Dress code for therapists and psychologists?

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YahYouBetcha

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Hello everyone. I am currently in a Master's program for Mental Health Counseling. Eventually I am going back for my PhD. I was wondering what the dress code is for therapists and psychologists? Of course, it probably varies based on the setting one is in, but generally speaking, what do they require? A dress? A full suit? My internship hours are about a year away at this point, so I want to start preparing. Suits are expensive. I am petite, so I have a hard time finding my size at thrift shops. I used to work at an anxiety disorders research clinic, and I would dress Mad Men style- plaid or plain suit skirt with a sweater. I also own a lot of dresses and long skirts that I can wear if that's acceptable.

Thank you in advance!
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Like you said, it depends on the setting. Some settings, jeans are the standard. Others, business casual makes the most sense- so a nice blouse and skirt (not totally short) or dress pants. A dress is also completely appropriate, though some sites don't allow sleeveless tops- just grab a couple cardigans. I've never worked in a site where people wear suits outside of their initial interview. Don't worry too much about it, just use common sense and avoid jeans and flip flops. :)
 
YahYouBetcha said:
Hello everyone. I am currently in a Master's program for Mental Health Counseling. Eventually I am going back for my PhD. I was wondering what the dress code is for therapists and psychologists? Of course, it probably varies based on the setting one is in, but generally speaking, what do they require? A dress? A full suit? My internship hours are about a year away at this point, so I want to start preparing. Suits are expensive. I am petite, so I have a hard time finding my size at thrift shops. I used to work at an anxiety disorders research clinic, and I would dress Mad Men style- plaid or plain suit skirt with a sweater. I also own a lot of dresses and long skirts that I can wear if that's acceptable.

Thank you in advance!
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I always dress in business casual. That way I never feel under or overdressed. My clients see me as professional, but relaxed and so do other students, colleagues, etc.
 
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I think the "dress code" is that I no longer attend high school...
 
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YahYouBetcha said:
Hello everyone. I am currently in a Master's program for Mental Health Counseling. Eventually I am going back for my PhD. I was wondering what the dress code is for therapists and psychologists? Of course, it probably varies based on the setting one is in, but generally speaking, what do they require? A dress? A full suit? My internship hours are about a year away at this point, so I want to start preparing. Suits are expensive. I am petite, so I have a hard time finding my size at thrift shops. I used to work at an anxiety disorders research clinic, and I would dress Mad Men style- plaid or plain suit skirt with a sweater. I also own a lot of dresses and long skirts that I can wear if that's acceptable.

Thank you in advance!
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I remember reading somewhere some practical advice to dress, basically, 'one level up (more formal)' than the typical dress style of the clientele you are seeing. I think the reasoning is that it makes it clear that you are taking things seriously (respecting both the client and the circumstance of therapy) but are not creating too much of a 'gap' between you in formality of dress to serve as an obstacle to rapport-building or successful collaboration. I seem to remember there actually even being some research to support this (I think I read it in a Psychologist's Desk Reference) but I'm not sure.

When I was in training I wore khaki''s, button-down dress shirt and a tie. This is still my standard get-up to this day (but I like having different types of ties to break up the monotony of a plain dress shirt). I just started working with OEF/OIF veterans (mostly younger than me as I am in my early 40's) and I am considering ditching the tie just to tone down the formality a bit...I dunno.

Last thing I will say is that the way you dress is far less important than how you act toward the client (I know this is obvious for most but it bears mentioning)...that is, you can be dressed in jeans and a Hawaiian shirt but if you act all authoritarian, superior, humorless, inflexible and aloof you are gonna be miles behind the friendly, comforting (but confident), collaborative guy in a tuxedo :).
 
Fan_of_Meehl said:
I remember reading somewhere some practical advice to dress, basically, 'one level up (more formal)' than the typical dress style of the clientele you are seeing. I think the reasoning is that it makes it clear that you are taking things seriously (respecting both the client and the circumstance of therapy) but are not creating too much of a 'gap' between you in formality of dress to serve as an obstacle to rapport-building or successful collaboration..
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Oh good grief....
 
How bout this:

1. Be yourself
2. If yourself looks/dresses like a hobo, dont be that.
 
erg923 said:
How bout this:

1. Be yourself
2. If yourself looks/dresses like a hobo, dont be that.
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I think it's totally fine for this person to ask questions, even if you think they're stupid or naive. We all had questions similar to this at one point, and I'm grateful no one made fun of me for them back then.
 
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It varies a lot by setting and even geographical region. CMHC in FL? Flip-flops are considered formal wear. AMC in the northeast? Not so much.

I have yet to see any settings where suits are the standard for psychologists on a typical day (obviously if presenting, attending formal meetings, etc. that is another story). That does not necessarily apply once you start to climb the ladder into administrative positions, regardless of settings.
 
