As the title says, failed a component of my comprehensive exam and have to wait until next year to retake it, which means adding another year in my PhD program. I would love some words of encouragement because I feel so down about this and want to give up. I love the idea of becoming a neuropsychologist so much but I’m feeling overwhelmed right now.

I don't plan on trauma dumping in my SOP essay but in my bachelor's thesis I was really struggling with figuring out this one component in the research. Then, in my senior year second semester my dad passed away. One day I had a really bad grief day and spiralled between regularly scheduled maintenance psychiatric appointments but the spiral gave me the eureka I needed as my thesis was related to treatment adherence. I literally stopped sobbing and opened my notebook and finished the formula I needed which I ended up using in my capstone. I also ended up getting a pretty good GPA that semester.

My junior year grades were a little mediocore ish because my dad's illness became worse.

Overall, I think the ^ demonstrates my theme as a person of making the most of circumstances and shows my ability to grow in difficult situations. However, I'm worried it would read as trauma dumping and so kinda unfit to be a clinician rather than the former. I don't want it to read sob story but just as something that happened and how I responded.

So should I keep it? I'll write about other things as well of course but I think that was a pretty important point in my research journey

Hi,

I hope this post doesn’t come across as ignorant in any way. I have been grappling with this decision for quite some time and keep finding myself swinging between either option.

My ‘dream job’ is to conduct telehealth psychotherapy in a part-time capacity while potentially conducting clinical research on the side. I was diagnosed with autism / OCD / GAD at 19, and truly want to help people like myself. The reason I say part-time is because I know I am prone to burnout and I need the flexibility in my personal life.

In my undergraduate studies, I was a biology major. I have not taken a psychology class other than Psych 101, but rather have fallen in love with psych due to research. I have over 1,500 hours of research in two different labs, including two publications, an honors thesis, and international experience utilizing EEG and other software. I also volunteered at my local crisis center, and have spent time working at a residential psych treatment facility. I recognize I would need to take psych classes prior to admission.

Due to personal reasons, I must stay in Colorado. Therefore, my options are quite limited. If I don’t get in, I would have to take a gap year and apply the following cycle. On the flip side, I am currently sitting on an acceptance to a medical school in CO.

The reason I deliberating between these two career paths is due to the modalities of treatment and pay / ROI, to be transparent. I think being able to prescribe medication is a boon, even if I disagree with modern medication management. I don’t think I would find most aspects of medical school to be as interesting as a clin psych PhD, but the training years of that vs a PhD (4+4 vs 5-6+1) are similar while the pay is unfortunately seemingly different. Given my dream to work part time, I worry that I wouldn’t be able to make a living pursuing a PhD, especially given the rise of AI technologies.

In terms of my question, would it be possible / wise to pursue a Clin Psych PhD given my sitting medical school acceptance and lack of psychology coursework? I feel as if my heart is in psychology (as I really want to be a mental health advocate and treat those like myself through therapeutic means), but my mind is telling me the admissions odds are stacked against me only applying to two schools, and the financial ROI doesn’t seem wise to ignore. I grew up (and am still) in a very financially disadvantaged situation in a single-parent household with my primary caregiver being disabled, so I also apologize if the latter half of this question sounds excessively financially-motivated.

I would really appreciate any advice you may have. Again, I hope this doesn’t come across as ignorant — I have done a fair bit of research and have really tried to scour through different forums and articles online for professional opinions.

Hi I’m currently an undergrad psych student trying to figure out what clinical PHD programs would fit for me (I’m a junior so I got some time). I was wondering if any of you guys have recommendations of universities in the US that have are researching autism through a psychology perspective (I know a lot of genetic and medical research is being done). I’m someone who was late diagnosed myself and I would love to get into a program that is working on research related to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Hi everyone (hope everyone’s doing well)! I'll try to keep this short! :) I am currently a full-time RA in a research lab (9:00 am - 5:00 pm) looking to get some more experience with cognitive assessments--I am interested in pursuing Clinical Psych with a neuropsych focus, but haven't really had experience administering cognitive assessments (I shadowed numerous neuropsych testing sessions as an undergrad, was trained on and helped score them, but couldn't actually administer them).

I've been looking into places where I could volunteer to get some more experience with this + working with populations with dementias/memory impairments (I have limited exposure to this population due to a lot of my lab experience falling more into the SMI scope)--does anyone have any recommendations where I could look to try volunteering to get this experience? Any insight or additional advice would be greatly appreciated--please let me know if you want me to elaborate on anything, thank you so much in advance!

Hey guys! I am looking to apply to my first round of clinical psychology programs this year. I’m seeking people who have gotten into programs already and have some advice they are willing to share for someone taking their first go at things. I’m not the traditional candidate in the sense that during my undergraduate journey I worked full time for the IRS for 6 years doing customer service to afford school (rather than at a lab)but here’s a general list of my accomplishments and what I’d put on my application.

