little neuropsych exposure if you want to be a neuropsych, etc). In general, find a program that will get you where you want to go for the least amount of debt possible.

 

[ClinicalPsych2013]

Pretty much agreed with ERG. The only exception being if the PhD program won't train you in your interests( such as a psychodynamic program when your interests are brief CBT, little neuropsych exposure if you want to be a neuropsych, etc). In general, find a program that will get you where you want to go for the least amount of debt possible.

I thought schools were supposed to train their students in multiple clinical orientations? Are there accredited programs that are purely psychodynamic? I am currently interviewing for PhD programs and was under the impression that my clinical training would be comprehensive, and if that is not the case I would like to make sure I directly ask the DCT!! Thanks!

 

[bre333]

That information would almost definitely be available on the program's website. If it's not, that is definitely something you'd want to ask at the interview.

 

[erg923]

I thought schools were supposed to train their students in multiple clinical orientations? Are there accredited programs that are purely psychodynamic? I am currently interviewing for PhD programs and was under the impression that my clinical training would be comprehensive, and if that is not the case I would like to make sure I directly ask the DCT!! Thanks!

Well, you have to have some exposure to a variety of schools of thought in some way, but you dont actually think if you are a phd candidate at Minnesota that you are going to be doing much psychodynamic work, do you?

 

[QAsPsych]

I thought schools were supposed to train their students in multiple clinical orientations? Are there accredited programs that are purely psychodynamic? I am currently interviewing for PhD programs and was under the impression that my clinical training would be comprehensive, and if that is not the case I would like to make sure I directly ask the DCT!! Thanks!

There is no requirement to train students in multiple orientations to gain APA accreditation. While some programs embrace integrated or multiple methods, the vast majority do not. It varies a lot based on who they have for supervisors. Most places today are primarily CBT. Yes, a few schools in New York are pretty much pure psychodynamic (don't know of any other areas with APA accredited schools that are PDT-oriented but somebody into that stuff might know of others). Most schools give a very good sense of this on their website, and it has also come up on every interview I have attended; asking questions of faculty about it is a good idea but if you come from an unpopular perspective (i.e. not CBT) you may want to tread lightly in asking.