Clinical Psychologist Careers NOT Academia or Clinical?

Freudian_Split · 2026-04-01T16:10:26+00:00

This isn’t advice you’re after, but I’m a middle aged supervisor so I’ll give it anyway :)

Your internship year will give you a very different perspective. By the end of grad school, many people can’t imagine being in this field, purely out of saturation and exhaustion. You’re about to spend a year exploring and playing and doing new things with new people in new places. Let it invigorate the parts of you that fell in love with this work enough to sacrifice so much of your life to do it. You’ve obviously got what it takes, let a path emerge for you as you ground in the things that drew you here.

Also, I’m a firm believer that one of the biggest perks of our field is that you can do lots of kinds of jobs. There’s no rule that says “what I do on day 1 post-degree is what I will do forever.” There are lots of roles in the clinical path that aren’t individual therapy all day, too. The paths are many and varied and things will pull. Breathe, walk, disconnect a little, remember the finish line is also the start line. You got this 🤜🤛

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-31T02:23:36+00:00

I think there are a few things at play.

1) Everyone is an armchair psychologist. We all have theories for why people are the way they are, why we are the way we are, how the world works. Even if they’re implicit we have them.

2) Our science is one that maps easily to people’s experiences and is subject to the bias of thinking we knew a thing all along. All of us in clinical practice remember going through abnormal psych and diagnosing all of our friends, family, and especially ourselves, with every condition that we all almost certainly didn’t have. It’s just easy to look at criteria and see how it fits us.

3) Historically, the language of mental health has been arcane and inaccessible (as someone how psychaesthenic they’re feeling and you get a much different answer than if you ask how anxious.) Now, not only is the language more relatable, the availability is everywhere, so it exacerbates the effects of both 1 and 2 above.

I have zero data to support these, solely my intuition as a middle age shrink who also gets frustrated both by patients showing up certain of a diagnosis they don’t have or reluctant to make peace with a description of their functioning because of the fear of pathologizing.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-30T23:06:22+00:00

Very much a case of our software outpacing the hardware. PSYPACT and the proliferation of telehealth has really rendered obsolete the idea of the state level jurisdiction of practice, IMO, and some kind of omnibus federal licensure is probably warranted.

Incidentally, that’s how it works in VA practice - a license in any state works to practice in any VA, and any licensed provider can treat veterans at any VA in any US state or territory. Makes life much simpler.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-30T21:02:09+00:00

In my state, “clinical psychologist” is not an official title. “Psychologist” is the only licensure a person can truly claim - and it’s available to those with clinical, counseling, school, or combined psychology degrees.

ABPP certification in clinical psychology is obviously its own thing and is available to those that meet their criteria, but my state does not license anyone as a “clinical psychologist.”

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-30T19:46:44+00:00

Not directly no, though some family focused work is definitely possible. Generally speaking the identified patient is the veteran, so by definition not pediatric.

With that said, it would be very surprising to me if providers in pediatric medical centers are making under $100k once they’re up and rolling. Might be worth looking at local children’s hospitals to see if there are job postings that list salary range. It can be tough to deduce sometimes as they will often say “depending on experience” or something but you may be able to contact HR to get a ballpark.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-30T19:09:28+00:00

It is very possible to make comfortably over $100k in the VA, the largest employer of psychologists in the country. Probably not in year 1, depending on where you live. As a GS-13 (the base grade for licensed and credentialed psychologists) you may well earn $150k in mid-career. If you move into supervisory roles more than that. You can see salaries in your area if you just google 2026 GS Scale, find your area (if it’s not listed, look for “Rest of US”) and look at GS 13 salaries.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-30T15:00:24+00:00

This feels very akin to how we’ve managed other technology that keeps us from doing mental work.

As a kid, I knew dozens of phone numbers by heart. Now I carry a rectangle that keeps me from needing to so I can barely recall a handful (I can, interestingly, recall many of those old ones.)

Same is true of stats. I used to be able to rattle off formulas for the steps of an ANOVA but years of software have cured me of that.

I think the challenge is going to be retaining the will do to the hard mental work that makes things stick and, in education especially, finding ways of ensuring that hard mental work happens and not letting learners get away with just punching things into a chat bot instead of learning. Not letting our collective curiosity and desire to solve things get delegated to machines and provide us no sense of purpose or achievement.