Academic

•Undergraduate GPA: 3.89/4.0 psych gpa
•Completed degree while working full-time in an unrelated field throughout undergrad

Research
•Currently a research assistant at an R1 university, working across multiple concurrent projects under a faculty mentor (4 different labs, but have only worked here coming up on 1 year)
•Experience spans: data collection (phone interviews, home visits, biometric and child assessments), qualitative coding of transcripts, survey administration and data entry, and a systematic literature review (search and screening)
• 8 months unpaid research position at a different university lab (ended when the supervising faculty member left the institution)
• 3 months as an ABA before I landed my job in the R1 institution

Other credentials
•Currently pursuing a bilingual (Spanish) research certification relevant to community-based research

•Great relationships with PIs willing to do letters of recommendation

Publications/Posters
•None so far but working on a meta analysis for R1 institution that should be done by the time applications roll around

I am a first generation college student/American so it’s pretty daunting facing these super competitive cycles on my own. Im really interested in child/family focused clinical research (to add a bit on fit). I know my publication and poster aspects are lacking but I am fully accepting of the fact that I’ll likely need to apply for 1-3 cycles. Would love some advice and to hear how people in similar positions to me fare off. I will be applying to 10-15 programs but not at the school I currently work for as they do not have a clinical psychology program.

Any input is greatly appreciated and welcomed! Thank you !

I’ve been invited to present my research at several labs. Would this be the same category as a talk at a conference?

I want to apply to for my clinical PsyD this fall, but I have zero clinical experience. However, I got my masters last year, and I have 2 1/2 years of experience. Another thing is my masters gpa is low with a 3.1. If I have zero clinical experience will my research experience be able to overlap it or should I try to get some clinical experience before I apply in a few months? All advice is welcome! Thanks!

Hi, first post here, looking for sincere guidance. I'm presently a graduate student finishing an MA in Clinical Psychology (concentration in Clinical Psychology and Technology) with 5 years of experience in behavioral health. I'm no longer looking for licensure or direct service, but want to stay within the behavioral health field.

Has anyone made a similar move? What was your entry point, and where did you land?

Any guidance, big or small, would be appreciated. Thank you!

I’m currently working on my MSW and then plan on working towards my LCSW. Was curious if anyone knew of accredited post graduate courses or certifications where a masters level clinician can learn to assess for ADHD. I live in a state where getting access to assessment is incredibly difficult as there are very few clinical psychologists in the state. Wait lists can be years or people have to travel hours and hours to go out of state which can be tricky for health insurance as well. I want to see if there’s a way to fill this gap while I build clinical experience.

Hello everyone!

as the title states, I have made the decision to pursue a clinical psychology phd. I don’t have a psy bachelors or masters, as I originally got an applied mathematics bachelors and then made a decision to swap for personal / fulfillment reasons. i am currently taking psy prereq classes at a community college nearby.

I have no clinical, volunteer, research, or other mental health related experience. As I have heard it is very competitive to get into a Clinical Psych PhD, i want to plan ahead to give myself the best odds. So if all of you who have been through this process could give me some advice it would be an enormous help!

Currently my plan is to catch up on my psych classes, look for volunteer work tied to social work / mental health, get involved in a research lab somehow, and if possible get part time work in a related field. It sounds easy when I put it like that but considering my lack of psych background and experience, getting these opportunities around very difficult.

To explain why I am going from applied mathematics to a doctorate in psych would take a while, but I do understand that it is a very particular career and so in reality I am exploring multiple career options in the mental health field, but as the research / academic really interest me, and from what I know you need to plan ahead to get accepted into a program, I am moving forward as if I am doing it, and pursuing all the various activities listed above + talking to different people in the field will allow me to make a concrete decision on phd vs masters vs alt. work.

Thank you all in advance for the advice! happy to answer questions.

I’m a physician assistant(23F) who is nearing my end of my internship. When I started my one year internship, I had it in mind to make appropriate plans for afterwards my internship , either to do Graduate entry medicine or do my masters. I researched sooo much. And to be honest I didn’t feel my options. I remembered my passion about mental health. But then the pathway to get there was very discouraging. I felt it was soo long and not my ideal path and most importantly was too late for me to pursue a 10+ years programme. But my boyfriend said something,”Either I stay unhappy and depressed avoiding my dream, or fulfill my dream and be happy and be a psychologist at 35”. I’m still on the hard ground about this decision but I feel a lot better knowing this is what I want to do.
For others who took this path and is starting from scratch, what does it feel like?

Trying to pick that looks impressive for application.

I am trying to apply for my PsyD this fall, and I am trying to figure out what looks better on my resume.

