Psychology or psychiatry

[jamiediane1009]

Ok so i know this has been asked over and over and over again...but im really struggling with this. Ive been researching for almost one year...ive continued to take my pre reqs but it is getting to the point where i need to choose. My heart loves psychology because what i really want to do is talk to people one on one and find out their childhood issues, their background, or the trauma that happened in their life to figure out what actually happened to make this person the way they are...so it should be easy to say psychology and then done right? Not..I just dont think its right to go through 8 years of school which is only a couple years less then psychiatry and get paid starting pay of 50-70,000. Im going to accumulate debt also. Paying off debt and getting paid 50-70,000 is going to be a struggle. So then i keep going back to psychiatry because i feel like with that salary ill have a chance to pay off debt and still live comfortably. My problem though is psychiatrists now a days are just med evaluaters and like i stated i want to get to know the person and what made them this way. With all that being said any kind of advice would be lovely. Thanks

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[psych.meout]

What exactly do you want to do for a career? Is this counseling, assessment, both, or something else?

Why do you need an MD or doctorate to do these things?

 

[jamiediane1009]

What exactly do you want to do for a career? Is this counseling, assessment, both, or something else?

Why do you need an MD or doctorate to do these things?

I want to be able to asses by getting background information and counsel/help whatever it is they need. If I don't need a doctorate or med school then that's fine but I'm not sure what kind of career that would be.

 

[psych.meout]

You might be better served with a master's degree in counseling. It's far less money and time, pays relatively well, and would allow you to do the basic intake and counseling you seem to be interested in.

 

[deleted343839]

My heart loves psychology because what i really want to do is talk to people one on one and find out their childhood issues, their background, or the trauma that happened in their life to figure out what actually happened to make this person the way they are...

Many people want to know why they feel a certain way or behave in a certain way, but often we don't have great answers, and dwelling on the question of "why?" can be counterproductive. That is not to dissuade you from pursuing a career in mental health, but I suggest you learn more about the actual day-to-day work of a psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, and social worker so you can better understand the type of work you'd be getting into.

I agree that if you mainly want to provide therapy, you should not rule out psychology but should also consider a career in counseling or clinical social work, especially if you are concerned about the investment of time required.

 

[Lola917]

Ok so i know this has been asked over and over and over again...but im really struggling with this. Ive been researching for almost one year...ive continued to take my pre reqs but it is getting to the point where i need to choose. My heart loves psychology because what i really want to do is talk to people one on one and find out their childhood issues, their background, or the trauma that happened in their life to figure out what actually happened to make this person the way they are...so it should be easy to say psychology and then done right? Not..I just dont think its right to go through 8 years of school which is only a couple years less then psychiatry and get paid starting pay of 50-70,000. Im going to accumulate debt also. Paying off debt and getting paid 50-70,000 is going to be a struggle. So then i keep going back to psychiatry because i feel like with that salary ill have a chance to pay off debt and still live comfortably. My problem though is psychiatrists now a days are just med evaluaters and like i stated i want to get to know the person and what made them this way. With all that being said any kind of advice would be lovely. Thanks

This may be helpful http://mitch.web.unc.edu/files/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

 

[smalltownpsych]

Ok so i know this has been asked over and over and over again...but im really struggling with this. Ive been researching for almost one year...ive continued to take my pre reqs but it is getting to the point where i need to choose. My heart loves psychology because what i really want to do is talk to people one on one and find out their childhood issues, their background, or the trauma that happened in their life to figure out what actually happened to make this person the way they are...so it should be easy to say psychology and then done right? Not..I just dont think its right to go through 8 years of school which is only a couple years less then psychiatry and get paid starting pay of 50-70,000. Im going to accumulate debt also. Paying off debt and getting paid 50-70,000 is going to be a struggle. So then i keep going back to psychiatry because i feel like with that salary ill have a chance to pay off debt and still live comfortably. My problem though is psychiatrists now a days are just med evaluaters and like i stated i want to get to know the person and what made them this way. With all that being said any kind of advice would be lovely. Thanks