Agreed with the others--it'll depend, but like Ollie mentioned, I've not yet worked anywhere that had suits as the typical daily attire for anyone other than upper-level administrative folks. In general, I always go with business casual; typically slacks/khakis, button-down shirt, and tie. Most of the other folks I work with have eschewed the tie, but I'm so used to it at this point that it feels odd without one.
 
AppsAintNoThang said:
I think it's totally fine for this person to ask questions, even if you think they're stupid or naive. We all had questions similar to this at one point, and I'm grateful no one made fun of me for them back then.
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I didn't say it wasn't fine to inquire about typical dress. I was just pithily pointing out the ridiculousness of "one upping" your client in the fashion department.
 
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It mostly depends on the setting from my experience. Where I work now we wear dress casual with no ties and jean day on Fridays. Fridays is a half day and some work all day and others leave around noon. I had interviews in medical settings, and I was surprised to see the doctoral level psychologist wearing white medical doctor jacket or wearing nurses scrubs. I work in a psychiatric hospital and some of our medical doctors wears scrubs. I have heard that once people get use to wearing scrubs that they actually prefer this over wearing suit or their regular dress casual clothes. I do some consult and testing on contract work for a different psychiatric hospital on evenings and weekends, and the therapist at this psychiatric hospital wear nurses scrubs.

Some regional variance as in Hawaii or Guam or tropical island places, professional may wear shorts and flip flops to work and this is fully acceptable. In South Texas during the summer months flip flops and shorts may also be the norm.
 
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OneNeuroDoctor said:
Some regional variance as in Hawaii or Guam or tropical island places, professional may wear shorts and flip flops to work and this is fully acceptable. In South Texas during the summer months flip flops and shorts may also be the norm.
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I trained in Florida and work in Texas and this was not my experience at all. I wore a dress shirt, tie, and dress pants through all my training and I dress like that during teaching or clinic days now. I think wearing shorts and flip flops would be laughably unprofessional unless your clinic is intentionally going for some kind of magic-hippie vibe; I'd send trainees home to change if they came in that.

Business casual; don't dress like you're about to hit a nightclub or going to prom, or like you're about to jump the rails to the next town. If you have no fashion sense like me, a safe bet is to go to Banana Republic (an outlet if you can find one) and let them throw things at you; BR is pretty safe for business casual.
 
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Ha.... I have worked in Sourh Texas many years and professionals wear shorts and flip flops and I had an interview in Jacksonville, Florida for post doc and they were very casual wearing shorts and flip flops.. With two female psychologist.

I am going to NASP conference next week in Orlando for two days and additional four day vacation and I am not packing any dress clothes. People do not wear suits to conferences anymore.
 
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shorts and flip-flops is too hobo like...
 
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I wear a top hat with no top, a dirty cravat, a jacket with the elbows completely worn out, a dirty white shirt that I have patched with a red hanker chief, oversized slacks with no knees, loafers that have separated from the soles so that my toes like out, and carry my supplies in a bindle on a stick over my shoulder.
 
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Population you work with may factor into the dress code equation. If you work in pediatric setting casual dress is the norm and children and family members are much more comfortable with professionals who dress similar to their dress. How awkward would it be for a child play therapist to wear their professional interview suits while doing play therapy?

Some psychologists wear jeans daily in their private practice and this is fully acceptable!!
 
There are lots of studies on this. More & better studies with medical doctors than psychologists, looks like to me from a quick google scholar search. Very casual dress does not appear to hold up well across the studies I glanced at just now.
 
Midwest VA: Shirt & Tie. Casual Friday was sweater or similar, but I usually wore a button down sans tie or sometimes a polo shirt if I didn't have any pts scheduled. All residential and out-pt.

Midwest R1 Hospital #1: White coats were required by the dept if in-pt. Shirt & tie underneath. Scrubs when I stayed late (7pm-12am). Very East Coast feel. Out-pt was shirt & tie.

Midwest R1 Hospital #2: Suit on most days. With the exception of 1 hippie, everyone "suits up" as the norm. I enjoy suits/fashion...so I'm a fan! The women in the dept are more casual, though I think there are more options in women's fashion.
 
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Business casual. No tie except when in court. Got out of the habit of wearing tie when on inpatient adolescent unit. It just gets in the way. We had a lecture in the doctoral program from a psychologist who chose her outfit based on the clients needs. She even went so far as talking about the effects of different colors. Not too far from moonbeam therapy. My personal belief is that I don't want my clothes to be a distraction from either my professional role in the workplace or from the therapeutic relationship in the room.
 
