Psy.D Programs That Best Prepare for Navy Psychology

[Dre281]

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Hey folks,

I've been an avid reader of these forums since I've started looking into becoming a Navy psychologist.

I have my heart set on aiming for the two pre-doctoral navy psych internships (Bethesda and San Diego) as my way into the military and into military psych. However, as I am about to graduate with my BA and starting a two year job working in alcohol/drug abuse therapy/research, I am now looking at possible Psy.D programs as my next step.

My question is this: are there any specific Psy.D programs that people may know of whose focus tends to be centered on what the Navy looks for in a potential internship (and later full on naval psychologist) applicant?
From my understanding, the USUHS only offers a clinical Ph.D program and no Psy.D, and I'm leaning heavily towards a Psy.D as of now, meaning it's pretty much off my radar.

If not a specific program, does anyone have any advice about what type of psychology program I should focus on (i.e stress, substance abuse, family therapy)? All of those seem to be applicable in military psych, so I'm trying to narrow down some of the options to get a bit more focused.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave

 

[thewesternsky]

Why have you ruled out Ph.D. programs?

I'm also not sure what you mean by this: "Does anyone have any advice about what type of psychology program I should focus on?". I'm not aware of any programs with "specializations" like that. Most programs are either adult or child-focused.... Obviously you would want adult. I think it would make the most sense to start with a generalist adult program, and then build experiences that you want into the program in your third and fourth years (e.g., by doing a practicum at a site that offers substance abuse treatment, for example).

 

[erg923]

Hey folks,

I've been an avid reader of these forums since I've started looking into becoming a Navy psychologist.

I have my heart set on aiming for the two pre-doctoral navy psych internships (Bethesda and San Diego) as my way into the military and into military psych. However, as I am about to graduate with my BA and starting a two year job working in alcohol/drug abuse therapy/research, I am now looking at possible Psy.D programs as my next step.

My question is this: are there any specific Psy.D programs that people may know of whose focus tends to be centered on what the Navy looks for in a potential internship (and later full on naval psychologist) applicant?
From my understanding, the USUHS only offers a clinical Ph.D program and no Psy.D, and I'm leaning heavily towards a Psy.D as of now, meaning it's pretty much off my radar.

If not a specific program, does anyone have any advice about what type of psychology program I should focus on (i.e stress, substance abuse, family therapy)? All of those seem to be applicable in military psych, so I'm trying to narrow down some of the options to get a bit more focused.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Dave

Why did you rule out Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences?!

Anyway, as far as I am aware, like most places, they would want a well rounded (clincally) applicant. The military specific stuff they will teach you and fill in...thats why its an internship training program.

 

[KillerDiller]

The military and the government systems in general value research productivity and adherence to evidence-based practice. The former will be hard to get in most PsyD programs. When I was speaking to an officer involved with the air force internship, he mentioned that he could only remember taking one student from an FSPS. Now whether that meant only one PsyD student period, I don't know.

In general, I think the same holds true here as it does for pretty much every other thread mentioning PsyDs. The only program people can recommend in good conscience is Baylor. After that, there's Rutgers and the sprinkling of other university-based programs with small cohorts (< 15), decent match rates, and partial funding. Anything less than the above is playing with fire.

 

[CobraMedic]

You probably want to look into the Navy HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship program) . Its a scholarship program you apply for during the first year of a clinical psychology program. But I believe the Navy only offers 5 scholarships a year so the competition is quite stiff.

http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/navme...rofessionsScholarshipProgram_Prospective.aspx

I don't know whether PsyD's are competitive for the Navy HPSP. I know that PsyD's are competitive and are awarded the Air Force and Army HPSP, but they have significantly more scholarships available.
As for a military Specialty, don't believe the hype... there is no such thing.

 

[BAL]

Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago offers a Clinical Psychology Psy.D with a military track. At the moment it is the only other school in the country besides USUHS that offers a specialized curriculum that focuses on mental health within the military, although, I'm pretty sure these tracks and specialties will begin popping up all over the place.

Along with specialized classes, Adler has many faculty and students with a wealth of resources and connections within the military psychology community that enrich the learning experience. A number of the students have been awarded HPSP scholarships over the past few years. As others suggested, regardless of where you go, I highly recommended looking into the scholarship prior to waiting until internship year.

