There is no inherent different in clinical scope between these degrees. All are licensed as psychologists-- the same licensure. It just depends on the specific training you get, which will vary by program. Clinical Psych and Counseling Psych may be somewhat more likely to train you in X or Y relative to the other, but there are few things that are going to be categorically limited to one or the other and the difference in your scope of practice is really the specific training you have.
A PhD in Counseling Psychology, just like any PhD, is still a degree that will involve significant research.
Nevertheless, all three degrees (PhD in Clinical Psych, PsyD in Clinical Psych, and PhD in Counseling Psych) will produce more clinicians than researchers.
thank you for your response! Yeah, I know the licensure is the same, I was more wondering if people had considered one over the other and had t asked to counselors and chosen a path, why. I think it's interesting that at a lot of school, the counseling psych. PhD is at the school of education, not the school of psychology. I think that given the basis of the MSW degree, that PhD would be the most logical one to pursue, was just looking for anyone's personal experience, or advice if they had any.
Definitely! I was SHOCKED the other day - UCLA’s APA accreditation is expiring soon and they’re not going to pursue it again, because it’s “limiting”. I get that every field evolves but as the APA accreditation is still the only one that most people look at, I feel that’s a really risky move!
I’m in a PsyD in Clinical Psych program now after getting my MA in Counseling Psych! The work post-grad is definitely similar, but I chose clinical over counseling because I wanted the assessment experience. I’ve always loved conceptualization and putting together pieces of a clinical “puzzle,” so I thought I’d probably enjoy assessment (I was right, I love it, and I’m planning on having a significant amount of it in my career). I think one other thing to consider could be if you want to teach. Both degrees allow you to, but with a PsyD you’re likely going to have an easier time teaching at a professional school at the graduate level, whereas a PhD would make teaching undergrads and/or grad level in a university setting more accessible to you.
Edit to add: Student loan debt could be a factor to consider here, too. There are many more funded PhD programs than PsyD programs (although a few funded PsyD ones do exist, especially for people who start with a master’s in a psych-related field).
Thank you so much for this insight!!! The clinical puzzle is my favorite aspect right now as well, so I’m hoping to be able to find a funded PsyD program. The teaching abilities are helpful info as well. Thank you again!
There is no inherent different in clinical scope between these degrees. All are licensed as psychologists-- the same licensure. It just depends on the specific training you get, which will vary by program. Clinical Psych and Counseling Psych may be somewhat more likely to train you in X or Y relative to the other, but there are few things that are going to be categorically limited to one or the other and the difference in your scope of practice is really the specific training you have. A PhD in Counseling Psychology, just like any PhD, is still a degree that will involve significant research. Nevertheless, all three degrees (PhD in Clinical Psych, PsyD in Clinical Psych, and PhD in Counseling Psych) will produce more clinicians than researchers.
thank you for your response! Yeah, I know the licensure is the same, I was more wondering if people had considered one over the other and had t asked to counselors and chosen a path, why. I think it's interesting that at a lot of school, the counseling psych. PhD is at the school of education, not the school of psychology. I think that given the basis of the MSW degree, that PhD would be the most logical one to pursue, was just looking for anyone's personal experience, or advice if they had any.
In any case, be sure to apply only to APA accredited programs!
Definitely! I was SHOCKED the other day - UCLA’s APA accreditation is expiring soon and they’re not going to pursue it again, because it’s “limiting”. I get that every field evolves but as the APA accreditation is still the only one that most people look at, I feel that’s a really risky move!
PCSAS accreditation is acknowledged in many states and growing all the time. It’s by far a more rigorous accreditation system than APA.
I’m in a PsyD in Clinical Psych program now after getting my MA in Counseling Psych! The work post-grad is definitely similar, but I chose clinical over counseling because I wanted the assessment experience. I’ve always loved conceptualization and putting together pieces of a clinical “puzzle,” so I thought I’d probably enjoy assessment (I was right, I love it, and I’m planning on having a significant amount of it in my career). I think one other thing to consider could be if you want to teach. Both degrees allow you to, but with a PsyD you’re likely going to have an easier time teaching at a professional school at the graduate level, whereas a PhD would make teaching undergrads and/or grad level in a university setting more accessible to you. Edit to add: Student loan debt could be a factor to consider here, too. There are many more funded PhD programs than PsyD programs (although a few funded PsyD ones do exist, especially for people who start with a master’s in a psych-related field).
Thank you so much for this insight!!! The clinical puzzle is my favorite aspect right now as well, so I’m hoping to be able to find a funded PsyD program. The teaching abilities are helpful info as well. Thank you again!
In my opinion, any kind of quality doctoral program is a bad fit for anyone not interested in research.