 RE YOU
thinking of becoming a psychologist? Many students have written to me, asking
various questions about what the process entails. I therefore offer the following
advice.
Preface
In the state
of California (USA), where I am licensed, the term psychologist is
protected by state law (Business and Professions Code Sections 2900-2918).
This means that only a person who has passed the state licensing exams, and
who therefore has a psychologist license, may call
himself or herself a psychologist.
Also, California
law requires that to become a psychologist a person must have a doctoral
degree in either psychology or education.
Yet, when students
ask me the question, “How do I become a psychologist?” they
aren’t really asking so much about the licensing process as about the
educational process of getting a doctorate in psychology. (During the course
of his or her doctoral education, a student will receive supervised clinical
training and experience as well. It’s a long process. So if you’ve
come to this page looking for some secret tricks about how to be a
“psychologist” and impress your friends, you’ve come to the
wrong place.)
Therefore, in
what follows, even though there are other degrees and other fields of study
that relate to mental health (such as
psychiatry,
social
work,
marriage
and family therapy,
counseling,
and
education,
I will focus strictly on the educational process relating to doctoral level
psychology. And, because California law reserves the title psychologist
to a licensed practitioner, I won’t be discussing fields of psychology
such as
social
psychology,
developmental
psychology,
cognitive
and experimental psychology,
biological
psychology, or
industrial-organizational
psychology which are unlicensed and usually focus on teaching, research,
or corporate consultation.
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Note that according
to psychology licensing law in California, psychologist is a generic
term; there is technically no such thing in California as a “child
psychologist” or a “neuropsychologist,” or a “criminal
psychologist.” If you want to practice psychology with children, for
example, you can specialize academically in child psychology, but your license
will be simply “psychologist.” So, regardless of your intended
specialty, you will have to follow the same basic path to your license as
any other person aspiring to be a psychologist. Of course, locations outside
California may have other laws about the practice of psychology—or no
laws at all.
In California a person can, however, become licensed as an educational
psychologist. Unlike the license for a “psychologist,” which
requires a doctoral degree, the license for an “educational
psychologist” requires only a master’s degree in psychology,
educational psychology, school psychology, or counseling and guidance. Such
a person is authorized to perform (a) educational evaluation, diagnosis,
and test interpretation limited to assessment of academic ability, learning
patterns, achievement, motivation, and personality factors directly related
to academic learning problems; (b) counseling services for children or adults
for amelioration of academic learning problems; and (c) educational consultation,
research, and direct educational services. (See Business and Professions
Code Sections 4986.10 and 4986.20) |
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Beginning in
High School
Let’s be
honest here. The study of psychology is not for everyone; if it were, it
would be a video game, not a profession. And so, in a society in which many
high school graduates cannot even spell the word psychology, the
requirements to become a psychologist can seem almost impossible. But the
discipline, dedication, and academic requirements are no more difficult than
those of any other profession.
In addition to
recommending that you use the advice and resources of your school’s
guidance counselor in regard to planning your junior high school and high
school courses, I can offer five other suggestions.
FIRST, in regard to general
academics, I suggest that you prepare for a career in psychology by some
basic high school science courses: chemistry, biology, physics, and
mathematics—and, of course, psychology, if your school offers it. Science
courses teach you to think logically, and they give you important insight
into how the physical world “works.” Moreover, biology and chemistry
courses prepare you for later studies in the biological aspects of brain
functioning. Mathematics teaches you analytical thought, and it prepares
you for the statistics courses that are necessary to understand all the
research that is fundamental to the field of
psychology.
SECOND, to be a really good
mental health professional, you must develop an early interest in what motivates
people; courses in the humanities, such as history, sociology, art, literature,
and religion, will be helpful. Language courses will also be helpful. You
should also become very good at writing and should develop excellent grammar,
spelling, and punctuation as well as keen analytic thought. And, if you’re
especially ambitious, begin reading Sigmund Freud’s Psychopathology
of Everyday Life, a small but classic work on the nature of the
unconscious.
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To improve your
grammar and writing skills, pay attention in English classes and study Strunk
and White’s timeless classic, The Elements of Style. |
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THIRD, keep your grades up;
you will be competing for entrance into college with other students who have
a perfect 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
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Your high
school grades will be important primarily for your being accepted into
college. Once you get into college, your undergraduate grades will
be important for your being accepted into graduate school.
So, if you want to become a psychologist and your high school grades are
not that good, all is not lost. Through hard work and discipline you can
improve your study skills and earn better grades in college. And, if your
current grades are not good enough for you to get accepted into a university,
you can apply to a junior college (AKA community college) to prove yourself
and then transfer to a university.
