I don't have a mental health question, but a career question. Some of you know I'm an aviation major, and that's still my number 1 career goal at this point. However I'm having trouble getting medical certification because I have a suicide attempt in the past, and it's becoming more and more apparent that I need a backup plan in case aviation is no longer a viable option. That said, the only thing I can see myself doing besides flying is as a professional counselor or therapist. I've basically decided I'm going to pursue aviation until it is no longer viable, and if I can't fly, then I'll be able to sleep at night because I know I never gave up on it and I stuck with it until the end. But if not, I don't really know what degree/program I'd need and which area of therapy I'd be getting into. What degrees do you have and do you have to have a PHD? Are you employed or do you own your own practice? Does it pay at least a livable wage?
There are many different paths to a career doing counseling and therapy. You do not have to have a Ph.D., but if you opt not to go the Ph.D route, I would strongly recommend the MSW (Masters in Social Work) rather than the MA Psychology or MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist) credential. The reasoning is as follows: Ph.Ds (or Psy.Ds) still have better insurance reinbursement than any masters-level therapist, so that's something to consider if you might ever be in private practice or working in a setting where insurance is billed for the services. The Ph.D. is typically a more research-focused degree usually requiring a dissertation with new, original research. The coursework tends to be research-focused. The Psy.D., on the other hand, has a much stronger clinical focus. More time practicing, studying, and doing therapy and learning about systems of psychology rather than on learning and studying research and research methods. Both qualify you to practice either in a corporate or private practice setting. If you do go for either the Psy.D or Ph.D, make sure the school you are attending has programmatic accreditation for their doctoral psychology program from the APA. Only a small portion of schools are actually APA accredited, and some employers will only hire graduates from APA-accredited schools. If you go the masters route, the MSW is generally a far better choice than the others because the social work profession has been around forever and, thanks to strong political muscle, social workers have a much wider scope of practice (enviromnemts they can work in, types of work, private practice, etc.) than their MA Psychology or MFT counterparts. You can actually earn an MSW in 2 years if you have a 4 year college degree in something else... though there will be a handful of prereq courses you'll need to take. Pay varies tremendously. Therapists in private practice who have built up their practice can make 100 grand a year or more if they're good, develop and keep clientele, and have a good mix of private pay and insurance. This is true for masters and doctoral level. If you're working for someone else, doctoral-level psychologists again are typically paid pretty well. MA Psychology, not so much. Social workers not in private practice (i.e, working for a hospital, government agency, etc) typically are not that well paid in the US, $40-70,000. In Canada, by contrast, a social worker a couple years out of school generally makes $60-70,000. But social workers are a lot more employable (because of the diversity of jobs they can take) than masters-level therapists.
To work as a psychologist, you need to get an undergraduate degree in psychology, and then a graduate degree in the subfield of psychology you want to specialize in. (Such as clinical psychology.) You don't need any credentials to work as a counselor. But that's generally a lot lower pay. If you want to be able to prescribe psychiatric medications, you need to become a medical doctor, preferably specializing in psychiatry.
Not true. In all 50 states (California, surprisingly, was the last one), "counselor", unless it is a pastoral counselor, is a protected term that requires licensure by the state behavioral science board, and, as far as I know, all 50 states require a masters degree, either an MA psychology, a masters in counseling, or a similar postgrad degree. Even addicition counselors (most of whom are recovering addicts) require a certification and licensing and specialized schooling, though it is a much shorter route than a master's degree. Additionally, nearly every state defines and regulates counseling and therapy, so even if you provide something and don't call it therapy or counseling, you still run afoul of the law. (Again, California is an exception, as it has a "freedom of choice" act that allows unlicensed healthcare practitioners to provide medical care as long as they disclose they are unlicensed.)
Chip, where did you get the salary figures for MSWs in Canada? I'm in Quebec and I was told the starting wage for an MSW in the public system is 44k, though I believe I've heard that it eventually can rise, but I don't know how high. I'm an honors psych student, and no longer planning on going the PsyD route (too long, I have other things to do before I die...), but I'd be down for an MSW if that's the kind of money I can get for it.
Hey hey! So I am a therapist, not a psychotherapist. I have a masters in Clinical Psychoogy, an externship (pretty much an internship minus supervisory duties) and am an LPC/QMHP in Illinois. I currently practice under an agency. I can speak to how Illinois works as far as practice. As a counselor/therapist you need an MA/MS in Clinical Psychology or Clinical Counseling and a 700 hour minimum internship, licensing exam and packet filled out with payment. When complete if all is kosher you get licensed as an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). As an LPC you MUST work under a clinical license such as an LCPC or LCSW or PsyD. However, after 2 years and 1680 hours of supervised clinical work you can sit for an LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor). At that point I would be able to open a private practice and work without supervision. I would say I am paid pretty well. As much as I would like to disagree with Chip on this, an MSW is more employable than an LPC (or your state's version of an LPC) The benefits of an MSW is that in some (see SOME as I don't know every state's factors) states you can actual enter into a counseling profession without the requisite license (called and LSW/LCSW). I chose the Clinical Psych route because of my desire to work in the psychodynamic field and work with a heavy specialization in anxiety-spectrum The only thing I will disagree with is that an LPC after their appropriate supervision is very much free to pursue non-supervised private practice work after attaining their clinical license. Again this is Illinois I speak of. As far as pay, I make a decent living and this is my first position at it's most basic level. As an LCPC I can work in agencies, private practice or with colleagues and make quite a lot more as I can then bill insurance. An LCSW has the same rights The decision ultimately will determine what you want to do. In Illinois, LSW/MSW programs have a wide variety of oppurtunities to specialize in such as case management and such. An LPC on the other hand is specifically trained for counseling and therapy. We specialize in certain treatment modalities or disorders. I for example am an LPC and specialize in PTSD, ASD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder but again my main focus of classes was strictly therapuetic work and counseling. Hopefully that helps you determine what you would prefer. I am always happy to help if you'd like to discuss further. ---------- Post added 18th Feb 2014 at 12:33 PM ---------- The one caveat I will say is this. Do what's right for for your career but as with any major decision, take this one seriously. I am NOT trying to steer you away from mental health but I truly believe the passion for mental health has to be there or this field can and will burn people very quickly