Midwest VA and state hospital --- all I saw were dress shirts and dress pants (although we were discouraged from wearing ties, as in they are easy to grab). Southeast and Southwest state hospital --- surprisingly more varied, with the most liberal of dress being jeans, polos, button ups. Never seen sandals. Did see some psychiatrists sporting boat shoes though.
 
Good question, imo, and as others have said it varies. The "one up" look has some research behind it. Check out Kanpp, VandeCreek, Handelsman, & Gottlieb (2013) for a brief review of this and other (e.g., title, office decor, swearing in session) questions we may want to consider.
 
This is about how I look most days. Except not so young or model looking.
Dress-Shirts.jpg

Navy blazer helps add to the look. I wouldn't wear the colored shoes though.
look17.jpg

In a few more years it might look more like this.
article-2741628-2101383400000578-384_306x700.jpg
 
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I rather enjoy my growing sport coat for the more "relaxed" days when I'm not seeing patients…they go great with linen pants or cords (depending on the season). While sandals are not an option, I often wear driving shoes with this style. They are a cross between a loafer and a slipper…it's like walking on air…albeit rather pricey air. :D
 
Hello everyone I am currently a student, working on my Bachelors in Psychology in Addiction. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if piercings and tattoos are acceptable in this field. I don't have any but we have to find out about dress codes and requirements as research. Anyone help please.
 
lifesbetter said:
Hello everyone I am currently a student, working on my Bachelors in Psychology in Addiction. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if piercings and tattoos are acceptable in this field. I don't have any but we have to find out about dress codes and requirements as research. Anyone help please.
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Addictions is probably a bit different because so many of the assisting staff or peer counselors at those places are former addicts who might have a ton of tattoos. So a few tattoos and piercings probably would not look out of place at most places.
But for applying to grad school in those areas it's probably better to get tattoos that can be covered by normal business-casual clothes and avoid unusual piercings (giant gauges in the ears etc.).
 
Just do what the yakuza do, make sure you can cover up all of your tattoos with a business suit.

And avoid everlasting-job-stoppers, i.e. face, neck, and hand tattoos.
 
Since we're on this topic...I feel terrible asking this but as someone starting in a program soon, I wanted some advice on whether the clothing I have would be appropriate or not.

I like to wear shirts + sweaters with corduroy pants (my friends make fun of me, but I am determined to single-handedly revive them). Also I like sport coats quite a bit. Was wondering whether this is too casual and I should dress up a bit more, would be obliged if any of the gentlemen here could give me some tips.
 
Meteora said:
Since we're on this topic...I feel terrible asking this but as someone starting in a program soon, I wanted some advice on whether the clothing I have would be appropriate or not.

I like to wear shirts + sweaters with corduroy pants (my friends make fun of me, but I am determined to single-handedly revive them). Also I like sport coats quite a bit. Was wondering whether this is too casual and I should dress up a bit more, would be obliged if any of the gentlemen here could give me some tips.
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Uh, I had no idea cords were not cool. I started wearing cords in the 90s and never looked back.

I wear cords and cardigans like 4/7 days in the winter. At least. Not cool?

Oh god I'm not cool.

*coming to terms with this*
 
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lifesbetter said:
Hello everyone I am currently a student, working on my Bachelors in Psychology in Addiction. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if piercings and tattoos are acceptable in this field. I don't have any but we have to find out about dress codes and requirements as research. Anyone help please.
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I've found that it tends to be agency specific. I've worked in places with potentially physically aggressive/unpredictable clients where big piercings presented a safety risk. My current company has a policy against visible tattoos and facial piercings for all staff (most of whom do in home therapy with young children). Honestly, in most of the families we work with the parents often have ink and piercings, so I don't think theyd be bothered by it. Most of the staff under 35 have a least one tattoo somewhere. The owner is a bit older and more conservative, but he treats us all fairly and respectfully (plus he signs the checks!), so that's his call to make and we respect it. Also, no jeans allowed. No policy against cords- that's addressed through commons sense and good taste;)

Doctoral and VP level administrative staff (who are also MA level clinicians) are expected to dress professionally. Men escpected to wear ties. Women typically wear dress pants or skirts with appropriate top, with an occassional dress here and there.

As an aside, us psychs here spend much of our time sitting in toddler chairs and getting up and down off the floor. We all have a story of splitting our pants during a session and trying to hide it from the family we're working with. During one of his first assessments with me, my previous intern split his pants- literally bottom of zipper in front to just below belt line in back! I didnt realize until after family was gone- he did a great job of hiding it. Lesson is- never hurts to have a spare set of clothes in the car (or a Marshalls/TJ Maxx near the office)!
 
