As the title states - I am starting my grad dip adv soon. What schools should I be hoping to get into and what can I do in the next 12 months to ensure I get a spot in Masters. I’m in Melbourne and would love to attend Latrobe, Swinburne or RMIT for Masters. Do they preference any fourth year programs?
Thanks
I’m really struggling with a decision between two graduate programs and would really appreciate some perspective from people who are already in psychology/mental health counseling or have gone through a similar decision.
I’m deciding between John Jay College’s Forensic Mental Health Counseling program and Yeshiva University/Ferkauf’s Mental Health Counseling program. The biggest issue is the cost difference. One option would leave me with significantly more debt than the other, so naturally, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I should choose the cheaper school and avoid taking on unnecessary debt.
The problem is that the more expensive program is also the one that offers the classes/training that I’m actually most interested in. I’m particularly interested in eventually working with things like anxiety, depression, OCD, etc., and potentially having my own private practice in the future. The program that costs more feels like a better fit for what I actually want to study and eventually do.
I’ve talked to several people about this, and even when I explain that the more expensive program has courses and opportunities that are more aligned with my interests, they still tell me to choose the cheaper option. Their reasoning is basically that I’m going into a mental health profession, so I probably won’t make enough money after graduation to justify taking on significantly more debt.
That’s where I’m conflicted. I’ve actually done a lot of research into salaries and career opportunities in my state, and I live in a relatively high-cost/high-income state where mental health professionals can have more earning opportunities than they might in other parts of the country. From what I’ve found, there are ways to eventually earn a pretty good income in this field, especially with licensure, specialization, private practice, insurance/self-pay, etc. Obviously, I know that doesn’t mean I’m guaranteed to make a high salary, especially right after graduation.
So I’m trying to figure out whether I’m being unrealistic by considering the more expensive school, or whether people are being too quick to assume that taking on more debt automatically makes it the wrong choice.
I’m also not trying to justify spending more money simply because I like one school better. I’m genuinely trying to figure out how much the actual program/curriculum and career opportunities should factor into the decision versus minimizing debt.
If you were in my position, would you choose the cheaper program even if the more expensive one was a better academic/career fit? And for anyone who works as an LMHC/LPC or has gone into private practice, how realistic is it to eventually earn a comfortable income in this field?
I’d especially appreciate advice from people who have actually been through graduate school and had to make a similar cost-vs.-fit decision.
P.S - just to mention the more expensive program is online, 4 days a week, 2 hours per day at night whereas the cheaper one is from 11AM - 8PM in the city 2 days a week.
37m thats just started a bridging undergrad after finishing a music degree 10 years ago.
Im genuinely enjoying the coursework immensely. I view it as my chance to exit the corporate grind of sales.
In true ADHD fashion (diagnosed as a child), ive jumped around several different industries. Ive also travelled extensively and lived in 4 countries.
Id appreciate anyone's feedback on my plans and questions below, but espexially those who started in their 30s. Feel free to tell me if my ideas are infeasible.
1.) I plan to he a registered psychologist in my early 40s. That leaves aboit half my working years left. While I think age and maturity is a benefit in therapy to an extent. Perhaps a late 60s or 70s therapist might be viewed differently, especially with younger demographics. What do you think?
2.)What else would an experienced therapist of that age do after maybe 20+ years of therapeutic practice? Perhaps in research, or speaking opportunities? Id hope to have a long career with of freedom to pick and choose whats important to me later on.
3.) If I cant finish my masters and registration, how helpful would a bachelors be in securing a good role in human resources, talent acquisition (i have agency recruitment experience and am business minded), or in marketing as an alternative pivot out of commercial sales.
4.) I plan on being a Positive Behaviour Specialist, throughout my studies and volunteer in organisations like ADHD Australia and other non profits. But Ive read about upcoming changes in NDIS and that funding will be reserved for severe cases of autism and other disorders while more general support might be done in the private sector and through clinics. how viable is the PBS pathway in the next 12 months?
