What if I don't get licensed?

[earnadegree123]

Hi all,

So I have been increasingly realizing that I don't want to do clinical work right now. I am incredibly burned out, and I would like to spend some time exploring administrative, consulting, and/or programmatic avenues of use for my doctorate.

My question is. Is licensing really just for those who want to do clinical work? Would it offer me any benefit other than that, since I want to do something a bit more unconventional?

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[deleted343839]

Academic positions may require you to be licensed if you are providing clinical training. Otherwise, licensure is mainly for people who are providing direct services (assessment, therapy, clinical consultation, etc.). I think you can become licensed as an I/O psychologist in some states, but I don't think many people actually do this.

What you're experiencing right now is not uncommon. However, I would encourage you to become licensed even if you are aiming for a non-clinical career. The timeline for licensure in many states can be fairly rigid, and having an active license keeps your options open.

 

[PsyDr]

GET LICENSED. Even if you want to do something else.

1) You should avoid making decisions based upon emotions.

2) It's a low cost/higher reward scenario. You have easier access to post docs now. This will not be the case in 20 years. You went to school for 5-7 years. A year of supervision is nothing compared to that.

3) Some states require you to have a license to use the title. If you're pursuing something else, not being able to say "I'm a psychologist" would be limiting. How would you market yourself if you can't use the title? Cause that will be a problem with programmatic consulting. "He/she hasn't ever really seen patients, this is nonsense.".

4) Things change. You wanted to do clinical work at some point, it's possible that will come back.

5) Even in unconventional things, people want to know you've seen patients. That's why they hire you versus a math PhD, or an MBA. They see utility in someone who "has insight into the human mind". A license is a way to show that.

 

[calimich]

Just seconding others. Get Licensed!
It’s one of the pieces that really set apart our degree from other phds. Get the license.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile

 

[deleted1017236]

Hi all,

So I have been increasingly realizing that I don't want to do clinical work right now. I am incredibly burned out, and I would like to spend some time exploring administrative, consulting, and/or programmatic avenues of use for my doctorate.

My question is. Is licensing really just for those who want to do clinical work? Would it offer me any benefit other than that, since I want to do something a bit more unconventional?

Thanks!

Do you know Clinical PhDs in the industries you are looking into? If so, might be worth reaching out to see what they have to say about licensure. In the type of admin/research job I have, it's not necessary and folks who got it early career just dropped off with CE's eventually. I agree that getting licensed is the safer bet, though.

 

[psychlife19]

I am still a student so take my advice however you want but at least take the EPPP while the knowledge is fresh in your head!! I couldn’t imagine studying years after graduation and trying to get back into the study mindset.

 

[Ollie123]

As a hardcore researcher with very limited interest in direct patient care - get licensed.

Won't ever hurt. Not that hard to do now, but could become extremely complicated or impossible down the line.

If burnout is the issue, I might look for ways to change the setting/environment but still facilitate licensure. New patient population? Take an "administrative" post-doc and negotiate to see just enough patients to hit the minimum requirements for your state?

Not all states require F2F hours or traditional clinical work for licensure. Look to move there?

 

[erg923]

If you don't get licensed, you won't be able to become competitive for most any position that in anyway uses/values your clinical doctorate.

I think what you really mean is..."I don't want to stay licensed, because I do not want or plan on having a clinical service oriented job." That's a whole different thing, and certainly applies to many people who slowly might move into business, I/O, Tech, or managed care operations. Unless you want to teach high school, drive a cab, become a statistician, or start a restaurant...this is NOT good idea.

 

[ClinicalABA]

I worked for ~8 years after graduation without being licensed. My work was either consultative and funded by sources that did not require licensure, or it was in admin/senior clinical positions that did not require it. It worked for awhile, but I was certainly less competitive for other positions and had less options for leaving and getting new positions. I also could not directly supervise interns and post-docs. As others have mentioned, it was also weird to not be able to call myself s "psychologist" and to have to correct people who did. I'm now licensed in multiple states, have much greater job flexibility and variability, get paid more, and have A LOT more options if the current gig doesn't work out. Get your license now, and you can still do everything you want to do, you'll just be more marketable and probably get paid more to do it.


I know people say the sooner you take the EPPP after grad school them more likely you are to remember stuff. Most of the stuff on the EPPP not related to your specific work would've been from class in your earlier years of grad school (or at least from a few years ago, assuming pre- and post-doctoral clinical work. Is there really that big a difference between what you remember after 3 years vs. 5 years? You should just study the test prep stuff to proficiency anyways, and I'm not sure doing so a few more years after grad school makes it much harder, if at all.

 

[Ollie123]

I think its much more about the convenience of entering a pseudo-training position right out of internship to get hours for licensure versus the EPPP. I wouldn't want to step back to making 45k as a post-doc 15 years later just to get supervision hours.

The EPPP is a minor annoyance. You'll have to study no matter what (hurray for obscure japanese therapy modalities that have like 3 published articles on them!), but its not difficult. If you are a remotely decent test taker and invested, I'm reasonably confident you could pass pretty readily without ever going to grad school.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Always get licensed.....somewhere. You want to have it on record and have met the requirements. Let it lapse of you want, but it's always easier to renew or apply to a new state when you are already licensed.

 

[Sanman]

To add to all the previous advice, get licensed! Others have given a multitude of reasons. I will throw one more on the pile:

If you go through the trouble of getting licensed now, the clock starts. Many states have laws that limit paperwork later for senior licensed psychologists (10 yrs or more) to get licensed in a new state. If you go to do it in the future, good luck getting proof you are able to be licensed after supervisors have moved on and no one knows who you are. Collect your paperwork now and get it out of the way. Even if you choose not to pursue post-doc, take the EPPP and get licensed somewhere that doesn't require post-doc hours.

 

[GradStudent2020]

Where are you in your training? What can you do to address burnout without potentially shutting doors you may later realize would be better left open?

I get burned out when my caseload is mostly therapy and limited assessment. When I do full-time assessment and/or teaching I don’t feel the same way. I have also found that certain populations drain me faster. My preferred populations are very different than my colleagues.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

One of the advantages of being licensed is that you will get a lot of advertisements for CEs. In my current state it’s rather hilarious (and very disappointing).

 

[earnadegree123]

Thank you for the advice everyone. Those are a lot of excellent points. If I've made it this far, I'm sure I can finish. I'm actually mid-way through my postdoc year, but things have not been a particularly good fit so far. I am pretty miserable and I have not yet taken the EPPP. The idea of studying for the EPPP and staying where I am for another half a year fills me with more dread that I can adequately articulate. Hence the post.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Most of us have been there, so your experience is definitely not odd nor unexpected. Try to do your best to identify support (if possible) and try and push through. I tried to reward myself along the way w little things....massages, taking a couple days off to visit friends, etc. Best of luck.