HOW
TO GET GOOD
GRADES
On the
behavioral side, take your assigned readings seriously, pay attention
in class, and complete your assignments carefully. If you need to learn how
to concentrate and focus your mind, start Autogenics
Training. On the psychological side, DESIRE to
get good grades more than you desire any human desire. More than dating,
partying, or having fun. Period. Because your future depends on
it. |
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FOURTH, I suggest you interview
a local psychologist. Look in your local Yellow Pages and call up a few
psychologists. You will probably get an answering machine or service, so
leave a message explaining that you are a student and ask to be granted some
time for an office interview (without charge). At the end of the message,
give some good times during the day and evening to call you back. (And make
certain that you’re available at those times every day to take
any calls.) Don’t be surprised if not everyone calls you back—just
tell yourself that when you get to have a practice you will be more courteous.
If you don’t hear anything within a week, call back and leave another
message—politely. Be persistent. Call a third time, if necessary. If
you get really desperate, offer to pay for the interview. If anyone does
return your call and offers you some time, you can make an appointment to
ask some direct questions about the day-to-day experiences of the profession
so that you might be able to decide whether it really suits you. Don’t
try to do this the easy way by asking e-mail questions over the Internet;
psychology is all about face-to-face interactions, so you had better get
used to this early on.
FIFTH, around your junior year
of high school you should begin to think about which undergraduate universities
you might want to attend. Look at their admissions requirements and begin
to work toward satisfying them. Ask your guidance counselor for help with
this. You might also visit the
APA
Resources for Students page.
College
Your college
(i.e., undergraduate) track should have a heavy load in psychology courses
as well. In fact, many graduate programs in psychology require an
undergraduate major in psychology as a prerequisite for graduate study in
psychology. So even in your first year it wouldn’t be too early to identify
some graduate programs you might be interested in attending and contact them
to find out what exactly they require for admission. Ask about majors and
minors, required courses, minimum GPA, and any other issues specific to you.
It’s also time to begin to grapple with courses in
statistics.
Since psychology
is heavily involved with research (hence the reason
for studying statistics), it can help you to get to know a professor who
conducts psychological research; offer to work as an assistant. This experience
will be looked at favorably when you apply for graduate school later; if
you apply to a university graduate program, this experience will be essential.
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This process
of finding a mentor really depends on your own resourcefulness. One
approach would be to identify a professor who conducts research on a subject
that interests you; another approach would be to find a professor who is
simply a decent person, regardless of his or her field of research. You can
begin by taking as many courses as possible from that professor; then you
can arrange for some office visits for additional discussions; and then you
can offer to do some volunteer work on research. Like all relationships,
it has to start slow and cautiously and then grow through unfailing proof
of your humility, reliability, and dependability. You can ruin everything
by making excuses, breaking promises, or acting with conceit or
arrogance. |
|
Finally, you
might need to take some specialized graduate school entrance exams, such
as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). A well-rounded education can help
to prepare for such exams, so, as in high school, take as many humanities
courses, especially literature (for the writing skills), as you
can.
Graduate Degree:
Ph.D. or Psy.D.?
After you have
completed your undergraduate (college) degree, there are two different types
of graduate level degrees you could pursue. A Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)
is the classic psychology degree necessary to become a psychologist; the
Ph.D. places an equal emphasis on research and clinical training according
to the traditional Boulder
Model [1]
of psychological education. A core element of the Ph.D. is the
dissertation, an original piece of scientific research. An
empirical dissertation is generally composed of four sections: an
in-depth review of the scientific literature to date; a description of the
measures and methodology involved in the data collection; a technical analysis
of the data; and a comprehensive discussion of the results. A
theoretical dissertation can introduce a novel theoretical concept
and need not involve any data collection.
A Psy.D.
(Doctor of Psychology) is a newer professional degree, offered by the
professional schools of psychology, and it emphasizes clinical practice with
only a minimum of research training. It requires a dissertation (or a
“project”) that is usually practical (such as designing a treatment
program), but it can be theoretical.
Either of these
degrees will take a minimum of about five years to complete.
In general, in
the academic world, the Ph.D. is preferable to the Psy.D.; in the world of
clinical practice, both degrees have about the same status and
functionality.
Clinical Psychology
or Counseling Psychology?
You will also
have to decide if you want to pursue studies in clinical psychology or counseling
psychology. For more information, see my page on
Psychology:
Clinical or Counseling or ...?.
Graduate Schools:
University or Professional?
You will have
two choices of graduate schools: university graduate programs and professional
schools.
University programs
are highly competitive (something like six applicants accepted per year from
over several hundred applications). Your application will be helped by excellent
grades as an undergraduate and some previous research
experience—preferably, a published paper, if only as a
co-author.
Professional
schools are easier to get into, but they are very expensive. You will have
to take out enormous student loans, or you might try to work while
studying—perhaps even studying part-time. Also, many professional schools
offer primarily the Psy.D. degree, reserving the Ph.D. (if they offer it
at all) for a few, select students.
My advice in
regard to making these decisions is to apply to many different programs.
The application process, of course, is time-consuming and can become almost
a full-time job for a few months. You will need to research the various programs,
get their admissions requirements, take the GRE examinations if required,
get application forms and fill them out, and pay the application fees—and
travel to admissions interviews. You will receive many rejections, so be
prepared, but the acceptances will help to shape your future
choices.
