PhD/PsyD Uni of Cumberlands facts and/or opinions appreciated

[deleted1191959]

Hi there.
Finished my PhD in Psychology. BUT! I can only work with groups or licensed psychologists and not patients or clients. No my PhD is not in Supervision.

Has anyone had good experiences with U of Cumberlands? I actually took one course there (online) during my PhD. Such a terrible idea. Focus will get you everywhere, even if it’s resting and waiting to receive feedback or approval.

If not having personal experience how do you measure the program from others? In truth I have recently read CACREP is not worthwhile and solely focused on financial incentives, but it remains true that almost, if not all, states are headed in the direction of [accredited] programs to legally sharing an opinion about mental health to an individual.

I’d appreciate any feedback you’re willing to share.

Lily

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[PsyDuck90]

What is your PhD in? And what is your ultimate goal? You’ve posted on several forums looking into medical school as well. What degree program are you looking at for University of Cumberlands? If you are trying to go for a masters in counseling, your best bet is to just apply to the local state brick and mortar schools near your that have a masters in counseling program. Online programs can be tricky because you typically have less support in getting practicums, as they don’t have established connections with local hospitals/clinics/practices.

 

[R. Matey]

If not having personal experience how do you measure the program from others? In truth I have recently read CACREP is not worthwhile and solely focused on financial incentives, but it remains true that almost, if not all, states are headed in the direction of [accredited] programs to legally sharing an opinion about mental health to an individual.

If this is reference to my snarky post on the other thread, let me clarify: CACREP has a low bar for accreditation standards, in my opinion. This includes accredited online counseling programs where trainees receive little in-person training and supervision as well as a lax approach to teaching evidenced-based psychotherapy practices during student training. Grads typically leave with a very cursory understanding of psychotherapeutic theory (IME, it's one class) and even less of an understanding of bone fide psychopathology (maybe one class plus 1-2 years of half-time fieldwork). Because psychology isn't a required major to enter many counseling programs, students typically don't have the background knowledge necessary to even appreciate the research their practice is based on, making them vulnerable to pseudoscientific claims. And while it is true that over two years of post-degree supervision is a requirement for licensure, what constitutes supervision at the master's level is heavily dependent on what state you live in and what that state's board decides counts as supervision. IMHO, these training standards are low for a professional whose job it is to identify psychopathology and provide psychotherapeutic treatment as a practitioner for 40-hours a week.

That said, I will say that I also have known several master's level practitioners who take their responsibilities as a therapist very seriously and have gone above and beyond what is required to specialize in a specific area, or have truly become proficient based on their own level of hard work and determination. These people are exceptional, and are worth their weight in gold. I don't think they're the norm though.

And, whether I like it or not, CACREP is the current accreditation system for master's level counseling programs. It makes licensure portability easier across state lines in case you decide to move and supports some kind of national testing standard (i.e., the NCE). When attending an accredited program, you can have some confidence you're getting a similar training experience to those all across the country. I haven't seen any convincing research that it matters in the long run, but nevertheless, the current mental health system supports attending an accredited program.

tl;dr--I have issues with the way counselors are trained; that shouldn't stop you from attending an accredited program.

 

[deleted1191959]

What is your PhD in? And what is your ultimate goal? You’ve posted on several forums looking into medical school as well. What degree program are you looking at for University of Cumberlands? If you are trying to go for a masters in counseling, your best bet is to just apply to the local state brick and mortar schools near your that have a masters in counseling program. Online programs can be tricky because you typically have less support in getting practicums, as they don’t have established connections with local hospitals/clinics/practices.

I’m trying to decide. This is a lifelong issue of where I find the most adequate space to work as I’d prefer, especially with individuals.

My PhD is in international psychology with a focus on organizations and systems. Predominantly trauma based, I’m thinking humanitarian aid, especially with acculturation and the systemic misplacement of resources, mostly because many do not knelt they exist. I also look into academia, and almost everything leans toward clinical. As for medicine, I would skip the organizational aspect and focus on individuals doing minimally invasive work.

 

[deleted1191959]

My apologies for the typos on the above post.

 

[PsyDuck90]

So what is it that you would like to do as a career? What do you want your day to day job responsibilities to be? It looks like you opted to pursue a non-licensable PhD, so what would you like to do as a job? That can help us give better suggestions of what can be a helpful next step.

 

[deleted1191959]

If this is reference to my snarky post on the other thread, let me clarify: CACREP has a low bar for accreditation standards, in my opinion. This includes accredited online counseling programs where trainees receive little in-person training and supervision as well as a lax approach to teaching evidenced-based psychotherapy practices during student training. Grads typically leave with a very cursory understanding of psychotherapeutic theory (IME, it's one class) and even less of an understanding of bone fide psychopathology (maybe one class plus 1-2 years of half-time fieldwork). Because psychology isn't a required major to enter many counseling programs, students typically don't have the background knowledge necessary to even appreciate the research their practice is based on, making them vulnerable to pseudoscientific claims. And while it is true that over two years of post-degree supervision is a requirement for licensure, what constitutes supervision at the master's level is heavily dependent on what state you live in and what that state's board decides counts as supervision. IMHO, these training standards are low for a professional whose job it is to identify psychopathology and provide psychotherapeutic treatment as a practitioner for 40-hours a week.

