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Grad school changed me from an INTP to an INFP. I loved my FT internship as a group counselor and was offered a job when I graduated. I believe the pay was $24,000.
Sorry. That wouldn't even pay my bills. I could wait tables and make more money than that. It's really sad. Counseling is a dying field. Better try a different angle, like psychometrics or industrial psych....unless you're rich and salary doesn't matter.
Just to give you some reassurance, my ex-husband makes much better than $24k...he's not rolling in the money, but he does well. When we first moved to MO last year, he had only 1 year post-licensure (LPC) experience, and his very lowest salary offer from the several offers he received was $40k, which he turned down, to take a job that paid better. I make substantially more than $24k and that's with a B.A.
And I'll ditto the above posters, it is better to work for an agency after you graduate, get experience under your belt and build up a network of referral sources before thinking about delving into private practice.
I'm not 100% sure, but I believe industrial psych is psych applied to the workplace, and psychometrics has to do with stats/testing/measuring and other extremely boring stuff (IMHO). lol
I'm still unclear as to what the main difference is between a Masters in Psychology vs MSW. I'm not exactly sure where I want to work, but I know I want to go into counseling. I saw a listing for a Substance Abuse Counselor today which only required a bachelors degree. Whats the main benefit of getting a graduate degree if you can get counseling jobs with an undergrad degree?
I'm still unclear as to what the main difference is between a Masters in Psychology vs MSW. I'm not exactly sure where I want to work, but I know I want to go into counseling. I saw a listing for a Substance Abuse Counselor today which only required a bachelors degree. Whats the main benefit of getting a graduate degree if you can get counseling jobs with an undergrad degree?
It's because there is very little difference, if any. The only thing is that MSW's are also more trained in case management and some just choose to do that than therapy, however, they are also trained in therapy......
Um, yeah, most bachelors in psych positions pay about 22-25K a year for counseling, that's why. It just depends on the freedom you want to have as well (e.g., getting licensed, etc)
I have a MSW. I did alot of research prior to entering my Master's program due to being unsure if I wanted to go the Psychology tract or the Social Work tract. I asked everyone I knew in both fields and was astonished at the amount of positive remarks towards the MSW. Even the Psychologist were saying to get my MSW.
Have you considered joining the military? I joined the AF as a 1st Lt with my MSW. I work in the Mental Health flight and have 4 sectios within the flight that I work: Mental Health, Family Advocacy, Alcohol Drug Abuse and Treatment and BHOP. With that I am able to work with all avenues of people and develop many different skills within the theraputic world. With my BHA and BAS I make $60,000 a year and at my 2 yr mark I put on Captain and make $1000 a month more. It is a wonderful job, atmosphere and I am doing my duty to my Country. I am getting my supervision hours and working towards licensure. If you have any questions about it, I would be more than willing to answer or help get you contacted with someone that can.
It's because there is very little difference, if any. The only thing is that MSW's are also more trained in case management and some just choose to do that than therapy, however, they are also trained in therapy......
I have to disagree with the statement that there's very little difference between a master's in psych and a master's in psychology. In my state, there's a huge difference between a masters in psych and a MSW... in most states, the same differences exist.
MSW programs are accredited by the CSWE and I suggest you visit that site to learn more about their process and the standardized curriculums of the program. They can have different focus areas... clinical programs will focus intensely on clinical training and have a condensed exposure to macro social work. Policy programs will have very little, if any, clinical training and will focus on macro type internships, etc. All MSW programs will have a substantial internship that can double the amount of field hours required in other masters level human services programs. Also, post-degree, pre-license hours will vary from field to field. In my state, social workers have to perform about twice as many supervised hours as licensed professional counselors before receiving independent license.
Psych programs tend to have a stepping stone goal... preparing students for doctoral study in the field. This is become in most states, master's level psychs can't become independently licensed. They must always practice under the supervision of a doctoral level psychologist. However, social work programs are terminal degrees and the social workers can become independently licensed and practice alone.
Also different are the roles... social workers are often trained primarily as psychotherapists and case managers but can serve in many, many, many other roles. They are not typically trained to administer tests (and likely would never be asked to train for administering tests) whereas master's level psych folks will serve as psychometrists administering and occasionally interpreting tests for clients.