Questions and
Answers
1. |
How
much time does it take to get a graduate degree and become a
psychologist? |
2. |
Where
do psychologists work, and how much money will I make as a
psychologist? |
3. |
I
was wondering if a career in psychology allows one to pay back student loans
and lead a comfortable living? |
4. |
I
would like to make a career change and become a psychologist. I already have
a bachelor’s degree in [economics, chemistry, engineering, etc.]. Will
I have to go back to school to get another undergraduate degree? |
5. |
I
have been working in [my] field for 7 years now, and I am 25 years old. My
question is would it be worth it to change fields at my age and go into child
psychology? I am not worried about the money. I am worried about the age
thing though. It is something I would really like to consider, and I am also
aware that there are many people a lot younger than me getting into the
psychology field. I am just wondering if you think waiting this long to go
to school for a new field is a good idea? My heart says just do it, but the
fear of failing, when I already have a steady career, seeps through. One
other thing what do you think the oldest age to get into the psychology field
should be? |
6. |
I
am certain that I assist people with their problems for self-satisfaction
and this is the real reason why I’d like to study psychology; later
finding a profession where I am able to help people all day, thus satisfying
my needs. Is this a wrong reason to get into your field (i.e., does this
become an issue when I make this my living)? I understand we all have selfish
reasons for all that we do, but is this what motivates you and others in
your field or is there something I seem to be missing? |
7. |
Is
it hard to live up to the example of being a good psychotherapist? I read
about so many abuses. How do I know I won’t end up doing that same sort
of thing? |
8. |
Is
psychotherapy a requirement for studying psychology? |
9. |
How
do I become a [child psychologist, school psychologist, neuropsychologist,
criminal psychologist, etc.]? |
10. |
Recently
I have been told that if I want to go into practice all I need is a MA because
of insurance and HMO restrictions on patients being reimbursed for visits
to psychotherapists with a PhD. Does the same apply for PsyD holders? While
I want to achieve the highest degree in the field that trains me to become
the best possible psychotherapist I can be, I also know that PsyD programs
are very expensive. Is it worth it financially to go for the PsyD over the
MA? Will I make more money overall with the PsyD cancelling out the extra
money it takes to get through three more years of school? |
11. |
I
want a low-stress high-paying job where I can help people. Do you think
psychology is the right career for me? |
12. |
iranked
your website not at its best because you really elaborated your answeres
[about becoming a psychologist] instead of specificly giving one, making
it confusing for a person like me to readilly find what i need. |
13. |
Can
a personal psychiatric disorder disqualify me from becoming a
psychologist? |
14. |
Will
a very old felony DUI conviction matter in the licensing process? I don’t
want to put in great time, monies and effort to discover this
later. |
15. |
Can
a high school dropout become a psychologist? |
16. |
Can
a school’s accreditation have any affect on my becoming a
psychologist? |
17. |
I
am planning towards doing graduate studies by distance learning (via the
internet) with a U.S.A. university. Will this provide me with as recognizable
a training as if I were attending the university as a resident
student? |
18. |
I
have a degree from another country. How can I become a psychologist in the
US? |
19. |
I
am currently a . . . PhD student in social
psychology. . . . in [an] applied-only (i.e., no clinical)
program. . . . I have my eye on an academic career but have
begun to toy with the idea of possibly looking into a private practice/counseling
operation somewhere down the line. To my knowledge, [my school] is not accredited
by the American Psychological Association, not to mention my program is heavily
research oriented. My question is this: would it be possible, if I really
decided to pursue the matter, to become a certified counselor with a non-clinical
PhD (from an non-APA accredited school)? It would seem the cards are stacked
against me. I have heard that through supplementary clinical courses some
psychologists with non-clinical PhDs do manage to get certified by state
boards. It sounds difficult, but I am curious as to how one might
proceed. . . . |
20. |
Suppose
I get (or have) an MFT. Do the hours I’ve completed as an MFT intern
(and conceivably many many subsequent hours as a practicing therapist) affect
in any way the post-doctoral training hours requirement if I subsequently
decide to return to school and become a Psychologist? |
21. |
Can
you recommend any schools in [my area]? |
How much time
does it take to get a graduate degree and become a
psychologist?
It could take
you forever (well, almost) if you do not complete every requirement (such
as your doctoral dissertation) on time. Many individuals get stuck in the
process because they lack organization or motivation, or because they have
family obligations, or because they take a well-paying job along the way
and never find time to finish their schooling.
But, in general,
college should take four years. It will take about five years
of full-time study after college to get a Ph.D. or Psy.D.
degree.
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Should you go
directly from college to a doctoral program, or should you get a master’s
degree first? It all depends on whether your immediate priority is time or
money. To minimize the time spent on your education, go directly for
the doctorate. To minimize your debt, go for a master’s degree
(about two years of full-time study), then work a while, and then resume
your studies (perhaps in an accelerated doctoral program) when you have saved
some money. |
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Then, after
you earn your doctoral degree, it will take about two more years to
complete your post-doctoral training hours and study for—and pass—two
psychology
licensure
exams.
