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nikki786

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Hello everyone. I was thinking of doing my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Do you guys think this is a good option? So far I am looking into two schools that offer online programs and are also CACREP accredited: Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and Hodges University in Naples, Florida. The only thing that I found weird about Lamar is that they kept calling me because I had inquired once and they kept calling me when I wouldn't answer. Both schools do not require the GRE which is really good for me because I can apply now and start in the Fall. Please let me know what you guys think of the degree and of these universities. I will really appreciate it. Thanks. (PS: I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston).

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Hello everyone. I was thinking of doing my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Do you guys think this is a good option? So far I am looking into two schools that offer online programs and are also CACREP accredited: Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas and Hodges University in Naples, Florida. The only thing that I found weird about Lamar is that they kept calling me because I had inquired once and they kept calling me when I wouldn't answer. Both schools do not require the GRE which is really good for me because I can apply now and start in the Fall. Please let me know what you guys think of the degree and of these universities. I will really appreciate it. Thanks. (PS: I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Houston).
 
I have this degree and I cannot find a job in the field. It was a waste of money. Better off in a PhD program.
 
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So what are your plans now since you can't find a job? (If you don't mind me asking?)
 
So what are your plans now since you can't find a job? (If you don't mind me asking?)
Well after three years post graduation I am struggling to get my clinical hours. If I ever get my LCPC I think I'll work for an insurance company. I have been working as a tutor at a college to pay the bills. The other graduates from my program aren't employed in the field either. There simply are too many graduates for too few jobs and as a result the wages are also VERY low. If you do a PhD you can teach and do research as well as administer psychological testing for prisons companies and the military.
 
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@cybertsiren this is really sad to know because I was actually very excited to get my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I thought that I finally found something that I am passionate about. Well I do want to get PhD in the long run but I don't think I will be able to get into a PhD program at this point. My undergrad GPA is 2.9 and the last 60 hours is 3.1. My plan was to do really good in grad school (Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling) and get all A's and then apply to PhD programs.
 
Honestly, if I wasn't willing to go for the PhD but still wanted to do mental health counseling work, probably a social work degree of some sort. Much more portability and flexibility than the MHC type stuff.
 
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Honestly, if I wasn't willing to go for the PhD but still wanted to do mental health counseling work, probably a social work degree of some sort. Much more portability and flexibility than the MHC type stuff.

@WisNeuro I have thought about Social Work but a Social Worker at the hospital that I work at said that if you want to be poor then become a Social Worker :/
There is a Psych Response Team at the hospital that I work at and they have their Master's degrees. I initially wanted to work with them after I got my MHC degree.
 
@WisNeuro I have thought about Social Work but a Social Worker at the hospital that I work at said that if you want to be poor then become a Social Worker :/
There is a Psych Response Team at the hospital that I work at and they have their Master's degrees. I initially wanted to work with them after I got my MHC degree.


At least in the areas that I've worked at, social workers make just as much as masters level counselors, or more, as in the VA system. I guess it just depends on what poor means to you. Neither career average comes close to what you can do with a PhD, but that carries a lot more time and sacrifice.
 
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At least in the areas that I've worked at, social workers make just as much as masters level counselors, or more, as in the VA system. I guess it just depends on what poor means to you. Neither career average comes close to what you can do with a PhD, but that carries a lot more time and sacrifice.

Hmm, maybe I can do social work as a stepping stone to a PhD in psychology program and make my GPA better? What other suggestions do you have for a person with a 2.9 GPA?
 
The 2.9 is a barrier, but not totally insurmountable. You'd need some kind of masters program where you do exceptionally well grade-wise, as well as do very well on the GRE. For PhD programs, as well as reputable PsyDs, you'll also need some research experience.

*DOCTORAL APPLICANTS READ FIRST* Helpful Threads

This thread is a good place to start.
 
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@WisNeuro I have thought about Social Work but a Social Worker at the hospital that I work at said that if you want to be poor then become a Social Worker :/
There is a Psych Response Team at the hospital that I work at and they have their Master's degrees. I initially wanted to work with them after I got my MHC degree.
Just because she said that about social work doesn't mean it isn't also true for the psych response team at your hospital. Also as WisNeuro said, the social workers I know tend to make on par with master's level counseling, and sometimes more, depending on the position/where they work. Take a look at Find Occupations if you want to find some info on average salaries. If I were in your boat I would probably go the LCSW route.
 
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Just because she said that about social work doesn't mean it isn't also true for the psych response team at your hospital. Also as WisNeuro said, the social workers I know tend to make on par with master's level counseling, and sometimes more, depending on the position/where they work. Take a look at Find Occupations if you want to find some info on average salaries. If I were in your boat I would probably go the LCSW route.

Thanks singasongofjoy. I will be sure to check that website out. I have always wanted to work with inmates in jail so maybe this is a route I can go with.
 
