PhDs in counselor ed with little or no interest in research?

[futureapppsy2]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I know a couple of people with newly minted counseling masters degrees who are going for counselor ed PhDs despite having little to or no research experience or, seemingly, interest. I can't figure out what they're expecting to get out of the degree, honestly. I could see if it you wanted a faculty position, but that seems like it would require a decent amount of research experience or at least strong interest in research. I suppose it might also be good for administrative positions, but in that case, wouldn't it better serve to get at least a couple of years of experience in the field beforehand? A counselor ed PhD won't expand one's scope of clinical practice, either, so I'm lost as to the logic here. Any insight into what the benefit might be?

 

[MBellows]

I know a couple of people with newly minted counseling masters degrees who are going for counselor ed PhDs

First of all, this is weird. From what I've read, CACREP doctoral programs require 2 years of clinical experience before admission.

despite having little to or no research experience or, seemingly, interest.I can't figure out what they're expecting to get out of the degree, honestly.

This isn't really all that strange for Counselor Ed. Many people go for these degrees for the career prestige and for the credibility to do counselor supervision.

I could see if it you wanted a faculty position, but that seems like it would require a decent amount of research experience or at least strong interest in research.

I can off of the top of my head name several PhD faculty members at my institution who work in the Counselor Ed department who don't do any research.

I suppose it might also be good for administrative positions, but in that case, wouldn't it better serve to get at least a couple of years of experience in the field beforehand?

And we're back full circle as to why programs usually require years of clinical experience.

A counselor ed PhD won't expand one's scope of clinical practice, either, so I'm lost as to the logic here.

Not really. Additional practicums and training exist in supervision, consultation, and specialization. While it won't give someone the ability to do something silly like Rorschach Interpretation (I've seen classes with detailed work on this in counselor ed programs and I was confused because they'll never be able to give that test anyway), it will expand a person's competencies, which by definition expands their personal scope of practice.

Acting outside of your personal scope of practice, in my eyes, is no better than acting outside of your professional scope of practice. In fact, it's worse. The reasoning for this is that you can gain knowledge on a topic independently or through alternate means (despite what some licensing institutions will have you to believe) that would make you reasonably competent to provide a certain type of service, but still that service could be limited from you by erroneous state guilding action.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Yeah, I found it weird that they got admitted without the two years of post-Masters experience, too.

I'm curious as to where you could get a counseling faculty position doing NO research, though, unless you were clinical faculty (and thus not TT)?

 

[MBellows]

unless you were clinical faculty (and thus not TT)?

This sums up the people that I could have named.

I'm really curious about that too though. I know some Rehab Ph.D. programs that do direct entry for a MS/Ph.D., but other than that I don't think I know of any non-Psychology Ph.D. programs that are counselor-y that don't require clinical experience.