5.) Ive just finished my 2nd of 10 study blocks for my undergrad. And again. In true adhd fashion my biggest flaws are structuring answers, and also academic style writing. I know i have great ideas, and recognise relevant patterns well and apply what currently little knowledge I have well in assessments. How much did your academic writing and structure improve from the beginning of your undergrad till towards the end?
6.) Relating to the prior point, i understand that 4th year/honours marks is what really determines your eligibility for masters acceptance. So im using my undergrad as a training ground to improve the flaws I mentioned. Would that ne a good view to have? What else can I do now to prepare myself as someone virtually uninitiated in counselling, for top 4th year marks or acceptance for honours?
7.) Lastly, how viable is the pathway to be registered as a professional psychologist and later get qualifications to become a clinical psychologist?
Ill continue reading the other posts on this subreddit and wish you all the best with your studies.
Hi guys,
So recently I have received an offer for The Cairnmillar Institute for the Psychology Honours program. However, my top choices are UON, Latrobe, VU and Fed Uni but they probably wouldn't hand out offers until the end of this year. But the offer from Cairnmillar will expire in 10 days and I'm scared if I lost the offer and didn't get accepted into those other unis I would be screwed because my WAM is not too competitive (around 73).
What should I do? Should I decline the offer to wait for results from other uni, or should I accept the offer and then withdraw later if I received another offer?
Thanks so much guys, would appreciate any advice :)
hi i'm wondering if you guys think there's any benefit to pursuing a minor? i'm a first-gen transfer student so all this college stuff is new to me :')
i've done a bit of research but haven't found enough information to conclude if a minor is worthwhile. i guess it varies on the person, but i figured i'd ask here in case theres a specific minor that might help me in some way after i graduate
EDIT: sorry forgot to mention, i'm a college junior and planning to go to grad school
Hi! So im getting a degree in Psychology. At first it was just a "idk what im doing" degree when i first graduated highschool. I figured I would learn what I really wanted to do with my life in the mean time, and if all else failed it would be a good general degree to have for something like HR or other office careers.
However, im now considering being a psychologist. I've grown a genuine interest in psychology and have come to love it. However, I dont know the exact steps required to become one. I know i would need at least my bachelor's (currently working on it) or a master's degree, and then a certification. Ive seen quite a few different types of certifications on indeed, so im confused about which one i would need. I live in Tennessee, so if anyone could break down exactly what I would need to do that would be greatly appreciated!
I'm doing my bachelors in psychology and it is all going well but I feel like it is a bit too basic for me, we are just scratching up on concepts of social psychology, intelligence, learning, memory, etc but i feel like I'm lacking in the language front, because I do know the concepts but I cannot convey them professionally and more aptly. I wanna just be well versed with the subject as a whole, what all should I do?
I'm a Class 11 PCB student in India. I've decided I want to pursue Psychology, mainly Clinical Psychology and possibly Neuropsychology later.
The problem is that everyone around me chooses careers based on salary and job security. My family keeps suggesting medicine, law, etc., and my father isn't very supportive of Psychology. This has made me question whether I'm making a stupid decision by choosing a career mainly because I'm genuinely interested in it. It took me very long time to realise what I wanna do and now the career I chose is very uncertain. The idea of doing job im not interested in just because it's more realistic for rest of my life feels so exhausting.
I've researched the career and know it's competitive, especially getting into Clinical Psychology training, but I still worry about salary, job security and whether I'll actually be able to build a good career. Every single video and comments I see is how people regret choosing this field and it demotivates me to core.
But I also have a question, every field has that little uncertainty but why it seems so big in psychology? It is still growing and people are being more aware of their emotions and mental needs.
I don't want "follow your passion" advice. I want honest opinions from people who have studied/worked in Psychology.
Is Psychology actually worth pursuing in India? Would you choose it again? And am I being unrealistic about the career? Should I follow what seems more realistic?
