Finding and Choosing Programs

The first step in finding a training program is figuring out which type of psychologist you want to be. After you have an idea of the settings you wish to work and the specialty populations or therapy you wish to apply in practice, you can then find a program that meets your training needs. The program search should be driven by your interests in Psychology and not by a vague or romanticized idea of what a psychologist does. This interest does not need to be absolutely specified before you start graduate school. Most programs provide some range of training interests. However, major areas of interest may not be represented in some programs. For example, many programs do not have substantial training in child clinical psychology. If you have an interest in working with children, you will not find the training experiences you need to become proficient in child clinical psychology if you attend such a program. Investigate a large number of programs thoroughly before you apply. After you have a clear idea of the interest areas and specialties that you would like to focus on in training, the next step is to search listings and web resources that describe the programs. The goal of your search should be the formulation of a list of programs that will likely meet your training needs.

The most current listing of graduate programs is available in Graduate Study in Psychology by the American Psychological Association. This book gives you the complete list but you still have to thoroughly survey all the listings and decide which programs will be right for you. Most applicants have no information on how to do this and base their judgments on all the wrong considerations. Here are some of the WRONG reasons to pick a graduate school program:

• The program is located near me. This consideration is one of the most limiting features of the choice and can set you on the road to picking the wrong program for your interests, or one that is far lower quality than one you deserve. You will only be in the program for four years. You can live anywhere you want after that. Don't base a decision you have to live with for a lifetime on the fact that you will not live near your home for four years.
  
  
• The University has a great reputation. Once you ponder graduate school, you must now think of the program you will attend and not the University in which it is set. Most clinical psychology programs are contained within the Psychology departments of Universities. The reputation of a program may be far more positive or negative than the University in general.
  
  
• The cost of program X is $200 per month less than program Y. The financial differences between programs are usually minor. Although it may seem a lot of money when you are 23, it will seem trivial when spread over all the years you are working at a worse Psychology job because you chose the cheaper school.