If applying to a clin prgm do you HAVE to be supervised by core clinical faculty

[scienceisbeauty]

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Ok, so on some of the school websites it says "Clinical students can be supervised by any of the faculty - doesn't have to be clinical" and some schools it doesn't say this...so for those schools let's say:

I really want the school's clinical prgm but there's no one on the core clinical fac (or clin fac at all) that does what I want...but there's someone in the Social Psych field that does do what I want.

What happens in those cases? What do I do? Generally speaking, do students have to pick a clinical faculty member if applying to a clinical psych progrm? (I'm talking about heavy research focused schools)

Thanks guys and girls! 😛

 

[erg923]

Probably depends on the program, but I do know alot of programs have clinical students in non-clinical faculty labs. I applied to Vandy to work with Sohee Park (neuroscientist) and she had mostly clinical students under her. My friend at UMKC had a non-clinical faculty mentor. Alot of times, the faculty member may not be clinically trained themselves, but their work has a clinical focus. I think you will just have to ask if the websites do not specify.

 

[Ollie123]

My advisor doesn't even have a primary appointment in any area of the psychology department🙂 (though his degree is in clinical psych).

Its definitely possible, but every school is different. Here my advisor worked out a deal between the hospital and the psych department that he can take on students, but he's expected to make sure he has enough grant money to cover all of us to work in the lab so we aren't taking up teaching and clinical placements for the other students.

Its not at all uncommon for someone in another area of psychology or outside psychology altogether to be a clinical student's advisor. There are some drawbacks (i.e. if they are not clinical they may not be as familiar with that particular career path and what you will need to do to be successful), but there are often some positives as well (in my case, I don't have to teach or take on clinical work I don't want to just for funding, so I can be more picky about my opportunities).