How is everyone progressing so far with their thesis write-up? At my university we were required to submit our Lit Review as a Semester 1 assignment so that we could use the feedback in preparation for our final thesis deadline.
I’m only starting to take my thesis write-up seriously starting today and am feeling quite anxious as I spent the winter break and the first month of semester 2 cruising by. It already feels like I’m super behind even though we have at least 2 more months until submission!
Is anyone else in the same boat as me or am I amongst some super dedicated researchers?! Would love to hear some thoughts
Ran a parallel mediation model via Process Model 4.
The indirect effect of X on Y for MV1 was significant, but not for MV2.
Hi everyone!
I will start my final year of my psych BSc and trying to decide what I eventually want to specialize in.
I like most areas - they are all very interesting :) - but developmental/child psychology is so interesting for me academically.
However, in practice I've realized that I find frustrating how in some areas everyone feels like an expert in them. I am afraid that as a child psychologist I would find working with parents frustrating. I follow some renowned child psychologists on social media and I see so many comments from parents undermining the expertise and knowledge of the psychologists just because they have lived experience and ''this doesn't work for their child'' or asking ''do you actually have children?''. Is this the case indeed? Or does this apply to all areas of psychology because nowadays it's so accessible?
Obviously people can and will have opinions about everything, and I’m not suggesting that psychologists shouldn’t be questioned. But having built a career in another field before, I’ve noticed that this dynamic seems particularly strong in psychology, where personal experience is often treated as equivalent to professional expertise. And especially in developmental psychology.
Are there areas of psychology where developing deep expertise actually creates a clear knowledge gap between a professional and someone who simply has personal experience with the topic? An area that is less accessible or known to regular people?
I’ve heard from current masters students that you should be cautious about applying to two distinct psych masters like Clinical and Ed and Dev at the same uni. The idea being that panels get the impression you don’t know what you want - and that this is possible even if your applications are handled by seperate faculties!
While my goal is a Master of clinical psychology, I have an interest in child and adolescent psychology. Plus with how competitive Clinical is, I want to cover my bases.
I know MPP and MCP are commonly applied to together, which makes sense. What are people’s thoughts?
In looking for doctoral programs that are local here, I found only 3 options: Wright Institute (PsyD), Palo Alto University (PsyD and PhD), Sofia University (PhD).
I'm older, I have an MFT degree that will allow me to practice in CA, and I'm not concerned about practicing in other states. So doing a doctoral program is more out of academic and research interests than out of a need to practice. Which makes it easier because I'm less concerned about the reputation of the program. But I'm also more sensitive to cost because I'm older.
My questions are the following:
I'm interested in hearing from those who're familiar with these programs or other programs that I should look at.
Hey everyone!
I’m currently in my first semester of an RCI-registered Bachelor’s in Psychology in India. I’m leaning towards Clinical Psychology (though still keeping Counselling in mind) and aiming to pursue my higher education abroad in the US, UK, or Australia—ideally with scholarships, post-study work rights, and eventual PhD funding(which is optional sinxe i dont want to think this far lol but would prefer working after masters in psych🤙)
Since I’m starting early, I want to map out my strategy from Day 1. I have a few specific questions for those who’ve successfully navigated this path:
Country Selection: Which country (US vs. UK vs. Aus) best balances scholarships, direct practice options, and post-graduation job prospects for clinical/counselling tracks?
CV & Profile Building: What specific societies, extracurriculars, or technical skills (e.g., SPSS, R, Python) actually move the needle for grad school admissions? Though i want to learn marketting,finance, editing too lol.
Research vs. Internships: How do I get involved in research during my 1st year? Everyone mentions "be a RA," "write a thesis," or "co-publish" so how do you even do it man?
RCI Recognition: Does having an RCI-accredited undergrad degree impact or benefit my applications when applying overseas?(rci is basically regulatory body of psychology in india for my non indian cuties)
Would love to hear honest advice, brutal truths, or personal experiences from anyone currently studying or practicing abroad. Thankyouuu.
