Hello,
So I have kind of a weird question and I'm not sure if it's been asked before. I'm almost done with bachelor's degrees in Biology, and Psychology with a concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience. I've always wanted to go to medical school and go on to become a doctor, but I was wondering if it is possible to obtain a PhD in clinical psych with my degrees? I'd like to do therapy work with patients aside from just prescribing medications, and I'm most interested in behavior and mental states.. Do I have to have a degree with a concentration in clinical psychology to go to graduate school for that? I know that for medical school you don't have to have a specific degree, you just have to meet requirements, but graduate school is more specific so I'm unsure.
Thanks
A couple of things come to mind. First, I have a master's in cognitive neuroscience, so I am very familiar with histological and imaging/scanning techniques I learned during my program. I actually attended my program with the intention of going into clinical psychology and specializing in neuropsychology. A lot of people in my master's program either continued on to the Ph.D. program (I could have technically stayed on and completed three more years for the Ph.D.), and many others went to medical school. Funny enough, I think maybe 5% of those in my program have gone onto clinical or counseling psychology doctoral programs. Either way, having that kind of background will serve you well. As the curriculum changes within APA programs, you will find a shift to a more medical model starting to emerge. With that in mind, you will see that graduates "today" are learning about neuroscience (behavioral and/or cognitive) more than ever (which I find to be a great thing).
The other thing to consider is, you don't need to feel limited in your training. For example, when I completed my master's, I had abstracts in neuropsychology as a means to supplement my rigorous cognitive neuroscience training. I did this because I knew neuropsychology is broad even in its own right. I started out doing typical NP batteries for prototypical clinical cases in dementia. I found that that population wasn't my cup of tea, so I started to explore more what I could do in neuropsychology, especially with respect to neuro-rehabilitation. In this "sub-speciality," I found that I could merge my interests of neuropsychology and neuroscience with cognitive remediation/rehabilitation techniques. I enjoy neuroimaging as well, so I knew I could fuse that within my research I currently conduct. There are several externships, internships and post-docs (e.g., Dartmouth's post-doc in clinical neuropsychology and brain imaging research) that has strengths in neuro-rehabilitation and will equip you with strong neuroimaging training.
In the end, these are some personal examples and examples that I have found to be true with many of my professional acquaintances who also elected to broaden their horizons so-to-speak with respect to their education. I think if you really enjoy neuroscience but also like the elements of professional psychology and extrapolating that knowledge into clinical practice, there is no reason for you not to entertain that idea. I would suggest getting into a lab if you are not already so that you can start teasing out your research preferences and populations you see yourself ideally working with. Remember, even as a doctoral student, your concept of what interests you will change and shift, so this is also a period for which you can solidify what you will do as a professional. Science and academia is an institution of perpetual change (to take a page for forensics), so don't be too put off if you are still unsure about what you want to do.
I hope this help.