If you read Intro to Psych books for fun, then you might have what it takes to be a psychologist. I was reading my older siblings college level Intro to Psych books when I was in junior high. What is funny is that I didn't figure out that I wanted to be a clinical psychologist until I was 30. Some are a little slower on the uptake than others.
Although I'm being a little humorous, the truth is that being a psychologist is so much more than talking to someone to figure out what is going on and then fixing their problems. A psychologist is passionate about the field itself. For example, if you don't love the chapter on learning or the chapter on social psychology or the chapter on neuroscience or the chapter on research methods almost as much or even more than the chapter on abnormal or psychotherapy then that 8, no actually about 12, years of training might not be the right choice.

 

[singasongofjoy]

FWIW, not everyone comes out of PhD in psychology with boatloads of debt. Working a couple of years to save some money, going to a funded program, and being OK with living like a poor undergrad for ~5 years has worked for multiple people I know from my program who managed to avoid debt, or keep it below 10k - but then there were also many students coming out of the same program with like 100k+ in loans because they didn't want to live like they were in undergrad anymore. Assuming you go to a funded program, a good bit depends on your lifestyle while you're in school, and if you're able to build up some modest savings before you start... and then there's always the element of luck involved in avoiding any major unexpected health or car-related payments or natural disasters. But don't assume that you would necessarily have a bajillion dollars of debt. But like others have said, also don't assume that psychology is all therapy and talking 1:1 with people - there's a lot more to it and you should probably like some of the other stuff a lot too if you're going to go down that path. If you're really just interested in counseling/therapy, there are shorter and less costly ways to do that (e.g., various masters programs).

 

[jamiediane1009]

You might be better served with a master's degree in counseling. It's far less money and time, pays relatively well, and would allow you to do the basic intake and counseling you seem to be interested in.

Thank you!

FWIW, not everyone comes out of PhD in psychology with boatloads of debt. Working a couple of years to save some money, going to a funded program, and being OK with living like a poor undergrad for ~5 years has worked for multiple people I know from my program who managed to avoid debt, or keep it below 10k - but then there were also many students coming out of the same program with like 100k+ in loans because they didn't want to live like they were in undergrad anymore. Assuming you go to a funded program, a good bit depends on your lifestyle while you're in school, and if you're able to build up some modest savings before you start... and then there's always the element of luck involved in avoiding any major unexpected health or car-related payments or natural disasters. But don't assume that you would necessarily have a bajillion dollars of debt. But like others have said, also don't assume that psychology is all therapy and talking 1:1 with people - there's a lot more to it and you should probably like some of the other stuff a lot too if you're going to go down that path. If you're really just interested in counseling/therapy, there are shorter and less costly ways to do that (e.g., various masters programs).

can you tell me what a psychologists week looks like? I really want to know what psychologists do because I feel like it would help me make the decision since I don't know everything that they do.

 

[syzergy]

The clinical psych PhD is pretty versatile. Check out the document Lola917 posted earlier in this thread. It's a great resource for comparing different degrees.

 

[G Costanza]

I work with psychiatrists who attended the same amount of schooling and literally make three times as much as me. It probably wouldn't be bothersome but their work seems monotonous and frankly much easier.

If you go the PhD route, your reward will not likely be financial.

 

[PsyDGurl]

Do psychologists love their jobs- yes, most do (purely based on anecdotal evidence). BUT the question is....could you love another career just as much and make more money? If the answer is yes, choose that other thing and never look back. Yes, I love this profession but after the 12+ years of hoop-jumping, I have no illusions about the costs vs benefits.

 

[deleted343839]

can you tell me what a psychologists week looks like? I really want to know what psychologists do because I feel like it would help me make the decision since I don't know everything that they do.

https://forums.studentdoctor.net/th...or-other-provider-like.1174451/#post-17229856