Social workers form assessments by interviewing clients under a biopsychosocial model and psychologists tend to utilize that same model plus formal testing and measures.
Research requirements are also different... the type of student in your cohort will be different... the goals/mentality of the peer group will be different, continuing education will be different, job opportunities will be different, etc, etc, etc.
I don't think we can recommend other sites here, can we, I'm new but I think I read that somewhere... if you are interested, pm, and I can send you to a website/forum where there are tons of people making the same decision as yourself and a plethora of information that could help you make up your mind.
I think that you already have had some really good suggestions. So, I can only echo what some others have said. If you want to be a psychologist, a Ph.D. is the best degree to have. Since you want to be a counselor, and you want to get a Masters degree, I would contend that an MSW is the best way to go. A Masters in Social Work is a more flexible degree when compared to a Masters in Counseling and/or Psychology. Plus, the majority of mental health services are actually provided by social workers.
I skimmed through the thread, and I think you mentioned that you are in MO? If so, you can check out the MSW program at Washington University. It currently is the #1 ranked MSW program in the nation.
I'm still unclear as to what the main difference is between a Masters in Psychology vs MSW. I'm not exactly sure where I want to work, but I know I want to go into counseling. I saw a listing for a Substance Abuse Counselor today which only required a bachelors degree. Whats the main benefit of getting a graduate degree if you can get counseling jobs with an undergrad degree?
The MSW, Masters in Social Work, is a terminal degree. The Masters in Psych is not a terminal degree.
The MSW is considered to be the best possible education for the helping professions. MSW's with licensure can bill insurance companies. MA or MS psyche--even with a Marriage Family and Child Counselor licenses cannot.
If you have a choice the MSW is the only way to go.
I have a Master's degree in Psychology and have worked in the mental health field for over 10 years. I would like to reinforce the posts directly above about the MSW. My advice is to get the MSW. It is indeed a much more marketable degree and as stated above, it is a terminal degree. After getting my Master's in Psychology I went to work for a state funded facility here in Texas. When I started to look around for other work it was very apparent how difficult it was going to be to switch to another job within the field. It has been my experience over the years, at least here in Texas, that those with the MSW degree have had a much easier time getting jobs in various agencies, or even in a private group setting. The reason is that in many settings, with the Master's in Psychology you have to be supervised by a PhD. in Psychology and many agencies/clinics/hospitals are not set up for that. Even if you have a Master's in Psychology and an LPC license your options may be more limited than having an MSW and licensed. In addition, unless you already have a B.A. in Psychology, you will probably have to take a lot of undergraduate level Psychology courses before being accepted into a Psychology Master's degree program (I believe you said you had a B.A. in Communications??). Many MSW degree programs are more flexible on what Bachelor's degree you already have. Finally, do a lot of personal research on your own beyond the advice we have all given you here. I would strongly advise you to ask somone who is a licensed MSW, or an LPC, if they can "mentor" you for a week or two. You will have to do that without pay but it will be well worth it. That way you can find out from an experienced person first-hand what their typical day/week is like as a mental health professional before deciding if that kind of work is for you. This field can be very rewarding but it can also be very stressful. It is not for everyone. The biggest mistake I made prior to getting my Master's in Psychology was not doing enough personal research about the field in advance.
I am considering going to grad school for Psychology. Its something I'm interested in and for some reason I think it would be easier for me to get a job. As of right now I have a B.A. in Communications. The thing is I've taken a few years off since graduating to travel. Therefore I don't know if I could handle anything past 2 years. Can anyone tell me what kind of work I can get with a Masters in Psychology? Is anyone in this situation and if so is it worth just getting your Masters? What kind of jobs and pay can I expect with this degree? What kind of work load can I expect? Also can anyone recommend good schools to go to? Last time I looked I believe Stanford was #1. I was considering UCSD, is anyone familiar with this school?
I have the same question. The school i am interested in offers a Masters in Psychology with no specific emphasis. They do offer it as a terminal degree, so if I chose I can take that and run. However if I decide to continue and can get into the Ph.D.program that is an option.
I am wondering realistically, what job opportunities would I have with a Master in Psychology with no emphasis?
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