Schools with vocational psychology programs (PhD or PsyD in Clinical/Counseling)

[crisner]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and I am seeking some assistance.

Does anyone know a listing (or publication) of programs in the US and Canada that have vocational psychology programs (at the PhD or PsyD level in either Clinical or Counseling)?

I have been searching all around and I feel like it is a needle in a haystack. I've found one school, Boston College, as David Blustein is a researcher there who focusses on vocational issues. Other than this, my search isn't yielding results as quickly as I would like.

Can anyone please help me?

Thank you.

Charles

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[lookitssara]

I'm certainly no expert, but I can say that I've never heard of a vocational specialization/concentration/track in clinical or counseling psych at the doctoral level. It is likely that it is just specific professors doing research in that area in programs.

Assuming by vocational you mean career/job/work, then I would guess your best bet would be within counseling (as opposed to clinical) psych. To be honest, masters programs in counseling are more likely to have vocational tracks/emphases than doctoral programs, but I know that's not your interest. There are EdD programs for Counseling Ed, but they do not lead to licensure as a psychologist.

 

[psich]

I'm certainly no expert, but I can say that I've never heard of a vocational specialization/concentration/track in clinical or counseling psych at the doctoral level. It is likely that it is just specific professors doing research in that area in programs.

Assuming by vocational you mean career/job/work, then I would guess your best bet would be within counseling (as opposed to clinical) psych. To be honest, masters programs in counseling are more likely to have vocational tracks/emphases than doctoral programs, but I know that's not your interest. There are EdD programs for Counseling Ed, but they do not lead to licensure as a psychologist.

Yep, I agree.

 

[futureapppsy2]

There are a fair number of faculty at Counseling Psych PhD programs who have research interests related to career choice/career counseling/vocational issues. Off the top of my head, I know the University of Utah does, and I've seen many other programs--whose names I can't recall at the moment--that have faculty with these interests as well.

 

[Lanntis]

Hi,

allow me to assist. There is/are:

1 accredited clinical psych Ph.d program with vocational research, that is Seattle Pacific U. A few faculty there with career interests.

There are 0 psy.d programs with any focus on vocational issues,

and there are: 49 counseling psychology Ph.d programs total currently with vocational/career development interests

Arizona State U.
Ball State U.
Boston College
Colorado State U.
Florida State U.
Fordham U.
Georgia State U.
Iowa State U.
Lehigh U.
Louisiana Tech U.
Loyola Univ. of Chicago
New Mexico State U.
Oklahoma State U.
Purdue U.
Seton Hall U.
Southern Illinois U. Carbondale
Tennessee State U.
Texas Tech U.
Texas Woman's U.
University of Akron
University of Memphis
Univ. at Albany/state Univ. of New York
University at Buffalo/State U. of New York
University of British Columbia
Univ. California Santa Barbara
Univ. of Florida
Univ. of Houston
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-champaign
Univ. of Iowa
Univ. of Kansas
Univ. of Louisville
Univ. of Maryland -college park
Univ. of Minnesota
Univ. of Minnesota (Ed. path)
Univ. of Missouri -Columbia
Univ. of Missouri -kansas city
Univ. of Nebraska - Lincoln
Univ. of North Dakota
Univ. of North Texas
Univ. of Oklahoma
Univ. of Oregon
Univ. of Southern Mississippi
Univ. of Utah
Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison
Univ. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Virginia Commonwealth Univ.
Washington State U.
West Virginia Univ.

a couple of those are combined programs with school psychology as well.
I've been looking into the same interests, also the master's level stuff. This is the full list right out of the current Insider's guide to clinical/counseling psych programs. Hope that helps you out 🙂 good luck.

 

[crisner]

Wow, thank you so much for that listing Lanntis, that is exactly what I am looking for. Now I can just start going down the list and seeing if there are fits for me, as opposed to hunting and pecking online.

A couple of follow up questions:

Regarding the list of 49, is there a way to rank those programs, or, is that even a relevant question for someone who wishes to become a licensed therapist/psychotherapist? In other words, does ranking of school/program matter when it comes to someone wishing to see clients one on one in private/group practice?

Are the programs that are combined with school psychology, programs that will lead to licensure? I ask because psich previously mentioned that Ed.D programs do not lead to licensure and I am unsure if a degree combined with school psychology would fall under the 'non-licensure' category.