The Examination
for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) is administered nation-wide
as the first step in the psychologist licensing exam process. It has a
multiple-choice format and asks difficult questions from such domains as
psychotherapy, statistics, research methodology, test construction, psychological
assessment, learning theory, developmental psychology, physiological aspects
of psychology, social psychology, and industrial-organizational
psychology.
Once you pass
the EPPP you will then have to pass a written or oral exam specific to your
state.
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California uses
the California Psychology Supplemental Examination (CPSE), a 100 question
multiple-choice examination that, as of February 1, 2006 replaced the California
Jurisprudence and Professional Ethics Examination (CJPEE) which previously
(as of January 1, 2002) replaced the Oral Exam. The CPSE focuses on California
laws and regulations relating to the practice of psychology and the Ethical
Principles and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological
Association. |
|
The failure rate
of each exam is about 50%, and some individuals can spend several years just
trying to pass both exams. Passing the exams does not require that you be
extraordinarily gifted, however; it just requires considerable dedication
and discipline—qualities often lacking in today’s educational
system.
In case
you’re wondering, I became a psychologist as a mid-life career change.
I
earned
three masters degrees (M.A. in Religious Studies; M.S.E. in Counseling; M.S.
in Psychology) between my B.A. (English Literature) and my Ph.D. (Clinical
Psychology); I finished the Ph.D. in four years. I
published
part of my doctoral dissertation in a peer-reviewed, APA scientific journal.
I completed a one year Post-doctoral Fellowship in Health Psychology, and
then I passed both the EPPP and the old (pre-2002) Oral Exam on the first
attempt.
Where do
psychologists work, and how much money will I make as a
psychologist?
Psychologists
work in all kinds of settings and institutions, and the salary varies
accordingly.
If you work for
a university, professional school, or community college in teaching or research,
your salary will depend on that institution’s pay grade for faculty.
The same applies if you work for a hospital, or a government agency (such
as the Veterans Administration, the military, law enforcement, or the penal
system) or a community agency. Salaries vary depending on experience, tenure,
and geographical location and can range from an entry level of about $30,000
to an administrative level of well over $100,000.
In private practice,
your income will depend on how many days you work each week, how many clients
you have each day, and what you charge for each session. Just multiply the
number of client hours by your hourly fee. You could make a bundle with a
full-time practice of full-fee clients. Also, if you become famous and have
a TV show or make movies, you can make millions. But if you see a lot of
lower-fee clients, such as in
managed
care, or if you have only a part-time practice (because a full-time practice
can be difficult to maintain), or if you spend a lot of your time maintaining
a free, public-service website without advertising, your income will not
be as high as a full-time, full-fee practice. And remember that, regardless
of how much money you take in, you have to subtract from it all your expenses:
office rent; time spent on paperwork, phone calls, and free services; insurance;
continuing education; etc. If your primary concern is money, then
consider another career. Competency in any career in the human services depends
on the depth of your heart, not the size of your brokerage
account.
I would like
to make a career change and become a psychologist. I already have a
bachelor’s degree in [economics, chemistry, engineering,
etc.]. Will I have to go back to school to get another undergraduate
degree?
Not necessarily.
Everything depends on the graduate program to which you apply. Some of the
more high-profile programs may require that you have an undergraduate degree
with a major in psychology. But other programs may only require that you
have taken a few prerequisite undergraduate psychology courses. The only
definite answer, then, can come from each program to which you might want
to apply. So locate some graduate programs and then do some research to learn
what they require. (When I made my career change, I already had two masters
degrees—one in Religious Studies and one in Education—but I still
had to take undergraduate courses in statistics, developmental psychology,
personality, and abnormal psychology in order to get into my Ph.D. program
in Clinical Psychology.)
Is psychotherapy
a requirement for studying psychology?
To answer this
question, I must make two important distinctions.
First, we must
distinguish academic psychology (teaching and research, for example)
from the
clinical
applications of psychology (as in psychotherapy and counseling). Second,
we must distinguish between the concept of required and the concept
of necessary. If something is required it means that without it a
task cannot be accomplished. Necessary can be used to mean
“required,” but it also can be used to mean “something so
advisable that without it the task cannot be accomplished very
well.”
Therefore, we
can say that it is never required that a person receive psychotherapy in
order to study or work in academic psychology. Nor is psychotherapy any more
necessary for someone studying academic psychology than for someone studying
nuclear physics, for example.
Many universities
or schools that teach clinical applications of psychology, however, require
that their students receive psychotherapy in order to graduate; usually (in
California) the requirement is about 45 sessions of psychotherapy. But note
that the licensing boards which administer clinical licenses do not require
that a candidate receive psychotherapy; these boards require only a minimum
academic degree and a minimum number of hours of supervised clinical
training.
So, even if personal
psychotherapy is an academic requirement only by some schools, we can still
ask philosophically if personal psychotherapy is necessary to practice
clinically. My answer is “Yes.”
