#or pursue a 2yr masters and then a phd here

[dongiovannitriumphant]

honks my little clown shoes all the way back to the uk

[therapy101]

So I get that in the US, to become a clinical psychologist you need a PhD or PsyD, but to become a different kind of psychologist do you still need a doctoral degree? I'm not from the US, I'm just reflecting on the therapists that I have seen. Some became psychologists through 4yrs undergrad and then 2yrs internship, and others went through postgrad Clinical Psychology education and training for 2-3yrs. I find that the clinical psychologists are a lot more "professional" in my experiences, in

terms of boundaries, guidance and support rather than advice-giving, promoting autonomy, generally just therapeutic approaches and skills, being up to date with evidence based treatments, etc. This could, of course, just reflect the therapists that I have seen rather than the two groups on a whole. Or it could be because I have always been in treatment for mental illness, as opposed to other mental health issues. It has definitely allowed me to realise that if I decide to pursue a career as a

psychologist I will get the postgrad qualifications in clinical. Anyway my point is, are a PhD or PsyD or postgrad masters the only ways to become any type of psychologist in the US? I think it is actually a really good approach. Also, I want to say thank you for all that you do on here :)

you’re so welcome :)

the only way to become a psychologist in the US is to get a PhD or PsyD, unless you are becoming a school psychologist in which case you can get an EdS. Clinical and counseling psychologists do nearly the same set of training, requiring either a PhD or PsyD (although I’m not sure that there are any PsyDs in counseling psychology). Experimental psychologists- including cognitive, social, and developmental psychologists -get PhDs which only include the research and academic side of things, without clinical training. 

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