Clinical Psychology Degrees
Clinical Psychology Degrees are offered by many universities. In particular, the doctorate degree in clinical psychology is one of the most popular graduate psychology degrees. The competition is fierce for these programs and some programs only have an acceptance rate of two to five percent.
There are two different doctorate degrees that you can choose from. You can decide to pursue either a Ph.D. in clinical psychology or a Psy.D. degree. Although most Psy.D programs contain some coursework in advanced statistics and quantitative research methods, the Psy.D. is not a research degree like the Ph.D. is.
Instead, the Psy.D. focuses on theories and practical applications for clinical work. In addition, many Psy.D. programs require an original dissertation, it almost always has to be focused on a clinical area. Most Ph.D. programs allow dissertation research on purely theoretical topics without an immediate and direct link to clinical practice.
There are more universities offering a Ph.D. in clinical psychology than there are offering a Psy.D. although more students are enrolled in Psy.D. programs (Norcross & Castle, 2002). The enrolment rate for each program is approximately half of all clinical psychology students.
The Psy.D. degree is becoming popular because of the focus on practice (i.e., focus on providing therapy), but it also can take less time to complete. Often times, people complete a Psy.D. degree in clinical psychology approximately a year quicker that a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. However, there are more scholarships and funding options for the Ph.D. program so this means your school debt upon graduation could be less.
Before applying to a graduate school of clinical psychology you should investigate to ensure that the program is accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Both degree programs in clinical psychology require that you complete an internship. The internship is typically one year long. You will work as a therapist under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist. In applying for an internship, you should try to get into an APA accredited internship as many employment opportunities require an accredited internship.
People graduating with a degree in clinical psychology have been able to find work in hospitals, universities, counseling centers and even within the military treating patients.
Other places to seek employment are in schools, drug and alcohol treatment centres as well as within the legal system. You may even decide to set up your own practice to deliver clinical psychology treatment.
Some of the tasks that a clinical psychologist will need to perform in these settings include the assessment and diagnosis of mental disorders. These can be assessed through interviews or psychometric testing. You will also be expected to deliver direct treatment to patients.
People with clinical psychology skills have even found employment in physical rehabilitation settings working with patients dealing with a number of health issues such as spinal cord injuries, chronic pain, strokes or neurological conditions. One of the duties in this setting would be to help patients deal with and accept the reality of their physical condition.
Within the legal system, a clinical psychologist may be called upon to testify in court cases and may be asked to do psychological evaluations by either the defense or prosecutor.
After obtaining a doctorate in clinical psychology, you may also be able to find employment in a university conducting research into clinical psychology treatment methods as well as teaching various courses in clinical psychology.
As with any job the pay scale for clinical psychology changes depending on how many years of experience you have as well as where you work. The median salary for clinical psychologists is approximately $67,000 a year. The highest ten percent of clinical psychologists make over $100,000 a year.
The demand for clinical psychology services is expected to increase with a growth rate of twelve percent.
A job within the clinical psychology sector is not only interesting and rewarding but also pays well. It is a good career choice for people who want to both help people and make a good living.
When choosing which clinical psychology graduate school to attend, you need to enquire about internship options and what help, if any, they give to helping you find an internship.
APA statistics (Mattu, 2012) show that approximately twenty-five percent of doctorate graduates do not find an internship and only fifty percent find an APA accredited internship.
Regardless of the degree in clinical psychology that you obtain, you will still need to be licensed to practice as a clinical psychologist. The licensing requirements for each state are different so you need to carefully investigate the requirements to make sure that you qualify for the license.
Many license requirements also require an APA accredited internship so this is another reason to ask about internships at your clinical psychology graduate school.
Through careful examination of the various schools offering graduate degrees in clinical psychology, you will be able to find the best program for you.
Additional Information
If you want to search for clinical psychology degrees, don't forget to search for psychology schools in our graduate psychology school search.