Information for Students Considering Graduate Studies in Psychology

I have received numerous inquiries about graduate studies in psychology from individuals interested in pursuing a career as a psychotherapist. The following is not a comprehensive descriptions of the options possible, but rather my own understanding and view.

Please note that I am unable to respond to individual questions about differing degrees and programs. I am in clinical practice and do not keep up with educational programs. If you have an interest in graduate studies and want more information, speak to someone in the graduate psychology department of a university near you. They are better equipped to help you.

PsyD, PhD, or MSW?

The PsyD is a doctoral level degree--Doctor of Psychology. It is designed for the individual who wishes to practice clinical, rather than research-oriented, psychology. It has very similar requirements to the PhD in Clinical Psychology, with the exception that some of the research-oriented courses are replaced with coursework in psychotherapy. In addition, in my program, a dissertation was not required but could be replaced by an extensive paper evaluating research that has been done in a specific area of clinical study. The philosophy behind this, as I understand it, is that psychotherapists are consumers of research professionally, rather than producers of it. Therefore, the development of a critical mind in reviewing research is seen by some to be more valuable than the ability to produce it.

I chose to do the dissertation rather than the research review paper. It was not necesarily any harder at my school to do a dissertation (the research paper is a major undertaking), and I thought it might come in handy if I later desired to teach in a college or university.

The bottom line is that there is not necessarily a great deal of difference between a PsyD and a PhD...or at least there was not a lot of difference when I got my doctorate in 1987. If anyone has learned that things have changed, I would appreciate the latest information!

The doctorate in psychology is generally a five year program--four years of classes and one year of full-time internship. This allows for considerable depth of training in human development as well as psychotherapy and psychological testing. By and large, only psychologists do psychological testing. Psychiatrists prescribe medication, but are typically not trained in psych testing. This is the purvey of psychologists. There is a movement underway within psychological circles to allow psychologists to prescribe certain medications. This has not yet occurred in a significant way.

A clinical MSW (Masters in Social Work) is a degree that also allows one to become independently licensed to offer psychotherapy. Generally, it involves two years of classes and one year of full-time internship. Many aspects of training may be similar to psychologists, but psychological testing is not included, and obviously, the number of courses required is cut in half. Many people find this a satisfying degree to hold, to some degree it depends on a number of factors...time and resources available for study, and the breadth of expertise one wishes to obtain before going into practice. There is no movement underway that I am aware of to allow clinical social workers to prescribe medication.

What to Look For in a Program

It is important to evaluate the quality of a program before applying for admission. Its level of accreditation may be very significant in obtaining a good internship. Internships are becoming more and more difficult to obtain, from what I hear, due to the numbers of students that are being produced these days. Here in Washington, DC there are two relatively new PsyD programs that will make local internships more difficult to obtain. I'm not sure what this will do the market for psychologists here locally.

Determining your financial viability is important in setting out to obtain a graduate degree in psychology or social work. Check the costs of the school and the ability to find part-time work in the local area, if needed.

More...

I will add more to this topic as I have the opportunity. For the moment, however, I wanted to get something on the web to point my inquirers towards. The field of psychology has its rewards, many of them. However, it is a big decision to embark on a program of graduate studies.

List of clinical psychology programs at the doctoral level

David C. Bissette, Psy.D. Alexandria, VA 703-705-6161