Psy.D, MA? Help

[Tyness]

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I have applied to psy.D programs this year. As of right now I have been accepted in the Chicago School's Child and adolescent track (only 25 people in the program vs 75 in their general program). I am waiting to hear back from another school to see if I got into their Psy.D program.

I am trying to figure out the best route for me. I know i want to do clinical counseling with children and adolescents. I am so excited about having the opportunity to go for my Psy.D, because I have wanted this for soooo long; however a few things concern me. If I go to CSPP or the other school then I am going to rack up a fortune in debt. I can deal with that because I think I have accepted it. I want to have a family one day and I dont know when the best time to start one is (During the program? Internship? Post doc?) and I dont think I want to wait 5-10 year to do so.

I have been accepted into a MA program in clincal psychology as well. I never really considered it. I dont even know much about the MA and I have heard that it is not as good as an MSW. So if I did attened I am wondering if my job options would be limited and I would end up going back to school anyways. Besides the MA program I have been invited to also offer no finacial help but of course it is shorter than a Psy.D.

I am just looking for a third party perspective. I try to talk it over with my husband and he just tells me to do whatever I think I should. I dont know though. HELP!

 

[Tyness]

Come on Everybody, I know someone has some advice for me 🙁

 

[FranklinR]

In my opinion, an MA in psychology is not tremendously useful. It does allow practice (almost always supervised) in some circumstances, but it is very limited in terms of scope, payment and career progression. The main reason to get an MA in psychology is to get a PhD in psychology. This is completely unlike an MSW, which is a terminal degree.

If your goal is practice, the main downsides of a professional program are debt and a vague sense that maybe you would find an easier time of getting jobs if you had a PhD. There are many on this board who have much stronger and more negative opinions of professional programs than I do - just browse the threads - and those are some of the people you'll be working with. So the validity of the points of view don't really matter so much to someone making the decision - what matters is that there are people who hold these points of view and you'll be working with and around them.

There's no easy answer, of course. Do the math, then go with your heart.

 

[Jon4PsyD]

Okay, so in complete honesty - research has shown there is not much difference between Master's & Doctoral level clinicians (in terms of services). The Psy.D. will provide you more versatility in your career.

Here's my opinion though: If the Psy.D. is what you have always wanted, then go for it. I'd be curious to know what the other Psy.D. program you are waiting to hear from is, because if it offers more funding than the Chicago School I would go for that program. It is not worth 150k of debt to get a Psy.D., you will be paying for it for the rest of your life.

There are some great Psy.D. programs with strong funding though. You may be best served to take a year off and explore some of those programs.

And if you want to be in and out and go the M.A. route - do it at a public, state university. You will save tons of money and you will come out as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) either way.

I hope this helps
Jon

 

[docma]

Realistically, the MSW degree is the most practical and versatile route to clinical employment and as a licensed LCSW you can do private practice, hospital practice, agency practice, etc. If you really want to be a "doctor" than you can go on for a doctorate in social welfare or public health--or even psychology, once you have paid off the first set of graduate loans.

I may sound traitorous to my own profession, but pragmatically I do not think the cost of the doctorate, given your interests and family/work goals, makes as much sense as an MSW. Just look for a social work program that offers good clinical practice fieldwork. (eg: University of Chicago, Smith)

 

[FranklinR]

Realistically, the MSW degree is the most practical and versatile route to clinical employment and as a licensed LCSW you can do private practice, hospital practice, agency practice, etc. If you really want to be a "doctor" than you can go on for a doctorate in social welfare or public health--or even psychology, once you have paid off the first set of graduate loans.

I may sound traitorous to my own profession, but pragmatically I do not think the cost of the doctorate, given your interests and family/work goals, makes as much sense as an MSW. Just look for a social work program that offers good clinical practice fieldwork. (eg: University of Chicago, Smith)

I was going to say this, too. If what you really want is to be a therapist, MSW is a good path. But there are limitations to what you can do (and to how your career might progress, although in private practice those limitations are less relevant).

 

[Tyness]

Okay, so in complete honesty - research has shown there is not much difference between Master's & Doctoral level clinicians (in terms of services). The Psy.D. will provide you more versatility in your career.

Here's my opinion though: If the Psy.D. is what you have always wanted, then go for it. I'd be curious to know what the other Psy.D. program you are waiting to hear from is, because if it offers more funding than the Chicago School I would go for that program. It is not worth 150k of debt to get a Psy.D., you will be paying for it for the rest of your life.

There are some great Psy.D. programs with strong funding though. You may be best served to take a year off and explore some of those programs.

And if you want to be in and out and go the M.A. route - do it at a public, state university. You will save tons of money and you will come out as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) either way.

I hope this helps
Jon

Unfortunately the other school, which is a university, does not offer much help with funding either.