Hmm, maybe I can do social work as a stepping stone to a PhD in psychology program and make my GPA better? What other suggestions do you have for a person with a 2.9 GPA?
Just so you know a PhD in psychology REQUIRES a Master's in psychology which requires a bachelor's in psychology. So if you're going for the PhD you'll have to start over for the PhD. I may get a PhD in counseling only because I have no job in the field and I tutor at a college where I could at least be an adjunct with the PhD.
 
Just so you know a PhD in psychology REQUIRES a Master's in psychology which requires a bachelor's in psychology. So if you're going for the PhD you'll have to start over for the PhD. I may get a PhD in counseling only because I have no job in the field and I tutor at a college where I could at least be an adjunct with the PhD.
Not true. There were people in my doctoral program from other disciplines. It's more about the experience than the degree. also, many people go straight from undergrad into a doctoral program, so a separate masters program is not required. You get a masters on the way to the phd/psyd but it's just part of the process, not something you do before applying for a doctoral program. I know people who had both undergrad and masters degrees that were not specifically in psych who then went on to doctoral programs.
 
Just so you know a PhD in psychology REQUIRES a Master's in psychology which requires a bachelor's in psychology. So if you're going for the PhD you'll have to start over for the PhD. I may get a PhD in counseling only because I have no job in the field and I tutor at a college where I could at least be an adjunct with the PhD.

Wrong.
 
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Please tell me of a clinical psychology doctoral program that accepts people without a psychology undergrad as I would definitely apply instead of the program I'm looking at now. Thanks!
 
Not true. There were people in my doctoral program from other disciplines. It's more about the experience than the degree. also, many people go straight from undergrad into a doctoral program, so a separate masters program is not required. You get a masters on the way to the phd/psyd but it's just part of the process, not something you do before applying for a doctoral program. I know people who had both undergrad and masters degrees that were not specifically in psych who then went on to doctoral programs.
 
Please tell me of a clinical psychology doctoral program that accepts people without a psychology undergrad as I would definitely apply instead of the program I'm looking at now. Thanks!

All of them. None require a BA/BS in "psychology."

That said, of course there are some courses that are prerequisites for graduate-level work in the area.
 
Is it a clinical psychologist program, a PSYD or a counseling doctorate? I have not found a clinical psychologist program that takes people without previous psych study.
 
[QUOTE="erg923, post: 19192350, I was just looking at UIC's programs in clinical psychology and I could have sworn it said a ba eas required.
 
Is it a clinical psychologist program, a PSYD or a counseling doctorate? I have not found a clinical psychologist program that takes people without previous psych study.

I have a phd in clinical psychology. My bachelors degree in in chemical engineering. I did have a lot of psych courses in college though.
 
Is it a clinical psychologist program, a PSYD or a counseling doctorate? I have not found a clinical psychologist program that takes people without previous psych study.
Previous psych study is different than having a degree in psych. As erg said above, there are cases where folks have a BA/BS in something else but have also taken some psych courses here and there along the way. I attended a clinical PhD program.
 
For the OP - FWIW in my area, unlike cybersiren, LPCs don't seem to have difficulty finding jobs, including graduates from a similar brick-and-mortar program (I think the title is a little different than clinical mental health counseling, but similar). So the market isn't the same everywhere I suppose; wishing the best of luck to you @cybertsiren . The trickiest part is probably getting the supervised hours post-graduation while continuing to pay the bills, since most places want you able to bill insurance from the get-go, which you can't do if you don't have the supervised hours. But of the several folks I know who went the LPC route... I think the LCSWs I know probably make more on average (though that depends on the work setting to a large degree; I know more social workers that work in hospitals than I do out in the community at large).
 
I'm just beginning my journey but my best friend just graduated with her Masters in Psychology through Walden University (online) in August 2017. She has a full time job making $45k starting. She just got her license last week and they bumped it up to $50k. She also has another job offer matching that plus she can make more if she takes more clients. So you can get a job. I guess it depends on where you work. She has to do her hours of supervision which will take a few years then she plans on either going out on her own or the place where she did her internship wants her to work with them.

So it is possible.
 
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For the love of all that is holy, no one coming upon this thread make the mistake of going into Lamar's counseling program. The level of ineptitude cannot be conveyed. I wouldn't be at all surprised if they simply outright lose their currently provisional CACREP accreditation when it hits the two-year expiration point in October of this year. This program is beyond a joke, and if the CACREP liaisons find out how these 'classes' are actually being implemented, and just how little teaching and learning is happening, they're sure to lose the CACREP stamp. I know it's cheap - that's why many of us who have subsequently run screaming from the place chose it - but it's not worth the savings.

The TX Board of Regents has finally taken an interest, after a journalistic scoop revealed that of hundreds of graduates over the past three years in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, only FOUR have succeeded in securing an LPC license. Dear lord, the stories I could tell...
 
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