So I think that some of the stuff on here has really confused me. I am going to be done with my LMHC master's at the end of next year and I am already thinking about where and what to apply afterwards (since it will be a busy time for me with comps and licensure to worry about).
Already in my 2nd year, I have never even heard of a difference b/w counseling phD and counseling psych phD so I quickly ran to my school's website to make sure mine is a counseling psych PhD since I don't want the crummier sounding PhD. But honestly, I have never heard of JUST counseling PhD's. Aren't they all Counseling Psych PhD's?
Both Counseling PhD's and Counseling Psych PhD's can be in either/or Departments of Education and Departments of Psychology. I am guessing that is why some of the PhD's are referred to as just Counseling PhD's because they may be in the Dept of Education. However... my program in particular is through the Dept of Ed and I am doing the Master's now... but lo and behold, it is in fact a Counseling Psychology PhD.
And Counseling Psychologists can have the choice whether they want to do the Master's first or as a whole. At my school, they only accept very few for the PhD without a Master's first. (My school picked only 2 out-of-staters compared to the approximate 30 accepted in the Master's program).
Now about the licensure and what getting a PhD means for you beyond that. I am not 100% sure about it all, but I do know that in order to become a licensed LMHC you need many hours of supervised hours working clinically with clients first. So if you don't do this before you start your PhD (meaning a 2-5 year break between) then you won't get that licensure, but instead will just get the APA accredited PhD title.
Now the difference between Counseling and Clinical Psych is much harder. I have talked to endless students in both programs since I work with the Dept of Psych here in Miami but go to school for MHC in the Dept of Ed and the differences can be a bit fuzzier. I do know someone who has actually done both, so from what I understand to be correct, here goes:
Counseling psych phD's can be either research or clinical based the same way Clinical psych PhD's are. However, from all the different online research I've done for Counseling psych PhD's and being in the LMHC program, it seems that Clinical Psych programs are slightly more oriented or capable of working with harsher, more abnormal populations (if they want to). Now they don't have to, and this doesn't mean Counseling psych's cant (because i definitely want to) but it seems like clinical psych PhD's are more focused on diagnosing and treating (when working with clients) than Counseling psych phD's, which are more focused on helping the client's community and providing a better lifestyle for them.
The difference is very slight to me. I have worked with many of the counseling psych PhD's in my master's classes and one of them told me that it is basically just a different means to an end. You pretty much can end up doing the same thing, if that's what you want. If you want Research, either will do. If you want to work with clients, either will do.
But for some reason, I see the Clinical Psych PhD's a little more intense overall. Maybe because here they are harder to get into and the Counseling Psych program is a fairly new thing too. That's why I am going to probably apply to both, and will have to weigh whether I want to do another Master's in Psychology for the Clinical Psych PhD and whether that is even worth it.
The Master's program is oriented in 3 ways here: Mental Health, Marriage & Family, and Research. In my classes, we pretty much learn about how to be "Therapists." And at my work, the LMHC are considered therapists too. I hope this helps!
