PhD/PsyD Would getting a therapist license be beneficial if I plan on becoming a Psychologist?

[Mr. Anthony]

Hi folks, I'm in a bit of dilemma and I'd appreciate any and all of your opinions.

I'd like to become a child/youth psychologist and have been waitlisted at a PsyD and PhD program for school psychology, which is where my interests lie.

I also applied to several Masters programs in school psychology in case I did not get directly into a doctoral program, and have gotten into 2 of them. While I am waiting to hear back from my PsyD/PhD schools still, I am facing the reality that I will not get into either of them and will have to choose one of the two Masters programs, which I am OK with. They both have pros and cons, and here is where my dilemma lies.

The 1st masters program in school psychology I am considering has a mental health focus, which I like, while also offering an LPCC emphasis (and license), but this requires more units to be completed (money), and an extensive amount of additional counseling hours. I also like the area and the county that the school is in.

The 2nd school psychology Masters program I was accepted to does not have the LPCC option, but is more focused on leadership. The quality of this program is also slightly better to me than the first one, and my gut is leaning towards this one between the two based solely upon the school psychology program itself.

Financially, they are both about the same. I may be paying slightly more for the LPCC school psychology program, but not much. They will both be expensive, but not exorbitantly so. Reputation wise, the 2nd school is slightly better.

However... would it be in my best interest to go the first program and get the LPCC in addition to my School Psychology credential, knowing that I will be continuing on to get my PsyD/PhD? Would getting this LPCC license in clinical therapy be beneficial towards my future career as a child psychologist, as well as getting into a PhD/PsyD program down the road? Or is this just a waste of time and money? Would it make me more more marketable or attractive towards future doctoral programs, employers, and/or clients one day?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[wtfook]

... would it be in my best interest to go the first program and get the LPCC in addition to my School Psychology credential, knowing that I will be continuing on to get my PsyD/PhD? Would getting this LPCC license in clinical therapy be beneficial towards my future career as a child psychologist, as well as getting into a PhD/PsyD program down the road? Or is this just a waste of time and money? Would it make me more more marketable or attractive towards future doctoral programs, employers, and/or clients one day?

Short answer? Probably not. Are the doctoral programs you're applying to school psychology doctoral programs? Because a master's in school psychology would be miles more relevant if that was the case. However, if they are clinical psychology programs, it'd be more beneficial to get a clinical mental health counseling master's as that ties in more directly with that field, but generally you just shouldn't bother at all if you're going the clinical psych route. Counseling psych programs are more flexible.

Overall, if your ultimate goal is to go to a doctorate program, you should nix the master's program all together and get more research experience. You can apply for RA jobs (they are usually a requirement of 1-2 years) and use that opportunity to get more research experience and publish and present. Clinical programs especially would see that as MUCH more attractive than a clinical master's in counseling. There are some benefits to a master's if the program allows you to a) write a thesis or b) do research within the school that will allow you to present or publish. AGAIN, notice the emphasis on this option providing you with research experience. However, it'd be a pretty expensive way to get that research experience.

Clients honestly wont really know the difference. Most clinicians in outpatient clinics are master's level and the market is full of both doctoral level and master's level private practice clinicians. Clients will likely go to the person in their area who is on their insurance. Having an LPC licensure along with your psychology licensure might make you appealing to employers because you can then supervise both LPC and PhD level candidates. However, it's a lot work for a niche position when you could do a lot with either degree on their own.

TL;DR: A master's is a pretty expensive option on route to a PhD, especially with other options available that will make you more attractive. With that said, I got a master's before my PhD. If your reasons are like mine, perhaps it'll make sense for you. I was 4 years out of undergrad in a completely different field and so needed to gather more recent experience for doctoral programs in order to make myself competitive. I chose a mental health counseling master's so that if I don't get into a PhD program, I'll have a terminal degree I can practice with (you can't do this with a clinical psych master's that is research based). The institution I went to was R1 so I knew I would be able to connect with research faculty and publish and present through working with them. I had the funds and circumstances to pay for my master's program without taking out any loans.

