- Joined
- Sep 26, 2015
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
I am seeking guidance in which path to take in earning my PsyD, which school to go to, and jumping through loops.
My heart lies in neuropsychology. My ultimate goal at the end of my road is to work directly with Alzheimers, dementia, Huntington's and related degenerative brain and cognitive diseases. Becoming a neuropsychologist would be my ultimate desire however, I have some things stacked against me and it may be unrealistic for me.
1) resources. i'm poor. that's all i can say about that.
2) i have a high cost medical condition. quitting my current job as a geriatric social worker would mean i would have no health insurance. paying for my medications out of pocket is out of the question. I take nearly $9,000 of medication a month without insurance help. I struggle to pay my co-pays with a job. Insurance companies don't want to cover people like me - so paying privately for insurance would be nearly $1,000/mo PLUS co-pays and out of pocket. I already researched this option. Its simply not practical, and would put a lot of undue stress on me.
3) because of this, going to a traditional PsyD or PhD program is difficult. Yes, i would love to just enroll in a good ol' brick and mortar school but I'm not sure that it's realistic for me given my circumstance. I understand that there still will be practicums, and supervision however, being able to span this at a slower pace so I can have a job with healthcare coverage seems to be the way for my personal situation albeit slowing the process. Also, completing what doctoral classes that I can online would be far more feasible with my condition.
Right now I am finishing up my MS in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Applied Behavioral Analysis and will be seeking ABA certification.
To become a neuropsychologist I need licensure as a clinical psychologist. To study clinical psychology at the PhD/PsyD level can be done online at a non APA accredited school such as Capella, or Kaplan. This is where guidance is needed.
If i choose to attend an online PsyD program that is non-credited, how difficult is it in Illinois to get your clinical license? I've researched the educational requirements for clinical licensure in IL and it reads in summary:
Individuals who have graduated from an APA approved program, program approved by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation or who have graduated from a psychology program recognized by The Department are required to document one year of supervised postdoctoral experience prior to applying for licensure. Individuals holding a doctorate in psychology whose program does not meet the above requirements, but meet the requirements of The Act will need to document additional supervised practice some of which may need to be postdoctoral in nature. This fact sheet is written with the presumption that you will need to document one year of postdoctoral experience.
or the actual:
Sec. 10. Qualifications of applicants; examination. The Department, except as provided in Section 11 of this Act, shall issue a license as a clinical psychologist to any person who pays an application fee and who:
(1) is at least 21 years of age; and has not engaged
in conduct or activities which would constitute grounds for discipline under this Act;
(2) (blank);
(3) is a graduate of a doctoral program from a
college, university or school accredited by the regional accrediting body which is recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and is in the jurisdiction in which it is located for purposes of granting the doctoral degree and either:
(a) is a graduate of a doctoral program in
clinical, school or counseling psychology either accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System or approved by the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology or other national board recognized by the Board, and has completed 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical, school or counseling psychology at least one of which is an internship and one of which is postdoctoral; or
(b) holds a doctoral degree from a recognized
college, university or school which the Department, through its rules, establishes as being equivalent to a clinical, school or counseling psychology program and has completed at least one course in each of the following 7 content areas, in actual attendance at a recognized university, college or school whose graduates would be eligible for licensure under this Act: scientific and professional ethics, biological basis of behavior, cognitive-affective basis of behavior, social basis of behavior, individual differences, assessment, and treatment modalities; and has completed 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical, school or counseling psychology, at least one of which is an internship and one of which is postdoctoral; or
(c) holds a doctorate in psychology or in a
program whose content is psychological in nature from an accredited college, university or school not meeting the standards of paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection (3) and provides evidence of the completion of at least one course in each of the 7 content areas specified in paragraph (b) in actual attendance at a recognized university, school or college whose graduate would be eligible for licensure under this Act; and has completed an appropriate practicum, an internship or equivalent supervised clinical experience in an organized mental health care setting and 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical or counseling psychology, at least one of which is postdoctoral; and
(4) has passed an examination authorized by the
Department to determine his or her fitness to receive a license.
Applicants for licensure under subsection (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this Section shall complete 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience, at least one of which shall be an internship and one of which shall be postdoctoral. A year of supervised experience is defined as not less than 1,750 hours obtained in not less than 50 weeks based on 35 hours per week for full-time work experience. Full-time supervised experience will be counted only if it is obtained in a single setting for a minimum of 6 months. Part-time and internship experience will be counted only if it is 18 hours or more a week for a minimum of 9 months and is in a single setting. The internship experience required under subsection (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this Section shall be a minimum of 1,750 hours completed within 24 months.
