Was Not a Psychology Major

[Holdek]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hey folks,

I am interested in (probably) ultimately pursuing a PhD (maybe a PsyD) in clinical or counseling psychology. I want to become a therapist. This is something I've been thinking about for a while now, but I'll just be upfront: I have no background in the subject. I did not major in it as an undergrad, and have no research or clinical experience. I do not want to waste time, and I know that applications are due in the fall/winter.

I've done a fair amount of reading on this site, and most say that pursuing a master's in clinical or counseling psychology isn't recommended unless one did not major in the subject as an undergrad.

Should I:
A. Try to get some research and/or clinical experience before applying for doctorate programs this fall (I'm afraid this would be too little in too little amount of time, not to mention I would need to take a host of prerequisite courses).

B. Apply for a terminal master's degree, which will give me access to faculty members for recommendations, research and clinical opportunities.

Or

C. Get a second bachelors degree in psychology, which might give me the same benefits as above.

Also, I have a 690 V, 550 Q GRE and 3.7 GPA.

Any advice would be very, very much appreciated. I have been researching this site and talking with people for a while now, trying to find the best, most efficient route.

Thanks.

 

[marblegatherer]

Well, you didn't say what your undergrad degree was in. Some things, like sociology, biology, etc are better fits than say, computer science.

Why do you want to be a therapist?

My suggestion, before you do all the work and expense of going for a MA or second BA would be to get at least some amount of field experience, whether as staff at a day program/ group home, volunteer, whatever. Meet staff at various levels (MA, doctoral, psych nursing, administration) and in different roles, see what they actually do all day. See if you actually like it, or just like the idea of it.

There are also other paths into the field, such as psych nursing, which pays very well, and may be more cost-effective.

I'm not sure how much help I can be here, I'm afraid. Can you tell us anything more about yourself and what you are hoping to do?

 

[Holdek]

Thanks for responding!

My undergrad degree was in political science.

I want to be a therapist because I want to help people with their psychological problems.

Volunteering is a good idea, and I plan on doing that. I suppose the reason for my post is I'm not sure the best way to begin on the academic side of things.

 

[Minnesotan4PsyD]

When did you decide you wanted to be a therapist? Was it during college? If it was before, I guess I'm befuddled as to why you would major in political science, as we all know politicians are NOT out to help people. 😉😛
All kidding aside, did you take any psych courses in college? Most schools require at least 18 credits or a certain amount of classes like statistics, research methods, and then things like abnormal psychology, physiological psychology, etc. If you haven't taken any psychology courses, then I'm afraid you're gonna have to go back to school for a semester or two to get the necessary classes.

 

[KillerDiller]

I would recommend going for options B or C. If you can find a funded masters program, that would definitely be preferable to shelling out money for the degree or for more bachelor-level classes. Try searching for masters programs on the web and seeing what the pre-reqs are.

I also agree with the poster who suggested gaining some volunteer experience. Maybe that would be an option for you for over the summer.

I'm sorry to say it, but the reality of the situation is that you're not going to get into a decent doctoral program if you apply this fall. And, if you think about it, would you really want to graduate from a program who will basically let anyone in untested? The other options you have outlined will help you demonstrate the serious commitment to the field that is required for completing doctoral level work.

 

[73BARMYPgsp]

Well, you didn't say what your undergrad degree was in. Some things, like sociology, biology, etc are better fits than say, computer science.

Hey! I have a BS in computer science!!🙂

I just wanted to spend 4 years and $50,000 to find out I don't really like computers that much. Whats so weird about that?

 

[ADDICTED2STATS]

I'm going to give you some words of encouragement. I was not a psychology major, in fact I had only taken 1 class (intro) and that was 9 years prior to deciding that I wanted to go into psychology. My undergrad was in criminal justice.

After getting back from Iraq I saw a lot of mental health problems in my soldiers and it prompted me to look into clinical psychology. I studied hard for the GRE and got a very competitive score, and then went back as an undergrad for 1 year (the same year I was applying). I got involved in research right away (which I found out I really enjoyed) and was able to get some great letters of recommendation as a result.

