Posted by Emily Elizabeth on August 6, 2005, at 1:29:39
In reply to Thinking of studying formal psychology part time, posted by orchid on August 5, 2005, at 20:14:51
I am *so* the wrong person to ask right about now. I am totally burned out on grad school. I love the profession, but hate getting there. It is a lot of work and my professors treat us all like sh*t. (Bet you didn't know sweet little EE could speak that way!)
I have been in grad school for 5 yrs full time. I have at least 1 more year followed by another year of a full-time internship (our equivalent of a medical residency). My program is both master's and PhD. I am soooo ready to be out of school and making an actual income like a real adult!! :)
BUT (at least in the US) you can do a lot and practice with a master's degree. That would probably only take 2-3 yrs. Masters in Social Work programs are popular now. There are many good T's out there who have MSW's. The advantage of a PhD is that you can work as a researcher or professor and/or therapist, you are paid a little more (although not as much as psychiatrists--don't get me started on that one), and can become fully licensed (MA's require some supervision; it might be different for MSW's though).
One way that you might consider getting your feet wet is through a crisis hotline or something like that. They usually have trained volunteers who don't necessarily need to have a degree in psych.
Is there any update on your move? I have no idea if these things are the same or different in other parts of the world.
Best (and I hope my burned-out-ness didn't discourage you!)
EE
poster:Emily Elizabeth
thread:538051
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050801/msgs/538166.html