To practice
clinically, a person must be able to understand the factors which are motivating
the client, especially those factors which interfere with the client’s
progress. No one can do this unless he or she has been in psychotherapy and
thoroughly understands the process of psychotherapy from the perspective
of the client. In addition, the psychotherapist or counselor must understand
his or her own desires, biases, and weaknesses so as not to get
“trapped” in them when trying to do clinical work.
The objection
to this view usually comes from psychotherapists who do
cognitive-behavioral
therapy. They will claim that the work is very “mechanical”
and problem-focused and does not depend on insight into unconscious motivations.
If the psychotherapist does not have any “problems” to be
“fixed,” they claim, then personal psychotherapy is a waste of
time.
But those who
respect the
unconscious
know that even if unconscious functioning is ignored it still is at work
motivating us in every little thing we do. Unfortunately, even 45 hours of
psychotherapy is far from adequate to achieve the depth of understanding
necessary for good clinical work. This is why there is such a difference
between mediocre psychotherapists and the really good ones who have been
through a rigorous personal
psychodynamic
psychotherapy or
psychoanalysis.
And finally,
the really sad thing is that even bad therapists can make a lot of money,
because the clients never know what they are
missing.
I want a
low-stress high-paying job where I can help people. Do you think psychology
is the right career for me?
No. Become a
plumber. Just about anyone will pay you a small fortune to unclog a stopped-up
toilet, but only a few will pay you more than pocket change to unclog a mind
stopped up with confusion, self-indulgence, and
unconscious hostility. (Please understand, though,
that I say this to be clear and realistic about the sort of world in which
you will be practicing—should you actually become a psychologist—not
to be harsh.)
iranked your
website not at its best because you really elaborated your answeres [about
becoming a psychologist] instead of specificly giving one, making it confusing
for a person like me to readilly find what i need.
You, too, might
want to become a plumber, although even there you might have to learn how
to spell.
In all seriousness, psychology may not be the right career for you. In fact,
a good psychologist is a bit like the detective Sherlock Holmes: always
inquisitive, always observant, taking nothing for granted, and always making
connections between remote and seemingly unimportant facts. The truth is
not just handed to you without effort.
(And I hope I haven’t offended any plumbers, because, in all seriousness,
they, too, have to do a lot of thinking and planning. But I probably have
offended some of those bad “therapists” out there.)
In any event, I don’t say any of this to be cruel. You just have to
understand that good psychology demands that you not avoid the dark, ugly
truth that everyone wants to avoid; and it’s
all done in the hope of leading others to the healing they want but, in their
confusion, still secretly fear.
How do I become
a [child psychologist, school psychologist, neuropsychologist,
criminal psychologist, etc.]?
First of all,
note that, as I said above, the psychologist license (at least in
California) is a generic license that does not distinguish specialties, so
terms such as “child psychologist,” “neuropsychologist,”
and “criminal psychologist,” if not actually illegal, are technically
misleading. Such terms can imply to the general public that a specialty has
been licensed, when, in fact, it hasn’t.
Secondly, note
that in California there is a license for an educational
psychologist, but persons with such a license need only a master’s
degree, provide services specifically related to academic learning problems,
and are governed by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, not the Board of
Psychology. So many of the things I say on this page about how to become
a psychologist may not even apply to you if your interest is school
psychology.
Finally, in regard
to criminal psychology, a person who studies this field may end up working
as a police officer, for example, and would not need to be licensed as a
psychologist. So many of the things I say on this page about how to
become a psychologist may not even apply to you if your interest is
criminal psychology.
Nevertheless,
psychologists do specialize in child psychology, school psychology,
criminal psychology, and neuropsychology. So what are you to do if you want
to become a psychologist with one of these specialties—or any other
specialty?
Well, most graduate
programs in clinical psychology or counseling psychology have certain
core courses that everyone has to take; but then they leave room for
various elective courses. So you have to make sure that the program
you choose has elective courses in your intended area of specialty. And,
if you are really serious about your education, you should also take workshops
and seminars outside the curriculum, at your own expense, for additional
training. Then, when it comes time for your internship, you need to select
an internship that offers clinical training in your specialty
interest.
Remember, though,
that regardless of your specialty during training, you will still have to
pass the same National Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology
(EPPP) licensing exam that every other applicant must take. You will be required
to answer questions from such domains as psychotherapy, statistics, research
methodology, test construction, psychological assessment, learning theory,
physiological aspects of psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology,
and industrial-organizational psychology. So be careful not to get trapped
in the illusion that you can focus just on your special interest and ignore
other aspects of psychology or else you may not be able to pass the EPPP
examination.
Finally, after
you become an established professional, you might want to apply for a
diplomate (pronounced DIP-low-mate) in your specialty; a diplomate
is a sort of professional stamp of approval offered by certain professional
organizations to those candidates who have a history of professional
accomplishments and can pass a rigorous examination. Many organizations also
offer Fellow status to members as a reward for years of exceptional,
dedicated service to the field.
Can a personal
psychiatric disorder disqualify me from becoming a
psychologist?
Not necessarily.
So let me explain.
