While getting PhD in clinical psychology, does research need to be in clinical psych or could it be in nonverbal behavior studies?

[Midoritori2018]

I am currently getting my masters in linguistics but most of my research straddles psychology and linguistics and most of my reading pulls from psychology journals.

If I go for a PhD in clinical psychology, I am looking for a program that is equal weight in research and becoming a clinical psychologist. But, does my research have to be in clinical psychology? Or can I do research in another area, such as nonverbal behavior, while still studying how to become a clinical psychologist? I have no idea how this all works.

Thanks so much

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[PsyDr]

You'll be acting as free labor to one of the psychologist faculty. That is one of the primary motivations for accepting a student. Presenting yourself as someone who will not contribute to the psychology faculty's research is basically a cue for faculty to throw your application in the trash.

 

[Midoritori2018]

You'll be acting as free labor to one of the psychologist faculty. That is one of the primary motivations for accepting a student. Presenting yourself as someone who will not contribute to the psychology faculty's research is basically a cue for faculty to throw your application in the trash.

Good to know! Thanks

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Your research and dissertation will need to be somehow related to the content area of your degree, and likely to that of the advisor who accepts you as a student. Most funded PhD programs work on a mentorship model, which often means you'll be accepted by, and into the lab of, a specific professor. The research you do will almost always at least start with her/him, even if it's just that they approve you doing a side project with another professor.

But no, what research you do while in graduate school doesn't have to dictate what you'll do for the entirety of your career. However, grad school provides the prime opportunity to obtain training in research methods, such as those related to what you ultimately want to research in your career.

Also, there are clinical psychologists who research various aspects of nonverbal behavior, given the breadth of that topic.

 

[Midoritori2018]

Your research and dissertation will need to be somehow related to the content area of your degree, and likely to that of the advisor who accepts you as a student. Most funded PhD programs work on a mentorship model, which often means you'll be accepted by, and into the lab of, a specific professor. The research you do will almost always at least start with her/him, even if it's just that they approve you doing a side project with another professor.

But no, what research you do while in graduate school doesn't have to dictate what you'll do for the entirety of your career. However, grad school provides the prime opportunity to obtain training in research methods, such as those related to what you ultimately want to research in your career.

Also, there are clinical psychologists who research various aspects of nonverbal behavior, given the breadth of that topic.

great, thanks so much.