MA/MS Work at Home Mom Wanting To Get Masters To Get Liscensed

[PsychSavvy13]

Hello, I am new to this forum, so a little background on me....

I have always been ambitious and driven, and have a love of learning. I am married, we bouhgt our first house this past fedbruary, and we have a 2.5 year old. My husband is a BMW tech and works long hours (leaves 6:30am communtes 40 min and comes home between 6-7pm). In August they are most likely sending him to an apprentice program that he would commute even longer to until December. He just got a raise, which is a huge help.

I always swore to myself that I wouldn't be a stay at home mom who has no career. I just can't do it. I can't. I do own my own business and work from home, but it's nothing that could cover bills, it's very part time because I can't run a full business and watch our son all day. So I see clients on the weekend when my husband is home.

I graduated John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a BA in Forensic Psychology. I LOVE that specialty.

In an ideal world it would be amazing to be a forensic psychologist, though given my situation I do worry about ever achieving that level of professional success.

I interned at a DV/SC center and enjoyed the work though wanted more. At my time there they mentioned other programs and companies and resources for offenders, sex offenders and dv abuser programs, and those programs peaked my interest. At the time I had to give up my internship because I couldn't keep childcare and finish my bachelors.

Now, my son is 2.5 years old, I can afford daycare for 2 days per week with my mom watching him 1 day a week, so that free's up 3 days a week for me.

I want my masters, badly. But we cannot relocate because we have a mortgage and a minimum of a year commitment in this house, and financially it wouldn't be wise either to relocate right now plus my husbands promotion keeps us in CT.

I applied to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for their online Masters in Forensic Psychology, Liscensure Track, although the reviews about the school have me feeling jumpy.

I didn't take the GRE's given I am a work at home/stay at home mom and wasn't even sure if I would be able to go to grad school.

Are there any other online masters programs for liscensure I should be looking into???

I would love to be able to one day work with police in community relations, helping educate with teaching workshops, counselor available to police and their family and victims, etc.

I also wondered about what it would be like to work in a prison... not sure if it's a right fit for me, but I am open in terms of what route I go as I want to explore my different areas of interest to figure out career wise what I like and what I can do with a Masters for a while.

End goal is to get my PsyD if possible.

Any help, suggestions, would be super appreciated!

In case financial info helps, it would be great to go to a school more affordable than over the top expensive as I'll be needing financial aid and loans to pay for the Masters

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!

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[R. Matey]

I want my masters, badly. But we cannot relocate because we have a mortgage and a minimum of a year commitment in this house, and financially it wouldn't be wise either to relocate right now plus my husbands promotion keeps us in CT.

Are there brick and mortar schools near you that do part time? I think you'll find that most of us on this board come down pretty hard against solely online education. The trouble with it is that direct service is a learned skill that has to be supervised with someone with training in supervision. Online programs rely on the practicum supervisors to do the skills training for them who are usually not specifically trained in supervising students.

I applied to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for their online Masters in Forensic Psychology, Liscensure Track, although the reviews about the school have me feeling jumpy.

This is a scam. Don't do it. Only mental health counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy master's degrees have professional associations and are licensable degrees.

I also wondered about what it would be like to work in a prison... not sure if it's a right fit for me, but I am open in terms of what route I go as I want to explore my different areas of interest to figure out career wise what I like and what I can do with a Masters for a while.

You don't need a Psy.D. to work in a prison, you can do all of this with a master's with the caveat that it might be more competitive for you depending on where you live. A Psy.D. program will likely mean moving at least once for internship or postdoc. If you can't move and just want to do direct service, you're better off with a master's degree.

 

[PsychSavvy13]

Are there brick and mortar schools near you that do part time? I think you'll find that most of us on this board come down pretty hard against solely online education. The trouble with it is that direct service is a learned skill that has to be supervised with someone with training in supervision. Online programs rely on the practicum supervisors to do the skills training for them who are usually not specifically trained in supervising students.



This is a scam. Don't do it. Only mental health counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy master's degrees have professional associations and are licensable degrees.



