1. CLINICAL/COUNSELING
PSYCHOLOGIST (PH.D./PSY.D.)
JOB DESCRIPTION
Overview
Clinical and counseling (C/C)
psychologists assess and treat people with psychological problems. They diagnose psychological disorders on the
basis of interviews and psychological testing, and they make recommendations
about treatment, sometimes conferring with psychiatrists to determine if drug
therapy is warranted. C/C psychologists
conduct individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy; the specific
techniques and theories they apply vary widely.
Clinical and counseling psychology are
technically distinct areas of psychology.
Each has its own history, division within the American Psychological
Association (APA), and graduate training programs. Clinical psychologists have traditionally attended more to the
treatment of psychopathology, using the medical model as a guide. Counseling psychologists have traditionally
focused more on helping people through normal developmental crises or problems
of living. Another difference might be
found in the area of assessment.
Clinical psychology training programs emphasize assessment more
strongly, with students learning to administer and interpret projective and
objective tests of personality as well as intelligence tests. Counseling psychologists are more likely to
learn about vocational and career testing and measures of normal personality.
In practice, however, C/C psychologists
are very similar. Training programs
follow similar guidelines, have the same types of research requirements, and
take approximately the same amount of time to complete. Both types of psychologists are eligible for
licensure in all states, with services reimbursable by third-party payers
(e.g., insurance companies). They tend to engage in the same work activities
(therapy and assessment), and they work in similar settings: private practices
(35% of clinical psychologists, 21% of counseling psychologists), academic
institutions (21% of clinical psychologists, 34% of counseling psychologists),
hospitals, counseling centers, community mental health centers, and medical
schools.
Typical Job Duties: Applied or Practicing C/C Psychologists
• Conducting psychotherapy with persons
with psychological disorders, crises, or problems of living
• Administering and interpreting
personality, intellectual, and career tests
• Facilitating psychoeducational and
psychotherapy groups
• Giving talks or workshops on
specialty areas, e.g., eating disorders, substance abuse, relationship
dynamics, sexual abuse
• Directing and administering mental
health programs
• Supervising the clinical work of
master’s-level therapists
. • Responding to crises and emergency
situations
Please
note: Although most of these responsibilities involve direct clinical service,
it is likely that in the near future, the role of doctoral level C/C
psychologists will change.
Psychologists are expected to be less involved in the practice of
psychotherapy and assessment, due to the increasing number of lower cost
providers taking on these activities (e.g., social workers, counselors,
master’s level psychologists). Instead,
C/C psychologists may be more involved in program development, administration,
supervision, health promotion activities, community intervention, and public
advocacy (see Humphreys, 1996).
Typical Job Duties: Academic C/C Psychologists
• Preparing for and giving
lectures/assignments to undergraduate and graduate classes
• Grading tests and papers
• Advising students
• Conducting research and
writing/publishing research-based manuscripts
• Supervising graduate students on
clinical cases
• Serving on campus and
community committees
Job Outlook
Much faster than average job growth is
expected, due to the need for new programs to combat increased social problems
(e.g., substance abuse, family violence, crime), greater recognition of the
strong relationship between mental and physical health, and increased use of
assessment and therapy with children.
However, despite this job growth, few psychologists will leave the
profession (in comparison with the turnover rate in other professions), and
consequently, there may be only an average number of job openings in the
future. C/C psychologists were not
among the top 30 fastest-growing occupations as ranked by the BLS, and clinical
psychologists were in the near balance/supply equals demand category in the MSU
study.
Potential Earnings
The average starting salary for new
graduates with a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology is estimated to be
$35,500. (Psy.D. salaries should be
comparable.) Median salaries in 1992
were $46,500 in public psychiatric hospitals, $40,500 in community mental health
centers and HMO’s, $64,000 in private practice, $53,000 in Veterans Administration
hospitals, and $39,500 for university professors. Starting salaries for doctoral level psychologists in Federal
government positions in 1993 averaged $33,600; median government salaries in
the same year were $54,400.
TRAINING
Professional Degree Required
A doctoral degree in clinical or
counseling psychology (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) is necessary to be eligible for
licensure as a psychologist. Programs
require a full-time commitment for at least 4-5 years (6-7 years is average),
including coursework, practicum placements, qualifying examinations, research
(i.e., thesis and dissertation), and a one-year, full-time, predoctoral
internship.
The Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy) degree
in C/C is the traditional doctoral degree, symbolizing graduate training in
both the science and practice of C/C psychology. Psy.D. (doctor of psychology) degrees are a relatively new
development in graduate training, beginning in 1968; emphasis in these programs
is placed primarily on teaching the skills needed for practice. In contrast to Ph.D. programs, neither a
master’s thesis or dissertation is required, although a lengthy, high-quality,
written report on a psychological issue is usually completed.
How to Find Programs
Clinical and counseling psychology
programs are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). Attending an accredited program is critical
for obtaining licensure and professional employment upon completion of the
degree. A complete list of accredited
programs is available on the APA home page (address below). It is also published each year in the
December issue of the American Psychologist. This journal is sent automatically to all APA members (check with
psychology department faculty) and is available in college libraries. As of December, 1997, there were 189
accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology, 69 programs in counseling
psychology, and 9 combined programs.
For detailed information about specific programs, check the most recent
APA Graduate Study in Psychology guide.
One confusing issue when gathering
information about Psy.D./Ph.D. programs is the distinction between academic and
professional schools of psychology. In
academic programs, graduate training is based in a university department of
psychology or education. Professional
schools of psychology are free-standing institutions, usually not tied to any
university. Professional schools are
more likely to stress practice over research (about half offer the Psy.D.
rather than the Ph.D.), to admit larger classes (on the average, five times as
many students as in academic programs), and to make fewer demands of
students. Perhaps most critically,
professional schools are far more expensive because there is no associated
university to absorb the high cost of training graduate students (often more
than $20,000/year). Think carefully
before taking on the substantial loans necessary for most students to attend
professional schools; salaries for psychologists today, even those in private
practice, are not high enough to make paying back loans an easy matter.
Entrance Requirements/Admissions
For Ph.D. programs, an undergraduate
major in psychology is expected, with statistics and research methods courses
essential. Taking elective courses in varied
fields of psychology (e.g., both experimental and applied areas) is preferable
to taking all social/personality/clinical area electives. Research experience is also strongly
encouraged, and the more independent the research the better (i.e., presenting
one’s own project at a psychology conference would be valued more highly than
working on a faculty member’s research).
For Psy.D. programs, a well-rounded psychology major is also
recommended, but research experience may be less critical.
Gaining admission to C/C Ph.D. programs
is highly competitive, although standards have fallen somewhat in the past
decade because of the increase in professional schools. Although required minimums may average a 3.2
GPA and 1100 GRE-combined scores, many programs do not even examine
applications that do not meet a cutoff in the neighborhood of a 3.5 GPA and
1200 GRE-combined scores. Other
important criteria: letters of
recommendation, well-written personal statements, a good match between
applicant’s and program’s interests, research experience, and clinical
volunteer or work experience (Keith-Spiegel, Tabachnick, & Spiegel, 1994).
Admission to C/C professional school programs is less competitive, and research
tends to matter less than clinical experience.
For more specific information about getting into graduate programs in
C/C psychology, see Nietzel, Bernstein, and Milich (1994) or Mayne, Norcross,
and Sayette (1994).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Print Materials/Organizations
American Psychological
Association (APA), 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242.
202/336-5500.
Humphreys, K. (1996). Clinical
psychologists as psychotherapists: History, future, and alternatives. American
Psychologist, 3, 190-197.
Keith-Spiegel, P., Tabachnick, B. G.,
& Spiegel, G. (1994). When demand exceeds supply: Second-order criteria used by graduate school selection
committees. Teaching of Psychology, 21(2), 79-81.
Mayne, T. J., Norcross, J.C., &
Sayette, M.A. (1994). Admission requirements, acceptance rates, and financial
assistance in clinical psychology programs. American Psychologist, 49,
806-811.
Nietzel, M. T., Bernstein, D. A., &
Milich, R. (1994). Introduction to clinical psychology (4th ed.).
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice
Hall. (Appendix: Getting into graduate school
in clinical psychology).
Internet Resources
APA home page (for list of accredited
programs, click on “graduate”):
http://www.apa.org/students/
Rank orderings of clinical psychology
Ph.D. programs:
http://www.socialpsychology.org/clinrank.htm