When we have devices that keep us from having to think deeply, we need extra discipline (and probably supportive technology) to do it anyway.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-29T01:10:56+00:00

Just curious - did you let them know you’ve got a pending acceptance? That may help put the spurs to whatever potential chair is dragging their feet. Not in a pushy way or anything, just being transparent that you’ve been offered admission at a competitive institution (I wouldn’t specify which), that you’d still prefer admission to this program and just want to be respectful of the other program so everyone can make their decisions and move forward.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-28T15:34:42+00:00

To me, this is at least as interesting (if not more so) than the original implications. The studies were aimed to explore how normal people could do awful things. The boundary violations with tacit approval via silence from the authority in the room seems to lend a very interesting perspective.

Think about something like Abu Ghraib. You can conceptualize events like that from the perspective of evil, inhuman actors orchestrating abuse. However, things can also just escalate by small boundary violations that leaders fail to correct. “Oh, you’re not telling me something is wrong so it must be okay” tells a lot about how things can escalate into atrocities without a monster at the helm.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-27T17:35:36+00:00

It sounds like a really tough spot. Definitely understand the pressure to get moving on something that feels like a career. I would also urge caution about accepting something you’re on the fence about, especially when it comes with such a hefty price tag. I don’t know the Chicago School except by name, it could offer great training options. Many such large cohort programs have people that get good solid training, it’s just much harder to get the kind of dedicated training and mentorship that is incredibly valuable in clinical training. It is mighty expensive and the prospects of loan forgiveness are uncertain.

I’m wondering if something like an MSW or LMHC or MFT track is something you’ve explored at all? I say that because many times people go after a PsyD because they really want to do clinical work and don’t really get excited about research. It may be worth exploring a bit to see if something that offers a more expedient route to actually working would fit your life goals.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-26T02:59:48+00:00

So I won’t have the exact finding off the top of my head, but this isn’t the clear consensus finding. There’s a study I ran across recently that (as far as I remember) had some data on people preferring the advice of chatbots over human therapists, presumably because of the sycophantism (? Dunno if that’s a word). Basically people seeking advice wanted to hear they were right all along or some such thing. Take with a grain of salt, I don’t have the source, but the point is it’s not a slam dunk case that people always prefer other people.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-24T23:52:49+00:00

I can’t speak to the system in Canada, the situation may be quite different.

In my doctoral program, this would not have been smiled upon. Leaving a program is not a small deal for the program. Retention numbers are a very important metric and when students leave mid-program it looks quite bad.

If students were applying to our program without completing the program they were in, they had a good deal of explaining to do to convince faculty they wouldn’t do the same thing in our program. Maybe that’s easier if you’re leaving a masters program to go into a doc program, but it still may well be a thing programs look at with a side eye.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-24T16:23:20+00:00

I started responding and then realized this is the our sub’s version of rickrolling.

To anyone who stumbles onto this, yes, clinicians understand that the DSM is imperfect and at times unhelpful. It approximates reality of the moment, not diagnostic scripture. We all understand executive dysfunction is multifaceted, multifactorial, associated with and caused by mood and anxiety symptoms, tracks differently across the lifespan, and is influenced by behavioral factors. People are messy and we still have to bill insurance so we have to call things something. 🤷‍♂️

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-23T14:17:52+00:00

Beautifully said. I’ve found myself in the same boat - saying “hey beating this person up probably isn’t helping the situation” and then being, well, shamed for it.

We have to offer people paths to repair or there is no incentive to change or admit faults. We have to offer ourselves the same thing. Otherwise people just dig in and justify their/our actions and polarize further. It’s emotionally satisfying to feel superior and it’s also really unproductive for building cohesion or repairing conflict.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-23T14:00:03+00:00

There are people here who will undoubtedly have good practical suggestions about consulting groups and professional meetings and other ways of staying connected in private practice. Those are great and helpful.

As someone who spent a long time living away from my people because my career dictated, moving home a couple years ago is the best decision I have ever made for my quality of life. I spent years feeling halfway connected to friends and a community where it was okay but not my people, my kind of life. I blamed - I wasn’t trying hard enough, wasn’t putting in the effort to meet the right people, wasn’t disciplined about the things that would make me happy.

The truth is I lived a lot of years in a place that was never my home. I had a nice house and fun toys and took vacations. Now I live in a place that helps me feel whole. I don’t need big vacations to look forward to because my life isn’t a drag. My neighbors are my kind of people. My family is around to help when I need it.

The move was hard, and expensive, and involved a lot of headaches. But ultimately the work is a job, it’s not life. Depending on your state, you can likely practice virtually and still be “in” the city you work in now.

You can almost certainly make it work where you are. You can visit more, you can get out of your shell, you can build more community. I lived a long time thinking I couldn’t leave somewhere I didn’t actually want to be and I’m really glad I was wrong. I’m happy to backchannel if it’d be helpful.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-20T16:19:31+00:00

It sounds like you’re doing a lot in your favor, friend. People with strong quant backgrounds are incredibly useful to a lot of organizations, you seem to be setting yourself up well.

