Changing Degree Paths

[weeniedogs4life]

Help!
I'm currently a doc student in a health promotion department (where I got my master's a few years ago). I'm not able to do as much research or teach as I need to (my GA is in a different dept and I'm doing programming/intervention).

I've spent the year quite unhappy and now considering taking some time to reapply to programs that offer the experience I'm searching for.

I'm most interested in psychological constructs (self esteem, worth, attitudes) related to female sexual decision making/sexuality and how social constructions of gender and subsequent expectations impact these decisions. Because my interests are rooted in psychology, I think I need to return to the field, but I'm not sure if I need to take the clinical route or social psych route. Help!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[NeuropsychAJ]

Are you interested in doing clinical work? In most reputable clinical psych Phd programs, you will have to do clinical work and an internship, even if your goal is ultimately to go into academia.

 

[smalltownpsych]

Just based on what you posted, it sounds like social psych more than clinical to me, but I don't know much at all about that career path so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[weeniedogs4life]

Are you interested in doing clinical work? In most reputable clinical psych Phd programs, you will have to do clinical work and an internship, even if your goal is ultimately to go into academia.

Not particularly.

 

[psych.meout]

Not particularly.

Then, you probably should look for non-clinical programs, e.g. social psych. Not only are the funded clinical programs extremely difficult to gain admission to, but you'll also be expected to do extensive clinical training at the very least in the program itself and during internship. If you are disinterested in clinical work, you might be bored or frustrated with these requirements.

 

[deleted343839]

I'm most interested in psychological constructs (self esteem, worth, attitudes) related to female sexual decision making/sexuality and how social constructions of gender and subsequent expectations impact these decisions. Because my interests are rooted in psychology, I think I need to return to the field, but I'm not sure if I need to take the clinical route or social psych route. Help!

My suggestion is social psych with a heavy quant/decision science/data science focus to fall back on. Tie your interests to a problem area (STIs, sexual assault, etc.) to make it more attractive to funding sources. Only work with an experienced mentor in this area.

 

[EmotRegulation]

I'm confused as to why you can't do what you want to do in health promotion or health behavior. Including psychological constructs is likely par for the course. I mean, do you want to ultimately teach in a psychology department or do you just want to do research that includes psychological variables? Because you don't have to have a degree in psychology to do the latter. People who research and teach on human sexuality, consent, etc. study psychological processes. Can you take courses in social psychology even as a health promotion student? Can you get psychologists on your committees?

If you are unhappy in your program, that's one reason to make a move, and keeping broader options (e.g., social psych) makes sense. But I also know people personally who study the kinds of things you are talking about who are NOT in psychology departments (like lots of the Kinsey Institute research fellows).....