I’m a 19-year-old community college student with a 4.0 GPA, currently completing a psychology transfer degree. My long-term goal is a PhD in clinical psychology, with particular interests in clinical research, cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology, and psychology-law.
I currently work part-time as a Behavioral Health Technician in ABA. I have around 350 hours of direct clinical experience, including behavioral data collection, clinical documentation, following treatment protocols, and working with clients and families. I am grateful for the experience, but I know I do not want to remain in ABA or move into another technician-style behavioral-health role.
I also have an affiliation with a cognitive-neuroscience lab, but it has produced almost no substantive research experience because I have been unable to obtain the university credentials needed for CITI training and IRB-related work. At this point, my only real contribution there was helping pilot an fMRI protocol. This is part of why finding an actual paid research position feels so important.
I went on probably an excessive job search hahaha, searching across university, hospital, research institute, nonprofit, remote, and general job boards. I identified 110 job entries, 89 unique career-related positions or programs after removing duplicates, 70 immediate rejections because they violated at least one constraint, 17 possibilities that still required investigating major issues, 2 positions that were actually recommended for an application, 1 strong immediate priority, 0 literal perfect fits, since even the strongest option had unresolved screening and scheduling concerns.
I have built a résumé, CV, transcript packet, reference list, two research-writing samples, and tailored cover letters for at least seven opportunities. I also completed a full application for the strongest remote university research-assistant position, including a cover letter and three references.
The problem is that my constraints eliminate nearly everything. I do not have a bachelor’s degree yet, most clinical-research jobs are full-time, and many part-time university jobs are temporary or pay below my minimum. My current availability is mainly Tuesday and Thursday evenings plus Friday, although more days could open if I left my current job. I am looking for roughly 15 to 20 hours per week, with $24/hour as my absolute floor and $25-26/hour preferred.
Meanwhile, my current ABA hours ($22/hr) are extremely inconsistent because of client cancellations, school obligations, and occasional sick days. I am averaging around six hours per week and often working fewer than ten. I am officially not making enough to sustain my current expenses.
I have more than $100 per month in subscriptions that I consider necessary, a $250 car payment, food expenses (which I could admittedly reduce, although there is not always food available at home), and goals like building an emergency fund, contributing to a Roth IRA, and saving for a MacBook that will hopefully carry me through my undergraduate work and eventual doctoral studies. I recognize that retirement contributions and a new laptop are financial goals rather than immediate necessities, but even after separating those out, my income is too unreliable.
That being said, I am struggling with when persistence becomes impractical. A research job paying $20 to $25 per hour would be far more valuable for graduate-school applications, mentorship, recommendation letters, and eventual publications. An unrelated job might pay more, offer stable hours, and solve the immediate financial problem, but do almost nothing for the career I am trying to build.
At what point should a student stop holding out for career relevance and prioritize stable income? Would it be smarter to take the best-paying reliable job I can find for 15 to 20 hours per week and continue applying for research positions on the side? Should I accept lower-paid research work because of its future value, or is that a bad trade when I am already financially unstable?
I do not want to sacrifice the long-term plan for short-term money, but I also cannot build a research career while earning six hours of pay per week.
Im an incoming college freshmen majoring in Psych BA. I find the field of study really interesting to learn, but I'm wondering if majoring in this is a bad idea because I quite literally have no solid idea or plan on what career path I want
I took AP psych last year in highschool. Of course we covered the surface level basics of almost everything in the field of psychology, and of course I ended up finding everything fascinating, so I can't really pinpoint to one specialized area that I'd be interested in
I know people tend to become clinical psychologists, but I feel like I'd get burnt in the emotional demands of talk therapy, so that's something I'm generally trying to avoid doing as a career. (ironically, I am taking an intro to clinical psych class in college though just to see if my mind might change about this.)
