Rethinking MSW

[Suzanne51]

Hi all,

I have a BA in Psychology and recently started the MSW program at Fordham University (NYC). I knew that going from psychology to social work would be a big move but that it will help me get a secure career much sooner because I don't plan to go for a doctorate. Unfortunately, I underestimated just how different it would be. We mostly discuss issues like immigration, welfare, etc. I thought there would be some component of psychology in there (otherwise, how is it I'll be capable of having a private practice?). Looking through the whole curiculum, it doesn't seem like it will get much better (yes, I knew this going in, but again I simply underestimated it).

The problem is that now I'm about 2 months in and I'm miserable. I can't even think of how I'll get through this semester, let alone 2 whole years. I'm rethinking this whole thing. My love is psychology, and even though I know the career options aren't that great, I feel like I should've just followed my heart and not my head.

I'm writing to ask you all for advice. I'm considering switching to get my MA in Psychology but I can't find any information on what jobs are available. I just want a job where I can practice some form of psychology, I have a general love for it. I know the opportunities aren't great, but I don't even know what there is. I just find articles that state "it will be difficult" versus an MSW. At this point, I may be willing to sacrifice security for sanity. Any ideas?

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[smalltownpsych]

You could look into pursuing either a Licensed Professional Counselor or MFT license. Each state varies on what is available. I am curious why not become a psychologist if that is your love?

 

[Suzanne51]

I struggled with the decision of going for a doctorate for quite a while. Between PhD and PsyD, I decided that PsyD would be the way to go but the cost is insane: appx. $250k. Also, I'm already 30 years old and the thought of having such an intense schedule for 5-7 more years (while I'll hopefully be getting married, starting a family, etc.) was not appealing. Instead, I'd like to work as closely as I can to that field without needing the doctorate.

That's basically what I'm trying to figure out: what's the best psychology-related job I can get with a masters degree. I'm interested in general psych, ABA, forensic psych, etc. Things like I/O aren't interesting to me, despite the large salary.

 

[smalltownpsych]

I struggled with the decision of going for a doctorate for quite a while. Between PhD and PsyD, I decided that PsyD would be the way to go but the cost is insane: appx. $250k. Also, I'm already 30 years old and the thought of having such an intense schedule for 5-7 more years (while I'll hopefully be getting married, starting a family, etc.) was not appealing. Instead, I'd like to work as closely as I can to that field without needing the doctorate.

That's basically what I'm trying to figure out: what's the best psychology-related job I can get with a masters degree. I'm interested in general psych, ABA, forensic psych, etc. Things like I/O aren't interesting to me, despite the large salary.

I didn't get my doctorate till I was over 40 so you would be ahead of me. Many of my colleagues were married while in the doctoral program and had kids shortly thereafter.

 

[Suzanne51]

I haven't ruled it out entirely, but it wouldn't be something I considered until the future. For now, I am going to stick with a masters.

Long story short, I suffered from severe panic disorder for 11+ years. There were a LOT of things I didn't get to do in my life until recently, school being one of them. I want to get a strong enough education to have a good career, but there are other things in my life I'd like to be able to do as well. As it stands right now, there are many times when I have to pass up vacations, nights out with friends, special events (e.g., weddings), etc. Maybe it's silly, but I spent a lot of years unable to do these things and now that I can I don't want to keep passing them up because of a hectic schedule. I'm allowing myself 2 more years to get a masters and then I'll go from there.

In the meantime, I just need to figure out what I can do with a masters degree related to psychology. I'm really regretting this social work decision

 

[submarine1991]

Suzanne51, smalltownpsych already mentioned MFT and the LPCC. What are your thoughts on those degrees? You can obtain them in a little over two years and have another two years to accrue hours/supervision towards your independent license. You also mentioned private practice and that is a viable option with these degrees.

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-an...selors-and-marriage-and-family-therapists.htm

This is a very basic description of those two degrees. If you are not crazy about SW, then these are alternative routes. As far as a masters degree in psychology, job opportunities vary. In addition to the overall job outlook in your geographic area, the focus of your master's degree can play an important role. While I have ideas about this, I am not a psych major and am uncomfortable speaking at length about this. If you search this forum and the Ph.D/PsyD forums you will find a wealth of information about an MA in psych. Every now and again, the Ph.D/PsyD folks comment on our threads over here so maybe you will luck out, smalltownpsych already did.

You just want a job where you 'can practice some form of psychology', what do you mean by this?

 

[Suzanne51]

Thank you for your responses, I will look into them all. I will also head to the Ph.D/PsyD section, as you suggested.

What I mean by practicing 'some' form of psychology is that in my entire undergraduate degree I tried to explore many different aspects of the field; I was fascinated by all of them (this should've been my first clue to stick with it). I found myself specifically interested in assessment and diagnosis, but that's reserved for someone holding a doctorate.

I initially applied to a Mental Health Counseling program, and was accepted, until I realized that the job opportunities were better with a MSW degree for "basically the same job." That's when I made the switch, simply based on job opportunities in the future. Silly move.. I love psych.

I just want to make a difference in people's lives, as cheesy as that sounds. With such a broad love of psychology I am not even that picky. I just want to keep studying the subject and hopefully get a good job out of it. Ideally, I'd be a psychology student forever... which, I guess, is more of a reason to consider the Ph.D haha. But still, masters it is

 

[submarine1991]

Would you be happy in the Mental Health Counseling Program? Your broad love of psychology makes it hard for me to suggest anything else besides the MFT/LPCC programs. Again, I defer to the Ph.D, PsyD route but you stated that is still a ways off. From lurking on the Ph.D/PsyD forums, you will need research experience and other prerequisites to be considered a good candidate for this, but I digress.