Consider for
a moment the field of aviation. A pilot’s “license” really
has two parts to it: the pilot certificate, which documents the
holder’s competence in flying certain types of aircraft, and the
medical certificate, which documents the holder’s current physical
health and physical ability to fly in general. And so, even though a person
may have high technical and experiential qualifications as a pilot, certain
physical conditions and illnesses can automatically disqualify that person
from medical clearance to fly.
But psychology
is nothing like aviation.
Any license to
practice psychologically in the field of mental health—psychologist,
MFT, LCSW—represents the successful completion of a series of professional
requirements, such as an academic degree, a clinical internship, personal
psychotherapy, and the licensing exams themselves. As long as you can complete
each requirement along the way, regardless of any physical or psychiatric
disability, you most likely can get a license to practice.
Nevertheless,
some psychiatric disorders will in themselves prevent you from meeting
your requirements. A lack of concentration because of
depression will interfere with your academic work.
A severe personality disorder will result in conflicts
with professors and clinical supervisors. Deep unconscious
conflicts can prevent you from completing your dissertation. Intense
anxiety or personal insecurity can prevent you
from passing the licensing exams. And so on. Thus, unlike a medical
disqualification in aviation, “disqualification” in psychology
usually results from self-disqualification because of the effects
of the disorder, not from the mere fact of the disorder
itself.
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Note that, in
California, the Business and Professions Code (Section 2960.5) says, “The
board may refuse to issue any registration or license whenever it appears
that an applicant may be unable to practice his or her profession safely
due to mental illness or chemical dependency.” |
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Moreover, once
you do get your license, you have to be careful that your emotional state
does not interfere with your ability to practice competently. Someone with
recurring depression or mania, for example, has to be very careful to suspend
his or her practice if symptoms become serious enough to adversely affect
clinical judgment. If you make any grave blunders in this regard, and if
your licensing board finds out about it, then your license can be suspended
or revoked.
So, what is the
“bottom line” here? Well, it’s personal psychotherapy (see
Questions #7 and #8). In intense
psychodynamic psychotherapy or
psychoanalysis you have the opportunity to resolve
your depression or anxiety, or alter your
personality structure, or become more
emotionally honest and
confident and less shy.
Will a very
old felony DUI matter in [my state’s] licensing
process? I don’t want to put in great time, monies and effort to discover
this later.
You should ask
the Board of Psychology in your state about its regulations; everything varies
state-by-state.
In California,
the Business and Professions Code (Section 480.a.1) says that a board
may deny a license regulated by the code (and that includes the
psychologist license) on the grounds that the applicant has been convicted
of a crime.
However, the
code also states the following (480.b):
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Notwithstanding
any other provision of this code, no person shall be denied a license solely
on the basis that he has been convicted of a felony if he has obtained a
certificate of rehabilitation under Section 4852.01 and following of the
Penal Code or that he has been convicted of a misdemeanor if he has met all
applicable requirements of the criteria of rehabilitation developed by the
board to evaluate the rehabilitation of a person when considering the denial
of a license under subdivision (a) of Section 482. |
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So, at least
in California, conviction of a crime does not necessarily disqualify someone
from licensure as a psychologist. It all depends on the circumstances. And
only the Board of Psychology can determine how it will act in any particular
case.
Can a
school’s accreditation have any affect on my becoming a
psychologist?
Your school’s
accreditation may have an effect on your ability to receive a state psychologist
license, and getting a license is a key part of becoming a psychologist.
Problems can occur in either of two ways.
Accreditation
can become an issue for you (a) if you receive your degree in one state and
then move to another state to take the licensing exams, or (b) if, after
having received your state psychologist license, you move to another state
and ask to be licensed there. If your school, at the time you attended it,
was nationally accredited by the American Psychological Association
(APA), then you shouldn’t have any problems. But if your school had
only a regional accreditation, then the board of psychology in the
state to which you move may declare that your academic training was deficient
by its standards, and you would therefore have to retake some courses, or
take additional courses, or receive additional training, that fulfill(s)
the state’s requirements for a psychologist license.
In California
there are also schools called Unaccredited California Approved Schools.
These schools, which have neither a national nor a regional (WASC [Western
Association of Schools and Colleges]) accreditation, have been
“approved” by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and
Vocational Education (BPPVE). Although the California Board of Psychology
can grant a psychologist license to a graduate from such a school, other
restrictions could occur. State law mandates the following disclosure statement
to all applicants to such schools:
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“Prospective
students should be aware that as a graduate of an unaccredited school of
psychology you may face restrictions that could include difficulty in obtaining
a teaching job or appointment at an accredited college or university. It
may also be difficult to work as a psychologist for some federal government
or other public agencies, or to be appointed to the medical staff of a hospital.
Some major managed care organizations, insurance companies, or preferred
provider organizations may not reimburse individuals whose degrees are from
unaccredited schools. Graduates of unaccredited schools may also face limitations
in their abilities to be listed in the National Register of Health Service
Providers or to hold memberships in other major organizations of
psychologists.” |
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I have a degree
from another country. How can I become a psychologist in the
US?
