Harvard Clinical Psychology

[irish80122]

I know there was some talk about it last year, but instead of just relying on that, I thought I would start a new thread since we have a lot of new people on the board and things can change in a year!

What do you know about/think of Harvard Clinical? All opinions are appreciated!

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[joetro]

It's on the brink of accredition, and has a new person in suicide whom Dave likes. However, keep in mind that junior people at Ivys will probably not make tenure, so you may have to move.

 

[irish80122]

That's okay. Right now I am more interested in the person than the program! The school really hasn't impressed me much through this process (long story) but I want to know if it is still worthwhile.

I am sure the suicide person you are thinking of is the same one I am. He unfortunately does not have tenure, so a move might just be one of those things I have to face.

 

[LM02]

Of the 53 faculty listed on the website, only 5 are in clinical - and at least one of them is not trained as a clinical psychologist (he is an experimental psychologist). I think you would get excellent research training here, but the clinical training is somewhat more of a question-mark.

My understanding is that the clinical training was quite disorganized in the early years of the program, but that they have slowly gotten their act together in terms of securing external practicum sites. Yet I would still be concerned that there are not a large number of faculty in-house who can actually provide clinical supervision.

As for the person you are both referencing, he is an up-and-comer. However, like joetro said, junior faculty are often not offered tenure at schools like Harvard, Princeton, or Yale - so depending on how many years he's been there (I think this will be his third or fourth?), he may be moving on while you're still in school.

 

[50960]

Nothing worse than getting clinical training from reserchers, and vice-versa....check it out more.😎

 

[LM02]

Nothing worse than getting clinical training from reserchers, and vice-versa....check it out more.😎

Well, I don't know if I would go that far... if the researcher is also an active clinician, that's a great combo. In fact, the two primary research mentors I've had over the course of my young career (predoctoral & postdoctoral) have also been two of the best supervisors I've ever had. But then again, I do treatment research. 😉

I guess my concern with the Harvard program is that there may not be several faculty who fit the description I just provided.

 

[Anon15]

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[clearcolor]

They did not conduct interviews last year.

 

[irish80122]

Anon, we are thinking of the same person and I am applying more for him and less because it is Harvard. The accredidation thing does worry me.

Did they really not interview? That is nuts!

 

[joetro]

I think Yale also doesn't interview ... they basically just pick the 4 students or whatever and invite them after admitted to come visit.

Keep in mind that Harvard is course a great undergrad school, but the clinical program doesn't have really any history to match lots of other long-standing programs. So just because it is the "top" undergrad school doesn't necessarily make it the best clinical program. And, if you worked with MN, it most likely wouldn't be at Harvard for very long, so you could very well be moving with him and graduating from somewhere else.

 

[Anon15]

^

 

[irish80122]

So the question is if MN is worth going to Harvard for (funny but true) and is he worth the effort of applying. Probably, but it does make it a harder decision. I definitely am applying for the person though, not for the program...I am just wondering if it is still worth it given the program as I am not too high on them either, for many reasons.

 

[Anon15]

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[irish80122]

I am catching your drift. Thank you very much, it helps a great deal. Anyone else agree? Joetro?

 

[LM02]

I am catching your drift. Thank you very much, it helps a great deal. Anyone else agree? Joetro?

I agree, but I am also of the mindset that if you have the time and money to submit one additional application, it may be worth exploring. Submitting an application may open a door of communication so that you can get more of the inside scoop on your potential mentor's long-term plans. If he's leaving in a year or two, you may be inclined to "stick it out" and move with him. However, there's also a chance that he may move to a place that is otherwise undesirable to you for reasons such as geography, distance from family and friends, etc.

The bottom line is, if accepted, I would think long and hard about what other options you have. I completely agree with Anon that you need to consider the big picture. Internship and postdoc aside, being keenly aware of the recent job postings , it is very clear that many academic positions will only consider applicants from APA-approved programs. Now we can argue back and forth about whether or not that's fair, but I can say with certainty that it's the reality.

Also, while I agree that you should primarily consider your fit with a potential mentor, you have to remember that grad school is a long process and you will be interacting with all of the other clinical faculty and relying on them for supervision, training, and additional research opportunities. So you should consider the entire faculty when choosing potential schools, and not just that one person who will be your primary mentor. This is particularly something to keep in mind when considering the Harvard program, but also more generally something that should not be overlooked in the application process.

Good luck!

 

[apps_aahhhhhhhh]

I've heard through the grapevine that Harvard's clinical training is not that great, and I second the comment that people are taking a loonnnnngg time to get through. However, to my knowledge, they have not yet applied for accredidation, so I'm not sure whether the info about them applying and not getting it is true.

 

[layleh]

Update to this post, it's still not accredited.

 

[ducle7]

the website actually lists clinical training sites, and many of them are excellent places to get training and are very well reputed. I spoke to a prof that knows the Harvard program really well and says it doesn't really matter that they're not APA accredited--you'll still get good training there as long as u work at the best clinical sites--that being said, they are more research focused, so it's not a place to go if you're more interested or even equally interested in clinical.

 

[positivepsych]

Bottom-line: if you're good enough to be accepted, then you're good enough to have better options.

The program is not organized and has too many obstacles to graduation/internship, such as too many academic requirements and not enough clinical training. You have to get over the name, the prestige of the university as a whole is not worth being in that particular program.