You don't need a Psy.D. to work in a prison, you can do all of this with a master's with the caveat that it might be more competitive for you depending on where you live. A Psy.D. program will likely mean moving at least once for internship or postdoc. If you can't move and just want to do direct service, you're better off with a master's degree.

Thanks! I actually contacted the accrediting agencies to confirm whether Chicago school was accredited and yeah that program I was interested wasn't accredited. Though I just got the confirmation I got the max financial aid for this year, so I hope when applying to others schools I can get that too.

I have 2 schools near me actually I found that don't need the GRE's! Both have MAs in Marriage and Family Therapy, which is also an area of interest.... and I feel a BA in Forensic Psychology, MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a PsyD would be good. Though if I don't need a Psy.D. as you said Clinical Mental Health Counseling would probably be the way I go.

Fairfield University is about 40 minutes from me, which many therapists in the area have a degree from, and it has both Clinical and Marital degress and offers classes in the evenings (though I feel that will be a bit hard given the distance and night classes adn driving at night)

And Central State Univeristy of Connecticut has an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, which has a weekend track option available and evening track option available so I think I will be applying to both those schools for not this fall as I am honestly too time crunched and overwhelmed but maybe for the spring in 2021.... Also Central State I have to complete 3 pre-req classes and pass to even be considered for a degree candidate so that makes me a bit nervous

Thank you so much for your help! Plus Fairfield U is at least 25k more affordable than The Chicago school.

 

[PsyDuck90]

How far of a commute is it for you to get to John Jay? They have a license eligible Forensic Mental Health Counseling MA.

 

[deleted343839]

I always swore to myself that I wouldn't be a stay at home mom who has no career. I just can't do it. I can't.

I want my masters, badly. But we cannot relocate because we have a mortgage and a minimum of a year commitment in this house, and financially it wouldn't be wise either to relocate right now plus my husbands promotion keeps us in CT.

You've got the itch, and that's understandable. But I would encourage you to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. There's no rush. If you need to adjust or wait out aspects of your situation at home to be able to attend a higher quality program, it's probably better that you do. It's better to take your time and do it right.

Whatever you do, don't do online-only - that's an expensive degree that will close a lot of doors for you in a field that is already competitive.

 

[Forsakensam]

Hello, I am new to this forum, so a little background on me....

I have always been ambitious and driven, and have a love of learning. I am married, we bouhgt our first house this past fedbruary, and we have a 2.5 year old. My husband is a BMW tech and works long hours (leaves 6:30am communtes 40 min and comes home between 6-7pm). In August they are most likely sending him to an apprentice program that he would commute even longer to until December. He just got a raise, which is a huge help.

I always swore to myself that I wouldn't be a stay at home mom who has no career. I just can't do it. I can't. I do own my own business and work from home, but it's nothing that could cover bills, it's very part time because I can't run a full business and watch our son all day. So I see clients on the weekend when my husband is home.

I graduated John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a BA in Forensic Psychology. I LOVE that specialty.

In an ideal world it would be amazing to be a forensic psychologist, though given my situation I do worry about ever achieving that level of professional success.

I interned at a DV/SC center and enjoyed the work though wanted more. At my time there they mentioned other programs and companies and resources for offenders, sex offenders and dv abuser programs, and those programs peaked my interest. At the time I had to give up my internship because I couldn't keep childcare and finish my bachelors.

Now, my son is 2.5 years old, I can afford daycare for 2 days per week with my mom watching him 1 day a week, so that free's up 3 days a week for me.

I want my masters, badly. But we cannot relocate because we have a mortgage and a minimum of a year commitment in this house, and financially it wouldn't be wise either to relocate right now plus my husbands promotion keeps us in CT.

I applied to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for their online Masters in Forensic Psychology, Liscensure Track, although the reviews about the school have me feeling jumpy.

I didn't take the GRE's given I am a work at home/stay at home mom and wasn't even sure if I would be able to go to grad school.

Are there any other online masters programs for liscensure I should be looking into???

I would love to be able to one day work with police in community relations, helping educate with teaching workshops, counselor available to police and their family and victims, etc.

I also wondered about what it would be like to work in a prison... not sure if it's a right fit for me, but I am open in terms of what route I go as I want to explore my different areas of interest to figure out career wise what I like and what I can do with a Masters for a while.