I applied to several Ph.D. programs, but only 1 clinical (since I was more interested in research). I was accepted into every program I applied to. I eventually decided to go with the one clinical program. I think I stood out because I really wasn't all that interested in doing clinical work. In fact during my interview (remember I didn't plan on going clinical so I said whatever came to mind), I told faculty that I would be fine if I never saw a single client during my training, but that I thought that clinical work would give me a better perspective when it comes to do clinical research. In response, one faculty member said,"You do realize this is a CLINICAL program, don't you?" I said, "Clinical psychology needs scientists too." Another faculty member said, "So you just want to be a researcher?That's refreshing to hear." I was given a first offer (I was never an alternate).

Bottom line, for me anyway, was that if you have a passion for research and you be yourself (they see right through most of the crap personas people put on at interviews), it is possible to get in with relatively little research or clinical experience. Oh yeah, I should say I'm in a well respected, APA accredited, fully funded Ph.D. program at a large State University.

While our situation is not the norm, it can be done. You can PM me if you'd like to talk more.

 

[PsyDr]

A) not going to work in the least. usually there are significant undergrad requirements. i doubt you could put in the coursework in time to matricultate in the fall. also , i doubt any reputable program would accept you without the prerequisit courses already on your transcript.

B) prolly the more effective route. you might also find that getting a masters meets your career goals of becoming a therapist.

C) a good option, if you want to get into a fully funded phd program. but it is definitely not the most efficient route.


that "probably" in your post makes me a bit concerned though. if you choose a psyd or phd, you are committing to 5-7 years of classes, with a high likelihood of having to move at least once or twice before it is all over. that is a fairly large undertaking. i would hope you would be sure of your decision before beginning action. i would hate for you to get into a program in different geographical location than you are used to and realize that you are not interested in it.

 

[cara susanna]

Before trying for a PhD program, you should find out if you like research. Even volunteering at a lab would work for this purpose.

 

[ladysky61]

I am not sure how much research you have done in the field but there several different routes to being a "therapist." You could get a masters in Social Work(MSW), a masters in Education (M.Ed),a masters in counseling (MS), or become a psychiatric nurse practitioner (MHNP),as well as obtain doctoral degrees. If your goal is to just be a therapist (not doing research or being a professor), you may just need a Masters which takes about 2 years plus time to get licensed. (different states have different rules). Granted your earning power won't be as high as if you had a doctorate, but you could go back for that later.

My advice would first educate yourself about the field, the different mental health professionals and training possibilities. Then volunteer in a clinical and/or research setting (such as a camp for special needs, a hospital, a psychological research lab, etc) and take a some classes on psychology.

I would say you differently can become a therapist, it just will take a bit more classes and experiences. Good luck to you.

 

[Holdek]

Thanks for the advice and information, folks! ADDICTED2STATS, I sent you a PM.

 

[absurdistan]

Hey folks,

I am interested in (probably) ultimately pursuing a PhD (maybe a PsyD) in clinical or counseling psychology. I want to become a therapist. This is something I've been thinking about for a while now, but I'll just be upfront: I have no background in the subject. I did not major in it as an undergrad, and have no research or clinical experience. I do not want to waste time, and I know that applications are due in the fall/winter.

I've done a fair amount of reading on this site, and most say that pursuing a master's in clinical or counseling psychology isn't recommended unless one did not major in the subject as an undergrad.

Should I:
A. Try to get some research and/or clinical experience before applying for doctorate programs this fall (I'm afraid this would be too little in too little amount of time, not to mention I would need to take a host of prerequisite courses).

B. Apply for a terminal master's degree, which will give me access to faculty members for recommendations, research and clinical opportunities.

Or

C. Get a second bachelors degree in psychology, which might give me the same benefits as above.

Also, I have a 690 V, 550 Q GRE and 3.7 GPA.

Any advice would be very, very much appreciated. I have been researching this site and talking with people for a while now, trying to find the best, most efficient route.

Thanks.