That said, I will say that I also have known several master's level practitioners who take their responsibilities as a therapist very seriously and have gone above and beyond what is required to specialize in a specific area, or have truly become proficient based on their own level of hard work and determination. These people are exceptional, and are worth their weight in gold. I don't think they're the norm though.

And, whether I like it or not, CACREP is the current accreditation system for master's level counseling programs. It makes licensure portability easier across state lines in case you decide to move and supports some kind of national testing standard (i.e., the NCE). When attending an accredited program, you can have some confidence you're getting a similar training experience to those all across the country. I haven't seen any convincing research that it matters in the long run, but nevertheless, the current mental health system supports attending an accredited program.

tl;dr--I have issues with the way counselors are trained; that shouldn't stop you from attending an accredited program.

I also have an issue with how they are trained. As for your remark, it made me laugh and then think, well, are there any states that would allow me to take that [other] route? I see it's a useless battle. In truth, I have also questioned the benefits of the CACREP, but then again, I do not know enough about clinical programs at the degree of knowledge transfer I would find beneficial to practitioners and clients above all else to make such a distinction—at least not an objective one.

 

[R. Matey]

Am I reading the situation correctly that you have a non-clinical psych Ph.D. and now have interests in doing psychotherapy day-to-day? It depends on where you went, but you might be eligible for a re-spec program through APA. Otherwise, I would suggest a master's degree either in social work or counseling. You could pursue a psychology doctorate that is eligible for licensure as a psychologist as a new admit, but be advised that it's a long road that likely involves one or more moves.

 

[deleted1191959]

Am I reading the situation correctly that you have a non-clinical psych Ph.D. and now have interests in doing psychotherapy day-to-day? It depends on where you went, but you might be eligible for a re-spec program through APA. Otherwise, I would suggest a master's degree either in social work or counseling. You could pursue a psychology doctorate that is eligible for licensure as a psychologist as a new admit, but be advised that it's a long road that likely involves one or more moves.

Yes, you are. Non-clinical, and believe it or not, I do not want my day-to-day to include clients coming to my office. I do, though, want to have the ability to freely practice clinically with individuals. Because of my PhD, I will possibly work with refugees in community settings in an ethnographic modality. And, of course, yes, because of the nature of my work and the reasons for my education and previous research, I want to do research internationally and on a one-on-one basis with people, not solely organizations. I had never heard of the re-spec program. I'll look into that; thank you.

 

[R. Matey]

Yes, you are. Non-clinical, and believe it or not, I do not want my day-to-day to include clients coming to my office. I do, though, want to have the ability to freely practice clinically with individuals. Because of my PhD, I will possibly work with refugees in community settings in an ethnographic modality. And, of course, yes, because of the nature of my work and the reasons for my education and previous research, I want to do research internationally and on a one-on-one basis with people, not solely organizations. I had never heard of the re-spec program. I'll look into that; thank you.

We had an anthropologist come to grand rounds who did something really close to what you're describing. It was a group walking intervention for marginalized folks, like a moving support group so-to-speak. I thought it was really interesting and a creative way to build community for people who often feel left out as well as bridge to more traditional services. They weren't a clinician, but they worked closely with clinicians to ensure that what they were doing was still protecting patients. So, I'd say go for it, with the caveat that you, as a prospective clinician, will still need to balance patient privacy in such settings.

 

[deleted1191959]

We had an anthropologist come to grand rounds who did something really close to what you're describing. It was a group walking intervention for marginalized folks, like a moving support group so-to-speak. I thought it was really interesting and a creative way to build community for people who often feel left out as well as bridge to more traditional services. They weren't a clinician, but they worked closely with clinicians to ensure that what they were doing was still protecting patients. So, I'd say go for it, with the caveat that you, as a prospective clinician, will still need to balance patient privacy in such settings.

Wow. That sounds amazing. And yes. That is exactly what I’d want to do. I know the whole idea and concept of “holistic” is “new age” but I don’t mean holistic in that sense. I mean more so like the term is used outside of labels. A whole person approach so there is a growth in self-care. Where there is clinical intervention, but it is still not 24 hours per day. I’d like to help that “in between time” strengthen. I would not mind working with clinicians at all. Above all else I am making every attempt to protect my crossing any lines. I do not want to interfere with therapeutic treatment, nor misguide. And while my PhD can place me in a place that keeps me away from individuals I do not want to work in vacuum.

 

[summerbabe]

It sounds like you might be best suited in the non-profit/NGO space since you wouldn’t be operating under a license or billing insurance or charging a per session fee, like a clinical therapist.

What that means is that your path moving forward will be very unclear (compared to licensed jobs and the rules/regs that come with it), which can be good and bad.

I would recommend lots and lots of networking which includes marketing yourself and attempting to highlight how you would add value to these organizations and existing services they already provide.

And where you live will be highly important for community based work. Good luck!

 

[deleted1191959]

It sounds like you might be best suited in the non-profit/NGO space since you wouldn’t be operating under a license or billing insurance or charging a per session fee, like a clinical therapist.

What that means is that your path moving forward will be very unclear (compared to licensed jobs and the rules/regs that come with it), which can be good and bad.

I would recommend lots and lots of networking which includes marketing yourself and attempting to highlight how you would add value to these organizations and existing services they already provide.

And where you live will be highly important for community based work. Good luck!

Yes. Thank you. Your statement is so true. Maybe in 20 or 30 years, I can think of a private practice, but right now, I would enjoy doing a different kind of work.