UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SANTA CRUZ; TONAY ©2008

If you've decided to pursue an advanced degree that will make it possible for you to become a psychotherapist, you'll first need to decide what you want to do with that degree:

• I want to do research in psychotherapy. If so, you'll really need to get a PhD in clinical psychology, or counseling psychology (called an EdD, offered through Education departments). Masters level programs don't give you enough training or experience in conducting research in order to tackle a psychotherapy research project.
• I do not EVER want to do research. I want a degree that will teach me how to practice psychotherapy. Unfortunately, most doctoral-level schools will not teach you practice without research training. That's because it's very important to understand how research is conducted and how to best evaluate it because psychologists are required by law to use the most effective treatment modalities for a given disorder. In order to know which are most effective, you've got to be able to dissect and evaluate the relevant psychotherapy outcome research. If you get a PsyD, you'll have very little opportunity to learn about that. Masters level schools vary in this regard.
• I want to get through graduate school quickly. Certainly, that's understandable. However, consider that you will be getting (or not getting) training that will last you your entire career. That training must be enough to teach you to handle all kinds of psychotherapy problems, crises, diagnoses. If you don't get enough training, when you are licensed you may doubt your ability. You may always feel not quite good enough, or confident enough. If you've decided a master's degree program is for you, the MSW (masters of social work or social welfare) degree with a clinical emphasis is my best advice. It is portable (you can practice anywhere with it), it is well-respected, and the training is generally strong. SJSU and Columbia University are two places I've recommended students go and get their MSWs; several are now happily practicing. (Berkeley's program is research focused.)
• I want to practice psychotherapy independently in a private practice. In this case, you could either get a masters degree in marriage and family therapy (in California or Hawaii and a few other states) if you want to see couples and families; a masters degree in clinical social work; or a PhD or EdD in psychology. Read the page on types of psychotherapy licenses for more information.
• I want to do psychological assessment with clients, or in an organizational setting, or forensic assessment/profiling for the FBI! Psychologists (PhD, PsyD, EdD) are the only psychotherapists able to conduct psychological testing, so you will need to earn one of these degrees and attend a school that emphasizes testing (clinical or personality psychology emphasis). School psychologists (PhD, EdD, or MA in school psychology) can give intellectual and some cognitive (learning) tests. Remember, if you want to work in law enforcement, you are likely to be viewing violent images and crime scenes!
• I want to teach clinical psychology courses at a college or university. For this, you definitely need a PhD, preferably in personality, clinical, or counseling psychology--although sometimes developmental PhDs teach clinical courses, particularly at community colleges.
• I want to teach psychology courses at a high school. To teach in a high school, you need a teaching credential, usually offered in a 5th or 5th-and-6th year post-B.A. program in education. Few high schools offer psychology, and in order to teach that, you'll probably have to earn a multiple-subject credential where your main job would be teaching, say, English.

Next, you'll need to apply to a wide range of programs. Psychotherapy programs are very competitive. I recommend applying to 10-15 programs! Choose a few that are very competitive (in the top 10 or 15 schools), a few that you are sure you will get in to (professional schools which admit a lot of students, like Alliant, CIIS, Pacifica, Wright Institute, JFK), and several middle-of-the-road colleges or universities. Make sure you would actually be willing to live in these places. (Professionals tend to set up practices/work close to where they did their graduate training and/or post-graduate internship.)

Often, students come to me asking whether they should apply for a clinical PhD program at Berkeley or Yale, for example, because they aren't sure they'd like to live in New Haven, or whatever. Please understand that your chances of getting admitted to Berkeley or Yale are about 1 in 300! Those other 299 applicants are typically near the very top of their undergraduate classes, with research, teaching, and internship experience. In other words, you are competing with the very top psychology student in each of the top several hundred schools around the country (and sometimes, the world). Of the 600 or so who apply to Berkeley each year, for instance, about 5 are admitted. Your chances of getting admitted to a top 5 school are very, very slim. (The top 5 schools vary by year; they nearly always include: Yale, U. of Michigan, UC Berkeley, U. of Washington, U. of Colorado at Boulder). It can help to take a year or two or three off before applying to travel, volunteer in a foreign country, work or volunteer in an inpatient unit, or do your own research study.

Tips for applications: Make sure your application is spotless--no grammatical or proofreading errors! Have several people read over your statement of purpose. DO NOT put personal information in your statement, such as 'I want to be a therapist because I use to be addicted to crack, and, believe me, I know how important a good therapist can be,' or, 'my parents were abusive, and that made me seek therapy, which made me realize this is the career for me.' This information is none of the admission committees' business, and they know it. You will be admitted or denied based on your academic work, and that is how it should be. Graduate school is not therapy. The more specific you can be about your research interests (for PhD programs) or population interests (i.e., what kind of clients you hope to work with), the better. Going to a conference, like the American Psychological Association's or Association for Psychological Science's or California Psychology Association's conferences can help you narrow down which programs have faculty doing things you'd be interested in working on. They will choose you not only on your academic record, but based on how closely your interests match theirs. It is never wise to lecture admissions committees on how much you know; focus instead on what you hope to learn.