USUHS is obviously the top notch place to be if you hope to join the military as a psychologist, however, there are several avenues with which to pursue this career path. Don't limit yourself!!

 

[Dre281]

Thanks for all your input!!

The reason I'm not considering a Ph.D is because I have very little interest in the research side of psychology and as of now I am not planning on pursuing research or a position at an academic institution. I understand that discounting a Ph.D may not be the best idea, but it's how I'm feeling as of now.

HSPS seems like a solid choice, but I'm lucky enough to not be too financially constrained, so I don't know if I need a free ride in exchange for extra required years in the service (beyond the internship requirement).

What BAL mentioned is pretty much what I'm looking for; a Psy.D program that has some military background/influence that will provide solid opportunities to learn more about military psych.

If it turns out that this doesn't actually matter much and that I'm better off in more "generalized" psych programs (as westernsky mentioned), then so be it.

Thanks again!

 

[thewesternsky]

The reason I'm not considering a Ph.D is because I have very little interest in the research side of psychology and as of now I am not planning on pursuing research or a position at an academic institution. I understand that discounting a Ph.D may not be the best idea, but it's how I'm feeling as of now.

This has been discussed ad nauseum in other threads (e.g., http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=1000340&page=2), but I'll reiterate. Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology prepare students for clinical careers as well as research careers. The majority of students from most Ph.D. programs go on to careers in practice, NOT research. You should not discount Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology simply because you are not interested in an academic career.

I'm glad to hear you have roughly $150 000 in savings to spend on tuition at Adler (note that your income will be limited and you will also have to pay living expenses while in the program). That's actually excellent, and negates one of the major reasons that we give for people not to chose these programs.

I also encourage you to check out these data from Adler's Military Psych Track:

http://www.adler.edu/page/programs/...hology-track/student-admissions--outcome-data

Importantly, please note that fewer than HALF of their graduates are currently licensed clinical psychologists. That's AFTER dropping all that money on tuition and graduating. That's... an abysmal statistic. Also, only roughly 30% (1/3) of their graduates attain APA-accredited internships. This should be especially alarming to you because both of the internships you mentioned being interested in are APA-accredited.

 

[CobraMedic]

Adler would not be a school I would recommend. Looks like they have huge cohorts, $42,920 a year for tuition, low APA placements rates. Not to mention in a super expensive city.

There are much better schools out there that have faculty with military juice, going to Adler because of a "military" specialization would not be advisable. Beyond that, I am not going to say anything more about a "military" specialization...it can only lead to trouble.

 

[erg923]

Adler would not be a school I would recommend. Looks like they have huge cohorts, $42,920 a year for tuition, low APA placements rates. Not to mention in a super expensive city.

There are much better schools out there that have faculty with military juice, going to Adler because of a "military" specialization would not be advisable. Beyond that, I am not going to say anything more about a "military" specialization...it can only lead to trouble.

Moreover, is there any evidence that this increases ones likelihood of acceptance into a military internship and/or produces better military psychologists?

OP, it sounds like a marketing gimmick to me, as I would hope it is plainly obvious that the biggest chunk of variance here is being a good, well-rounded clinician.Think about it, if you are deployed, you are likely one of very few, if not the only, mental health provider there. Thus, I would assume the military needs and wants generalists that can feel competent seeing pretty much anything that walk through the door. I don't know what military psychology is other than educating one on the treatment of common disorder in the military (sub abuse, trauma, anger, adjustment) which, surprise, surprise, also happens to be the most common in the general population.

OP, Dont you want to weight the benefits of the "military track" against the largely subpar training, large cohorts, huge debt, and poor match rates of this Adler place? What could be better than a solid program, especially a solid program who is affiliated with the military? If you are really that adverse to research, then I would frankly prefer you not get a doctorate at all. Doctoral training really should be providing one with more than just the skills to be a service clinician. Research, research consultation, program development and evaluation, service delivery admin is really core to being a psychologist.

 

[voyeurofthemind]

I've know 3 students that have gone this route - they did a lot of heavy health psychology, substance use and trauma oriented practicums.

