BBH_Researcher
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Like many undergraduate students who have majored in psychology, I was single minded in my thought process: I wanted to become a Clinical Psychologist because it appeared to be the most prestigious and flexible option. Although I had relatively little experience as it relates to clinical work, it seemed interesting and fit well with my research interests. As a result, I applied to many programs and thankfully received an offer to join a PhD program that included a tuition waver and stipend. During my training as a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher, I gained clinical and research experience in a variety of settings (i.e., university sponsored psychology clinic, private practice, research hospital, large public school, small private school) before becoming a tenure-track faculty member. Because of the breadth and depth of my experiences, I believe that I am well positioned to answer the question: Is obtaining a PhD in Clinical Psychology the best option for my career goals? As with many questions in life, the answer is that it depends.
If one’s goal is to work with patients and limit the amount of research that is required, there are a variety of other options that could be better (e.g., Masters in Social Work [MSW] or Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling Psychology PhD, Clinical Psychology PsyD). Of course, “better” is subjective, but there are important considerations if you plan to borrow money for your degree:
1. The number of years required in order to obtain the degree: One can obtain an MSW in 2 years, while earning a PsyD or PhD in Clinical Psychology takes 7-8 years on average.
2. Student loan debt associated with each degree: Graduate students receiving an MSW average approximately $45k in student loans; Clinical Psychology PsyD/PhD graduates average $80-120k in student loan debt. Keep in mind that interest accumulates while earning a degree, so the actual difference will be even higher (e.g., I borrowed $110k during the 6 years it took to earn my PhD in Clinical Psychology and the loans had accrued an additional $26k in interest by the time I started paying them back).
3. Salary potential: MSW graduates earn an average of ~$50k, Clinical Psychology PsyD graduates earn an average of ~$77k, and Clinical Psychology PhD graduates earn an average of ~$89k. The debt/income ratio is hugely important to consider.
Other students state that they would like to obtain a Clinical Psychology PhD because their career goal is to have a “mix” of clinical and research focused time. I’d like to be as clear as I possibly can about this…Such positions are extremely rare. Think about it this way: If you spend your time focusing on research, your earning potential as it relates to clinical work is reduced and you may not be able to afford (or justify using) the space dedicated to seeing patients. In hospital or private practice settings, the space would quickly be allocated to someone who could maximize profits. On the other hand, if you spend more time focusing on clinical work vs research, you will not be competitive for the funds that are required to run research studies and/or justify lab space. The real-world is simply not setup for positions that equally distribute clinical and research work. Of course, some folks are able to be engaged in both clinical and research work to some degree (e.g., a researcher who supervises the use of psychological interventions in their studies); however, the vast majority of their time is spent within category or the other.
Another common goal for students is to obtain a career in academia. As it relates to obtaining a Clinical Psychology PhD, there are two important considerations here:
1. The amount of time devoted to clinical work during your training. In comparison to other types of programs that are solely research focused, graduate students earning a Clinical Psychology PhD are required to take additional courses in order to meet APA requirements for clinical training, have additional meetings as it relates to their clinical work (e.g., supervision), accumulate patient contact hours, write session notes and assessment reports, as well as spend the final year of their graduate training completing an internship. All of this significantly reduces the amount of time that you can devote to research in comparison to graduate students from other programs; those students are often competing for the same postdoc and faculty positions.
2. Your own mental health. If you do not want to engage in clinical work for the rest of your career, the thousands of hours devoted to the tasks mentioned directly above may not be enjoyable.
If a career in academia is your main goal, I strongly encourage you to be open to other options. Many of these alternatives have just as much, if not more, flexibility as it relates to where you can land in your career. Take, for example, the PhD program in Biobehavioral Health (BBH) at Penn State (Biobehavioral Health Graduate Program | Penn State College of Health and Human Development). The faculty is comprised of individuals who have received training in various departments within psychology, public and global health, neuroscience, biology, genetics, among others. As a result, the training is highly interdisciplinary and graduate students are able to engage in a wide range of research topics, including the role of psychological interventions as they relate to mental and physical health. As a result, students are able to fit well within a number of departments upon graduation, including psychology departments. Like most graduate programs at highly ranked institutions, the program includes a tuition waver and stipend for all students. Importantly, it is also much easier to obtain an offer (acceptance rates are near ~25%). Although I am satisfied and grateful with my career choices, I wish that I would have been more open to programs like the BBH program in hindsight. It would have saved me time, money, and stress during my training. Most notably, without the assistance of a National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program grant, I do not believe that I would have been able to pay back my student loans after graduating despite earning an excellent salary for someone at my career stage (i.e., tenure-track faculty member). At the very least, I would have lived an extremely restricted lifestyle until being in my early 50’s.