End goal is to get my PsyD if possible.

Any help, suggestions, would be super appreciated!

In case financial info helps, it would be great to go to a school more affordable than over the top expensive as I'll be needing financial aid and loans to pay for the Masters

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!

I got my MSW online and I haven’t had any problems finding jobs. I was able to work full time while attending school. Many state schools have online programs. I do not feel any less competent than those that went in person. I also have worked with MFTs that went to for profit schools and I don’t see any gaps in their knowledge. I wouldn’t personally go to a for profit school but each person has to make their own decision based on their circumstances.

 

[R. Matey]

I got my MSW online and I haven’t had any problems finding jobs. I was able to work full time while attending school. Many state schools have online programs. I do not feel any less competent than those that went in person. I also have worked with MFTs that went to for profit schools and I don’t see any gaps in their knowledge. I wouldn’t personally go to a for profit school but each person has to make their own decision based on their circumstances.

People also have a right to access a quality and affordable education. Barring the expense of these types of programs which itself is a sunk cost for graduates, the trouble with online education in psychotherapy is that your skills evaluators are your practicum supervisors and usually have very little to no training in supervision or evaluating your skills. Because there are few structured post-master’s training experiences, you are essentially left with their appraisals as the “final words” on your psychotherapy skill set unless you take it upon yourself to seek out structured training, which is costly. Psychotherapy is something that needs to be seen done in person repeatedly in order to gain mastery. With these types of programs, you’re simply paying more for less.

Since we’re trading testimonials, I’ll add that I’ve supervised master’s students from online programs and have been incredibly disappointed in their clinical skills and they have been disappointed in their training. I’ve also had colleagues in my own career as a master’s level clinician from online programs. Most, IME, are trained in supportive listening plus a very causal understanding of some psychotherapeutic systems. So, if that’s what you mean by “no gaps,” then sure, I guess we agree.

 

[Forsakensam]

People also have a right to access a quality and affordable education. Barring the expense of these types of programs which itself is a sunk cost for graduates, the trouble with online education in psychotherapy is that your skills evaluators are your practicum supervisors and usually have very little to no training in supervision or evaluating your skills. Because there are few structured post-master’s training experiences, you are essentially left with their appraisals as the “final words” on your psychotherapy skill set unless you take it upon yourself to seek out structured training, which is costly. Psychotherapy is something that needs to be seen done in person repeatedly in order to gain mastery. With these types of programs, you’re simply paying more for less.

Since we’re trading testimonials, I’ll add that I’ve supervised master’s students from online programs and have been incredibly disappointed in their clinical skills and they have been disappointed in their training. I’ve also had colleagues in my own career as a master’s level clinician from online programs. Most, IME, are trained in supportive listening plus a very causal understanding of some psychotherapeutic systems. So, if that’s what you mean by “no gaps,” then sure, I guess we agree.

I had to still get about 1000 hours of practicum experience that was supervised by an LCSW. We spent close to 2 hours a week going over my caseload. I also had weekly supervision from an RN and an LPCC. Not to mention the weekly zoom meeting with my field instructor. I do see a lot of new graduates being only capable of supportive listening but I see that with people that graduated from in person programs as well. It may be that my experience is limited because I have only worked in the non profit sector that services medical clients. Caseloads are large. As an intern I had 75 people but I had an ASW that was basically my peer specialist that did my leg work for me once I collaborated with a client on a treatment plan.

I am not saying that online education trumps in person. I am simply saying that the difference is small.

 

[Forsakensam]

Hello, I am new to this forum, so a little background on me....

I have always been ambitious and driven, and have a love of learning. I am married, we bouhgt our first house this past fedbruary, and we have a 2.5 year old. My husband is a BMW tech and works long hours (leaves 6:30am communtes 40 min and comes home between 6-7pm). In August they are most likely sending him to an apprentice program that he would commute even longer to until December. He just got a raise, which is a huge help.

I always swore to myself that I wouldn't be a stay at home mom who has no career. I just can't do it. I can't. I do own my own business and work from home, but it's nothing that could cover bills, it's very part time because I can't run a full business and watch our son all day. So I see clients on the weekend when my husband is home.

