Non-Traditional Applicant

[EdDrMom]

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Hi folks,

I'm a 40 year old mom with a PhD in Education and nearly 15 years in education under my belt as a teacher, school administrator and most recently a freelance consultant while my kids have been at home. Life experiences as an educator and as a parent have caused me to become very interested in working in private practice administering evaluations, providing therapy, coaching parents and providing consultative services to schools. I know that life provides no shortcuts but I certainly don't want to waste any time or energy while pursuing this.

1. Counseling vs. School Psychology PsyD?
2. How do I sell my "unique" background?
3. I have a research background with my PhD, but no Psych coursework other than a course or two as an undergrad, is this a problem?
4. Should I be pursuing a neuropsych pathway? This feels daunting. What does private practice as I've described above in PA look like without this certification?

 

[psych.meout]

4. Should I be pursuing a neuropsych pathway? This feels daunting. What does private practice as I've described above in PA look like without this certification?

Do you want to do neuropsych?

 

[summerbabe]

1. Counseling vs. School Psychology PsyD?

School Psych is the only program that will definitely provide clinical experiences in school settings. Clinical programs usually offer more child testing and therapy experiences than counseling but this will likely occur in clinic or hospital settings. And if you are looking at any PsyDs, crunch the numbers really thoroughly as student loans + interest vs what you can reasonably make in your career will play a huge role in whether you come to love or hate your degree.

2. How do I sell my "unique" background?
3. I have a research background with my PhD, but no Psych coursework other than a course or two as an undergrad, is this a problem?

Some of the school psych folks I knew in grad school had previous experiences working with kids so hopefully somebody else with this background can speak to these points. My dept had a funded school psych PhD and all of the students came in with relevant research experience AFAIK.

4. Should I be pursuing a neuropsych pathway? This feels daunting.

Probably not as you'd be spending a ton of training time doing adult focused assessments in areas like dementias. There are obviously child-focused neuropsychs but they tend to not focus on your interests.

 

[R. Matey]

1. Honestly, it sounds the psychologist licensure more than anything. Keep in mind also that a Ph.D./Psy.D. would likely require you to relocate at least once, but probably more than once for internship/postdoc. I agree that school psych would probably be the better fit and you may consider reaching out to school psych program faculty or their representatives to get a sense of what the curricula would even look like. I'm sure there is some coursework that could be waived, but you would probably still need a dissertation, an internship if you want the license, plus whatever other internship they require for their NASP credential.

2. I think what you said is fine: "I've done research, but I want more applied skills." Conveniently, it's also the truth and a clinically balanced program will understand that.

3. Might be depending on the program.

4. Agree with @summerbabe. This doesn't seem like a reasonable path given your goals.

You know, something else that I just thought of is that you could pursue a master's level license at the local state U instead. You couldn't do evaluations, but most everything else you can do with a master's level license. I'm also not sure why you can't be a consultant with the education that you already have. If you went this direction, you would just need to be crystal clear about your credentials depending on your setting and what you are dong. You'd be Ed Mom, Ph.D./Ed.D. when you're using that education and in that role, but Ed Mom, LPC/LCSW when doing clinical work. It's an ethics violation for the master's level codes to advertise your Ph.D./Ed.D. as a clinical degree when it is not.

 

[EdDrMom]

Super helpful responses. I truly appreciate your help.

Can you shed some more light on the tangible differences between PsyD and PhD in School Psych? From lurking through these forums, it seems that many PsyD programs have lower acceptance rates into accredited internships and postdocs and that I would be unlikely to find a fully funded PsyD program. Is this correct? Are they less competitive in terms of admissions?

I'm applying the logic we use in Education to distinguish between PhD and EdD. I always slightly regretted getting a PhD instead of the EdD because so much of my coursework was theoretical and never applied to my work outside academia.

 

[summerbabe]

From lurking through these forums, it seems that many PsyD programs have lower acceptance rates into accredited internships and postdocs and that I would be unlikely to find a fully funded PsyD program.

Yes. I'm not a school psych but there are significantly less child-only or child-heavy internships available than people applying each year so there is heavier competition for each spot, leading to lower match rates than everything adult focused. And having an APA accredited internship is really important for many career and licensing reasons.

Can you shed some more light on the tangible differences between PsyD and PhD in School Psych?

You should compare cohort sizes, average time to completion, % of students who don't graduate, EPPP pass rates, and % of graduates who end up getting licensed. APA accredited programs are required to post this data, even though some programs 'bury' it on their websites. Cohort size, which then impacts individualized support and mentorship are two general areas of difference between PsyD and PhD.

And I believe that PhD students in clinical and counseling on average report more clinical hours than PsyDs when applying to internship so there shouldn't be a theory vs practice differential even if some PsyD marketing focuses on this.

 

[futureapppsy2]

You will likely need to take some basic undergrad psych coursework (abnormal, developmental, maybe some others).

There are some school psych programs, including well-regarded, research-focused, funded programs. where many/most of the students go to CDSPP school psych internships instead of the APPIC route. This is 100% fine if you want to work in schools only. I wouldn't recommend it personally, because it permanently shuts the door to clinical work outside of schools, but that's my bias.

 

[singasongofjoy]

In some states school psychologists (that is, those testing in the schools for IEP categorization and rec purposes, which is different than a medical diagnosis accepted by insurance companies) are masters-level. If you're interested in diagnosing learning disorders, that might be a route to go- in my clinic we do not test for specific LDs because schools will do that for free and we focus on other concerns. (Also often insurance companies won't pay for it just as they won't generally pay for testing for 'concerns re: ADHD' unless there's another differential dx consideration like anxiety, ID, etc.). I am not school psych so idk how much training there is in counseling etc. but I agree with others who have said there may be ways to get into consulting without going through a doctoral program as long as you are mindful about how you frame it. I'd be reluctant to take on the cost (including lost income opportunity, time out of the retirement system if you plan to continue working for the state) and adapting to significantly different (and often changing) stress / demands of a doctoral program at this point (I'm also a mom around your age) but certainly there are folks I've run across who have decided to take similar routes. I would probably look for more easily attainable routes to provide some of those services / diversify your current day to day.

 

[schoolpsych2021]

I am a school psychology phd student. I am currently on my internship. I highly recommend a school psychology phd program. Many are fully funded. You will get a variety of clinical experiences, in schools and in clinical settings. You will be trained extensively in assessment, consultation, and therapy. Many people do not understand how school psychology phd students are actually trained. In my program, we have multiple practicums in clinics where we provide therapy, psychodiagonstic assessments for concerns such as ADHD, SLD, depression, anxiety, etc., and consultation with schools and families. We also have practicum placements in schools where you learn a traditional school psychologist role. Obtaining a phd in school psychology, and completing an appropriate internship will allow you to be eligible for licensure as a psychologist and/or school psychologist. Again, many people don't understand the training of doctoral level school psychologist, or the opportunities that are available with the degree. It sounds like it would be a really great fit for you, though!