Confused/Lost Undergraduate Student

[thatpremed99]

So I'm currently a sophomore in college majoring in psychology. As of now I am completely lost, but all I know is that I want to research and treat OCD and anxiety.

So far, my career options are the following: LMFT, LCSW, LPC (maybe) and Clinical Psychologist, so PhD. Could someone at the master's level work in a research clinic? Like I'm not interested in running my own research lab, but it is certainly something that I want to be involved in. At lot of people are telling me that I should minor in either Math/Statistics or English, but like while I'm not bad at Math/Statistics or English, my GPA would certainly suffer.

For someone who wants a mixture of both research/practice, what would be a good career path for me and what would be a good minor?

thanks,

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[WisNeuro]

So I'm currently a sophomore in college majoring in psychology. As of now I am completely lost, but all I know is that I want to research and treat OCD and anxiety.

So far, my career options are the following: LMFT, LCSW, LPC (maybe) and Clinical Psychologist, so PhD. Could someone at the master's level work in a research clinic? Like I'm not interested in running my own research lab, but it is certainly something that I want to be involved in. At lot of people are telling me that I should minor in either Math/Statistics or English, but like while I'm not bad at Math/Statistics or English, my GPA would certainly suffer.

For someone who wants a mixture of both research/practice, what would be a good career path for me and what would be a good minor?

thanks,

If you want a true research/clinical career, the PhD is probably the ideal choice. You can practice in the area with a masters level degree, but it will be an uphill battle finding research positions where you are doing something meaningful. Though, there may be some opportunities for involvement as a therapist in a trial or similar. But, you'd likely have little to no involvement in producing research products at this level.

As for minor, not really an issue as long as you get classes within psych that are generally pre-reqs for grad school (statistics, ab psych, etc). Also, if statistics at the undergrad level are too daunting, you may want to rethink the research aspect anyway. The field is generally going the way of more advanced statistics and better knowledge of methodology, than the other way around.

 

[deleted343839]

I suggest that you become involved in a research lab as a research assistant, preferably working with a faculty member who studies anxiety disorders. This is a good way to learn about what research entails and whether it is something you'd like to make a career out of.

Your user name suggests you are, or were, a pre-med student. I wouldn't rule out the medical school pathway. There are a lot of advantages of an M.D. degree and the time commitment is about the same as a Ph.D. For someone who isn't interested in running a lab but wants to be involved in research in some capacity, an M.D. is a great option.

No one cares what you minor in, really. Just make sure you perform well in all of your foundational courses - including research methods and statistics - and maintain a high GPA. Take advantage of your school's resources if you need additional help, tutoring, etc.

 

[deleted957633]

So I'm currently a sophomore in college majoring in psychology. As of now I am completely lost, but all I know is that I want to research and treat OCD and anxiety.

So far, my career options are the following: LMFT, LCSW, LPC (maybe) and Clinical Psychologist, so PhD. Could someone at the master's level work in a research clinic? Like I'm not interested in running my own research lab, but it is certainly something that I want to be involved in. At lot of people are telling me that I should minor in either Math/Statistics or English, but like while I'm not bad at Math/Statistics or English, my GPA would certainly suffer.

For someone who wants a mixture of both research/practice, what would be a good career path for me and what would be a good minor?

thanks,

I'd like to add another option to the table - PsyD. I am at the tail end of my PsyD program (on internship currently) and I have been able to do a good mix of both research and clinical work over the years. This certainly depends on what program you choose; my program allowed far more research opportunities than other PsyD programs I have seen. I've consistently presented research at APA every year and my dissertation was both empirical and intervention-based, and I was a highly competitive internship applicant to many academic medical centers that typically only look at PhD/research heavy applicants. PsyD sometimes gets a bad rap but if you find a good program and you make sure you get the experiences you need to get to where you want to go in internship, fellowship, beyond - then you will have no problem being able to do a position that allows for a mix of clinical and research. I resonate with your question well because I too have wanted a mix and have been able to do that pretty consistently within a PsyD program.

One mistake I see over and over is individuals who think they *might* want to go for their doctorate but aren't sure so they do masters...just end up transferring into a doctoral psychology program anyways. Often not a lot of what you did in your masters degree transfers over to your doctoral program and it doesn't really save you any time in the long run. So, if you think you might want to go the doctoral route, I would suggest just going for it.

To your question about minors, I don't think it really matters too much honestly. Get involved with some research at your college, see if you can get some clinical experience as well. That will make you competitive for graduate programs.

Also...be open to other experiences and areas of focus. When I was in undergrad, I thought I wanted to work in SMI/inpatient psychiatric. In graduate school that shifted dramatically and I am now completely focused on health psychology with a health psych internship and plan for health psych board certification. Things change! Awesome to have an idea of what you want to do for sure, but be open to trying out other areas and see if something else fits just as well if not better

Happy to answer any more questions, feel free to message me.