PhD counseling education and supervision

[Maykady]

Hi everyone,
I have just finished my master's in clinical mental health counseling. I will sit for the NCE in April. I am thinking of enrolling in the PhD program in counseling education and supervision. I want to have more career opportunities and I am interested in teaching one day and having my own private practice as well. I plan on looking for a job in my field once I get my license. I am married and I have a 6-year-old girl who is my priority. I have a few questions. Do you think the effort and the cost are worth it? Is it hard to have a family-school-work balance and a little time for self care? I plan on doing the program online and I was also thinking of looking for a remote counseling job does anyone have experience with that?

Thanks everyone,
May

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[R. Matey]

A Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. would only really open doors for you to be faculty in an CACREP-accredited program. You may find leading workshops in an area you specialize in and balancing a private practice equally rewarding without the associated cost.

 

[summerbabe]

I am interested in teaching one day and having my own private practice as well.

If you're interested in teaching eventually, look at faculty profiles at programs that you would like to teach at to see what degree(s) are common and what additional experiences are necessary (e.g., research productivity). And teaching as an adjunct will likely have different requirements than starting as an assistant professor and working your way to tenure. Also, salaries can range widely and trends in higher education are not looking favorable so be careful before taking on significant debt to pursue this goal.

Your degree will already allow you to work in PP once licensed. A bigger question may be whether you have done enough networking, scouted out your local market, and gained appropriate business skills to be successful in PP, which aren't questions that a PhD in Counselor Ed would address.

I plan on doing the program online and I was also thinking of looking for a remote counseling job does anyone have experience with that?

Do your due diligence with online programs. If it's too good to be true, it likely is. And if you get a Counselor Ed PhD and go into PP, you'll still be using your CMH license to practice.

As for remote jobs, there are national MH startups that hire a lot of MS level counselors but pay can be subpar based on reviews on GlassDoor in exchange for flexibility and technical/logistical support.

A lot of private practices have shifted to remote sessions but check with the licensing board for your state on what is permissible and avoid situations that can jeopardize your license, such as seeing patients across state lines.