Need Advice! Please help!

Attend a doctoral program in clinical psychology (PhD or PsyD). Attend a div 40 internship, attend a div 40 postdoc.

No. There is no neuropsychology license. You'd have to get licensed as a clinical psychologist. In the US, it is a doctoral level field.

Better to apply to a funded PhD program. Meaning, if you go to a funded program, tuition is free.

As far as grades, that's not enough information. Have to take the GRE. Your work experience should be an advantage. Plus, the diversity of having an international student.

 

The problem with clinical PhDs is that there is a lot of specialized graduate work that you *must* complete for internship/licensure purposes. So, even though you might be able to gain admission in clinical psych as a PhD student (two people admitted my year were admitted directly to the PhD because they had Master's degrees in other areas of psychology), you still have to complete all the coursework/practica required of any student who was admitted out of their Bachelor's. So, it's not quite as simple as being admitted either as a Master's student and finishing in 4-6 years, or as a PhD student and finishing in 3 years.

 

I'd advise you to do a little research, though. Think about what you actually want to do with your degree. If it's important to you to have the title neuropsychologist and a private practice, then you do need to essentially start your graduate training from the ground up, unless you can get a doctoral degree outside the US and get some state licensing board to recognize it. Licensure as a psychologist in the US is a nightmare of conflicting and opaque regulation, different in each of the 50 states.

However, on a national level, a group of neuropsychologists had a conference in Houston in the late 90's, and they banded together to set standards for neuropsych training. This essentially protects their professional turf and establishes neuropsych as requiring an additional two years of post-doctoral experience beyond the Ph.D.

If your desire is to be a research neuropsychologist, however, you may be able to get staff positions on major research projects with your current qualifications. You may even, over time, end up making as much money in staff research positions as you are likely to make later with the title neuropsychologist.

 

uni,

in the US psychologist and neuropsychologist are both doctoral level positions. you cannot call yourself a psychologist with a doctorate. neuropsychologist in the states designates that you completed an additional 2 yrs after the completion of your doctorate.

therefore

you would have to get a doctorate. following your doctorate you would need to complete a formal 2 yr post doc in neuropsychology. you would then need to sit for the boards and complete oral and written examinations. this is a vast over simplification, and there are many many details that you would need to learn about.

state laws usually restrict masters level people from giving neuropsycholoigcal services.

division 40 is the neuropsychology subgroup of the American Psychological Association.

and arkatype is wrong: you will not be called a staff neuropsychologist in a research institution with your current qualifications and you will not make the same amount.

 

PM'ed


but FYI: it is a one year pre doctoral internship and a one year post doctoral year.

two years formal intership with significant didactics for neuro. plus the passing of a board exam in addition to whatever licensing stuff you have to pass.