Everything depends
on the laws in the state to which you intend to move. The board of psychology
in that state will have to examine your credentials. It may or may not recognize
your degree or any license you already have. It may require you to take the
psychology licensing exams, and it could also determine that you need to
take additional courses or receive additional training before you can sit
for the exams.
Therefore, all
you can do is contact the board of psychology of that state and ask for guidance.
Here’s a link that will allow you to find any of the state or provincial
boards in the US and Canada:
Association
of State and Provincial Psychology Boards.
Recently I
have been told that if I want to go into practice all I need is a MA because
of insurance and HMO restrictions on patients being reimbursed for visits
to psychotherapists with a PhD. Does the same apply for PsyD holders? While
I want to achieve the highest degree in the field that trains me to become
the best possible Psychotherapist I can be, I also know that PsyD programs
are very expensive. Is it worth it financially to go for the PsyD over the
MA? Will I make more money overall with the PsyD cancelling out the extra
money it takes to get through three more years of school?
If your primary
interest is money, then become a plumber. Haven’t you ever heard the
joke about the man who writes out a check to his plumber and says, “Good
heavens, you charge more than my doctor.” The plumber responds, “Yes,
I know. I used to be a doctor.”
Now, in all
seriousness, your question gets to the fact that in many managed-care systems
the reimbursement is about the same for masters level practitioners as doctoral
level practitioners. So, in such circumstances, what is the point of getting
a doctorate, whether it be a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.?
Well, there
isn’t any way to answer that question without offending somebody. So,
I will just tell a story (a true story, mind you) and let people take offense
as they will.
A man was attending
a public event. The man sitting next to him suddenly caught his attention
and said, “I have been biting my tongue, but I just have to tell you.
How long have you had that blemish on your face? You should get it looked
at, because it’s skin cancer. It’s benign, but you should have
it removed.” The man who spoke up, of course, was a
dermatologist.
So, our friend
went to his managed-care medical office. The masters level physician’s
assistant who examined him looked at the blemish and said, “It looks
like a mole to me. Nothing to worry about.” Our friend, however, insisted
that he be seen by a dermatologist. So, eventually a dermatologist came into
the room. He looked at the blemish. “Yup, skin cancer. It’s benign.
When shall we take it out?”
Now,
physician’s assistants can make a lot of money. So is it really worth
while to take on the educational expense of becoming a doctor? Does this
story have any relevance to psychology? You decide.
I have been
working in [my] field for 7 years now, and I am 25 years
old. My question is would it be worth it to change fields at my age and go
into child psychology? I am not worried about the money. I am worried about
the age thing though. It is something I would really like to consider, and
I am also aware that there are many people a lot younger than me getting
into the psychology field. I am just wondering if you think waiting this
long to go to school for a new field is a good idea? My heart says just do
it, but the fear of failing, when I already have a steady career, seeps through.
One other thing what do you think the oldest age to get into the psychology
field should be?
I began my career
change into psychology in my early thirties, so 25 is still young. In fact,
students with some serious life experience make better and more mature students.
So you needn’t hesitate about your age.
Assuming that
you already have a bachelor’s degree, the education for a doctorate
in psychology will take about 5 years, and it will take about two more years
after that to complete your post-doctoral training hours and study for—and
pass—the licensure exams. Therefore I would say that the oldest age
to get into the psychology field would be about 7 or 8 years before you
die.
I am planning
towards doing graduate studies by distance learning (via the internet) with
a U.S.A. university. Will this provide me with as recognizable a training
as if I were attending the university as a resident student?
Your first concern
should be about the school’s accreditation. See the
question above for more information about
this.
Aside from
accreditation, in psychology, unless you intend to pursue an academic career
in teaching or research, the general prestige of the school you attend
isn’t necessarily all that important. The critical issue, then, isn’t
simply in getting a degree, it’s in whether the classes you take are
acceptable to the agency that will issue a license to practice clinically.
In the US, the Board of Psychology of each individual state makes that decision
in regard to the psychologist license, and if it finds that any aspect of
your education is not up to its standards, then it will not allow you to
sit for the licensing exams. Before you commit to any degree program, then,
you should have some idea of where you would like to practice clinically,
and you should then contact the appropriate licensing agency to determine
its policy about distance learning courses. Do this now just to avoid any
problems later. Some Internet companies will do anything—even lie—to
get your money.
For example,
a large part of clinical training involves supervised clinical experience,
so be sure that any program you attend makes provision for that
training—and make sure that such training will meet the requirements
of the licensing board in the state in which you intend to
practice.
In general, it
is important to understand that even though training in psychology does require
considerable intellectual skills, the clinical work itself is far more than
an intellectual process. It demands a profound intimate emotional connection
between two people, and it’s impossible to acquire this training from
a textbook, from e-mails to other students, or from video
conferences.
Can you recommend
any schools in [my area]?
No. That’s
really a matter for your own research.
I am certain
that I assist people with their problems for self-satisfaction and this is
the real reason why I’d like to study psychology; later finding a profession
where I am able to help people all day, thus satisfying my needs. Is this
a wrong reason to get into your field (i.e., does this become an issue when
I make this my living)? I understand we all have selfish reasons for all
that we do, but is this what motivates you and others in your field or is
there something I seem to be missing?
