What I Wish I Knew Before Applying to Grad School in Psychology and Counseling 

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I thought the Apa only approves PhD programs in psychology not masters?

​@@DarrianCorey You look so sweet and humble ✨️ 💕 That's why I clicked your video

They are sneaky about their accreditation status Shawn... haha. Great that you got an APA program. It is important for many career options... 🙂 Jim, PsyD.

So happy to hear that, thanks for watching!

Aw thank you! Thanks for watching :)

Aw yay! Thank you for watching :)

Aw! You are welcome! Thank you for watching. 🙂

Thank you for watching! 😊

So happy to hear it was helpful! Thank you for watching! 🙂

Thank you for watching! Best of luck. :)

That's so nice of you, thank you! 💕

Aw that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you too for watching. 😊

Yes you're unfortunately not the first person I have heard say that about wishing they had taken it immediately after undergrad. 😕 Thank you for watching, and good luck with everything moving forward. You can do it!!😊

Hi Taylor, thanks for sharing your experience with that -- I had always heard horror stories about the accreditation issue but had not heard from someone directly who had run into that problem. So happy to hear you were able to get it reversed before it was too late!

Good for you Taylor! Jim, PsyD

Mila The Life Coach Of course!! Thank you for watching 💖💖

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val garcia Congrats on your acceptance! Yes, this field has gotten more and more popular in recent years and more and more competitive as a result, so perserverance and a strong passion for it are definitely key no matter what programs you decide to apply to. 🙂

Awesome. I am currently applying for fall 2021 for counseling psychology. And I am scared I should take as GRE even if most schools are waiving it due to covid.

Goodness Oluwaseun that’s so nice!! Just a reminder is to not only apply to one Uni!! It’s good to have choices! So excited for you!! And you have a whole year to study for it so you’ll be good. You can buy a practice book out of B&N, they’re very good.

@@DarrianCorey I have got 3 schools I can apply to who waived GRE for counseling psychology, but I am worried I still need to take it. What are your thoughts on this? I am applying for fall 2021

@@bunnyval7724 application for fall 2021 closes in December 2020. It is not up to a year

I'm so happy to hear that, thank you for watching! ❤️

​@@DarrianCorey What sounds harder to your ears? 1. Certified Public Accountant or 2. Masters Degree in Statistics?

@@mathematicaleconomist4943 Hmm... Neither sounds easy, but on a personal level, I would say that Certified Public Accountant sounds harder to me! Only because I enjoyed the statistics classes I took in school, and I have never been good at money math. 😬😂

@@DarrianCorey Interesting perspective. Thank you!

Best of luck!! It is definitely not uncommon for people to join a mental health counseling graduate program after having earned a degree in a different field. Lots of the students in my cohort had done just that. Having the passion for it is the most important part -- It is so easy to quickly get burnt out if you don't have it (and don't have a good self-care routine in place!)

Congrats on getting accepted into a program! Like you said, it is certainly not an easy feat (GRE scores or not!) I know a lot of people dread the GRE, though I can see both sides of the argument on requiring it and not requiring it. Yes, interviews can be very intimidating!! I dedicated a whole video on here to talking about tips and ways to lessen the nerves that often come with them. I was fortunate to have quite a bit of interview experience before applying to grad school, and I still get a little nervous! 🤣

Thanks for watching, and for sharing your experience! It is unfortunate how accreditation and accreditation databases aren't talked about more often and more directly, but sadly, many of the programs that are not accredited prey on others not knowing about it. I totally agree with you that a gap year can be much needed and so helpful! Congratulations and best of luck on your application journey!

@@DarrianCorey Thank you! 😊 And certainly I really think there are people that can be certainly vulnerable to not knowing about the importance of accreditation. But thankfully there are people like you willing to share and help others. 💕

Deggie Monroy Thanks so much for watching & subscribing, I'm glad to hear it helped!! These books are what I used for studying for the GRE: www.amazon.com/Official-Super-Power-Pack-Second/dp/1260026396 I'd also recommend finding a full length practice test to take online before you begin, so you'll know what section you need to focus most of your studying on. If you are referring to undergrad for psychology, I would say focus most on getting as much hands on experience as you can, assisting in research labs, internships, volunteer work, related jobs, etc. Getting good grades is great, but the experiences are what will make you stand out when applying to grad school and will help you narrow down what your specific interests are within the field. I would say most all careers within psychology seem to be growing pretty quickly in recent years due to more and more emphasis being placed on the importance of mental health. In terms of pay, to be honest, psychology is not known for having high paying jobs in general, so I'd go for whatever interests you most/what you are most passionate about. However, I will say industrial-organizational psychology is known as the higher paying specialty in the field if that's something you want to look further into. It may be a good match with your business background as well. Hope that helped 😊

