Choosing a Counseling Psychology Graduate Program
Many people are trained and work as therapists in California, more than any other state. Because of this, counseling psychology graduate programs are abundant here. Even if you’re not from California and your choices of program are limited because of geography, finances, or some other reason, you will want to do a lot of research before choosing a school to attend for your masters or doctorate degree. It’s a huge commitment of time, energy and money and you should be reasonably sure of your decision before you start down this path.
Here are some things to consider while researching graduate programs:
What are the estimated costs for the program? Does that price include any extra fees you would be expected to pay as well as tuition? Is it affordable for you? Is financial aid available? Scholarship opportunities?
If you are a looking into programs in other countries, is the price different for international vs domestic students? Is the school accepting international students? Will they help you get the right visa?
Graduate school can be a huge financial investment. Keep in mind there will be extra costs outside of the ones you budget for school, and a long road ahead of you. You may have to pay for personal therapy out of pocket, you probably not be paid during your practicum (school-supervised therapy work hours). If you are in California, you will most likely not be paid for your internship either (post-program hours required for licensure).
Is the school accredited? If yes, by whom? Look into the accreditation body as well, do they seem legitimate? When was the last time the school was accredited by this body? Are they due for reaccreditation soon?
Accreditation might be a particular concern for you if you are planning on moving out of state/country. Since my husband and I are from Canada, it’s important to me that my education is transferable if/when we ever decide to move back to Canada, or if we decide to travel to another state. My school is accredited by WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges). WASC is a type of regional accreditation, it is not nationwide and is not the same as APA (American Psychological Association) accreditation. APA does not accredit Masters-level programs, only doctorate-level. Canadian credential requirements vary province-by-province, so check your local requirements.
If you are ever planning on moving out of state/country and have another place in mind, look into their exact requirements before choosing a program. Also consider the exact path to licensure that they require, and whether you would be able to take any necessary exams or apply for a licence at the same time you apply for your regular in-state licence. It’s probably best to take any exams you might need to take while the material is still fresh, if you’re able to.
If you are ever planning to work in a government position, accreditation will probably be very important to you as well. You may want to look for a program that is COAMFTE or CACREP accredited. As I plan on working in private practice, this is not crucial for me.
What are the school’s typical pass rates for the licensing exam?
How long is the program? Are there courses over the summer? Is there a weekend or evening option if that works best for your schedule? Are classes in person or online (outside of covid life)?
In California, we have two paths to licensure as a therapist: LMFT and LPCC. LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) is very highly recognized and regarded in California, but less so in other states (although I have heard that CAMFT, the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, is working to change this). If you are planning on staying in California, an MFT licence is more than enough. If you are ever planning on leaving California during your career, you may wish to look into LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) track programs. Many programs offer dual-track programs that allow you to work towards both licenses at the same time, which is what I am doing. This may or may not require taking extra credits.
Are there volunteer opportunities? Volunteering is a great way to make connections, meet faculty and make new friends. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s something I discovered is so true during my undergraduate career.
Find the curriculum for the program. Look over the required courses you would need to take and see if they sound interesting to you. Do you get excited just reading the titles of the courses?
Go a step further and see if there’s any way to look up more in-depth descriptions or even past syllabi of the courses. Make sure that you are interested in doing such coursework!
Find out how practicum works. Do they assign you somewhere? Do you find your own supervisor/clinic to work at? Do they allow you to work anywhere but offer help if you need it?
Are students required to do personal therapy during the program? If not, I would consider this a red flag. My school requires at minimum 50 hours of personal psychotherapy during the practicum portion of the program (that’s 1 hour each week for an entire year, minus two weeks for vacation). Personal weekly therapy during the first year of the program before practicum begins is also strongly recommended. Find out if this personal therapy time is able to count toward your practicum hours as well.
Personally, I would also strongly recommend finding a therapist before you are actually required to, and even if you are not technically required to. See my post about finding a therapist here.
Find out the details of the application process. What is required for your application? When are the due dates? How many letters of recommendation do you need? What GPA do you need? Do you need to write the GRE? Do you need to take certain required courses during your undergrad/before applying?
(I’ll write future posts about crafting a good personal statement and preparing to interview.)
What is the school like? Read some reviews from various sources. Are people generally feeling positive about their experience there? Is the campus nice? What would your commute be like? Can you see yourself living in the area? What are class sizes like? Is the program done in a cohort-style (everyone takes the same classes at the same time) or choose-your-own schedule style, and does that make a difference to you? What is the reputation of the program with the clinics in the area?
How do you get all this information? You might be feeling a little overloaded just looking at this list. If you start your search early and leave yourself plenty of time, you should be able to find most of the information you need. It probably won’t even take as long as you are thinking, and if you are excited about the programs you’re looking into, it might even be a little fun!
First I would suggest visiting the program’s website and scouring it for all the information you can. Read every page and request more information if you think you’d be interested.
Next, see if there are any “open houses” or “information nights” coming up related to your program. Before choosing my school I went to at least 3 different info nights (for the same program) and gathered as much information as I could. The info nights are a great way to get a sense of the faculty, and the possible fellow students the program might be attracting. It’s also a great time to bring a huge list of questions! I met a couple of upper year graduate students at these information nights and was able to grab their email addresses to keep in contact. Later on, I reached out to these students when I was thinking about applying and got some great advice. One of them even offered to chat on the phone with me further, and I was able to get so much information about the program and overall vibe of the school, as well as ask questions about how to prepare for the interview I eventually did. I would absolutely recommend reaching out to students who are currently in the program to do the same!
I know it can be overwhelming to gather all this information but in the long run you will be glad you made an extremely informed decision. If you’re in California, check out the “MFT California” website for more information, a comparison of all graduate MFT programs in the area, helpful links, and a great blog. Caroline’s website is amazing, I can’t imagine having navigated all the program options in my area without it, and you can even contact her for personal help and coaching with your application process. She’s also got a great blog similar to mine where she talks about anything and everything related to being a therapist-in-training so check it out. Good luck out there while applying to programs!