This begs the question: When is a PhD in Clinical Psychology the best option? In my opinion, it is if you’d like to be in a supervisory/managerial role within a clinical setting. Those with a Clinical Psychology PhD are much more likely to obtain such positions than clinicians from a different academic background. This inevitably reduces the amount of time that one is focused on seeing patients themselves; however, a number of professionals find satisfaction as a supervisor/manager. They also tend to obtain a salary increase in such positions as well. Therefore, if working towards a supervisory/managerial role within a clinical setting is a goal for you, the Clinical Psychology PhD is the best option.
If one’s goal is to work with patients and limit the amount of research that is required, there are a variety of other options that could be better (e.g., Masters in Social Work [MSW] or Marriage and Family Therapy, Counseling Psychology PhD, Clinical Psychology PsyD). Of course, “better” is subjective, but there are important considerations if you plan to borrow money for your degree:
1. The number of years required in order to obtain the degree: One can obtain an MSW in 2 years, while earning a PsyD or PhD in Clinical Psychology takes 7-8 years on average.
2. Student loan debt associated with each degree: Graduate students receiving an MSW average approximately $45k in student loans; Clinical Psychology PsyD/PhD graduates average $80-120k in student loan debt. Keep in mind that interest accumulates while earning a degree, so the actual difference will be even higher (e.g., I borrowed $110k during the 6 years it took to earn my PhD in Clinical Psychology and the loans had accrued an additional $26k in interest by the time I started paying them back).
3. Salary potential: MSW graduates earn an average of ~$50k, Clinical Psychology PsyD graduates earn an average of ~$77k, and Clinical Psychology PhD graduates earn an average of ~$89k. The debt/income ratio is hugely important to consider.
Other students state that they would like to obtain a Clinical Psychology PhD because their career goal is to have a “mix” of clinical and research focused time. I’d like to be as clear as I possibly can about this…Such positions are extremely rare. Think about it this way: If you spend your time focusing on research, your earning potential as it relates to clinical work is reduced and you may not be able to afford (or justify using) the space dedicated to seeing patients. In hospital or private practice settings, the space would quickly be allocated to someone who could maximize profits. On the other hand, if you spend more time focusing on clinical work vs research, you will not be competitive for the funds that are required to run research studies and/or justify lab space. The real-world is simply not setup for positions that equally distribute clinical and research work. Of course, some folks are able to be engaged in both clinical and research work to some degree (e.g., a researcher who supervises the use of psychological interventions in their studies); however, the vast majority of their time is spent within category or the other.
Another common goal for students is to obtain a career in academia. As it relates to obtaining a Clinical Psychology PhD, there are two important considerations here:
1. The amount of time devoted to clinical work during your training. In comparison to other types of programs that are solely research focused, graduate students earning a Clinical Psychology PhD are required to take additional courses in order to meet APA requirements for clinical training, have additional meetings as it relates to their clinical work (e.g., supervision), accumulate patient contact hours, write session notes and assessment reports, as well as spend the final year of their graduate training completing an internship. All of this significantly reduces the amount of time that you can devote to research in comparison to graduate students from other programs; those students are often competing for the same postdoc and faculty positions.
2. Your own mental health. If you do not want to engage in clinical work for the rest of your career, the thousands of hours devoted to the tasks mentioned directly above may not be enjoyable.
If a career in academia is your main goal, I strongly encourage you to be open to other options. Many of these alternatives have just as much, if not more, flexibility as it relates to where you can land in your career. Take, for example, the PhD program in Biobehavioral Health (BBH) at Penn State (Biobehavioral Health Graduate Program | Penn State College of Health and Human Development). The faculty is comprised of individuals who have received training in various departments within psychology, public and global health, neuroscience, biology, genetics, among others. As a result, the training is highly interdisciplinary and graduate students are able to engage in a wide range of research topics, including the role of psychological interventions as they relate to mental and physical health. As a result, students are able to fit well within a number of departments upon graduation, including psychology departments. Like most graduate programs at highly ranked institutions, the program includes a tuition waver and stipend for all students. Importantly, it is also much easier to obtain an offer (acceptance rates are near ~25%). Although I am satisfied and grateful with my career choices, I wish that I would have been more open to programs like the BBH program in hindsight. It would have saved me time, money, and stress during my training. Most notably, without the assistance of a National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program grant, I do not believe that I would have been able to pay back my student loans after graduating despite earning an excellent salary for someone at my career stage (i.e., tenure-track faculty member). At the very least, I would have lived an extremely restricted lifestyle until being in my early 50’s.
This begs the question: When is a PhD in Clinical Psychology the best option? In my opinion, it is if you’d like to be in a supervisory/managerial role within a clinical setting. Those with a Clinical Psychology PhD are much more likely to obtain such positions than clinicians from a different academic background. This inevitably reduces the amount of time that one is focused on seeing patients themselves; however, a number of professionals find satisfaction as a supervisor/manager. They also tend to obtain a salary increase in such positions as well. Therefore, if working towards a supervisory/managerial role within a clinical setting is a goal for you, the Clinical Psychology PhD is the best option.
