Clinical or Counseling Psychology? - Article - SubmitYourArticle.com

Individuals with an undergraduate degree in psychology should consider earning a graduate degree if there's a growing interest in working directly with patients. Approximately half of the students who do consider a graduate degree in psychology acquire their degrees in the subfields of clinical or counseling psychology; those are two of the most popular psychology specialties, but what's the difference?

First, it's somewhat helpful to break down the etymology of the terms to help individuals understand the difference between the two degree programs. "Clinical" is Greek for "kline," which means bed; while the word "counsel" comes from the Latin "consulere," which means to consult, advise, or deliberate. Clinical practice has traditionally referred to care provided at the bedside of mentally ill patients, and counseling psychologists' earliest role was to provide advice.

Secondly, it's important to know about the patients, work environment and topics of research.

Who They Treat - Both clinical and counseling psychologists are licensed in all 50 states as "licensed psychologists." (According to the American Psychological Association, you must have a doctoral degree in order to practice independently as a clinical psychologist or to be eligible for licensure.) Counseling psychologists treat patients who are normal, meaning they have no serious illnesses. Clinical psychologists, on the other hand, are more likely to treat those with persistent and/or serious mental health disturbances, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These differences are also reflected in the psychology graduate programs for each discipline: Clinical psychology programs have a stronger focus on psychopathology and psychotherapy while counseling psychology programs emphasize multicultural training.

Where They Work - Counseling and clinical psychologists work in similar settings--namely universities and private practices. But you'll be more likely to find clinical psychologists in hospitals, medical schools, and private practice; counseling psychologists frequently work in human service settings. (In order to become a college or university professor, psychologists must have a Ph.D.)

What They Research - Minority or cross-cultural psychology and vocational assessments are more likely to be researched by counseling psychologists than clinical psychologists. Counseling programs also provide more mentorship in human diversity, such as homosexuality and women's studies. Conversely, clinical psychologists are more prone to studying psychopathological populations and topics related to medical and hospital settings (such as neuropsychology and psychophysiology).

Knowing what you know now about the similarities and differences between clinical and counseling psychology, you can research traditional or online doctoral programs in psychology with confidence rather than confusion.

Universities.com connects people to the information they need to make the best decision about which colleges and universities fit their educational goals. Staff writer Lyn Clements writes about degree and career options for potential students. http://www.universities.com/articles/your-phd-in-clinical-or-counseling-psychology/
http://www.universities.com/edu/Doctors_degrees_in_Clinical_Psychology.html

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