Is a Psy.D. worth it?!?!?!?!? And how to prepare....

[branj]

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Ok, I am a 1st year grad student in health mngmt. i have known for a while that i want to end up doing therapy work (youth, runaway, mental health...) but when i decided to go to grad school, i opted not to go that route right away. i got my undergrad in journalism, and therefore lack the psych background i'll probably need. when i'm done with my grad program i want to work in a nonprofit setting working in (mental) health outreach/programming for runaway/street kids/throwaways in urban areas. i want to work in that setting for about two years until i get the experience i feel i need to start a psy.d program - since i don't really want to go in to academia or research and want to stick with clinical therapy.

i guess i'd like to know if getting my psy.d will be worth it, the timeline for school doesn't bother me - it's the money, or if i should just get a MA in clinical psychology, or family therapy...and just stick with that?

Also, can anybody make any suggestions for ways to get the experience needed to make my applications to schools more attractive?!?! a lot of psy.d programs require at least 18 credit hours in psychology, and i only took 1 semester of psych, but i did take stats, econ and other coursework like that.

sorry for the long post, i know i've got some time, but if i do decide that i need to leave my current program in favor of a therapy program (master in psych) then i need to start worrying about that soon...

thanks a bunch!!!!!!!!

~j

 

[Ollie123]

Is it worth it is very much a judgment call. I can think of few situations in which that kind of debt would be worth it to me, but others here clearly disagree with me. Furthermore, I don't want this to get ugly!

I will say this....have you thought about an MSW? The area you are looking at (nonprofit, community mental health) generally makes academic psychology look like it pays well. I will say that even some people interested in higher paying areas of psych can not have a great time paying off 100-200k in loans.

I think MSW or LCSW might be a good way to go for you. Less debt, more job opportunities, and you'll still be able to be very much on the front lines in terms of working with runaways and the like. You get less training in formal therapy, but can still practice to some degree.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'd suggest doing some searches on the forum, this topic has been discussed at length. It pretty much comes down to:

1. What do you want to do as a career (primarily private practice therapy, etc?)
2. Cost (in time and money) vs. Salary

My quick and dirty answer is that if your main focus is private practice work, go for an LCSW or similar degree.....there is a lot of flexibility with the degree, you can get out sooner, and a quality SW program will team you what you need to know to do well. A doctorate has a ton of more work, and the research end will wear you down if you aren't really into it. I think the clinical training is more complete for a doctorate, but at 6-7 years...it better be!

-t

 

[docma]

My observation of career paths in this field is that the MSW is the most versatile degree for direct service and the PhD is the most economical if you want to specialize or teach. Although the PsyD is often described as a more efficient and practitioner focussed pathway--it tends to be vastly more expensive for students and does not lead to quicker or more lucrative outcomes for many. Most PhD programs provide a lot of financial aid that is not available in most PsyD programs. Counseling Psychology programs offer a route to clinical practice and licensure as a psychologist that are often overlooked because there is a narrow focus on clinical programs. Both EdD and Counseling Psych programs are worth exploring and lead to a broad array of career options, without the debtload that comes with a PsyD.