Hi Rhythmpenguin,
Below are great generalizations, as it is simply more fun to speak like that. Obviously we all have different experiences, so tailor my words according to who you are and what your needs are.
I am currently a PhD student at University of West Georgia. What you are looking for may not exist here.
We have two very different programs here at UWG- a Psychology PhD in Society and Consciousness and then an EdD in Professional Counseling and Supervision. The latter is in the Education department, which is not inherently humanistic. And, it requires one to have an LPC before they even apply.
The culture gap between the Education department and the Psychology department is huge, so don't assume that just because they are housed in the same university that they have anything else in common.
The Psychology PhD in Consciousness and Society is new for this year. It was formerly a "placeholder" PsyD as the GA BOR would only allow the department to take one step at a time.
The PhD program is fascinating, covering Humanistic, Transpersonal, and Critical Psychology, with an emphasis on Existential Phenomenology. The main complaint I hear from my peers is that it is not clinical, and thus it allows for less future opportunities. A secondary complaint is that our stipend is a tuition waiver plus $8k/yr, which is obviously not enough to live on. Therefore most of us are working "outside," and a bit stuck in the marketplace while we would prefer to have our total efforts in the Academy. Some prefer to go in debt rather than have to work outside jobs to meet their expenses. Our work obligation is a bit loose, and is about 10 hours dedicated to supporting a professor per week. It amounts to $43/hr worth of tuiton waiver and stipend. Not so bad.
UWG is great for those who want to go into teaching, as they offer courses on it here, and they really need us to teach the undergrad classes. We are short on faculty due to state budget cuts, and thus the doctoral students do a significant portion of undergrad teaching. Teaching is a much loved thing here- this is not a place where research is preferred and teaching is considered a burden. The faculty, in general, are passionate about helping students awaken from their slumbers and move into a more mature stance. Some view this philosophical, while others view it in terms of human potential. Most all really care about students.
Knowing people in clinical programs at other universities, I am very happy to not get overloaded with the time obligation that typically comes with those programs. Clinical is a huge commitment. At private institutes it is a major investment that often gets people into huge debt (which causes great stress, which makes people need to get a certain amount of money out of their practice, which
could make them see their sessions in terms of dollars, etc, etc). At research universities, clinical programs can be akin to short-term enslavement. Many programs won't take anyone with children or with outside work commitments. They demand your full time and attention, and they often lead to mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion. One has to REALLY want the clinical ends to find the energy to get through the clinical means. One often gets paid to do a clinical doctorate, but the payment is not out of appreciation for your interest in studying, rather it is for raw work/effort.
Many of my peers have their LPCs from their Master's studies, and thus are already in practice. They came back to school to move into academia, to be more influential in effecting social change, and for many other reasons. A couple of them are trying to get the LPC requirements fulfilled while engaged in the doctoral program, but those hours do not count towards our doctoral degrees. It is still up in the air to see if any PhD students leave here with both their PhD completed and the requirements for an LPC fulfilled.
For more information you might be interested in the following websites: UWG's
EdD in Professional Counseling, the
Psychology Department (for the PhD), and the
Psychology graduate program site run by students.
I would be happy to answer your questions here. Just ask!