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Hi Wren, so happy to hear it was helpful and that you've chosen a career in counseling! I would recommend taking some foundational psychology courses before applying to grad school -- Abnormal psych, research methods, etc. This gives you an opportunity to get a good sense of the basics before entering grad school, a chance to get some strong psychology grades before applying, and potentially some letters of recommendation from your psych professors when you are applying. I'd also recommend looking up any grad programs you are interested in applying to and seeing what their application requirements/pre-requisites are. I've found that most, if not all, grad programs state on their website what psych classes they require you have before applying, which will give you an idea of what foundational courses to take. Some just require that you have a certain number of psychology-related undergrad credits before applying, while others want specific courses. Hope that helps! Good luck!

If applying for a graduate program in counseling, your previous degree may not be as important as volunteer experiences that show your interest in helping others. Psychology is certainly much stricter. Good luck! Counseling and Art Therapy are great fields.

Hi Kathy! I'm sorry, it is never a good feeling to feel that you didn't perform as well as you'd hoped on something you care a lot about. Good news is, I have found that admissions teams for graduate programs tend to look at applications more holistically/"the total package," so it goes a long way that the other portions of your application are very strong. Programs have also seemed to look less and less at GRE scores in recent years, with some throwing it out as an admissions requirement altogether. This seems to especially be the case since the pandemic, when many applicants were unable to make it to testing sites. I am wishing you all the best!! Don't be too hard on yourself, you did your best given your circumstances. 🙂 The GRE is a tough test for everyone!!

Congrats on being so close to graduation! You could always apply to both programs and see what happens? You may discover during the application and interview processes that one feels like a better fit to you than the other, or you mesh more closely with the faculty of one program or the other. I will say that MSW's tend to be a bit more versatile in the settings you can work in, whether that be hospitals, private practice, courts, schools, military bases, etc. so if you are at all unsure of which type of setting you would like to work in, that may be something to think about as you will likely have more options.

Hi Stephen, thanks for sharing your experience and I'm so sorry that happened to you. I always thought it was so unfair how representatives of those schools are not up front about this. It seems to be a bit more widely known that APA is the accreditation body for doctoral programs, but the info surrounding master's program accreditation seems to be a bit more cloudy, especially once you get into all of the different specializations within master's programs. Hoping to keep spreading the word about CACREP so it isn't such a secret! Wishing you the best of luck with everything moving forward.

Hi Stephen, why is CACREP accreditation so important?

@@LivingYourBestLight thank you so much!!! I ended up moving forward with a CACREP accredited program and I’m so glad I did!

Thank you for watching!! I wish I could be of more help in this case, but I unfortunately don't know about transferring overseas. I would love to find out more about that too! I know some people have issues transferring to a different state within the U.S. (depending on the state), so I'd definitely be curious to know if there would be similar difficulties encountered with transferring to a different country.

Yes I agree that is always sad to see 🙁

What do they end up doing? Having to go into academics or finding another way to get licensed?

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Very true!

Bria R Hi Bria, thanks for watching! I'm glad it was helpful :) Any job title that involves the word "psychologist" requires a doctoral degree (with the exception of a school psychologist in some states); whether you choose the PhD or PsyD route is up to you. If you have any interest whatsoever in conducting and publishing research, and/or being a professor one day, I would lean toward the PhD. However if your sole interest is strictly clinical work, then you could also look into a PsyD. (Although it's important to note most PhD programs are fully funded, while PsyDs typically are not.) Hope that helps!

tiannaching31 Thanks for watching! That's a great question. It would be best to go to school where you plan to live and practice in, though it's not always possible since we can't predict where we will or will not get accepted or what opportunities will come up in other states in the future. But if you can manage it, going to school in that state would likely be the easiest in terms of saving you from having to do additional steps in the future. Unfortunately, there's no standardized national licensure that you can take to any state. Each state has their own licensure requirements and process for getting licensed, so you have to be licensed in each individual state you intend to practice in. It really depends on the state too, I've heard of people moving to another state and getting licensed there no problem, and I've seen others who have to go as far as taking additional classes in their new state because their requirements were more stringent there. It also differs based on your specialization as well, like school counseling, marriage and family therapy, etc. Whatever you do though, definitely make sure you choose a CACREP-accredited or APA-accredited program to attend, that will make things much easier for you in terms of meeting educational requirements should you ever need to move states. Hope that helps!