So basically... TL;DR I don't have any solid career plan being in this major. What other careers are there related to psychology than being a therapist? And whats the best way would I go about exploring or learning about these variety of careers? Googling? Shadowing? Counseling?
Hello everyone!
This post is basically what the title says. I have recently completed my 3rd year for a bachelor's in psych and will find out if I am taken onboard for honours or not, sometime in november. I am operating on the assumption that I am tho, as I have fulfilled the requirements for Honours entrance in my degree.
Thing is, although I have accomplished the required WAM, I did not feel much of a sense of accomplishment throughout any of my uni years. I had gone into a deep depression back in 2020 due to family drama, and the lockdowns made it much much worse. Which ofc led to my academics falling off completely during year 12. As a result, I had a really bad ATAR that haunts me to this day, and now matter how well I have done since, I always feel like an imposter and am extremely insecure about the gaps in my academic knowledge.
I managed to get into uni (though not really one that most students desire to go to... WSU) but tbh i mainly started uni right out of high school due to my parents pressuring me, especially after my horrible HSCs.
Since I also started uni in 2023, not long since COVID, all of my lectures had been online and my only involment in campus was for 1 hour tutorials. I also commuted so I'd leave uni asap. I haven't really made any proper friends in uni, and didn't really get the chance to network with lecturers either.
Altogether, I have kind of just been floating through the uni expreience and getting out of that long winded depression little by little. My irrational fear of maths and stats also made me extend my 3rd year into 3 semesters (2025 aut+spr & 2026 aut), and so currently, as all my course requirements are completed, I have taken a leave of absence for the current semester.
My first 3 years, I have navigated the australian uni system by myself, forcing myself to complete the manadatory work and putting in just enough effort to get the required grades for honours.
Only recently, I'm saying May 2026 onwards, have I been able to finally gain a sense of genuine desire to go after my psychologist aspirations. And it has been an uphill battle. I have strongly suspected that I have ADHD and maybe even autism, since I was like 16. I am currently in the process of trying to get a proper assessment (no telehealth and a specialist in adult adhd) and diagnosis. If I do have it, I really want to gain access to the support I need before Honours year starts, because I am quite sick of pushing through a disorder with nothing but sheer willpower.
But holding on to my aspirations has been hard when I look at my peers. I am already a year behind the people I started with, and it seems that everyone I know either do some sort of work that's somehow related to psychology (eg teaching assistant in alternative education or support worker), or have research experience, or have had internships in clinics. And most of them were on this grind since first year, meanwhile I was still in the depths of hell all the way till 2025. If not related to psych, they're already in their first corporate roles or have worked for years now and are in managerial positions. Meanwhile, I managed to land my first job last year, which was a christmas casual role for a local grocery shop.
As if this field wasn't competitive enough, I feel highly unqualified compared to everyone else around me. But with that being said, I am fighting to dig myself out of my 5 year depression and heal from my growth stunt.
I couldn't find jobs, and I couldn't confidently start a TAFE course either, as I wanted something that would ensure a decent and relevant job in the end. I have begun a course to become a digital crisis support volunteer for Lifeline, and I also am in the process of joining Headspace's Youth Reference Group. I really hope these ventures lead to something because as much as I love contributing to the community, especially for people who are struggling with mental illnesses, I need to be able to feed myself in the long term.
I am also volunteering at a local op shop just to give myself a sense of structure and not go back into self destructive habits. I was also supposed to volunteer at a residential centre, but that has been up in the air in terms of communication with the organisers.
I would like to do my Honours part time if it means I have more of a chance to get a better grade in the end, but my parents are putting me under heaps of pressure to complete my degree ASAP. I currently don't have a job and am reliant on my parents, and they have used that to pressure me into a lot of things like this, so I hope to get some sort of job soon just to gain a bit of control.