Thank you again everyone for assisting me thus far.

Charles

 

[lookitssara]

School psych doctoral programs award a PhD or a PsyD, and they are licensable except in one state (Wisconsin? Minnesota? That area.). EdD programs in this field would be Counselor Education and Supervision, which (if they don't require a masters in counseling as a prereq) would lead to licensure but as a professional counselor/therapist, NOT psychologist. (someone can correct me if I'm wrong, there may be some instances where this is incorrect).

You can find program rankings on other links on this site. This program rankings intend to show you the kind of training you'll get there. In regards to private practice, a million factors (often more related to business) have a role, although I suppose any well-perceived university would sound better to potential clients. Private practice is generally not the end goal programs want you to have (with exceptions) and so that is not specifically what they train for per se.

 

[crisner]

Thank you lookitssara!

This may seem like a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway. I'm sure it's been answered on yahoo or something like that but I'd prefer an answer from people on this forum because I get the sense that answers are more 'legitimate' here.

What is the difference between a counselor, therapist, psychotherapist, psychologist (or any other title not listed)? Is it simply level of education that dictates what one can call oneself, or does type of program (EdD vs PhD program) have an effect (as lookitssara noted)?

Also, what material difference is there between what each of these people do on a daily basis at work? Is there a difference in what type of clients they would/could see?

Thank you!

 

[lookitssara]

1. Only PhD and PsyD programs lead to the title "psychologist" (unless you are in school psychology, and then an EDS/similar can result in being a "school psychologists"). Some psychologists may also refer to themselves as therapists or psychotherapists.

2. Master degrees are available in counseling, clinical social work, and marriagy & family therapy. These may lead to licensure as an LPC, LCSW, and LMFT. With each of these you may do counseling, therapy, or psychotherapy. What you call yourself (counselor/therapist/social worker/mental health professional) varies on setting and personal preference.

3. What you CAN do (and what types of patients you CAN see) is very different than what you should ETHICALLY do. For instance, with licensure as a mental health provider, you can give DSM diagnoses with a masters (plus some more credits). Some training is required for the licensure, but it would be unethical to provide diagnoses for conditions you don't have experience with.

4. In regards to daily work, it really varies most by setting. Private practice can be a range (often, what the provider considers they're speciality). Community mental health workers may provide some case management, medication management, and therapy, all depending on what other professionals work there. Work in a hospital is likely to be with more acute and serious cases, and more likely to be short term versus long term. I'd recommend finding some professionals in your area and asking them to give you a brief "day in the life of...".

 

[futureapppsy2]

they are licensable except in one state (Wisconsin? Minnesota? That area.)

Nope. It's Wyoming.

 

[OneAtATime]

There are EdD programs for Counseling Ed, but they do not lead to licensure as a psychologist.

There are also Ph.D. programs in Counseling/Counseling Education, although - of course - neither leads to licensure as a psychologist.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Great posts in here!

 

[crisner]

Thank you so much lookitssara for all your tips and advice; you have no idea how helpful and informative that is. It seems like my undergrad department (Seattle University) didn't put much focus on teaching students about this type of stuff...that or I just had the wrong profs.

I recently picked up the Insider's Guide as it has been recommended throughout this site; I can truly say that it is exactly what I have been looking for to help me learn about the differences between Counseling and Clinical (among other things).

One final question, has anyone attended, or is now attending, any of the 49 counseling PhD programs that have a vocational interest (that were kindly listed by Lanntis)? I can look each of these programs up online and call to speak to someone, but I'd very much like to know an honest, and off the record opinion of what it is like at University XYZ. If you'd prefer to message me privately so as to stay off the record, my email is [email protected] (I hope it is ok to give this out on this forum, I apologize it it's not Kosher).

 

[Lanntis]

They're harder to find since the interest in clinical psychology is vastly greater than the interest in counseling psych for most people it seems. When you get into career/vocational counseling it's even more rare it seems.

But there's definitely some of us out there with the same interests 🙂 Sorry, I can't be of more help since I'm not actually in a program myself just doing all of the exploring, same as you. I'd like to combine career counseling with GLBT issues in some way, that'd be really cool. Unfortunately, I don't think there's anyone doing that anywhere 🙁