Earlier I read something, " you can either think about becoming a _____________ for the next four years, or become a __________ in four years. Time moves on regardless of your actions". I would urge you to sever ties with your MSW program if you are certain its not for you and narrow down which terminal degree better suits you.

 

[Triken]

A lot of MSW programs are heavily psych oriented. Most students in my program are in the "clinical" track and only learn about therapy. Stuff like immigration and welfare only come up if they decide to take electives in those areas, and most of the time they opt for electives like family therapy, addiction, etc.

So it sounds like deciding to get an MSW wasn't necessarily the wrong move, but going to Fordham was. You should look at the curriculum of a school like Hunter. You may want to look into whether you can transfer your first year credits to a different school where you can do your second year internship in a clinical setting doing therapy. (again, most of my classmates are in internships doing therapy).

Another option would be to talk to advisors in your program about doing a clinical internship where you practice therapy under supervision. If this is possible, then biting the bullet with these other courses might be worthwhile. It would mean walking away from the program with an MSW and a year of experience doing therapy. Then all you need is the LCSW and you are free to do whatever kind of therapy you feel like.

Good luck.

P.S. see my thread "A Word of Caution". I don't support getting an MSW if you are only interested in psych. Social welfare is an important part of the profession. That said, I would venture the majority of students in clinical tracks care mostly about psychology.

 

[Suzanne51]

Triken,

I am only interested in psych, so hindsight (being 20/20) shows that I should have stuck to that path regardless of future job opportunities. Everyone I speak to keeps saying "If you love psych that much, you'll find a way to make it work." So, I've decided to finish my semester at Fordham (hopefully I'll get something out of the $16,000 tuition for my first semester... *yikes*) and begin a MA in Psychology program in January, most likely at Adelphi.

My concern now/still is what jobs may be available to me in NYC or Long Island with this degree. I am still undecided about whether or not I will pursue a PhD, so I want to at least have an idea of what I'll be able to do in case I don't go that route. Any ideas? Information online is limited.

 

[submarine1991]

Have you considered any of the information that has been shared with you thus far? I am confused... is a Google search not giving you any desirable results?

http://psychology.about.com/od/psychologycareerfaq/f/masters-in-psychology-jobs.htm

http://derner.adelphi.edu/psychology/graduate/ma-general-psychology/

The program that you want to attend says: "Graduates of our Master’s degree program in General Psychology open the door to a wide range of employment possibilities, including research laboratories, mental health clinics, social work agencies, law enforcement agencies and private industry."

 

[Goobernut]

I'm on my phone, so I can't give this the time it needs ha! I do want to say that NYC is very heavily slanted toward their MSW licensure. Almost to the exclusion of the other licenses. A user on this forum, Qwerk, mentioned it several times, and I've read that same feedback in several places on the internet.

Qwerk graduated from Hunter as well, might be worth it to PM him. Haven't seen him around much since he graduated heh, but he might get the email notification for it. I've seen articles from people who claim the NY licensing board is hideously tough on accepting LPC/LMHC hours.

And that first year can be kinda boring because MSW programs are standardized. Check out the offerings for next year (I'm sure you've done this, but just covering all bases). If you have nothing but more theory 101 classes next year, then I'd say get out at least at the end of the semester so you have those full credits. That way you can prove to new university you didn't drop because you were flunking or some weirdness.

 

[Ecomaster]

Hi Suzanne51,

I think its brave for you to inform everyone your thoughts regarding your psychology undergrad background as it relates to your current progress at 2 months into MSW program.

As others have mentioned, MSW programs may have some differences in content focus or how they may structure SW instructional content.

However if a program is CSWE accredited (http://www.cswe.org/), they have to follow a similar curriculum path to ensure consistency of SW training. CSWE accreditation is a very important consideration for license in many states (its mandatory for licensure here in CA), many jobs may also state "requires an MSW from CSWE accredited school."

With that said, the reason CSWE ties in to this conversation is that I would encourage you to look at SW training as its own separate "entity" that encompasses Psychology, Sociology, Biology, and other social science fields. But I think those are the main three. Reason is SW paradigm is most effective when combining all those perspectives, rather than by itself. It is also what makes our emphasis on our biopsychosocial (Biological, psychological, social) perspective so unique in SW assessment and intervention.

Your background in psychology is very valuable and is what drives your motivation, true, however should you give your MSW program more chance and continue past your 2 months, you may find that understanding a more in-depth much-demensional perspective requires a person's background as per their race, gender, culture, social-economics, family role, social-support (Sociology) as well as their affect, cognition, thought process, thought content, self-perception, ideation, family origins (Psychology) plays with their medical, functional status, disease process, and biological drives (Biology).

So if you understand a person from a holistic standpoint, it may be helpful to understand more regarding about SW practice. But I do agree your background in psychology may guide you more towards more psychology based thought process which is valuable in the SW paradigm. Give you program more of a chance as 2 months is quite early. Check with the forum as well as others in the field regularly for more perspectives to guide you. Both SW professionals as well as non-SW but psychology oriented professionals (Ph.D, PSY.D, MFT, MA in Psychology).

Best,

Eco.