I recently finished 2 years of a PhD program in clinical psychology and was dismissed after the end of the year review. My grades are fine but I handled a case wrong and had personality conflicts with faculty. Is there any chance of being admitted somewhere else with this on your record?
Dismissed from program
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I'm sure you can, so long as you have rec letter coming from other sources, but you come across as oddly dismissive of the factors that lead to your dismissal. I would take these to heart, examine what happened, what you might need to change in your life/personality, and perhaps consider another field.
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Thanks for the response. I was dismissed because I tried to specialize work with a population that was too close to personal experience which interfered with clinical ability with that particular population and entered the program very naively thinking I knew it all and was resistant to feedback. MUCH has changed and I would give a lot to go back and re-do those two years. Nothing like a MAJOR slap in the face to fix a know-it-all. I guess that is where the question comes from... no idea how to present myself to another program with a history of being "resistant to feedback" and "emotionally reactive" to cases of a particular population. What kind of a program would even look at that kind of candidate with all the other hundreds that are applying?
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I think it's possible that you could use this as a way to stand out from the other applicants. It's all in the way you present it. I admit that it seems like a shot against you, but at the same time I've seen people come back from huge setbacks when they present it a certain way and demonstrate significant growth from it.
Basically the professors are going to want to know that they can work with you. That's where you have to start, I think - in demonstrating both in your essays and interview that you've been humbled and are good to work with, without seeming ingratiating.
Thank you for the advice! That is very helpful. It instills some hope as I am heartbroken and love this field immensely.
I would take this feedback very seriously. Your behavior must of been very extreme for you to get dismissed, unless your program has a history of dismissing students. I have never really heard of people getting dismissed from clinical programs. Its very rare. in the history of my program, I have only heard of one person who got dismissed for drug issues. If i were you, I would seek therapy/counseling because personality clashes with faculty, not being open to feedback/and being a "know it all" seem like things that are hard to change for good and require alot of work in psychotherapy or elsewhere. Being emotionally reactive with clients can have serious consequences and lead to harm or liability issues so i would really seek help before applying to work in this field again. I don't know what you mean by emotionally reactive, but i would imagine that it was a serious problem if the faculty decided to dismiss you instead of trying to work with you.
I agree with the other posters here on getting help to gain more insight into your issues with feeback, personality clashes, and reaction to clients. Your dismissal from the program is telling you something. If you are looking for some inspiration on working with a population that may be too close to home, look up the article on this forum on Marsha Linehan. She was able to overcome mental health issues and went on to become a key researcher in DBT and borderline personality disorder. If she can overcome the odds, you may be able to also. Good luck.
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I'm guessing your program implemented some sort of remediation or similar process prior to dismissing you. I'd be curious as to what that consisted of (required therapy, etc). In my experience, programs usually dismiss students as a last resort, because they invest a lot in them and because high attrition raises eyebrows with APA accreditors. Programs might wonder what remediation steps you went through, why they were unsuccessful, and "what's changed" since then to prove your ability to be successful in this field. I think it will definitely be an uphill battle, but it's not impossible (though it may honestly be rather unlikely). Good luck! 
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given the severity of a dismissal, you may want to think about if going into another program is best for you. clinical work may not be a good fit if you have such a strong reaction to a pt, as you put yourself in legal and/or ethical risk.
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I'm sure I know much less about how these things work than most on this thread (I'm in a non-psych PhD program), but in my experience, faculty can be pretty hard to get along with! I wish you the best of luck.
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I'm guessing your program implemented some sort of remediation or similar process prior to dismissing you. I'd be curious as to what that consisted of (required therapy, etc). In my experience, programs usually dismiss students as a last resort, because they invest a lot in them and because high attrition raises eyebrows with APA accreditors. Programs might wonder what remediation steps you went through, why they were unsuccessful, and "what's changed" since then to prove your ability to be successful in this field. I think it will definitely be an uphill battle, but it's not impossible (though it may honestly be rather unlikely). Good luck!
+1 that's pretty sound.
My school takes the second year review seriously.
I admire the fact that you posted your dilemma here knowing that a lot of people might not have a positive answer for you. I implore you to take a step back and really evaluate your situation. It sounds like you have already done that or are doing that; but as you know, being dismissed is pretty heavy. Are there any faculty members that you maintained a good relationship with that might be able to give you some advice? I'm a big believer in comebacks and second chances, but being dismissed is a pretty big red flag and it won't be an easy task to get reaccepted somewhere. Good luck.
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While this can be very true, being able to professionally, competently, and ethically interact with and serve patients/clients on a daily basis is generally even more demanding and difficult. As harsh as it might sound, the fact that in 131313's case the issue arose due in (seemingly) significantly part to patient interaction(s) is particularly problematic, and will be likely be very difficult for most clinical programs to get past. It's possible, obviously, but I'm going to agree with the other posters that perhaps this should be taken as a major opportunity for self-reflection, and whether or not clinical work is actually a realistic goal. There's absolutely no shame in coming to the realization that some aspect of a particular profession may not be "for you." Not saying that's absolutely the case here, but given the circumstances, it is a distinct possibility.
