PsyD or MSW at 42

[gatorgirl0308]

I am almost 42 and have been out of Grad School since 20 years ( Masters in non health related/IT field from UF). I still think even after 20+ years, about Med School. I now have kids who would be starting college this year/next year. I may have missed my timeline to ever go back to school. Is getting MSW worth it? I also think about a PhD. What are my options online in IL or FL? I also looked at PT, OT, Speech and still find MSW route most preferable based on my background and interest. Would I need to go back to school to take Pre Req? Any recommendations to find a masters program in a Florida school in a clinical counseling track that is CACREP accredited so I can eventually get LMHC/MSW.

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[futureapppsy2]

I am almost 42 and have been out of Grad School since 20 years ( Masters in non health related/IT field from UF). I still think even after 20+ years, about Med School. I now have kids who would be starting college this year/next year. I may have missed my timeline to ever go back to school. Is getting MSW worth it? I also think about a PhD. What are my options online in IL or FL? I also looked at PT, OT, Speech and still find MSW route most preferable based on my background and interest. Would I need to go back to school to take Pre Req? Any recommendations to find a masters program in a Florida school in a clinical counseling track that is CACREP accredited so I can eventually get LMHC/MSW.

You’re mixing counseling and social work at the end there. Counseling programs are accredited by CACREP and lead to counseling licensure. MSWs are accredited by CSWE and lead to LMSW/LCSW licensure.

 

[Sanman]

Whether something is worth it is completely up to you. No idea what your goals are or the reasons you want a career transition. Regardless of the program you pursue, my suggestions is this:

1. Stick to a brick and mortar programs with a solid track record of producing licensed clinicians and skip the online only schools.

2. If you are geographically limited, stick to the masters. Having a compromised doctorate is fairly useless and you will overpay for it.

Back to the Kansas City Massacre...

 

[PsyDr]

What do you want to do, in your day to day life? PT, OT, SLP. MSW, and psychologists are all VERY different professions. Unless you’re a quack who treats autism with OT, PT. Or you’re an arrogant SLP who thinks they can administer neuropsych tests with zero training.


Online schools are laughed at.

 

[ClinicalABA]

At your age and assuming you want to do direct mental health therapy, a masters in clinical social work from a reputable brick and mortar school is financially the best option. If you would need to finance a large portion of your tuition with student loans, than a doctorate makes no financial sense at all, as you'd be getting close to retirement age before you recouped the extra training costs of the doctoral degree and benefitted from the potentially (but not guaranteed) higher salary of the doctoral vs. master level clinician. Clinical social work programs are generally found in any state college, and often have classes exclusively in the evenings so you could keep a day job (though you'll need to get supervision, and this tends to happen during the day). Don't do anything purely online (especially a doctoral degree, as you likely won't be licensable). Find a good nearby school that offers an in person MSW degree in the evenings, work and study hard for two years, and then get your license.

 

[oliversacks4thewin]

I agree with everything already noted above, but an additional helpful piece for consideration might be how you feel about being involved in research. As far as I know, the other professions you mentioned: PT, OT, Speech, and social work, all have relatively high levels of clinical work focus but are not overly focused on research endeavors, to the level clinical psychology typically is. If the thought of a 5+ year dissertation project, with all of the bench and statistical analysis, is not going to interfere with your other life obligations, and is totally your jam, then I wholeheartedly recommend a clinical psychology doctorate. I know some PsyD programs emphasize less focus on these research commitments, but a review of a number of threads on this forum will demonstrate why these are often not great fits and can lead to less career opportunities. Otherwise, if the clinical work itself is more your entire focus, I would recommend considering in in what capacity (possibly by shadowing any of the professions you mentioned to learn more about their day to day practice) and looking into quality brick and mortar programs, as suggested by others.