Programs leading to a doctoral degree require minimally the equivalent of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study, at least 2 years of which are at the institution from which the degree is granted, and of which at least one year or its equivalent is in residence at the institution from which the degree is granted. Course work for which credit is given for life experience will not be accepted by the Department as fulfilling the educational requirements for licensure. Residence requires interaction with psychology faculty and other matriculated psychology students; one year's residence or its equivalent is defined as follows:
(a) 30 semester hours taken on a full-time or
part-time basis at the institution accumulated within 24 months, or
(b) a minimum of 350 hours of student-faculty contact
involving face-to-face individual or group courses or seminars accumulated within 18 months. Such educational meetings must include both faculty-student and student-student interaction, be conducted by the psychology faculty of the institution at least 90% of the time, be fully documented by the institution, and relate substantially to the program and course content. The institution must clearly document how the applicant's performance is assessed and evaluated.
To meet the requirement for satisfactory supervised experience, under this Act the supervision must be performed pursuant to the order, control and full professional responsibility of a licensed clinical psychologist. The clients shall be the clients of the agency or supervisor rather than the supervisee. Supervised experience in which the supervisor receives monetary payment or other consideration from the supervisee or in which the supervisor is hired by or otherwise employed by the supervisee shall not be accepted by the Department as fulfilling the practicum, internship or 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience requirements for licensure.
Examinations for applicants under this Act shall be held at the direction of the Department from time to time but not less than once each year. The scope and form of the examination shall be determined by the Department.
Each applicant for a license who possesses the necessary qualifications therefor shall be examined by the Department, and shall pay to the Department, or its designated testing service, the required examination fee, which fee shall not be refunded by the Department.
Applicants have 3 years from the date of application to complete the application process. If the process has not been completed in 3 years, the application shall be denied, the fee shall be forfeited, and the applicant must reapply and meet the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.
An applicant has one year from the date of notification of successful completion of the examination to apply to the Department for a license. If an applicant fails to apply within one year, the applicant shall be required to take and pass the examination again unless licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States within one year of passing the examination.
(Source: P.A. 98-849, eff. 1-1-15.)
Theres also the hoop of re-specialization after completion of the unaccredited doctoral program. But that's like - 3 more years post doctorate. I would like to actually be a neuropsychologist before I die. 😉
I suppose the guidance I am asking for is - is it worth it to jump through these extra hoops given my circumstances? Has anyone had a similar experience? Has anyone completed a online PhD or PsyD program and became licensed? Is there a different road that I'm not considering? Should I just give up and be happy with what I have?
My heart lies in neuropsychology. My ultimate goal at the end of my road is to work directly with Alzheimers, dementia, Huntington's and related degenerative brain and cognitive diseases. Becoming a neuropsychologist would be my ultimate desire however, I have some things stacked against me and it may be unrealistic for me.
1) resources. i'm poor. that's all i can say about that.
2) i have a high cost medical condition. quitting my current job as a geriatric social worker would mean i would have no health insurance. paying for my medications out of pocket is out of the question. I take nearly $9,000 of medication a month without insurance help. I struggle to pay my co-pays with a job. Insurance companies don't want to cover people like me - so paying privately for insurance would be nearly $1,000/mo PLUS co-pays and out of pocket. I already researched this option. Its simply not practical, and would put a lot of undue stress on me.
3) because of this, going to a traditional PsyD or PhD program is difficult. Yes, i would love to just enroll in a good ol' brick and mortar school but I'm not sure that it's realistic for me given my circumstance. I understand that there still will be practicums, and supervision however, being able to span this at a slower pace so I can have a job with healthcare coverage seems to be the way for my personal situation albeit slowing the process. Also, completing what doctoral classes that I can online would be far more feasible with my condition.
Right now I am finishing up my MS in Clinical Psychology with a focus on Applied Behavioral Analysis and will be seeking ABA certification.
To become a neuropsychologist I need licensure as a clinical psychologist. To study clinical psychology at the PhD/PsyD level can be done online at a non APA accredited school such as Capella, or Kaplan. This is where guidance is needed.
If i choose to attend an online PsyD program that is non-credited, how difficult is it in Illinois to get your clinical license? I've researched the educational requirements for clinical licensure in IL and it reads in summary:
Individuals who have graduated from an APA approved program, program approved by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation or who have graduated from a psychology program recognized by The Department are required to document one year of supervised postdoctoral experience prior to applying for licensure. Individuals holding a doctorate in psychology whose program does not meet the above requirements, but meet the requirements of The Act will need to document additional supervised practice some of which may need to be postdoctoral in nature. This fact sheet is written with the presumption that you will need to document one year of postdoctoral experience.
