I am comparing PhD Counseling Psychology vs. PhD Counselor Education. Hope to get feedback from you guys!
My background: 35-year-old, married, work in non-psych field, have BA and MA but they are NOT in psychology (in humanities, anthropology, literature, languages ). High GPA & GRE. Ultimate goal: PhD. Career: To work in a University Counseling Center, teach undergrad or grad classes; possibly have a private practice on the side.
Since I have no Psych background, I plan to enter a Masters program first. I may get my Masters in Counseling, or at least enter the program to complete some graduate-level work (so that I have some higher-level psych/counseling courses in my transcript) before applying to PhD.
Whether I complete my MA or not depends on whether my eventual goal is Counselor Ed or Counseling Psych PhD. Please let me know what you think:
PhD in Counseling Psychology (APA-accredited)
Pros:
1. More career options than PhD Counselor Education /LPC: Psychologists can do assessments.
2. Most staff at University Counseling Centers seems to be PhD in Counseling Psych. (Can PhD Counselor Ed folks work in university counseling centers?)
3. Able to teach at university-level, undergrad or grad.
4. Respected as a Psychologist not Counselor
5. Able to enter the doctoral program as non-Psych major plus some Psych/Counseling undergrad/graduate work. MA in Counseling is not required.
6. PhD students are funded (average $18K a year?)
7. In private practice: Able to see patients with insurance (Madicare, Medicaid). LPC can't bill Medicare.
Cons:
1. More Time Investment: 5-6 years for PhD (regardless of your Masters), plus 1 year internship = Total 6-7 years.
2. The orientation seems to be very quantitative (I come from a qualitative background and I dont have so much confidence in statistics or quantitative stuff. though I can learn...)
3. CACREP programs in future will only hire CACREP PhDs in Counselor Ed? So PhD Counseling Psych will not be hired? Hence reduce job opportunities (?).
4. APA internships are hard to find / get into.
5. Increasingly poor job market for psychologists (???) because of the competition with Masters-level therapists?
PhD in Counselor Education (CACREP-accredited)
Pros:
1. Shorter Time: 3 years for PhD; 2 years for LPC = Total time: 5 years.
2. Easy to find a job after graduation; abundant academic jobs (compared to PhD Counseling Psych?)
3. I like the more qualitative aspect of the program. Less quantitative than Counseling Psych.
4. I like the hybrid program: lots of clinical/human focus, some teaching and supervision, some research. PhD Counseling Psych seems to be strongly research-driven, and offers less flexibility.
5. Still able to do one-on-one therapy as LPC. (Though the pay might be lower than licensed psychologists?)
Cons:
1. Required a completed Masters degree before starting the doctoral degree. Some requires a couple years experience as a therapist too.
2. PhD students are usually not funded besides having tuition waiver (?). That means $$$ from my own pocket.
3. Limit job opportunities to academia: Only able to teach Masters level counseling students at CACREP programs.
4. Do PhDs in Counselor Ed. / LPC get hired to work in university counseling centers?? (Seems to me that universities tend to hire Counseling Psych folks?)
5. LPCs are not as respected as psychologists.
6. LPCs cant bill Medicare.
Feel free to add to the list, comment, or correct my mistakes, etc. Thank you!
My background: 35-year-old, married, work in non-psych field, have BA and MA but they are NOT in psychology (in humanities, anthropology, literature, languages ). High GPA & GRE. Ultimate goal: PhD. Career: To work in a University Counseling Center, teach undergrad or grad classes; possibly have a private practice on the side.
Since I have no Psych background, I plan to enter a Masters program first. I may get my Masters in Counseling, or at least enter the program to complete some graduate-level work (so that I have some higher-level psych/counseling courses in my transcript) before applying to PhD.
Whether I complete my MA or not depends on whether my eventual goal is Counselor Ed or Counseling Psych PhD. Please let me know what you think:
PhD in Counseling Psychology (APA-accredited)
Pros:
1. More career options than PhD Counselor Education /LPC: Psychologists can do assessments.
2. Most staff at University Counseling Centers seems to be PhD in Counseling Psych. (Can PhD Counselor Ed folks work in university counseling centers?)
3. Able to teach at university-level, undergrad or grad.
4. Respected as a Psychologist not Counselor
5. Able to enter the doctoral program as non-Psych major plus some Psych/Counseling undergrad/graduate work. MA in Counseling is not required.
6. PhD students are funded (average $18K a year?)
7. In private practice: Able to see patients with insurance (Madicare, Medicaid). LPC can't bill Medicare.
Cons:
1. More Time Investment: 5-6 years for PhD (regardless of your Masters), plus 1 year internship = Total 6-7 years.
2. The orientation seems to be very quantitative (I come from a qualitative background and I dont have so much confidence in statistics or quantitative stuff. though I can learn...)
3. CACREP programs in future will only hire CACREP PhDs in Counselor Ed? So PhD Counseling Psych will not be hired? Hence reduce job opportunities (?).
4. APA internships are hard to find / get into.
5. Increasingly poor job market for psychologists (???) because of the competition with Masters-level therapists?
PhD in Counselor Education (CACREP-accredited)
Pros:
1. Shorter Time: 3 years for PhD; 2 years for LPC = Total time: 5 years.
2. Easy to find a job after graduation; abundant academic jobs (compared to PhD Counseling Psych?)
3. I like the more qualitative aspect of the program. Less quantitative than Counseling Psych.
4. I like the hybrid program: lots of clinical/human focus, some teaching and supervision, some research. PhD Counseling Psych seems to be strongly research-driven, and offers less flexibility.
5. Still able to do one-on-one therapy as LPC. (Though the pay might be lower than licensed psychologists?)
Cons:
1. Required a completed Masters degree before starting the doctoral degree. Some requires a couple years experience as a therapist too.
2. PhD students are usually not funded besides having tuition waiver (?). That means $$$ from my own pocket.
3. Limit job opportunities to academia: Only able to teach Masters level counseling students at CACREP programs.
4. Do PhDs in Counselor Ed. / LPC get hired to work in university counseling centers?? (Seems to me that universities tend to hire Counseling Psych folks?)
5. LPCs are not as respected as psychologists.
6. LPCs cant bill Medicare.
Feel free to add to the list, comment, or correct my mistakes, etc. Thank you!