Starting late in life - need basic career path advice (clinical/Jungian/existential therapy)

[gobbledygooky]

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So, I'm just now figuring out what I want to do in life a bit later than most people. I have a Bachelor's (General Studies - mostly English, Philosophy, and Art courses) and was a decent student - had a full-paid scholarship and ended up with a 3.5 GPA. I've actually had a difficult time with jobs and career and everything else since then but have finally decided that I would like to be a clinical therapist with a Jungian/existential/arts focus.

Honestly, I'm kind of clueless when it comes to this university stuff because I decided (wrongly and stupidly - I had issues) a long time ago that I wouldn't go back to school and never paid attention to this kind of stuff. I need some career guidance, but I'm not in the US currently. So, here are a few things I'm thinking and wondering. I appreciate the advice.

1) Would I need to complete a full Psych Bachelor's in order to get into a Master's program? Which is to say, is there a shorter path for me since I already have a Bachelor's? I mean, I want to take as many courses as possible because I need to bone up on the basics, but how long would that typically take in my case (if I was only taking Psych courses)?

2) How bad of an idea would it be to get my undergrad Psych credits from an online school? Would it hurt my chances of getting in a Masters program? Are there any legit, reputable online colleges that you can recommend?

3) I'm interested in studying outside of the country. I'm open to any place, but some countries I've looked at - those that have programs that are quite cheap - are Finland, Germany, Holland, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, France, Singapore, etc and anywhere in Latin America (my Spanish is only decent right now, so I'd have to take language immersion course to get up to par). The only problem is finding a program that is taught in English. Can anyone recommend one? Is there anything I should be concerned about with regards to having my degree and credits respected in the US if I finished my degree somewhere else?

I think I had other questions on my mind, but I've forgotten them.

Any other general advice? Thanks in advance!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Quick reply RE: point #3: criteria and training in the US for psychologists is different than in many other areas of the world. If your plan is to eventually practice in the US, it's probably easiest to train here; from what I've heard, demonstrating equivalence of training from other countries (besides doctoral training in Canada and probably Australia) can range from nightmarish to impossible. I don't have any personal experience with it, though, so others can potentially provide a more informed view.

 

[deleted343839]

Would I need to complete a full Psych Bachelor's in order to get into a Master's program? Which is to say, is there a shorter path for me since I already have a Bachelor's?

Maybe. It depends on how much exposure you've had to general and abnormal psychology, research design, statistics, and other foundational courses in psychology. Not every person admitted to a graduate program has a bachelor's in psychology, but this is the most typical path by far.

2) How bad of an idea would it be to get my undergrad Psych credits from an online school? Would it hurt my chances of getting in a Masters program? Are there any legit, reputable online colleges that you can recommend?

There is a difference between taking a few web-based courses while enrolled at a brick-and-mortar school and attending an "online college." The latter is not looked upon favorably.

finally decided that I would like to be a clinical therapist with a Jungian/existential/arts focus.

You don't need to become a psychologist to do that. Psychology is a science, and clinical psychologists base their work on scientific knowledge. Figure out whether that really fits with your goals.

 

[ela]

Agreed with above, that there are shorter courses to get to your goals than training as a clinical/counseling psychologist. Social work training leads to a highly mobile license, and you can then pursue specialization if you remain interested, in Jungian, art/expressive therapy etc.

This could be of interest;

https://www.essex.ac.uk/courses/details.aspx?mastercourse=PG00647&subgroup=1

 

[PsyDr]

1) depends on the programs requirements

2) super bad idea. Online schools are held in extremely poor regard. Tells people you put other things ahead of school.

3) it's not like undergrad. Other countries have different licensing requirements and different education models. While competing a phd in 2 years for an eight of the tuition sounds great, the degree will not be respected or license eligible in the USA. Licensing in the USA will always require a foreign phd to prove equivalence, including practica and internship. These are not standard in any other countries, excluding Canada. Participation in match is increasingly restricted, and I doubt a foreign program would be accepted for match purposes. Do not trust old timers, licensing has changed and their advice does not apply.