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ClinicalABA said:
Lesson is- never hurts to have a spare set of clothes in the car (or a Marshalls/TJ Maxx near the office)!
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Great tip! I keep a spare set of clothes in my office, along w a set of scrubs, a set of golf clothes, and a few pairs of sneakers/shoes/loafers. You never know when you can squeeze in 18. :D
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Great tip! I keep a spare set of clothes in my office, along w a set of scrubs, a set of golf clothes, and a few pairs of sneakers/shoes/loafers. You never know when you can squeeze in 18. :D
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I have the fly rod in my vehicle, just in case. Use to golf, but spent the whole time wondering if the party behind me would complain aobut me trying to catch the fish in the water hazards!
 
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ClinicalABA said:
I have the fly rod in my vehicle, just in case. Use to golf, but spent the whole time wondering if the party behind me would complain aobut me trying to catch the fish in the water hazards!
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My friend wants me to try traditional Japanese fly fishing. I like the simplicity of the gear, though it'll never replace my golf habit.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
My friend wants me to try traditional Japanese fly fishing. I like the simplicity of the gear, though it'll never replace my golf habit.
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**OFF TOPIC DERAIL** I have a tenkara rod, but never tried it. Looks like it'd be great for small streams.

Back to OP- I'd also mention that it's not just about the clothes, but how you wear them. Learn to tie your tie at the correct length (hint: don't use the president as a guide to tie length). Tuck in your shirt and button up your cuffs (or roll up your sleeves if it's seasonally appropriate). Please, please please button the top button if you are wearing a tie. I am consistently suprised by my male coworkers inability (or lack of concern) for correctly tieing a tie- things like bottom section sticking our from under the top, big gap between knot and collar, tie ending at mid-thigh or mid-belly. It really ain't that difficult guys!

Clothes should be ironed and clean. If it's torn, missing buttons, worn out, or stained don't wear it to work. Don't look like you are begredugingly borrowing your big brother's clothes to get dressed up to go to a wedding or graduation. You can get nice clothes for cheap, and you'll look good if you wear them correctly. Men should be able to get away with 3 nice pairs of pants, 4 nice dress shirts, and 3-5 ties that can be worn with more than one of the shirts. Pair of black dress shoes and pair of brown dress shoes, with belts to match (get one of those belts that is brown on one side and black on the other where you can flip the buckle around. if the season is correct, you can get multiple uses per week out of a shirt (cleaned, of course) by throwing a nice sweater over it. Style/color/materials/pattern should be from the last 5 years or-ideally- less (recognize that things might have changed since last high school dance or when you bought that suit at Penny's a decade ago- Ask somebody at the store if you don't know what clothes should look like.
 
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I went to a BBQ yesterday, had a few drinks, and got fired up about corduroy pants on an internet forum.

Today, in the quiet calm of the daylight, I've realized that CORDS ARE STILL COOL.

You have to picture someone like Carrie Brownstein in cords, not Woody Allen in cords.

Trust me on this one, guys. They can be done.
 
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Okay, you guys are no better than my friends!

Cords are cool. Really! The exclamation points mean it's true, obviously. They're making a come-back.
 
MCParent said:
I trained in Florida and work in Texas and this was not my experience at all. I wore a dress shirt, tie, and dress pants through all my training and I dress like that during teaching or clinic days now. I think wearing shorts and flip flops would be laughably unprofessional unless your clinic is intentionally going for some kind of magic-hippie vibe; I'd send trainees home to change if they came in that.
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Agreed. Even in graduate school I would never think to show up to clinic in the clothes I would wear to a backyard barbecue.

It's unprofessional but also surprisingly impractical. Throughout Texas and the south people believe in aggressively air conditioned interiors, so it can be 100 degrees out and you still need to bring a sweater to be comfortable in your office.
 
Meteora said:
Okay, you guys are no better than my friends!

Cords are cool. Really! The exclamation points mean it's true, obviously. They're making a come-back.
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Now go back to the "quad" and resume your hackey sac tourney!
 
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How about everyone dresses like someone who deserves to be paid hundreds of dollars an hour?
 
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WisNeuro said:
Let's be fair now, not everyone with a doctorate deserves to be paid hundreds of dollars an hour. What about those chumps who went to a diploma mill?
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Deserve and able are two very different things in my book. I think what neuropsychologists make is ridiculously low. But if they show up to grand rounds dressed in khakis, a plaid shirt, and awful shoes when every physician in the room is wearing ties and a blazer, there's a reason there is less respect. Those that prioritize "doing what they want" including low productivity and wearing clothes that signify to others that they are lesser hurt us all.

I know some very smart people who dress like they are in high school, won't stand up for themselves, and get paid bull**** money as a result. I also know some complete charlatans who dress like they're about to close a 9 figure deal, have significant interpersonal skills, who make bank.
 
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