or the actual:
Sec. 10. Qualifications of applicants; examination. The Department, except as provided in Section 11 of this Act, shall issue a license as a clinical psychologist to any person who pays an application fee and who:
(1) is at least 21 years of age; and has not engaged
in conduct or activities which would constitute grounds for discipline under this Act;
(2) (blank);
(3) is a graduate of a doctoral program from a
college, university or school accredited by the regional accrediting body which is recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and is in the jurisdiction in which it is located for purposes of granting the doctoral degree and either:
(a) is a graduate of a doctoral program in
clinical, school or counseling psychology either accredited by the American Psychological Association or the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System or approved by the Council for the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology or other national board recognized by the Board, and has completed 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical, school or counseling psychology at least one of which is an internship and one of which is postdoctoral; or
(b) holds a doctoral degree from a recognized
college, university or school which the Department, through its rules, establishes as being equivalent to a clinical, school or counseling psychology program and has completed at least one course in each of the following 7 content areas, in actual attendance at a recognized university, college or school whose graduates would be eligible for licensure under this Act: scientific and professional ethics, biological basis of behavior, cognitive-affective basis of behavior, social basis of behavior, individual differences, assessment, and treatment modalities; and has completed 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical, school or counseling psychology, at least one of which is an internship and one of which is postdoctoral; or
(c) holds a doctorate in psychology or in a
program whose content is psychological in nature from an accredited college, university or school not meeting the standards of paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection (3) and provides evidence of the completion of at least one course in each of the 7 content areas specified in paragraph (b) in actual attendance at a recognized university, school or college whose graduate would be eligible for licensure under this Act; and has completed an appropriate practicum, an internship or equivalent supervised clinical experience in an organized mental health care setting and 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience in clinical or counseling psychology, at least one of which is postdoctoral; and
(4) has passed an examination authorized by the
Department to determine his or her fitness to receive a license.
Applicants for licensure under subsection (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this Section shall complete 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience, at least one of which shall be an internship and one of which shall be postdoctoral. A year of supervised experience is defined as not less than 1,750 hours obtained in not less than 50 weeks based on 35 hours per week for full-time work experience. Full-time supervised experience will be counted only if it is obtained in a single setting for a minimum of 6 months. Part-time and internship experience will be counted only if it is 18 hours or more a week for a minimum of 9 months and is in a single setting. The internship experience required under subsection (3)(a) and (3)(b) of this Section shall be a minimum of 1,750 hours completed within 24 months.
Programs leading to a doctoral degree require minimally the equivalent of 3 full-time academic years of graduate study, at least 2 years of which are at the institution from which the degree is granted, and of which at least one year or its equivalent is in residence at the institution from which the degree is granted. Course work for which credit is given for life experience will not be accepted by the Department as fulfilling the educational requirements for licensure. Residence requires interaction with psychology faculty and other matriculated psychology students; one year's residence or its equivalent is defined as follows:
(a) 30 semester hours taken on a full-time or
part-time basis at the institution accumulated within 24 months, or
(b) a minimum of 350 hours of student-faculty contact
involving face-to-face individual or group courses or seminars accumulated within 18 months. Such educational meetings must include both faculty-student and student-student interaction, be conducted by the psychology faculty of the institution at least 90% of the time, be fully documented by the institution, and relate substantially to the program and course content. The institution must clearly document how the applicant's performance is assessed and evaluated.
To meet the requirement for satisfactory supervised experience, under this Act the supervision must be performed pursuant to the order, control and full professional responsibility of a licensed clinical psychologist. The clients shall be the clients of the agency or supervisor rather than the supervisee. Supervised experience in which the supervisor receives monetary payment or other consideration from the supervisee or in which the supervisor is hired by or otherwise employed by the supervisee shall not be accepted by the Department as fulfilling the practicum, internship or 2 years of satisfactory supervised experience requirements for licensure.
Examinations for applicants under this Act shall be held at the direction of the Department from time to time but not less than once each year. The scope and form of the examination shall be determined by the Department.
Each applicant for a license who possesses the necessary qualifications therefor shall be examined by the Department, and shall pay to the Department, or its designated testing service, the required examination fee, which fee shall not be refunded by the Department.
Applicants have 3 years from the date of application to complete the application process. If the process has not been completed in 3 years, the application shall be denied, the fee shall be forfeited, and the applicant must reapply and meet the requirements in effect at the time of reapplication.
An applicant has one year from the date of notification of successful completion of the examination to apply to the Department for a license. If an applicant fails to apply within one year, the applicant shall be required to take and pass the examination again unless licensed in another jurisdiction of the United States within one year of passing the examination.
(Source: P.A. 98-849, eff. 1-1-15.)
Theres also the hoop of re-specialization after completion of the unaccredited doctoral program. But that's like - 3 more years post doctorate. I would like to actually be a neuropsychologist before I die. 😉
I suppose the guidance I am asking for is - is it worth it to jump through these extra hoops given my circumstances? Has anyone had a similar experience? Has anyone completed a online PhD or PsyD program and became licensed? Is there a different road that I'm not considering? Should I just give up and be happy with what I have?
