Help!--Under pressure to make a decision

[Nutritionguru]

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Greetings. I have posted here before and the feedback is always excellent.

Here is my dilemna, I graduate this Dec with a MED in clinical mental health counseling. I need to make a decision whether to pursue a Phd in counselor Ed. by January, or find a part-time job to accumulate the 3000 hours needed for licensure. I work full-time in a job that I love and I make about $50k which is not bad in the mid-west. However, I do want to increase my earning potential through self-employment (private practice) and that is why I went back for another masters in counseling.

Here are my options:
1. Pursue a Phd in counselor Education which my professors are really pushing me to do.
It will take another 4 years. 75% of the tuition will be paid by the employer (I work for the same university). The employer also paid the same amount for my Masters.
If I complete the Phd (while still working full-time), it will cut down the hours needed for licensure to 1500 instead of 3,000. If I complete the PhD, I will also get an additional $3,000 raise from my curremt employer. I can still do private practice on the side with my Phd. and if I ever lose my curent job, I can fall back into teaching at college level (I'm not interested in publish or perish type universities).

2. Option 2: Find a part-time job and start to accrue the 3000 hours. This will probably take me a mimimum of 4 years before getting the LPC.

My ultimate goal is to be in private practice or to have a private practice on the side while still working full-time.

Any feedback will be highly appreciated. I'm middle aged with 2 young children.

Blessings.

 

[ela]

Out of curiosity, what license are you hoping to acquire with a PhD in counselor ed, if you can get an LPC with your masters?

 

[MBellows]

Out of curiosity, what license are you hoping to acquire with a PhD in counselor ed, if you can get an LPC with your masters?

One typically gets a PhD in Counselor Ed. to hold an academic position, much like someone who gets a PhD in Social Work. There isn't a doctoral level license, but it will open you up to certain jobs (but possibly close you off to working for an agency).

That said, I believe there are certain certifications one could get with a Ph.D. in counselor education if you take the right coursework. For instance the BCBA-D.

 

[Nutritionguru]

Thanks. There are no additional licence that you acquire from PhD other than the LPC which you get at the Masters level. Only difference is that you require1500 hours of work experience with Phd for licensure and with a masters it's 3,000 hours.

On another note, I did not know that acquiring the PhD will close me off for agency jobs and my only option will be teaching. So, have to think abou that a little bit.

 

[MBellows]

Thanks. There are no additional licence that you acquire from PhD other than the LPC which you get at the Masters level. Only difference is that you require1500 hours of work experience with Phd for licensure and with a masters it's 3,000 hours.

On another note, I did not know that acquiring the PhD will close me off for agency jobs and my only option will be teaching. So, have to think abou that a little bit.

Different states have wonky licensing laws. Hopefully the 20/20 plan will address that. The only reason it may limit you from agency jobs (working for someone else) is that they may think that you will expect a bigger cut than a master's level practitioner.

 

[Psychadelic2012]

Why spend your extra hours in school when you could spend your time accruing hours for licensure? It's the same license either way. If you don't want an academic position, there doesn't seem to be any advantage to a PhD and you'll certainly be spending time and money that you otherwise wouldn't have to. A $3k raise doesn't seem like much, in that it will take you several years to get there and you could be making money in the meantime. I just don't see the point of a PhD for you.

 

[Nutritionguru]

Thanks for your feedback. I really appreciate it. After being in school for so long, I'm quite burned out and another 4 years for a doctorate will not help either since I'm not interested in teaching full-time (too stressful).
I'll take your feedback and look into accruing hours for licensure since a PhD does not increase my earning potential. Unfortunately the starting salary of an assistant professor at the college where I attend (which is a major public University) is $44,000, which seems ridiculously low after that many years of schooling. On the other hand, if I can get a licence and earn something small on the side (even if it's $10,000), I should be okay. My primary drive for all this is financial independence, not prestige.

God bless you all as you pursue your dreams. Take one day at a time and your vision will get clearer by day.