I say go with A modified... I was a non-psych major who successfully applied to many PhD & PsyD programs. I didn't pursue a masters or get a 2nd bachelors... those are both very time consuming and EXPENSIVE options.

I would recommend taking post-bacc classes in psych, and not necessarily in a formal post-bacc program... I took at Hunter College in NYC and I don't think I was at all at a disadvantage relative to those applying from formal post-bacc programs - although I did graduate from a top tier undergrad program. Take the usual reqs: intro, development, abnormal, stats, experimental, maybe personality and bio bases. While you're taking classes part time, work in as many research & clinical settings as possible. You'll probably have to volunteer at first, but eventually something may turn into a paid position. (I tutored nights/weekends to earn cash).

I was able to prepare in a little over a year, but this involved juggling about 5 positions + classes at once. I might recommend a two year path - cheaper than a masters but equally competitive.

I would not recommend applying this coming fall, there are too many class you need to catch up on, and little time for the clinical & research experiences that will enhance your resume.

 

[psychmama]

I say go with A modified... I was a non-psych major who successfully applied to many PhD & PsyD programs. I didn't pursue a masters or get a 2nd bachelors... those are both very time consuming and EXPENSIVE options.

I would recommend taking post-bacc classes in psych, and not necessarily in a formal post-bacc program... I took at Hunter College in NYC and I don't think I was at all at a disadvantage relative to those applying from formal post-bacc programs - although I did graduate from a top tier undergrad program. Take the usual reqs: intro, development, abnormal, stats, experimental, maybe personality and bio bases. While you're taking classes part time, work in as many research & clinical settings as possible. You'll probably have to volunteer at first, but eventually something may turn into a paid position. (I tutored nights/weekends to earn cash).

I was able to prepare in a little over a year, but this involved juggling about 5 positions + classes at once. I might recommend a two year path - cheaper than a masters but equally competitive.

I would not recommend applying this coming fall, there are too many class you need to catch up on, and little time for the clinical & research experiences that will enhance your resume.

This is what I did too, and it worked out for me. The only drawback was that I felt I had to pursue everything on my own with no academic advising. It was a bit harder to figure everything out in terms of what I needed to do to prepare for applying, and it was harder for me to find profs to write recommendations. Again though, it worked out. I got into a top psyd program on my first try.

 

[Locrytham]

I think PSYDR makes some very sound points, although admittedly my own experience is similar to absurdistan and psychmama's, and like psychmama I did get into my first choice PsyD program for this fall (it took two rounds of applying; I only had volunteer exerpience, no research as of this time last year). As an undergraduate English major who hadn't taken any psychology courses in college, it was definitely a difficult process finding research experience. You'll be competing against current undergraduate interns and recent psychology graduates who have taken the relevant courses in stats, experimental, research design, etc. If you already know of a specific population you want to work with as a therapist, by all means go for positions in research that is targeted to this area. This is what may give you an edge over the undergrad psychology candidates; I feel as though it was only the match with my specific area of interest that made the research institute where I am now decide to accept me as one of their trainees (I applied for but ultimately wasn't hired for one of their paid RA positions).

Knowing that my undergraduate GPA would most likely not make me a viable candidate for PhD programs, I vouched to go the research route and focus my applications only on PsyD programs. Like others who went for research, the costs of a master's--with no guarantee of acceptance into a doctoral program--as well as impatience in my case, was the deciding factor in pursuing research instead. With your GPA and test scores, it sounds like you have a more decent shot in getting accepted for a PhD, so it's possible that getting a master's from a competitive university might give you a leg up in that respect.

Also, you may strongly want to consider working for a university for the next year, where you can take the prerequisite courses in psychology, make connections with faculty, their labs, and research AND earn income for the costs of your education at the same time. This was what I decided to do when I was trying to figure out what I would like to pursue for a graduate degree, and I was able to take courses for only 10% of tuition fees and realize that I wanted to pursue a career in clinical psychology along the way; if you take courses in the academic year as well as summer(s) and apply next fall, you'll finish the prereqs needed by the time you matriculate.