When you commit to earning an advanced degree in clinical psychology or counseling psychology, you have several options that will help you narrow down your studies and prepare to translate your theoretical knowledge into practice. One of the most important decisions to make before enrolling in an advanced degree is deciding on which area of practice you want to pursue. Show Counseling and clinical psychology are broad fields with many areas that focus on different patient populations and specialize in different objectives. Some of the content of academic research in these fields overlap, but there are significant differences between them. Understanding these differences will help you develop a clear understanding of what degrees you might want to pursue. What Is Clinical Psychology?Clinical psychology centers around the care for individuals and families in a variety of diverse backgrounds. According to the American Psychological Association, clinical psychologists provide mental and behavioral health care, performing assessments on clients, consulting with organizations and interacting with research. Clinical psychologists may work with clients struggling with minor adjustment issues or with more severe conditions such as schizophrenia or major depression.1 Clinical psychology is often associated with psychiatry, and this discipline often favors involvement in therapy groups, academic research, education and other areas that benefit from the expertise of clinical psychologists. What Is Counseling Psychology?Clinical counseling centers around the practical resolution of mental difficulties relating to self-perception and relationships for clients. This discipline of psychology is closely associated with social work, especially where counseling psychologists may advocate for reforms that impact the environment of students, employees and others. This discipline takes on a different focus from clinical psychology for its focus on the overall well-being of clients in crisis intervention, clinical settings and other environments rather than the treatment of specific mental health issues.2 Both clinical psychologists and mental health counselors require earning an advanced degree and licensure in order to practice. In many cases, earning a degree in one area does not exclude the psychologist from practicing in the other because of the amount of overlap between the two fields. However, those who want to pursue specialized roles in education and practice should have a sharp understanding of what they might like to pursue. Making a ChoiceAnother important factor to consider is job growth potential. The Occupational Network projects that Clinical psychologists have an outlook of 11 percent or higher for clinical psychologists through 2028.3 The outlook is the same for counseling psychologists.4 As both require earning an advanced degree and licensure, the major factor for deciding which degree to pursue is deciding which one aligns with your career goals. If you are interested in specific mental issues and are interested in the academic research involved in mental and behavioral health care, then clinical psychology may be the best choice for you. However, you may consider pursuing a career as a counseling psychologist if you are interested in the more general aspects of mental and behavioral care like the self-image and relationships of a patient. Take the next step in your education and pursue an advanced psychology and counseling degrees at Grand Canyon University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Among our advanced degree programs, you may be interested in our Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an Emphasis in Trauma or our Master of Science in General Psychology degrees. To learn more about the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, visit our website or click on the Request Info button on this page. Retrieved from: 1 https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/clinical 2 https://www.apa.org/ed/graduate/specialize/counseling 3 https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-3031.02 4 https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-3031.03 The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date. The content of this page is only for informational purposes and is not intended, expressly or by implication, as a guarantee of employment or salary, which vary based on many factors including but not limited to education, credentials, and experience. Alliant International University explicitly makes no representations or guarantees about the accuracy of the information provided by any prospective employer or any other website. Salary information available on the internet may not reflect the typical experience of Alliant graduates. Alliant does not guarantee that any graduate will be placed with a particular employer or in any specific employment position. If you're considering a clinical psychology degree, counseling psychology degree, or any other graduate degree in psychology, you have many choices in higher education ahead of you. From what type of degree to earn to which school to make your academic home, the end goal is to make you a professional psychologist qualified to pursue career paths in mental health counseling and more depending on the path you choose. One of the most basic-yet most important-decisions you will make about an advanced degree in psychology is what type of psychology you want to study. While there is some overlap between different branches of psychology, there are also differences. The area you decide to study will determine your educational and career path for years to come. A clinical