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[utes2190]

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[FreudianSlippers]

Its understandable why you would want to give back, but truthfully those DUIs and your cgpa would highly limit your ability to get into a PhD program. Even if you did get into a program, it would be so hard to find jobs, internships, and post-docs further down the road. Why do you want a PhD specifically? If you want to help others through counseling, there are much cheaper and more accessible ways to do it (MSW, Masters of Counseling, MFT, etc). A Doctoral degree takes up so much time and energy, and if you are interested in purely therapy likely won't be worth it. That's just my 2-cents.

 

[psych.meout]

Hey all. I am very interested in clinical psychology, but I have two DUIs. One from 2012 (18 y/o) and one from 2016 (22 y/o). I had undiagnosed mdd as well as alcoholism. I have been seeing a psychologist for about a year and a half now and it has saved my life. My psychologist seriously has saved my life, don’t know where I’d be without him. With that being said, I would love nothing more than to help others the same way that he has helped me.

My cgpa is only a 3.1 (lots of hard science classes. Gen chem, o chem, all sorts of bio, etc.), but I have a 3.7 gpa in my psych classes. I need about 20 or so more credits to graduate with my degree in psychology. What do you think my chances are of getting accepted to a PhD program? And should I pursue a masters degree first? All input is greatly appreciated.

As far as doctoral programs go, 3.1 is probably not going to cut it, even with an upward trajectory. A master's program would be helpful in demonstrating your academic abilities and giving more opportunities to do research.

The DUIs are potentially more problematic. Before you make any further steps, you should do some research about the licensure process and rules for whatever state you want to end up in. If the DUIs prevent you from getting licensed, it's not a good idea to waste the time and energy getting into a doctoral program.

 

[deleted480308]

Are you sober now?
Have you considered other degrees?

 

[PsySeeker]

Can you get the DUIs expunged? Can you complete an ARD program?

 

[LadyHalcyon]

A girl in my cohort had a similar issue so it is possible. At that time, our school did not require a background check. That being said, a lot of practicum sites did require one. Therefore, the program was more difficult for her because she had to attend pracs that did not require a background check, which significantly limited her options. Also.. Our school now requires a background check, probably because of her. She did manage to get an apa accredited internship and a post doc. Licensing could be tricky. I think it can be done, but it does make things more challenging.

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[Topspin1]

My undergrad GPA was 3.1 (unrelated major) and I received feedback from POIs the first go around that my GPA was on the low end. I wound up matriculating into a terminal masters' degree (counseling). This particular program - and many other masters programs I looked at - had minimum GPA requirements of 3.0 so it was a stepping stone to where I wanted to go. My masters GPA was 4.0, which for many programs I applied to (again, counseling) overrode my undergrad GPA. So I wouldn't say your cgpa has dug your grave.

What I'm not so sure about are the duis. I remember being in a group interview with a bunch of other practicum applicants, and in responding to the question "tell me a time you made a mistake (personal or professional)" one of the other applicants disclosed getting a dui in undergrad. She was in an APA-accredited clinical PsyD program. I'm not really sure how it would read for other programs - I suppose you could make the argument that it can be a vulnerable risk that pays off if you can successfully integrate it into your development, but I agree with @psych.meout 's recommendation of researching the licensure laws in states you anticipate settling down in.

 

[psychRA]

I think the DUI issue is going to be a hurdle, and it may be insurmountable for now. Part of the problem is that you have two of them, so it's going to be much harder to demonstrate that you learned from your mistake and took the necessary steps to avoid making that mistake again. The other part of the problem is that your second DUI was quite recent, so you haven't had anywhere near enough time to establish a pattern of stability and good decision-making.

I've seen applicants overcome a single DUI if it was far enough in the past and they addressed it appropriately in their application. My hunch is that two DUIs in the last 6 years is going to be a very tough sell.

 

[singasongofjoy]

I would think the relative recency (2016) would be a problem in getting into a program.

 

[psych.meout]

I would think the relative recency (2016) would be a problem in getting into a program.

And even if you could get into a program, licensure is probably going to be even more complicated. It would suck to pend all that time and energy in grad school only to be prohibited from licensure and thereby be locked out of many job opportunities.

Also, being anything less than 100% contrite is going to hurt your chances. OP, I'm not necessarily saying that you're doing this, but if you try to use your MDD and SUD as excuses for your DUIs, you're just going to be hurting your chances.

 

[BuckeyeLove]

I believe I've relayed this story before, but I had a friend get all the way through his grad school, only to find that no internship site would touch him because of two previous DUI's (age 19 and 22), and then a third one that happened the summer before internship application cycle (age 27). The school he attended for some reason randomly didn't do a background check during his year. Consequently, he was unable to procure any internship, and ended up dropping out. I know for a fact, based on the politics of my state board, that he would not have been licensed either, even if he graduated. He ended up 100's of thousands in debt with nothing to show for it. I say all this, to really highlight the point that with two DUI's, some doors might be closed for good, realistically speaking. Even if you were to get in somewhere, it would still likely be an uphill battle.

 

[WisNeuro]

I believe I've relayed this story before, but I had a friend get all the way through his grad school, only to find that no internship site would touch him because of two previous DUI's (age 19 and 22), and then a third one that happened the summer before internship application cycle (age 27). The school he attended for some reason randomly didn't do a background check during his year. Consequently, he was unable to procure any internship, and ended up dropping out. I know for a fact, based on the politics of my state board, that he would not have been licensed either, even if he graduated. He ended up 100's of thousands in debt with nothing to show for it. I say all this, to really highlight the point that with two DUI's, some doors might be closed for good, realistically speaking. Even if you were to get in somewhere, it would still likely be an uphill battle.

That 3rd one really was the death knell. I would have considered that person if they had a stellar application and 0 other red flags. That third DUI is a non-starter for me, worse still being that close to internship apps. No matter how good the peripheral stats on the app were. If I were a licensing board member, it'd also get my no vote.