(i dont wanna hear anything about being a mooch because that's what my classmate had said last time I said i dont work. My parents come from a conservative culture and they had blocked me from making my own decisions and working since I was in high school to ensure control. The main reason they want me to complete my degree asap is also because sure they'd be dissapointed if I dont get into masters, but they just really wanna marry me off before I hit 25. I am currently 21 and have already faced loads of verbal abuse for not wanting to get married. It's a real mystery what caused my mental state to be so horrible all these years)
Anyways. So that is my situation. I currently have a 3 month cashier role on my resume. I managed a 77 WAM by the end of final year and hold a distinction average (my degree required 70 to enter hounours, now 75). I am starting 2 more mental health relevant volunteering roles now. I would've really liked to do an internship of sorts but I am forced to go overseas for family commitments this dec-jan.
I am interested in doing a course from tafe (either in support work or community services) but only if it'll get me a job before honours year.
I also wanna revise older materials to feel confident about my academic abilities by next year, but my genuine panic attack inducing fear of the material and (assumed) ADHD has really made it a struggle.
I aim to somehow get into masters of clinical psych, and if not that then professional psych. But social work and counselling is also something that I am not completely opposed to. That all depends on my finances and situation in the future (hopefully employed and not married).
But right now the focus is to get that 1st class honours, and gain experience to become confident in my field and a more competitive candidate for masters in the future, or just to work in the field. So if anyone please has any insight, I would greatly appreciate it. Pls keep in mind im a 1st gen immigrant in Australia and don't have anyone in my personal circle who is knowledgable on this field, so even info you may consider common sense could be a mystery to me.
I would really value any information or advice. I just really want to finally give myself a chance at life.
Hi everyone! I recently graduated with a Psychology degree and I’m planning to pursue my Master’s in the US, but I’m honestly really confused about what field I should choose.
The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to go into Clinical Psychology. I also don’t have any hospital or clinical experience.
My experience so far is mostly research and corporate. I have one research publication on influencer marketing and impulsive buying, and my other research/thesis was on AI reliance and impostor syndrome. I’m also planning to do another research project. Recently, I also did a corporate internship in communications and branding.
I’ve been looking into I/O Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Behavioral Science, etc., but I’m not sure which direction actually makes the most sense for me.
Since I’ll be doing my Master’s in the US, I also want to think about the future job market. I want to choose something that has good career opportunities and will remain relevant over the next 5–10 years, especially with AI and technology changing the job market.
For example, how is Cognitive Psychology as a Master’s in terms of career opportunities in the US? Is it mostly useful if you plan to eventually do a PhD, or are there good opportunities with a Master’s?
I’m also considering I/O Psychology but I’m not completely sure about it either.
So, based on my background, what fields would you recommend I look into? What psychology-related Master’s degrees do you think have good future prospects in the US?
I’d really appreciate honest advice from people who are already working in these fields or have gone through something similar!
So I'm about to finish my undergraduate after 7 years. It has taken me so long as I was trialling part time study + working full time, or studying full time, working part-time etc. Withdrew a semester, took another semester off. 1 x ADHD diagnosis and many life crises later and I am almost at the finish line and now I'm considering the possibility of honours.
I love learning, and i have no doubt in my intellectual capability. However, I struggle greatly with focus. I'm talking one topic in a weekly module can take me up to 10 hours and I don't even retain all of it, because I just can't stay on task. Even with removing all distractions my mind just drifts off into the f*cking ether. It has brought me to tears of frustration many times, i absolutely have the motivation and the discipline, all I ever do is study but it feels like 20x the effort for half the outcome other people seem to get.
I've tried several stimulants and none have really helped. I'm now using a new multi-modal antidepressant offbrand and its definitely helped a little but I still feel like I'm leagues behind others.
In saying that, I have a dogged determination to prove to myself I can do this, but I'm mindful of throwing myself into something that will destroy my mental health that I'm not actually capable of managing. I would love to hear other peoples experience, especially those who have struggles with focus, or sound similar to me.
Thanks so much!