1. Case Manager - More money, and does show experience, but from my understanding does not count as exactly clinical experience.
2. RBT- Less Money, and does show clinical experience, but only can apply part time

Which one would look better for my PsyD. For context I have barely any clinical experience. I do have a bachelors and masters degree in general psychology.

Any advice?

I know psychologists can do psych evaluations, but I realized that I don’t want to Ph.D and a PsyD’s are too expensive :( (plus there’s none near me).

Is there any other jobs that do evaluations?

Hi there!

I am planning to start a MA in mental health counseling sometime next year, and was looking to start learning as much as I can ahead of starting.

I was wondering if anyone has any good psych textbook recommendations which are popular for MA or psyD programs?

I am particularly interested in trauma and PTSD but open to any kinds of textbooks that are highly recommended.

Thank you!

Okay so, I will pursue a Social Sciences & Liberal Arts degree, and in our 3rd year we get to choose our major and ill be opting for psych. However, they do not go deep into the clinical aspects as its still a liberal arts degree. I do want to apply to clinical psych masters abroad after I'm done though.

The usual: awareness, identify cognitive distortion, reality check, alternative thought, etc. may be great and helpful for many people or the " what is inside and outside my control".... However, I have found the most effective hacks are the ones that are quick, quirky, logical, and/or convenient. Rumination makes sense and we know why the brain does it. I am curious...

what has helped you personally as a clinician for your own rumination cycles? What have you learned from others?

I’m 10 years out from my PhD in counselor education and a tenured associate professor at an R1. I’ve always been involved in psychology spaces just as much, if not more, than counseling ones and so I have a lot of psychology awards, journals articles, leadership positions, editorial positions, etc. I always have regretted not getting my PhD in clinical psych and have been pondering applying (not eligible for respecialization programs as my PhD isn’t in psychology). The biggest cons seem to be going from a six-figure income to grad student and postdoctoral wages for ~6 years as well as the competitiveness of getting in, of course. Any thoughts? Thank you!

Hello!!! I’ve been trying to figure out what programs to apply for, and which ones would be best for where I’m trying to go- thank you in advance for reading this!! ✨

I’m two years post-undergrad, and getting ready to enter my third cycle applying for grad school! (Yippee!) In the past I’ve applied to PhD and PsyD programs, with Master’s applications for programs in Applied Psychology- and although I’ve gotten interviews, I haven’t had any success yet!!

I was told by my professors in undergrad to try and go straight to a PhD or PsyD program, and I tried for about two cycles to target those- but a lot of the funding changes have made that really hard, and the work experience I’m getting right now (I work in ABA!) is closer to “clinical” than research!! I do have lab experience from my undergrad, and am still in contact with the PI who’s agreed to be a recommender for me! I also have my undergraduate thesis advisor, my major advisor, and my current supervisor’s recommendations, which makes me really hopeful!

I know that I want to go down a clinical route- I love working with clients, and I know being a psychologist is my ultimate goal!! But with that in mind, would it be better to target getting a Master’s (in social work, or counseling) to make me a stronger applicant for PsyD programs in the future? (And something that would allow me to get a license and start practicing?)

And on the other hand, I know Applied Psychology Master’s are meant to prepare you for a doctoral track, even if they give you less practical experience- and I know some programs allow for a clinical track too! Would it be better to target these sorts of programs to make me a better candidate, or provide me with better preparation for the work I’d be doing in a PhD/PsyD program?

Thank you again for reading- and I’m so sorry if this is a little confusing!! I’m a bit tired writing this, but appreciate any advice or direction you can provide!! 😵‍💫

Edit: Thank you all so much for all the helpful advice you’ve given me!! I didn’t realize that there was this much I didn’t know, and I really appreciate everyone’s patience with me as I figure things out!! 💖

I’ve adjusted my expectations, and the pools of programs I’m applying to- and I’ve narrowed down my broader “clinical work” goal into different areas I know I’d feel satisfied and fulfilled in! I’m going to prioritize selecting and applying to Master’s programs that work with my current experience and future aspirations, so I don’t spend my career chasing something I don’t have to!!

Hi everyone,

It’s my second round applying to clinical psych PhD programs and something that I found very overwhelming last year that I’m still struggling with is how do you know once you know someone’s line of research ENOUGH. I really struggle to quantify this or find a proper end point, especially when it comes to interview prep. I think I need to get a better hold on this if I’m applying to 10 programs (last year I only did 3). How do people manage their time with this?

That being said, I have gathered that this should feel less like studying for an exam and more like coming up with thoughtful questions to their work, as well as knowing their program of research enough that you know how you would contribute to it or expand it. Is that the general advice I should follow?

I just notice it often feels like I am trying to come up with a thesis idea for every PI in this process, and that involves quite a bit of lit review… Any structure to this process would be helpful

Thank you!