Hi Terence, thank you for your comment! You definitely make some good points to think about.

Congrats on your acceptance and best of luck in the rest of your program! As far as having you take some classes before issuing a full/official acceptance, from the program's perspective, I think it's likely a combination of wanting you to be able to show them that you are dedicated and will be successful in a graduate program and the field itself in the future. It's also a chance for you to be able to see how you like it before officially entering the program full force. It is a significant commitment both time-wise and financially, so it is usually better to find out sooner rather than later if it is not a good match for you or not something you enjoy genuinely. Thank you for watching. :)

Claudia Carlos Yes, I did assist in a research lab for a year in undergrad. And yes, not all, but many doctoral programs allow people to apply with a Bachelor's degree. Quite a few doctoral programs have a Master's built into their program as well, but it all depends on the school/program.

Hi Yanqin, yes - it's pretty across the board that attending an accredited institution is beneficial to you and will be most helpful when trying to become licensed in your field. However, keep in mind that CACREP is only the accreditation body for counseling programs. Social work programs are usually accredited by CSWE, and marriage and family therapy programs by COAMFTE. Best of luck!

I'd also recommend looking at the licensure requirements for the state(s) you intend to practice in, as every state has their own licensure rules and some are more strict than others in terms of how necessary it is to have attended an accredited program.

@@DarrianCorey Hi Darrian. Thank you for being so helpful. This is very clear to me now! Tysm!

Hi Kendall! Thanks for watching, I'm glad to hear it was helpful. :) If you intend to stay in California to practice and it isn't a licensure requirement in the state, then I would say you are free to attend whichever program you would like whether it's accredited or not. Marriage and family therapy is also a little unique in that those programs are often accredited by COAMFTE rather than CACREP, but if the word "counseling" is in the program like the one you mentioned, then those ones are typically accredited by CACREP. I know.. confusing! This might help clear up some questions: www.mftcalifornia.com/accreditation Where the accreditation and licensure part can get tricky sometimes is if you decide to move states in the future. There can be some other benefits to attending an accredited program as well. This article discusses some of them particular to California: www.psychotherapynotes.com/benefits-coamfte-accreditation-mft-students/ Hope that helps!

@@DarrianCorey Thank you so much for taking the time to respond, I really appreciate it! That makes more sense now :)

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Jaimee Hansen Hi Jaimee, since it's a Master's program, it would be accredited by CACREP rather than APA. CACREP does accredit some fully online counseling programs, so if yours is not showing up under a search on the CACREP directory, it's most likely that the program doesn't currently have CACREP-accreditation. There should be a "Filter" feature on the CACREP Directory search that allows you to select certain program characteristics for your search, including only Online programs if you want try narrowing your search a bit. Hope that helps!

Hello! Since it's not a requirement for your program to be CACREP-accredited in order to earn your Master's degree, it is ultimately up to you and what you feel comfortable with doing. For example, licensure requirements vary from state to state - With a non-CACREP accredited degree, you may be just fine and not run into any issues when applying for an in-state Michigan license. On the other hand, if for some reason you have to move out-of-state later on, that's where things could get tricky. Just speaking from my experience here in Arizona - The process of applying for licensure was much more smooth if you attended a CACREP-accredited program, as it allowed you to bypass sections of the application if you did so. Not to say you wouldn't get licensed here otherwise, but the application would have involved a lot of additional steps, like describing the curriculum of the program, getting signed verification of your practicum and internship hours, listing all classes taken and what standards they meet, etc. So in short, it is up to you! CACREP-accreditation helps, but isn't a necessity if you truly feel the school/program is the best fit for you and your goals. It can also be helpful to reach out to any alumni of the program and see if they ran into any issues when applying for licensure or jobs without the accreditation.

Ah so glad you checked! I hope your interview went well!

@@DarrianCorey It did! I got accepted!