Yes, we all have
to look after ourselves to a basic extent. If no one is going to give us
shelter and food, then we have to earn the money to provide these things
for ourselves. So, if you have to work for a living, you may as well do something
you enjoy.
The practice
of psychology, however, does put a twist on all this. A psychotherapist must
work very intimately with the unconscious desires of
another person, and it can be very easy for the psychotherapist’s personal
desires to contaminate the desires of the client. That’s why the great
psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan taught that the
analyst’s only desire should be to help the client get close to his
or her own unconscious and should ask nothing of the client but fair payment
for a job well done.
The prerequisite
for such intense work is personal
psychotherapy—the more intense the psychotherapy,
the better—so as to become familiar with your own personal unconscious
issues. Most “bad therapists” are caught up in their own pride
and ego because they are blind to them, and they do considerable damage to
their clients as a result.
Therefore, if
you believe you have a gift for psychology, then pursue it and let your own
personal psychotherapy show you if you really have what it takes. If you
can face your own inner darkness and grow from it,
and can tolerate what is missing in life by not trying to use
perversions to hide from yourself, then blessings
to you.
I was wondering
if a career in psychology allows one to pay back student loans and lead a
comfortable living?
The answer to
your question is simple, but not very satisfying: “It depends.”
That is, if you take a position in a university or hospital or government
agency, your career will be like any other career in its ability to pay off
loan debts. If you choose a career in private practice, however, finances
can be extremely unpredictable, because in a private practice you will be
self-employed. If you have a good sense of business and marketing, you might
do very well. You will, of course, have to struggle with competition from
all the other mental health providers in your area, and you will have to
contend with meager compensation from managed-care
insurance companies. So remember that, as in any self-employed field,
everything will depend on your own motivation and integrity.
Is it hard
to live up to the example of being a good psychotherapist? I read about so
many abuses. How do I know I won’t end up doing that same sort of
thing?
The answer to
your question is simple, and very satisfying: “Personal
psychotherapy.” The more rigorous and the more intense your personal
training psychotherapy is, the better you will be as a psychotherapist. You
get what you pay for—and so will your clients.
Can a high
school dropout become a Psychologist? If so, could you please tell me what
are some of the things that I could do to obtain this. My love of human behavior
as always been profound, but I never knew how to get myself motivated. Now
that I have reached the age of 19, I feel it is my time.
Let’s look
at it backwards. To get into a graduate school to get your Ph.D. or Psy.D.,
you first have to have an undergraduate degree and good undergraduate grades.
But to get into an undergraduate program, you have to have a high school
degree with good grades. So, if you don’t have a high school degree
now, you can get your GED. Then, if you can’t get directly into an
undergraduate program, you can at least get into a junior college to prove
yourself with an AS degree. With good grades there, you can transfer to a
BA or BS program. Once you get into an undergraduate program and demonstrate
good grades, it won’t matter if you had to get a GED because you dropped
out of high school years ago. In fact, it can even be a plus for you to
demonstrate good college performance in spite of having dropped out of high
school. It will show your profound dedication. And that will help you get
into a graduate program.
I am currently
a . . . PhD student in social psychology. . . .
in [an] applied-only (i.e., no clinical) program. . . . I
have my eye on an academic career but have begun to toy with the idea of
possibly looking into a private practice/counseling operation somewhere down
the line. To my knowledge, [my school] is not accredited by the American
Psychological Association, not to mention my program is heavily research
oriented. My question is this: would it be possible, if I really decided
to pursue the matter, to become a certified counselor with a non-clinical
PhD (from an non-APA accredited school)? It would seem the cards are stacked
against me. I have heard that through supplementary clinical courses some
psychologists with non-clinical PhDs do manage to get certified by state
boards. It sounds difficult, but I am curious as to how one might
proceed. . . .
The only way
to proceed is to look carefully at the laws of the
state in which you intend to practice and to ask the licensing board responsible
for counselors (or any other license you might want to consider) what it
would require of you.
What you propose, though difficult, may not be impossible—but everything
depends on the individual case. I personally know one university professor
with a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology who became licensed as a psychologist;
it wasn’t exactly a process of getting a new degree, but it took several
years of course work and clinical training to accomplish the feat.
Suppose I
get (or have) an MFT. Do the hours I’ve completed as an MFT intern (and
conceivably many many subsequent hours as a practicing therapist) affect
in any way the post-doctoral training hours requirement if I subsequently
decide to return to school and become a Psychologist?
No. The MFT license
is not based on doctoral-level training, so none of your supervised training
is “post”-doctoral.
Furthermore,
in regard to the licensing process, professional experience in itself counts
for nothing. To become a psychologist, a person with an MA degree and an
MFT license would first have to go back to school to earn a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.,
then accrue the necessary hours of post-doctoral supervision, and then pass
the psychologist licensing exam.
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advertising—no sponsor—just the simple truth . . .
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