Part time ONLINE school recommendations for MSW or MFT, plz :)

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edavt04

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Hi there,

I have a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree, and I have zero desire to be working in that industry after working there for 10 years.
I am looking into changing my career to becoming a therapist.
I have done lots of therapy myself in the past 5 years, and SE (Somatic Experiencing) and IFS (Internal Family Systems) worked best for me. So once I get the mental health worker degree, I'd like to do SE and IFS trainings.

What I am looking for in a good school:
-ONLINE (I LOVE working on my own)
-part-time, that allows you to go at your own pace (I can dedicate 5-max10 hrs/week because I have young children)
-preferrably non-GRE (there's a big part of me that balks at the idea of taking yet another standardized test after all my years I spent in school).

Any suggestions, plz?
Thanks so much!

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As you were told in the psych forms, online education is not recommended for becoming a therapist. The primary problem with online education is that psychotherapy is a skill that needs to be live observed by people specifically trained in supervising and educating therapists. Online programs rely on the providers at their practicum sites for this training and often those folks are not qualified to provide such training. Consider a brick and mortar program that offers part-time coursework.
 
As you were told in the psych forms, online education is not recommended for becoming a therapist. The primary problem with online education is that psychotherapy is a skill that needs to be live observed by people specifically trained in supervising and educating therapists. Online programs rely on the providers at their practicum sites for this training and often those folks are not qualified to provide such training. Consider a brick and mortar program that offers part-time coursework.
I agree that some supervising needs to be done face-to-face, hence the 3000 hours post-degree requirement to work under supervision to get licensed. I get that part. HOWEVER, I don't see why the didactic portion of earning a degree can't be done online. I like studying in the comfort of my home, at my own time (I have young kids) and don't enjoy the hassle of going to listen to a lecture in a building with other students. Been there - done that FOR 8 YEARS to earn my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I can't imagine that there are no reputable online schools out there... So much of the learning can be done on its own, if one enjoys it!
 
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In my experience, very little of grad level psych classes involve lecture. The vast majority of them are discussion based. The faculty may lecture a little bit, but it is often the students discussing the subject matter and analyzing and critiquing the research and such. Also, even at the master's level, there are practicums that are done throughout the course of the program, not just after. My program also has a separate LPC-eligible MA in the department, and they have practicum (although not as many hours as us per week) and research requirements and didactic courses, including ones focused on clinical techniques which usually involve things like live role plays and critique of recorded mock sessions and such.
 
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I agree that some supervising needs to be done face-to-face, hence the 3000 hours post-degree requirement to work under supervision to get licensed. I get that part. HOWEVER, I don't see why the didactic portion of earning a degree can't be done online. I like studying in the comfort of my home, at my own time (I have young kids) and don't enjoy the hassle of going to listen to a lecture in a building with other students. Been there - done that FOR 8 YEARS to earn my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I can't imagine that there are no reputable online schools out there... So much of the learning can be done on its own, if one enjoys it!

Take it from someone who's done that post-master's supervision: it's nearly all case review. No one is live supervising you with clients unless you attend a specified post-master's fellowship and even then probably only at the beginning. If you want quality supervision at the post-master's, pre-licensed level, you're going to pay extra for it. Full stop. Most of the direct taped or live supervision you get happens in school where you pose a greater danger to clients as a student than you do as an unlicensed professional.

There are online programs attached to brand name institutions, but this is not a guarantee of quality. These programs are used as passive income for institutions with other priorities. What @PsyDuck90 is describing above is a more typical experience of a brick and mortar program. These circumstances are hard to replicate in an online environment.
 
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Hi there,

I have a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree, and I have zero desire to be working in that industry after working there for 10 years.
I am looking into changing my career to becoming a therapist.
I have done lots of therapy myself in the past 5 years, and SE (Somatic Experiencing) and IFS (Internal Family Systems) worked best for me. So once I get the mental health worker degree, I'd like to do SE and IFS trainings.

What I am looking for in a good school:
-ONLINE (I LOVE working on my own)
-part-time, that allows you to go at your own pace (I can dedicate 5-max10 hrs/week because I have young children)
-preferrably non-GRE (there's a big part of me that balks at the idea of taking yet another standardized test after all my years I spent in school).

Any suggestions, plz?
Thanks so much!
Just because SE and IFS worked for you does not mean it will work for all of your clients. You will need to be willing to learn other theories and interventions to be competent. Also you WILL need to take a standardized licensing exam to get licensed and possibly take a standardized exam to demonstrate competency to graduate, so skipping the GRE is not the best plan. Upcoming applications may not require the GRE due to COVID 19. It depends on each program.
 
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HOWEVER, I don't see why the didactic portion of earning a degree can't be done online.

A common misconception is that graduate degrees are similar to undergraduate degrees, but the lecture and didactic component is the least time consuming part of your training and socialization into a profession. Also, the didactic components of the degree are meant to complement your supervised practica so that you can readily put into practice the knowledge and skills you learn in your coursework.

I like studying in the comfort of my home, at my own time (I have young kids) and don't enjoy the hassle of going to listen to a lecture in a building with other students. Been there - done that FOR 8 YEARS to earn my Doctor of Pharmacy degree. I can't imagine that there are no reputable online schools out there... So much of the learning can be done on its own, if one enjoys it!

Actual licensed professionals are giving freely of their time to give you advice about pursuing professional training, and yet you maintain that becoming a licensed professional should line up with your expectations. This consumerist mentality will not serve you well.
 
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