@@ExtraD0G Yay! Congratulations! :)

Hi Rea, here's CACREP's directory where you can search all accredited programs you might be interested in! www.cacrep.org/directory/

Harmony Gong Hi Harmony! I'm not familiar with Columbia's program or New York state's licensure requirements, but that would definitely be a great question to ask someone in the department or any alumni of the program! I would also say it heavily depends on if you plan to stay in NY or move out of state after graduation. If you plan to leave the state you graduate from, it is typically safer to attend a CACREP-accredited program to make transferring your license across state lines as easy as possible. I'd recommend looking up New York's licensure requirements as well as any other states you are thinking of practicing in in the future to be sure.

You have to make sure that the program is accredited and also suitable for licensure.

That is so nice of you, thank you! ❤️

Hi Laura! Good question. CACREP accredits programs exclusively for Counseling - Mostly Master's programs, but some Doctoral programs if they are in a counseling-related field such as Counselor Education and Supervision. On the other hand, APA accredits doctorate programs in psychology only, whether the specialty be Clinical Psych, School Psych, or Counseling Psych. So with that said, any program's accreditation status is going to be more of an either/or thing where they are accredited by one or the other, rather than being accredited by both. As long as the program you're attending has one of these accreditations (depending on the specialty, and level of Master's vs. Doctorats), then you're golden!

Hi Camila! APA does not accredit Bachelor's or Master's programs - Only doctorate degrees in school psychology, counseling psychology, or clinical psychology. So you do not need to worry about APA accreditation for a Bachelor's! My fiancé is not in the psychology field, but also completed his Bachelor's online through SNHU and had a great experience!

Crystal Diaz Hi Crystal! I think what school you attended for undergrad doesn't matter to an admissions committee as much as how you spent your time there. In my experience, they're going to be looking more at counseling-related experiences you got involved in along the way throughout your time in undergrad rather than what school it was specifically.

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Hey Briana, I would be happy to take a look at it if you haven't already submitted yet - My apologies for the late response! Best of luck with your Psy.D. program! I'm so happy my videos could help. :)

Hello! Yes, the APA only accredits doctorate programs, so you don't have to worry about that with Master's programs - Just CACREP. Best of luck!

@@DarrianCorey I appreciate your response, Thank you!

Hello! You should prepare for the GRE General Test first. For the programs that say they require the GRE for admission, they are referring to the general test. Definitely check the websites for each of the programs you're applying to and see what they require in particular to make sure though, since every program's requirements are different -- But the vast majority treat the GRE Psychology subject test as optional for admission. Also, if they do require the subject test, I think that you will find that you'll need to focus more of your studying on the general test either way, especially if you majored in psychology. I hope that helps!

DList Lover Hi 😊 Unfortunately, transferring in grad school isn't as smooth of a transition as it is for undergrad. Some grad programs don't accept transfer credits at all (even for similar or identical courses), while others will accept a limited number of graduate credits, usually somewhere around only 6-9 credits which equals only 2-3 courses in most programs. With that in mind, with you already having three years worth of courses under your belt, it may not be worth the sacrifice of giving all of those credits up to transfer to another program this close to the finish line. However, in my experience programs are pretty open about their graduate transfer credits policy so if an accredited program is very important to you, you may consider reaching out to programs and asking for more info on their school's policy. Hope that helps!

Darrian Corey Thank you for your feedback? At this point is my program not being accredited going to hold my career back down the line? Or would it be best to further into a PsyD with an accredited program?

@@grumpyschnauzer Hi again! It really depends on the state you plan on practicing in, and in what type of employment setting you are hoping to work in. Some states are more strict than others when it comes to requirements for getting licensed, and some work environments or mental health agencies are more strict than others as well. If you have an idea of what type of setting you'd like to work in or what population you'd like to work with, you can always reach out to people currently practicing in that position in your desired state and ask them what their experience has been!

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Hello! Unfortunately, I'm not as familiar with Canadian universities or their licensure/certification requirements to practice, so I don't really have any helpful hints. However, as far as working in the U.S. after getting certification in Canada, I think it would be safe to say that it would depend on which state within the U.S. you are looking to practice in. In the U.S., we do not have one license that allows you to practice across the nation/in all states. Instead, each state has their own individual licensure requirements needed in order to practice independently, and all states are different in how strict or relaxed they are in their requirements and the portability/transferring of licenses across state or country lines. My best advice for this would be to try to find a practitioner who accomplished that move from Canada to the U.S., and ask them how they went about transferring their professional certifications. People move all the time, so I'm sure it can be done, it's just a matter of what extra steps may need to be taken! Best of luck!! :)

@@DarrianCorey Oh I did not know that every state has their own requirement. I really appreciate your help. Thank you very much for the fast response!

