PhD Limitations ?

[PsyDStar]

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Greetings SDN Psychology board,

I was totally into the PsyD not too long ago, got accepted to the program I wanted, then at the last minute jumped out after realizing the program was not going to be worth the financial burden I would have to take on... I really had to walk up to the edge to see the depth and reality of the abyss I was going ot fall into.

My psychology ambitions are strong however with improved GRE scores, new solid recommendations and a good GPA to boot.

I am now interested in School Psychology. Does anyone have any insight into the limitations that may be involved in obtaining a PhD in School Psychology vs. a PhD in Clinical Psychology? I am interested in gaining experience in the school system but also have much broader interests in psycholopgy in general. Someone posted a similar question about a year ago and got almost no response... most of the posters on this board seem reasonably intelligent so I would also be interested in your own ideas, theories and intuitions based on other knowledge you may have pertaining to School Psychology and real/potential employment/licencure limitations when compared with a clinical psyc PhD


Many thanks even for just reading!
PsyDStar

 

[Annakei]

".....In addition to practicing psychology in schools, child clinics and child service agencies doctoral-level school psychologists can become licensed for the independent practice of psychology and work as a university professor"

*That came from Duquesne's website.

 

[PsyDStar]

I am also wondering about potential post-doc expansion of a PhD degree... does it/can it work like this? So, can an individual with a PhD in school psychology receive post-doc neuropsyc/psychopharm/psychodynamic/other specialization... I am really trying to get into the potential limitations of a school psychology degree.

 

[psych101]

I'm sure it's not impossible to do what you describe and expand training with postdoc experience, but I would wonder how difficult that might actually be to put into practice. Postdocs can get pretty competitive and typically (though not always) assume a foundation in the area of specialization. Maybe others can shed more light on that based on personal experience. Training solely in the area of school psych would likely focus (obviously) on kids, assessment, education, prevention, interface with community and family, etc. So in some sense you might be limited as far as populations you are qualified to work with later (i.e., primarily kids). However, it's often the case in the real world that once you have your PhD in any area of psychology, you have a variety of job opportunities --even outside the school setting.
Check out the PhD program in clinical school offered by UVA, with optional certification in school psych -- and there may be other similar programs like this one.
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/clinpsych/howto.html

 

[Sanman]

School psychology is a really good field to enter into right now. I even considered applying there for a while. As far as post-docs, I know you can qualify to do post-docs with a PhD in school psychology, it may difficult to do so though. I know there is a school psychologist doing a peds-neuropsych post-doc at johns hopkins. However, it is much easier to do the reverse and jump into school psych with a clinical degree. Also, you may want to check out Lehigh's program in school and pediatric psych. It may be just the option you are looking for. My last piece of advice would be to look into programs where you would want to live later on. Many of my friends that went this route ended up getting jobs through their field placements.

 

[PsyDStar]

Thanks for the responses. Attending a school in the area I may want to live in the future is actually what I am attempting to do. I am currently living in CA to gain residency to gain the tuition benefits at Santa Barbara or Berkeley. Not the tip-top in prestige for psyc programs (though Santa Barbara is good for evolutionary psychology, a serious interest of mine). School psyc is through school of education though... anyone have any comments on either of these schools and their education programs?

 

[psych101]

I belong to another listserv -- NewPsychList on yahoo groups. Might want to check it out for more details. One recent poster said they were switching from organizational psych to clinical and it was less trouble to just get a 2nd degree in clinical. Another poster trying to switch from school to clinical found a PsyD professional school in California allowing respecialization in clinical but it apparently took 3 years and did not result in receipt of a PsyD (because this person chose not to re-do the dissertation or comps). So it sounds like a lot of people who decide to switch later are faced with the prospect of earning another degree in clinical.