Counseling Psychology Program Recommendations

[psychpei]

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Hello,

I will be graduating with a Bachelor's in Psychology next year and have begun my graduate studies program search as of last week. I have been to numerous college websites looking for just the right school. I am really overwhelmed with all of the information and could really use some help in picking a few good programs to apply to.

I am looking for a PhD in Counseling Psychology. I would like to specialize in child/adolescent therapy and am also interested in health psychology. My ultimate goal is to work in a private practice. I would prefer a program that is focused more towards the practitioner side rather than research.

I would also like to find a program, but is not necessary, that is relatively close to my hometown (Kansas City, MO) and that provides assistantships/fellowships (to pay most or all of my tuition) or a school with low to moderate cost.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[mcvcm92]

Have you thought about doing a Psy.D in Clinical Psychology? Psy.D degrees are on average more practitioner focused than Ph.D programs in both Counseling & Clinical Psychology.

 

[busybusybusy]

There are professors at Southern Miss in the Counseling Psych program that do both parenting (Nicholson) and health (Madson - though currently he's more A&D). Not super close to MO, but it is a fully funded program.

I believe their Clinical program also has a child track.

Psy.D degrees are on average more practitioner focused than Ph.D programs in both Counseling & Clinical Psychology.

Also, it had been shown many times, across years, that PsyD students do not necessarily get more prac training than do PhD students.

http://www.appic.org/Match/MatchStatistics/ApplicantSurvey2011Part3.aspx

See #10

 

[Tesseract18]

Maybe U. Missouri (Columbia)? Keith Herman in the Counseling program might be a decent fit.

 

[psychpei]

Thank you for the recommendation. I will take another look at Southern Mississippi. This is one I had on my list. The distance isn't so much a problem, although it would be nice to have a short drive home. What I am most concerned about is finding a school that fits my academic needs.

I had looked into PsyD programs but ultimately decided on a PhD. What I have noticed from my search is that not all PhD programs are the same. Some lean more towards the practitioner side and do not have as much emphasis on research. I really don't mind research, I just do not plan on using it during my career.

Thanks again. I really appreciate any input.

 

[StellaB]

Have you looked at Colorado State? I think it's a few hours flight to your hometown, and there are faculty studying what you're interested in. It's also funded and a 3 on the 1-7 research scale. There are far fewer Counseling Psych programs that accept students with just a bachelor's degree, but it can be done.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I would also like to find a program, but is not necessary, that is relatively close to my hometown (Kansas City, MO) and that provides assistantships/fellowships (to pay most or all of my tuition) or a school with low to moderate cost.

You are in luck! U of Mizz (as someone mentioned) might be an option, as well as UMKC. You may also want to strongly consider KU. I can never remember the split between Clinical v. Counseling, but they offer multiple Ph.D. programs in Lawrence, KS (which also happens to be a great college town). I trained with multiple people who went through the KU programs, and I was thoroughly impressed by their training. I'm admittedly not that familiar with the Peds faculty at those programs, though I never heard anything but good things about those programs.

Funding should be solid at KU (if you teach & research), and at least decent at UM & UMKC. As you probably know the cost of living is far more reasonable than in many other places around the country. All of the programs mentioned range from decently competitive to very competitive, though being from the area may help with the, "Are you sure you want to live in KS/MO?" I got that question, though it was warranted since it was during a huge snowstorm and at the time I lived a few blocks from the beach. 😀