I graduated John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a BA in Forensic Psychology. I LOVE that specialty.

In an ideal world it would be amazing to be a forensic psychologist, though given my situation I do worry about ever achieving that level of professional success.

I interned at a DV/SC center and enjoyed the work though wanted more. At my time there they mentioned other programs and companies and resources for offenders, sex offenders and dv abuser programs, and those programs peaked my interest. At the time I had to give up my internship because I couldn't keep childcare and finish my bachelors.

Now, my son is 2.5 years old, I can afford daycare for 2 days per week with my mom watching him 1 day a week, so that free's up 3 days a week for me.

I want my masters, badly. But we cannot relocate because we have a mortgage and a minimum of a year commitment in this house, and financially it wouldn't be wise either to relocate right now plus my husbands promotion keeps us in CT.

I applied to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology for their online Masters in Forensic Psychology, Liscensure Track, although the reviews about the school have me feeling jumpy.

I didn't take the GRE's given I am a work at home/stay at home mom and wasn't even sure if I would be able to go to grad school.

Are there any other online masters programs for liscensure I should be looking into???

I would love to be able to one day work with police in community relations, helping educate with teaching workshops, counselor available to police and their family and victims, etc.

I also wondered about what it would be like to work in a prison... not sure if it's a right fit for me, but I am open in terms of what route I go as I want to explore my different areas of interest to figure out career wise what I like and what I can do with a Masters for a while.

End goal is to get my PsyD if possible.

Any help, suggestions, would be super appreciated!

In case financial info helps, it would be great to go to a school more affordable than over the top expensive as I'll be needing financial aid and loans to pay for the Masters

Thanks in advance for any helpful replies!

For MSW
ASU has an online program
NAU has an online program
Rutgers has an online program

 

[R. Matey]

I had to still get about 1000 hours of practicum experience that was supervised by an LCSW. We spent close to 2 hours a week going over my caseload. I also had weekly supervision from an RN and an LPCC. Not to mention the weekly zoom meeting with my field instructor. I do see a lot of new graduates being only capable of supportive listening but I see that with people that graduated from in person programs as well. It may be that my experience is limited because I have only worked in the non profit sector that services medical clients. Caseloads are large. As an intern I had 75 people but I had an ASW that was basically my peer specialist that did my leg work for me once I collaborated with a client on a treatment plan.

I am not saying that online education trumps in person. I am simply saying that the difference is small.

Sounds like you had a good placement. Hopefully, every person in your program receive this level of field supervision. By way of contrast, my master's supervision in my brick and mortar institution was two hours of small group supervision weekly where we showed tape and brought transcripts of our sessions for two years including summer session (I was in a three year program). In the field, I had both weekly individual and group supervision as well as live observation, and specific training in two modalities. My supervision was conducted by LPCs and psychologists. Even after all of that, I still felt pretty unqualified and sought out specific training for my post-master's licensure hours.

Your perspective is likely limited by your setting. Community centers will hire anyone to do those case management and skills training jobs and often they need people with master's degree for Medicaid billing. The tasks required for such work don't use the full range of skills that master's level providers are trained in so it would be hard to compare training in psychotherapy in such a setting. It's a generalization fallacy to hold your own experience up and claim it must be the same for all online programs everywhere. What's more likely true, is that the training is variable from one program to the next and even within programs depending on the practicum placements. That said, jobs are also more scare then providers, so the perception of an online program (even if you have a good field placement) likely harms your job prospects more than it helps.

For MSW
ASU has an online program
NAU has an online program
Rutgers has an online program

Beware of these. Prestigious universities often sell their brand name as a way to make passive income. They are not guaranteeing the quality of the educational experience.

 

[foreverbull]

I got my MSW online and I haven’t had any problems finding jobs. I was able to work full time while attending school. Many state schools have online programs. I do not feel any less competent than those that went in person. I also have worked with MFTs that went to for profit schools and I don’t see any gaps in their knowledge. I wouldn’t personally go to a for profit school but each person has to make their own decision based on their circumstances.