 

[JeyRo]

Better to go to a funded program and then invest the 150K in gold, silver, and bitcoins. 🙂 😀 🙂

 

[Dre281]

So it seems as though:
a) "Military" psych tracks don't really exist, and if they do they're probably not of the highest quality/usefulness.

b) I'm better off getting a well-rounded/generalized Ph.D rather than a Psy.D (which could be much more hit or miss in terms of quality/placement)

It looks like I should be looking for a solid Ph.D program that has some sort of clinical focus.

Thanks again everyone!

 

[bmedclinic]

So it seems as though:
a) "Military" psych tracks don't really exist, and if they do they're probably not of the highest quality/usefulness.

b) I'm better off getting a well-rounded/generalized Ph.D rather than a Psy.D (which could be much more hit or miss in terms of quality/placement)

It looks like I should be looking for a solid Ph.D program that has some sort of clinical focus.

Thanks again everyone!

Agree with part A
With part B, I half agree. A PhD isnt "better" than I PsyD. I'm a PhD student, fwiw. They're slightly different from what I can tell, but the big difference (beyond the whole dissertation argument) is that there arent as many "sham" PhD programs (that I'm aware of)-- whereas there's no end to the sham PsyD programs available. There are some quality PsyD programs, but as far as I know many of them have a hefty price tag.

 

[PHD12]

I think these days you also have to assume that you will be deployed as a psychologist. That's what I heard from the psychologists I know who served in the military (some served with Navy and others in AF).

 

[psychRA]

I think these days you also have to assume that you will be deployed as a psychologist. That's what I heard from the psychologists I know who served in the military (some served with Navy and others in AF).

I've heard this as well, from a recruiter who came by our grad program a couple of years ago. Deployment may be a selling point or a rule out depending on what you're looking for, but it's good to factor that into the decision process.

 

[LPPSYD]

The military and the government systems in general value research productivity and adherence to evidence-based practice. The former will be hard to get in most PsyD programs. When I was speaking to an officer involved with the air force internship, he mentioned that he could only remember taking one student from an FSPS. Now whether that meant only one PsyD student period, I don't know.

In general, I think the same holds true here as it does for pretty much every other thread mentioning PsyDs. The only program people can recommend in good conscience is Baylor. After that, there's Rutgers and the sprinkling of other university-based programs with small cohorts (< 15), decent match rates, and partial funding. Anything less than the above is playing with fire.

A member of my cohort matched with the Navy internship this year. Two students in the cohort below me just received the Psy.D. scholarship, I can't remember which one it is or if there is only one type of military scholarship. (Clearly this is not my area of interest 🙂) We are in a very small (some funding, not sure what you consider partially funded) university-based Psy.D. program. I hate to throw anecdotal evidence out there, but there it is, for what it's worth. I also have no idea what their track record is as far as taking Psy.D. students, so these examples may be unusual.

 

[Rmack1219]

I'm attending USUHS in the fall for the Dual Med/Clin Psychology program as a Civilian. You have no obligation to enroll in the armed forces. I plan on working with the military for TBI, and PTSD but I will not be enrolling in any of the armed forces.

 

[deleted176373]

Navy psychologists have come from all variety of Ph.D. and Psy.D. program, including some with less than stellar reputations. The psychologists from these programs, I imagine, may have been atypical of their cohorts. The psychologists in the Navy I have met have typically been strong clinicians, well rounded educationally, and are a diverse bunch. So don't assume that a particular program will eliminate you from consideration, but I would not expect the lower rung of accredited programs to help you either.

The bottom line is that the leadership in Navy psychology has done an excellent job of finding people who are well suited from a whole person concept for military service as a psychologist. Sure, some are academically stronger than others, but at the end of the day, it isn't all about academics. Military life is challenging and offers unique challenges and rewards not found elsewhere. It's more important that you are a good fit to the military culture than to be the most insightful or brilliant student ever.

Choose your program carefully, make sure you stand out (not just academically), and then press forward with your plans. Military internships are competitive, military scholarships are competitive, and entrance into the USUHS program is competitive. If you are competitive for any one of these, you are likely competitive for all three. Start with the one that will benefit you the most and work your way from there. For some that will mean HPSP, others might try USUHS first, and some will believe that Internship is where they will have the best shot. You can even come onto active duty post-licensure.

Whatever your plan, stack the deck in your favor, do the best you can in setting the stage for a successful application at any stage of the process.

Good luck!