The age old question of PsyD vs. LCSW (skills, doctoral, degree)
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Another factor...an LCSW has a lot more opportunity to contribute directly to the development of their national organizations than a psychologist, so if having a voice in your profession matters to you, LCSW is the way to go.
And having an LCSW rather than a PsyD won't preclude you from research if you wish to get involved in some. More and more research is coming out of the social work community, with fingers in a lot more pies...social work, social justice, clinical practice, epidemiology and ethnography, to name a few areas.
I like the very broad base of the LCSW's practice, the ethos of the profession, and the wider range of job options and job contexts. It's not nearly as specialized and the profession is still very much up-and-coming.
(Where I'm coming from: I'm working on a BSW as a first step toward a second career, active in organizations for and by social workers, and have friends who hold both kinds of degrees)
I am getting my MSW and will be pursuing my LCSW in the future. Unless you want to be a Psychiatrist I would go the LCSW route. You can do all the above that you mentioned in social work. I feel the degree is more versatile. Social workers are becoming more respected because we focus on evidence based practice and this fact is becoming well known. You can specialize in whatever you would like as many social workers do by training and pursuing employment of interest.
I know that I responded to this very same error in another thread, but I wanted to point it out here too so that future readers will not be confused. In order to become a psychiatrist, you need to go to medical school. Those with doctoral degrees in psychology are psychologists.
As far as evidence-based practice, who do you think is finding this evidence? I could be wrong, but I believe most of the research in the behavioral sciences is done by those with doctoral degrees in the behavioral sciences. Those with a PhD also have the advantage of being qualified for the most lucrative jobs in academia. In the future, we might see more doctoral programs in social work, but that will just make it harder for those with master's degrees in social work to get jobs in academia and research.
And having an LCSW rather than a PsyD won't preclude you from research if you wish to get involved in some. More and more research is coming out of the social work community, with fingers in a lot more pies...social work, social justice, clinical practice, epidemiology and ethnography, to name a few areas.
There are already a lot of people with degrees in psychology, sociology, and other social sciences who work in these areas. As far as social justice, I would say that those with social work degrees doing research in the field are rare compared to those with degrees in criminal justice, criminology, law, sociology, and economics (I'm working on a PhD in Criminal Justice and have a BA in Social Science). There are also forensic psychologists doing work in this field. There are a lot of branches in psychology: cognitive psychology, experimental psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, applied psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, neuropsychology, educational psychology, evolutionary psychology, health psychology, etc. You don't always need a degree or concentration specifically in one of these areas; all you have to do is focus your research and/or applied work in these areas. Did you know that a lot of homeland security programs have a psychology of terrorism course? I also noticed that there are a few public health programs with a behavioral science concentration (the behavioral sciences are psychology, sociology, and anthropology).
I didn't type that in error. I don't see the need to go for a PSYD. I know a Psychiatrist need pharmacology. I was stating that's the only reason I can see someone going for that degree. Yes ebp might have started with Psyc. because sw didn't start off as it is now. SW didn't focus on therapy when the profession fiirst began but now it has expanded in so many areas. Just like Psyc. , SW can practice and specialize in any area that they would like. It's MY opinion.
Oh and SW also do research and one can get a Phd in sw if one wishes. My school has a dual program.
Thanks
Last edited by Be Happy 2; 10-13-2013 at 09:59 PM..
I didn't type that in error. I don't see the need to go for a PSYD. I know a Psychiatrist need pharmacology. I was stating that's the only reason I can see someone going for that degree. Yes ebp might have started with Psyc. because sw didn't start off as it is now. SW didn't focus on therapy when the profession fiirst began but now it has expanded in so many areas. Just like Psyc. , SW can practice and specialize in any area that they would like. It's MY opinion.
Oh and SW also do research and one can get a Phd in sw if one wishes. My school has a dual program.
Thanks
I'm not quite following what you're saying. Maybe I should clarify. If you want to become a psychologist, you need a PhD or PsyD in psychology. The PhD is a research degree while the PsyD is more of a practice degree. If you want to become a psychiatrist, you need to go to medical school and become an M.D. or D.O. You cannot become a psychiatrist with a PsyD. It is not a medical degree; it's not even a prerequisite to becoming a psychiatrist. The only reason why someone should get a PsyD is if he/she wants to become a psychologist. PsyDs are for psychologists, not psychiatrists. There is no reason why an aspiring psychiatrist should get a PsyD. A psychiatrist does not need a degree in pharmacology. Psychologists who live in the one or two states that give them prescriptive authority need a degree in pharmacology.
