Unhappy in my Clin Psych PhD program

[cutiebird]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm currently in a clinical phd program and this is my first quarter. Although it has been only the first quarter, I have never felt so unhappy about my school as I do now. The department is in shambles, the person I wanted to work with quit before I came in, and nobody is interested in what I am doing (research with the pediatric population). I have taken proactive steps and consulted other professors in nearby schools but of course, they either have no funding at the moment or they would take students from their school over someone else. When I applied for the clinical phd program here, it seemed so different, I feel now that they completely mislead applicants to thinking great things about the program and yet the older students have a very strong and negative experience to share.

I am not doing too well in my classes because of all this upsetting my overall experience. On top of worrying about classes and thesis proposals, I have to go out of my way to find someone out of the school and department as my research advisor and be in their research lab all before winter registration ends. Do you think I should reconsider continuing my program in my current school? Or is the truth of the matter that all clinical phd programs are this morbid? 🙁 Thanks!

 

[Ollie123]

Sounds like there are multiple issues at work here.
Let me ask you this. If you found a research match, would that fix everything or would it still suck? If not, you may have your answer.

Sometimes faculty leave and that is always a risk you take in grad school, but a good department will go out of their way to help you find appropriate training. Finding someone at another school to act as a primary graduate mentor seems...bizarre. I know some schools occasionally take undergrads from other institutions, but I think our core faculty would be VERY unlikely to "adopt" grad students from the other local doctoral program (probably in part because its a very different training model from our own). Some students find research mentors in other departments (medicine, neuroscience, etc.) within the same university - is this an option at all? My own advisor is a clinical psychologist by training, but only has a courtesy appointment in psychology and is primary based out of an academic hospital. Another possibility is finding two possible mentors. For example, if you can find one person who does the sort of work you want to do, but with adults and another one who does a different kind of work but has access to pediatric populations you might be able to make it work.

Not all clinical programs are like this. If you are that unhappy and don't see any way you can get the experience you want out of the program I would certainly consider leaving and possibly re-applying next round. I don't know what kind of school it is, but that goes double if you are actually paying to go there, versus getting paid to go there.

 

[cheeze]

I actually know someone who is in a very similar situation. Maybe you want to consider transferring to a different program?

I heard from my friend, that he was in a program with a lot of problems (1/2 of the students had dropped out already), and both his first and second advisors had quit. so he decided that it was not worth his time to re-start his thesis for a second time.

in the end its still up to you! good luck!

 

[RayneeDeigh]

Haha wow, it sounds like you're in my program. 😛

Anyway, I felt the exact same way you did in my first year. I wanted to leave so badly. In the end though I decided it was just too risky to leave, so I stayed. My second year got a bit better. My third year (the one I'm in now) is perhaps harder than my first one was for all kinds of personal and professional reasons, but I'm proud that I"ve stuck it out. Now that I'm further in the program I see how much I've learned despite the environment and I think it's made me a better clinician and person in general.

That said, if you can find a way out, by all means do it. I'm just saying that I didn't leave, and it worked out okay. It's not a life sentence, just several years. I hope it gets better for you!

 

[deleted176373]

Haha wow, it sounds like you're in my program. 😛

Anyway, I felt the exact same way you did in my first year. I wanted to leave so badly. In the end though I decided it was just too risky to leave, so I stayed. My second year got a bit better. My third year (the one I'm in now) is perhaps harder than my first one was for all kinds of personal and professional reasons, but I'm proud that I"ve stuck it out. Now that I'm further in the program I see how much I've learned despite the environment and I think it's made me a better clinician and person in general.

That said, if you can find a way out, by all means do it. I'm just saying that I didn't leave, and it worked out okay. It's not a life sentence, just several years. I hope it gets better for you!

I can't believe it's been that long!!! OMG, I am flashing back to your housing challenges etc... you were pretty miserable... My program too has been trying for me at times (and I like my program in general!) Still having to switch advisers, etc. it has been difficult too.

I am a year and 6 months from heading to internship... I am excited now that I am more than 50% of the way there. It's a sprint for the finish line!!!

Mark