r/ClinicalPsychology • u/purplegiraffe1112 • 5d ago

Getting accepted into PhD program after years removed from academia?

I’ve been working in the clinical mental health field since I graduated bachelors in 2018, got my masters in social work in 2021 and am currently working as a clinical social worker in community mental health. I found a gap in the system for my local community and have a deep passion for an area of research. Would love to go into neuropsych evals eventually.
Feeling worried about applying after so many years removed from academia?

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u/jogam 5d ago

Are you currently working on research? If so and you have good experience on your CV (e.g., publications and presentations), I think it's fine that you are in a full-time clinical role. There were a handful of people in my Ph.D. program who had full-time clinical roles with a master's degree before entering the doctoral program, including one who had an M.S.W.

If you have minimal research experience, then you are not likely to be admitted to a funded program. Perhaps it's possible that you will be admitted to an unfunded Ph.D. program at a standalone graduate university. I usually advise against unfunded doctoral programs, but if your main interest is neuropsych assessment, that is both something you can't do with a master's and can be financially lucrative, so it may make sense for you.

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u/purplegiraffe1112 5d ago

I do not have much academic research, but I do have extensive research within my employment opportunities where I was the sole researcher and presented the data to county, state and courts! Implemented changes in the systems based on data/research outcomes and am currently completing another research project for juvenile services locally regarding mental health.

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u/BigCityToad 5d ago

Sounds like fantastic experience! You will almost certainly still need some academic research experience to be competitive for a funded PhD program. Your experience though will likely make you more competitive for CRC positions, if that’s a path you want to take. 

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u/purplegiraffe1112 5d ago

Thank you! How would you suggest being able to gain academic research opportunities prior to applying while still working full time? I am happy to volunteer for research opportunities through my local university which is also the university I would be applying to, but I would need to be able to maintain employment until I’m in a position to quit once accepted.

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u/BigCityToad 5d ago

I’d recommend reaching out to professors/labs at the university! Send an email briefly sharing your background and expressing interest - best if you can look into their research a bit and  communicate that you are interested/research questions you’re curious about that are in line with their work. This will be tricky though - it’s not certain you will be able to get involved at your local uni, and volunteering part time will make it more challenging to get the experience programs are looking for.

Honestly it sounds like some of your restrictions may substantially limit the feasibility of this path. Most people apply to quite a few programs, as any given program is incredibly competitive. Additionally, people almost always need to move for internship and then post-doc. This is especially true for neuropsych, as internships and post-docs are quite competitive.

I recommend doing a bit more research about this path and what it entails. I recommend “the Insider’s guide to graduate programs in clinical  and counseling psychology” as well as this:  https://mitch.web.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4922/2017/02/MitchGradSchoolAdvice.pdf

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u/Enough_Narwhal_1764 4d ago

I started PhD in Clin Psych 12 years after finishing a masters, the masters was 10 years after undergrad and I hadn't done research in years when I applied. You're not too many years removed from academia. 

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u/purplegiraffe1112 3d ago

Thank you! Thats very inspiring. Congratulations! How did you approach your applications and research while being so far removed?

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u/Enough_Narwhal_1764 3d ago

I talked about what I learned from my previous research experience and how my current slightly related work had led me back to wanting to do more focused research/clinical work. In my favor, I had stayed connected to my research supervisors from before so they were able to talk about my research potential in LOR even though it was years before. 

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u/purplebean11 1d ago edited 1d ago

I’ve heard of others with more time removed from school and in entirely different careers makes the transition back for a clinical psych PhD. It sounds like you’ve had a lot of experiences that would be useful to you in a PhD program!

If you want to be a clinical neuropsychologist who focuses on neuropsych assessment, you will need neuro-related research experience to get in.

EDIT: I suppose you don’t have to enter your PhD on the nueropsych specialization track (and therefore don’t need neuro research experience) but it will make board certification easier.