Psychologists do make significantly more money than social workers on average and can do things in practice that social workers and counselors cannot do. Doctoral degrees in psychology are expensive, but that's why it's recommended to focus on getting into a fully funded PhD program where the tuition is waived and you get paid a stipend.
When I said that we might see more doctoral programs in social work in the future, that means I know that the programs already exist. If I didn't know that doctoral programs in social work existed, I wouldn't have said more. There are also DSW (doctor of social work) programs in addition to PhD in social work programs.
I am both an LCSW and a licensed psychologist. A PsyD provides SIGNIFICANTLY more clinical training than an MSW program. My MSW program required an academic year long practicum of 20 hours/week, which is approximately 800 hours. Then, after graduation, you must acquire 3000 additional hours prior to becoming licensed. The PsyD program required 2000 clinical hours prior to applying for a calendar year long internship, which is an additional 2000 hours. After graduation, you are required to obtain 2000 additional hours prior to becoming licensed. That's 6000 clinical hours prior to licensure, as opposed to under 4000 for LCSWs. However, if you want to only do psychotherapy and are not interested in psychological testing, the LCSW route is much much easier.
I am both an LCSW and a licensed psychologist. A PsyD provides SIGNIFICANTLY more clinical training than an MSW program. My MSW program required an academic year long practicum of 20 hours/week, which is approximately 800 hours. Then, after graduation, you must acquire 3000 additional hours prior to becoming licensed. The PsyD program required 2000 clinical hours prior to applying for a calendar year long internship, which is an additional 2000 hours. After graduation, you are required to obtain 2000 additional hours prior to becoming licensed. That's 6000 clinical hours prior to licensure, as opposed to under 4000 for LCSWs. However, if you want to only do psychotherapy and are not interested in psychological testing, the LCSW route is much much easier.
I am currently in the process of obtaining my LCSW but am also considering a clinically focused DSW program and a PsyD program. You are the only other person who I have seen mention being an LCSW and a PsyD. Can you tell me what you find beneficial about the PsyD other than the more specialized training (this is one of the main things I am looking for) such as pay, opportunity, etc? I am hoping to eventually open my own practice, teach at an adjunct level, and/or conduct research on a consulting basis. I am currently employed with a school system. I am really enjoy the work life balance and will be starting my family soon so I hope to move into private practice or consulting work while growing my family so that I can have flexibility with my schedule. Thank you.
I am currently in the process of obtaining my LCSW but am also considering a clinically focused DSW program and a PsyD program. You are the only other person who I have seen mention being an LCSW and a PsyD. Can you tell me what you find beneficial about the PsyD other than the more specialized training (this is one of the main things I am looking for) such as pay, opportunity, etc? I am hoping to eventually open my own practice, teach at an adjunct level, and/or conduct research on a consulting basis. I am currently employed with a school system. I am really enjoy the work life balance and will be starting my family soon so I hope to move into private practice or consulting work while growing my family so that I can have flexibility with my schedule. Thank you.
My 2 cents as a former consumer of counseling services: PsyD's (and PsyMA's) are much better prepared to help the client. It's like night an day. And there are more opportunities to specialize deeply, for Psy advanced degrees. All those extra clinical hours and study hours make a big difference in how effectively you're able to help people, the results you're able to get. No contest, I vote for PsyD. Also, only a PsyD's patient evaluations are accepted by some institutions, like Social Security for disability.
My 2 cents as a former consumer of counseling services: PsyD's (and PsyMA's) are much better prepared to help the client. It's like night an day. And there are more opportunities to specialize deeply, for Psy advanced degrees. All those extra clinical hours and study hours make a big difference in how effectively you're able to help people, the results you're able to get. No contest, I vote for PsyD. Also, only a PsyD's patient evaluations are accepted by some institutions, like Social Security for disability.
I don't know about patient evaluations specifically, but I know LCSW can perform billable services for the VA, so it is a pretty versatile degree.
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