I’d be curious to see the numbers on how competitive online graduates are compared to their peers from brick-and-mortar institutions. I can’t speak for the field of social work, but in my area, many employers have a pool of far more reputable schools to choose from than online programs, so it could be a quick reason to toss out an application if you have a lot of applicants. Heck, even doctoral-level folks from APA-accredited programs face stiff competition for jobs in my area.

I’d also be cautious about interpreting confidence as competence to treat mental illness.

 

[Lukewarm Counselor]

I’d be curious to see the numbers on how competitive online graduates are compared to their peers from brick-and-mortar institutions. I can’t speak for the field of social work, but in my area, many employers have a pool of far more reputable schools to choose from than online programs, so it could be a quick reason to toss out an application if you have a lot of applicants.

Preface: This post is not a plug for online programs. But I've seen your past posts indicating curiosity in actual outcomes for these types of programs.

I cannot speak for other areas of the US, but in my region, Boise State University offers MSW in both in-person and online formats.

Social Work Online

View general information, admission requirements, contact information, and program deadlines for the Masters of Social Work Online program at Boise State.

www.boisestate.edu

I am unsure if the online version is CSWE accredited yet (I recall they were in the application phase a couple of years back), and if they published an outcomes report yet. But if not, we will have this information soon. It should prove interesting. While this program seems uniquely different than the professional programs, as it is associated with a B/M state U and this school has a very high reputation in this region for producing quality MSW's. (It is also about $30k cheaper than other private schools.)

It is my understanding this online program utilizes the very same practicum sites as its in-person counterparts. So, those here locally who wish to complete coursework online, are free to take part in this existing clinical training structure. I am unsure about out-of-state students, but I presume they must find their own local sites and get them approved, same as any other online program. (Or perhaps BSU limits applicant placement to regional applicants only, as it limits this program to just 10-12 seats per academic year.) But my bigger point is that education is indeed changing.

I can say that in my region, a person with an online diploma from BSU's SW program would almost certainly be considered more desirable for employment than others from local B/M schools, because of BSU's reputation. It's hard telling, though. The next few years should prove interesting. I see BSU's MSW program as a bit of an experiment worth watching as it plays out.

 

[LWDocD222]

Sounds like you had a good placement. Hopefully, every person in your program receive this level of field supervision. By way of contrast, my master's supervision in my brick and mortar institution was two hours of small group supervision weekly where we showed tape and brought transcripts of our sessions for two years including summer session (I was in a three year program). In the field, I had both weekly individual and group supervision as well as live observation, and specific training in two modalities. My supervision was conducted by LPCs and psychologists. Even after all of that, I still felt pretty unqualified and sought out specific training for my post-master's licensure hours.

Your perspective is likely limited by your setting. Community centers will hire anyone to do those case management and skills training jobs and often they need people with master's degree for Medicaid billing. The tasks required for such work don't use the full range of skills that master's level providers are trained in so it would be hard to compare training in psychotherapy in such a setting. It's a generalization fallacy to hold your own experience up and claim it must be the same for all online programs everywhere. What's more likely true, is that the training is variable from one program to the next and even within programs depending on the practicum placements. That said, jobs are also more scare then providers, so the perception of an online program (even if you have a good field placement) likely harms your job prospects more than it helps.



Beware of these. Prestigious universities often sell their brand name as a way to make passive income. They are not guaranteeing the quality of the educational experience.

 

[LWDocD222]

What makes you think that “prestigious” colleges don’t provide the same education online as they would in person? From what I have seen, they use the same curriculum and professors. Im not sure why you think its not quality just because its not in person.

 

[R. Matey]

What makes you think that “prestigious” colleges don’t provide the same education online as they would in person? From what I have seen, they use the same curriculum and professors. Im not sure why you think its not quality just because its not in person.

the trouble with online education in psychotherapy is that your skills evaluators are your practicum supervisors and usually have very little to no training in supervision or evaluating your skills.

Are there brick and mortar schools near you that do part time? I think you'll find that most of us on this board come down pretty hard against solely online education. The trouble with it is that direct service is a learned skill that has to be supervised with someone with training in supervision. Online programs rely on the practicum supervisors to do the skills training for them who are usually not specifically trained in supervising students.

