What can I do with a masters degree in Clinical Psychology?

[sunny10]

Hello every body,

I am new to the country and the US educational system. I have obtained a masters degree in clinical psychology in Europe. I'm really confused about what my options are right now. Calling around directs me towards applying for a license as a professional counselor or try to obtain a PHD or PSYD. Is this correct, are these the best options to require a license at some point. Are there jobs that I can apply for with 'just' a masters degree?

It seems like are the job requirements are very specific: licensed social worker, licensed addiction counselor, licensed marriage and family therapist, etc.

Can anybody help me out? Thank you ;-)

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[txpsychgirl]

Your options may vary depending upon what state you live in. I know that Master's in clinical and like 3000 hours of supervision in my state you can become an LPC. However as I understand there is a big push to eliminate people with pyschology degrees from persuing counseling positions. As I understand in the future you will need to have a counseling degree as oppose to a psychology degree to pratice therapy.
You might try applying for teaching positions at junior or community colleges. Theses schools typically only require a Master's degree. I'm sorry I'm not much help but I do wish you luck.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

For many it is a stepping stone to a doctoral program. It seems that some states have a licensure available (with enough applied hours), though YMMV on what you would need and if it is an option for your career path. Of the people I know that got a MA/MS in Clinical (or something like Experimental) Psychology, they all went onto a doctoral program.

 

[myelin]

In my state you can be a certified psychological examiner where you can administer intellectual assessments (WAIS, WISC, WPPSI, SB V, etc.) under the supervision of a doctoral level psychologist. Many of us in my MA program, however, are using the MA as a stepping-stone to the PhD as T4C mentioned.

Side note: salary for the CPA position has been listed at 45-55k/year in the south.

 

[sunny10]

Than you for your answers......I live in North Dakota and licensing requirements are strict. In Holland (where I'm from) the options where limited, so the closed thing to actually working in counseling was to obtain a masters degree in clinical psychology.

If I would have gone to school in the US I would have picked a master in counseling or social work. For right now my wish is not to get my phd.

I find it hard to get a job without any type of licensing, so I want to obtain one and get extra education if needed. But how do I go about it? I have the degree's, but besides internship experiences and a 6 month job after that not to many hours in counseling.

I see that to be a LSW You need a bachelor in Social work? And to be a LAPC you need a master in counseling?

What would be the easiest (and cheapest) route for me to obtain a license? Get a master in counseling or a bachelor in social work? Hopefully I wouldn't have to do the whole thing since I already have a masters and I lot of coursework and internship experience in counseling.

If anybody would have advice for me I would be very grateful, I'm getting a little lost in the complexity of the educational system of the US.

 

[thepsychgeek]

I'm not sure about the rest of the country, I can only speak for my state, but in Maine, you need a master's in social work before getting licensed. ...anyone else?

 

[pingouin]

Well, many states are moving toward having a bachelors-level license for social work (LSW, LBSW or the like), but it's not a license to practice independently and/or do therapy. That's solely reserved for masters-level, and even then not all MSWs will be eligible depending on their program concentration and/or post-graduation experiences.

Actually, I haven't really figured out the advantage to pursuing the LBSW except a) to have letters after your name or b) because you haven't paid enough money to your state government already. It does designate that you have a BSW/BSSW degree, which means a standard core curriculum including mandatory field placements.. So I suppose from a job-hunting perspective, it could help make you more of a "known quantity" to potential employers.

At any rate, LSW/LBSW =/= LCSW or LPC. Not even close.

 

[sunny10]

Thank you for your reply 's, they're very helpful. It is true that here in North Dakota as of now you need a bachelor degree to qualify for licensing as a LSW.

What is a LBSW btw? I thought the next step would be a LCSW?

Does anybody have any experience with applying for a LAPC license after obtaining a masters degree in clinical psychology? I've allready contacted the board, but they told they would not give any advise or recommendations until I pay the fee and send in an application.

 

[sunny10]

So, am I correct in concluding that a masters degree in clinical psychology is more closely linked to a counseling degree then it is to a social work degree?

 

[pingouin]

Thank you for your reply 's, they're very helpful. It is true that here in North Dakota as of now you need a bachelor degree to qualify for licensing as a LSW.

What is a LBSW btw? I thought the next step would be a LCSW?

Does anybody have any experience with applying for a LAPC license after obtaining a masters degree in clinical psychology? I've allready contacted the board, but they told they would not give any advise or recommendations until I pay the fee and send in an application.

The LSW and LBSW are often interchangeable terms- each state chooses what name they want for their licensure tiers. My point was that a LSW (or LBSW) is not equivalent to a LPC (or LCPC) because one is a generalist license obtained with a bachelors, and the other a clinical license obtained post-masters. They're apples and oranges. The LCSW (or LISW.. or LICSW..) is closer to the LPC, although they still have their differences.

I'm not familiar with the term "LAPC", but if it's similar to the LPC or LCPC in other states, I think there are some people here who may be able to answer some general questions. Each state's process varies, so I don't know if anyone will be able to speak specifically to North Dakota.

 

[pingouin]

So, am I correct in concluding that a masters degree in clinical psychology is more closely linked to a counseling degree then it is to a social work degree?

Mmm.. generally that's accurate but of course there may be exceptions.

 

[sunny10]

Thank you again for taking the effort to answer my questions. An LAPC license is a temporary license given to acquire the hours needed to become a LPC. This license can be obtained with a masters degree in counseling or a related field. Clinical psychology is a related field, but it depends on the courses taken. And since my degree is an international one it's even more complicated.
But we'll see, at least I'm starting to understand the whole system a little more.