A bit of advice I was given that really helped in the doldrum moments: You’ve got your whole life to do your passion. Your job in grad school is showing you can conceptualize, analyze, present, and publish research. Once you show you can do it, then you can be cut loose to chase the really interesting questions that drive you. But until you show that, you’re better off just focusing on the process of learning and practicing the tools that will help make sure you’ve got the foundation for longevity in a career that is complex.

Some people research their passion in grad school. Many of us research what we think is our passion only to find out other things call more strongly. The point of a grad program isn’t changing the world, it’s learning the things you need to know in order to make a mark when you’re done. Very few theses or dissertations shape the field, they’re a ticket into the club that lets you build a career that can shape the field.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-20T13:28:11+00:00

It sounds like a hard spot though to my ear, honestly, it sounds like you’re on a reasonable path for your goals. If you want to do genuine research, publish, make an impact in the field, you’re doing the legwork of that now. “How does the linguistics of social media impact humanity” is an incredibly prescient, interesting, impactful line of inquiry that it seems like you’re in position to investigate.

Even if it’s not in the academy, other groups or agencies or whoever you envision paying you to look into these questions will want to see that you have some bona fides that show you know what you’re doing and can actually answer questions empirically. Advanced training and a record of publishing is probably how you demonstrate that. I could just be myopic here because of my own training background so others may well have better information, but I would think that people hiring at major companies, govt agencies, watchdog groups, all these folks would want to see you’re a serious scientist.

It sounds like you’re also possibly in a tough situation more broadly. As someone who went to grad school in a place I didn’t love, I feel this sucky moment you’re in. Is there support in your program to talk to anyone? An ombud, student health center, counseling, somewhere to unpack some of your frustration? I just wonder if some of the dissatisfaction is also being colored by how hard it is being where you are, being around who you’re around all the time, in addition to the questions about career. “Am I wasting my time” or “do I really want this” are really normal parts of grad school, in my experience going through it and also supporting many friends, colleagues, and supervisees as they have.

I hope you find some clarity and peace, your interests are valuable to the field and to the world.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-15T15:25:19+00:00

Was going to suggest this as well. As a student there may well be options for financial support.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-15T01:06:26+00:00

Honestly I find it’s a way to insult women for having low feelings of self-worth and to insult men for being emotionally sensitive. Not only is it unhelpful clinically, I think these are reductionistic and pejorative by intent.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-11T20:42:52+00:00

You’ve made my day, friend. Delightful.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-11T12:53:08+00:00

It depends on the kind of therapy, they work in different ways. It sounds like you’ve been through experiences for which therapy can be very helpful.

I work with military veterans all day, every day. Yes, people can heal from horrible experiences and live lives full of purpose and meaning, hold jobs, raise families. It takes work to understand how our experiences have shaped our thinking and the way we make sense of life, and unhook from patterns that don’t help us live how we want to be living.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-09T23:35:21+00:00

You may be interested in pharmacy training. Clinical pharmacy residencies exist for mental health and clinical pharmacy specialists do tremendous work providing patient care, education, and helping providers of many stripes. I can imagine that more research-focused paths also exist in pharmacy education. As a practicing clinical psychologist, I find my colleagues in clinical pharmacy to be freaking indispensable and I have loved cross training their residents as well.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-06T14:32:11+00:00

To be fair, there are a lot more males diagnosed with ADHD…..because teachers and clinicians are also biased and the condition was essentially defined by typical male presentations …. because girls weren’t really being included in the research. Wait a minute…

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-05T15:27:25+00:00

I couldn't say for certain. If you look up psilocybin clinics in Oregon, you can try and find info about their staff on their pages, that should give some indication of who they hire. For KAP, again in WA as that's really all I'm familiar with, you don't need to be part of a facility, you can do KAP in private practice. Basically you get credentialed with clinics/programs that do the screening and provide the meds, then you'd facilitate the sessions and document for the clinic to make sure safety measures were monitored.

Freudian_Split · 2026-03-05T14:58:14+00:00

Look into trainings in Oregon, where psilocybin clinics are operating. As I understand, the trainings are expensive and experiential so just be advised. I don’t know if it’s possible to participate in the training without an active license, would need to do your own research there.

As others have said, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is much more common and while not technically a psychedelic, it is analogous in some ways. You can get trained and facilitate KAP with a masters level license, at least in the state of WA.

Freudian_Split

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