Try reading before reacting

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

You've got the itch, and that's understandable. But I would encourage you to take a step back and consider the bigger picture. There's no rush. If you need to adjust or wait out aspects of your situation at home to be able to attend a higher quality program, it's probably better that you do. It's better to take your time and do it right.

Whatever you do, don't do online-only - that's an expensive degree that will close a lot of doors for you in a field that is already competitive.

Mama is an SDN OG and this is wonderful advice.

 

[LWDocD222]

Try reading before reacting

I did. Unless you have researched every single program out there this is just hyperbole.

Try reading before reacting

yeah, unless you have literally confirmed this is the case for every program, your statement is hyperbole.

 

[R. Matey]

yeah, unless you have literally confirmed this is the case for every program, your statement is hyperbole.

Feel free to offer your experience, but I'm speaking of the modal program. You'd be more helpful to your cause by offering a credible counterargument rather than simply calling mine names. In logic, that's referred to as an appeal to the stone. Further, it's often unnecessary to examine every case to make a claim about a population. That's how statistics work.

 

[summerbabe]

What makes you think that “prestigious” colleges don’t provide the same education online as they would in person? From what I have seen, they use the same curriculum and professors. Im not sure why you think its not quality just because its not in person.

You're right that the curriculum is likely very similar and there probably isn't a significant difference between learning social psych in person versus online.

But counseling itself is an activity that requires physical infrastructure such as a university-run training clinic where your counseling sessions can be live observed or audio/video recorded and then receive specific feedback on. Look at med school. There's only 2 years of classroom learning to gain your foundational knowledge and the rest is 100% hands-on training.

There's no amount of books or classes that can prepare you to be a competent counselor without this practicum and supervision component because you won't even know what you don't know until you start to practice and then receive feedback and guidance on how to take corrective steps.

And any online program claiming to provide the same level of education and training as a reputable brick and mortar is doing a disservice to the field IMO.

 

[foreverbull]

One red flag for me regarding online programs is how easy it is to get into most of them compared to brick and mortar schools. That means there’s no interest in gatekeeping for the field or quality control of applicants (ie they let in people who shouldn’t be therapists). Generally speaking, that is. Graduate school is not meant to be easy to get into or easy to complete. Graduate school is supposed to be for those who have the intellect, skills, and abilities to thrive under pressure and become competent practitioners who will practice ethically and skillfully. There’s a reason folks in this thread keep saying to steer clear of online programs—many reasons, actually.

 

[R. Matey]

But counseling itself is an activity that requires physical infrastructure such as a university-run training clinic where your counseling sessions can be live observed or audio/video recorded and then receive specific feedback on. Look at med school. There's only 2 years of classroom learning to gain your foundational knowledge and the rest is 100% hands-on training.

Idk how many brick and mortar programs have university clinics at the master's level. I've practiced in several states as a mental health counselor prior to and while becoming a psychologist and I never saw one. Doesn't mean they don't exist, but I wonder how common they are. It's also worth anticipating the counterargument that live supervision could be accomplished online and tapes can always be reviewed asynchronously. We did that during my internship year due to COVID-19. However, are there things being missed because it's online? I agree with you there are. Using your analogy, I would feel more comfortable if the surgeon performing my appendectomy had some in-person training rather than watching someone else do it online. If we're to drop the metaphor, psychotherapy is ultimately a relational endeavor and anyone who says that people interact on the phone or on video the same way they do in person clearly needs a life.

@foreverbull is also right in saying that online programs regardless usually lack rigorous admissions standards. It's also my experience while working at the master's level that many folks who attended online programs had very little training in evidenced based practices and had very poor quality supervision experiences because students are effectively treated as cheap labor. If an online program is admitting large class sizes to be profitable, they likely are unable to guarantee a good supervision experience for the majority of their trainees. In psychology, it's more common to have a supervision course and/or supervision of supervision built into the doctoral curriculum. There is no such requirements in CACREP-accredited master's programs. CACREP standards suggest that site supervisors should have "training in supervision" but exactly what constitutes training is very murky.

Moral of the story to the OP is to stay away. An online program is more likely to be predatory and offer a subpar training experience. You might get lucky and get a good site supervisor, but I wouldn't hedge my bets on being the exception to the rule.