 

[StellaB]

One benefit if you chose the first program is that it would possibly give you more career flexibility if you later decide you do not want to go on for a doctorate. Say, if the realities of student debt, changes in your family, or career prospects alter your cost/benefit analysis of completing more school.

 

[Mr. Anthony]

Short answer? Probably not. Are the doctoral programs you're applying to school psychology doctoral programs? Because a master's in school psychology would be miles more relevant if that was the case. However, if they are clinical psychology programs, it'd be more beneficial to get a clinical mental health counseling master's as that ties in more directly with that field, but generally you just shouldn't bother at all if you're going the clinical psych route. Counseling psych programs are more flexible.

Overall, if your ultimate goal is to go to a doctorate program, you should nix the master's program all together and get more research experience. You can apply for RA jobs (they are usually a requirement of 1-2 years) and use that opportunity to get more research experience and publish and present. Clinical programs especially would see that as MUCH more attractive than a clinical master's in counseling. There are some benefits to a master's if the program allows you to a) write a thesis or b) do research within the school that will allow you to present or publish. AGAIN, notice the emphasis on this option providing you with research experience. However, it'd be a pretty expensive way to get that research experience.

Clients honestly wont really know the difference. Most clinicians in outpatient clinics are master's level and the market is full of both doctoral level and master's level private practice clinicians. Clients will likely go to the person in their area who is on their insurance. Having an LPC licensure along with your psychology licensure might make you appealing to employers because you can then supervise both LPC and PhD level candidates. However, it's a lot work for a niche position when you could do a lot with either degree on their own.

TL;DR: A master's is a pretty expensive option on route to a PhD, especially with other options available that will make you more attractive. With that said, I got a master's before my PhD. If your reasons are like mine, perhaps it'll make sense for you. I was 4 years out of undergrad in a completely different field and so needed to gather more recent experience for doctoral programs in order to make myself competitive. I chose a mental health counseling master's so that if I don't get into a PhD program, I'll have a terminal degree I can practice with (you can't do this with a clinical psych master's that is research based). The institution I went to was R1 so I knew I would be able to connect with research faculty and publish and present through working with them. I had the funds and circumstances to pay for my master's program without taking out any loans.

The doctoral programs that I am applying for are in School Psychology. The reason I want to get my Masters is because I am interested in becoming a school psychologist and originally was just planning on applying to Masters programs until I saw that there were PhD/PsyD options available, which would allow me to become a school psychologist and ALSO a psychologist. I applied to 3 doctoral programs just for kicks thinking I wouldn't get in and got waitlisted at 2 of them, of which I am currently waiting to hear back.

So now regarding the 2 master programs that I did get into, thank you for that feedback, you brought up some great points. I don't think the LPCC option is necessary as well if I plan on continuing on to get my PhD/PsyD, and that it will be a LOT of extra work for a very niche position.

I guess I'm also still figuring things out. My long term PhD/PsyD interests lie in the child/youth clinical aspect of psychology. But like I said, I also want to be a school psychologist as well as that was my first goal. I would like the flexibility to pursue both. I am also more practice motivated than teaching/research, but I wouldn't mind doing some research or even teaching if it was in an area that I was very interested in.

Any further thoughts or questions for me that pop in your head please don't hesitate to share, I am like a sponge right now trying to figure everything out.

 

[foreverbull]

Licensure for both tracks could be a pain and will cost extra money. Have you looked into licensure at the master's level for both and licensure at the doctoral level for both? In my state, licensure hours can't be simultaneously accrued (i.e. counting school psych hours and clinical/counseling psych training hours is not possible), which complicates things and will extend your training time. I've never heard of a program that offers both school psych and clinical psych emphases, but if indeed you can get both, make sure you look up the board of psychology for your state to determine the licensure process for each before committing to a program.