psychologist and a counseling psychologist share many functions in mental health sciences. For example, both groups of psychologists have proficient counseling skills, provide psychotherapy and participate in research. They're employed in similar settings, such as universities and college counseling centers, community health clinics, hospitals, and private practice. When it comes to licensure, there's also no difference between the groups-clinical psychologists and counseling psychologists are both considered licensed psychologists in all 50 states (Morgan & Cohen, 2008; Roger & Stone, 2020). There is, however, a difference in clinical vs counseling psychology. Request Information Knowing the differences between clinical vs. counseling psychology can help you choose the ideal psychology degree program. Let's explore clinical psychology versus counseling psychology and their range of mental health conditions a little more in-depth. What is Clinical Psychology?Clinical psychologists receive a wealth of training in theoretical orientations, including psychoanalytic, behavioral, and cognitive-behavioral theoretical foundations, among others (Norcross, 2000). Clinical psychologists work in a variety of settings, such as, but not limited to, universities, community mental health centers, private practice, hospitals, inpatient settings, primary care settings, and academic medical centers (Brems & Johnson, 1997; Norcross, 2000). Is a clinical psychologist a therapist? While clinical psychologists work with a broad range of psychopathology and clinical diagnoses, they also receive more extensive clinical training with serious psychopathology, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, extreme mental illness and major depressive disorders, among others (Morgan & Cohen, 2008). What is Counseling Psychology?To define counseling psychology, one can only wonder, what does a counseling psychologist do? In contrast to their clinical counterparts, professional counseling psychologists tend to ascribe to humanistic and person-centered theoretical orientations and are often employed at universities and university counseling centers and in human service settings, such as mental health centers and family services (Brems & Johnson, 1997; Norcross et al., 1998; Norcross, 2000). A psychologist counselor tends to work with healthier patients who have less severe mental illness or psychological problems. After completing a counseling psychology program and becoming a licensed professional counselor, their work focuses more on emotional, social and physical issues that arise from typical life stresses or more serious issues associated with school, work or family settings (Norcross, 2000). Counseling psychologists might see patients for relationship issues, substance abuse counseling, career counseling, difficulty adapting to life changes and other such issues. Advance Your Career Should I Be a Clinical or Counseling Psychologist?The American Psychological Association (APA) accredits doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology, as well as internships and postdoctoral residency programs. Accreditation demonstrates that the graduate program has satisfied the Standards of Accreditation in Health Service Psychology (SoA) and that graduates are competent in providing psychological services to the public (https://accreditation.apa.org/why-accreditation-matters). Also, some licensing boards require candidates to have graduated from an APA-accredited doctoral program, so ensuring that you select an APA-accredited graduate program has multiple benefits following graduation. All APA-accredited doctoral programs have been found to be consistent with the Standards of Accreditation; however, each program has aims that are unique and define the training goals for their graduates. Your choice of graduate psychology program will depend on your interests as a licensed psychologist or mental health professional. Are you interested in studying psychopathology and working with patients with serious psychological and mental health disorders? Or are you more interested in providing emotional and vocational support for a healthier population base with psychology counseling? Whatever your career preference in professional practice, a doctoral program in either clinical psychology or counseling psychology can serve you well. In fact, a peer-reviewed study of counseling and clinical psychology programs around the country found a significant number of similarities between the two types of programs, and noted it was more important to select a doctoral program that offered specialized concentrations and faculty whose interests align with yours (Morgan & Cohen, 2008). No matter where your career interests lie, Alliant International University’s California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) can help you on your way. Our psychology graduate school offers Doctorate in Clinical Psychology degree programs at a number of campus locations throughout California. Each program also offers hands-on experience and a wide range of emphasis areas to further specialize your studies and guide your future career after graduation. To learn more about Alliant’s PhD in Clinical Psychology degree programs, PsyD in Clinical Psychology degree programs or our Master’s in Clinical Counseling degree program, call us today at (866) 825-5426. Alliant International University offers many educational programs, master’s degree programs, PsyD and PhD clinical psychology programs, and more at our campuses in California and online. Apply to a counseling program today! SOURCES:
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