Both of Dr. Bruce Perry's books - "The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog" and "What Happened to You?" are fantastic!

Hi! If you are 100% confident that your master's is strictly a stepping stone to your doctorate for you, then I would say it typically doesn't matter much if you do it in counseling vs. clinical psych. However, my advice would be to choose a CACREP-accredited master's program that is set up for licensure if at all possible. That way, if you change your mind along the way and decide not to go for a doctorate (that's what happened to me as I realized I could do exactly what I wanted with the master's!), then you will still be able to practice with the master's degree. Hope that helps!

@@DarrianCorey Thank you so much! Is CACREP only for counseling masters and not clinical masters? Or is there a different one for clinical?

@@DarrianCorey and is there a difference for MPCAC? I’m sorry for the inconvenience!

@@sophiafrontale3503 I'm not as familiar with MPCAC, but CACREP is for counseling programs. You can't be a clinical psychologist without a doctorate degree, so if you're looking at master's programs that will allow for licensure as a counselor or therapist, you'll probably be looking at counseling type programs (accredited by CACREP) or a clinical psych masters with a focus in marriage and family therapy or something similar (I believe marriage and family therapy programs are accredited by COAMFTE if I remember correctly).

Nice! 👍🏼👏🏼 I know a lot of programs started to move away from it in recent years, along with programs that used to require it becoming more flexible in their requirements over the course of the pandemic

Hi Giselle, good question - It's definitely something I've considered! When I applied to graduate programs, I actually applied to a mixture of Master's and PsyD programs, but ended up opting for the Master's route. In hindsight, I think I was getting a bit burnt out with school (I graduated early with my Bachelor's by taking classes year round, and then went straight onto my Master's after working a bit in between) and felt like I could really only commit to a 2 year program at the time. PsyD may be something I'll think more about further down the road!

I am not as familiar with I/O psych unfortunately, but it is a rapidly growing specialty from what I have heard so I am sure there are some out there!! 🙂

@@DarrianCorey Sure..! I'm getting to know & trying to connect important people from this background. Thankyou anyways, for responding..!!. Hope you and your family is doing well..!.👍

Hi Samantha! Yes, I would. Here is some more info comparing the two, and why CACREP can be beneficial - www.onlineeducation.com/counseling/faqs/cacrep-versus-mpcac-accreditation Hope this helps!!

APA is only the accreditation body for doctoral programs in psychology. CACREP accreditation is the one you want to look for while looking at master's programs to become a mental health counselor. APA also only accredits the internship sites for doctoral students aiming to become psychologists, so no need to worry about internship site accreditation as a master's student! Attending a CACREP-accredited master's program makes it much easier for you to register for and take the NCE, obtain the NCC/National Certified Counselor credential if you wish to, and transfer your license across state lines if you ever move in the future. So in short, to get a license, you'll need to complete your master's program, register to become an LAC/Licensed Associate Counselor in your state (the wording on that differs state to state), take and pass the NCE, and begin accruing your supervised hours before becoming an independently licensed LPC/Licensed Professional Counselor. I know - Lots of acronyms in the world of counseling. 🙂 I hope that helps!

Darian can you recommend any online Cacrep Accredited masters programs?! Thanks for your info. I took a masters at university of Phoenix they weren’t accredited 😔

My bad , Darrian * 😊😇

Hmm I don't know of many off the top of my head, though I did meet someone during my practicum who was doing her program through Prescott College in AZ with classes online and just the clinical hours in-person. I believe she said it was accredited also if I remember correctly. I don't personally know anything about their program, but it may be worth looking into if you were hoping to stick with an Arizona-based program!

@@DarrianCorey oh ok thank you! I’m looking to move to Florida I think I saw one called Hodges University online programs . I will have to check well with the Florida licensing department too I think the requirements lists a certain number of hours you need before applying for the license

Hi Florian, it has been awhile, but if I remember correctly, I took my GRE the summer before my last semester of undergrad. I took the GRE in August, and due to being an early grad, I then graduated in December. My grad school applications were due in December/early January as well, and I had my GRE results in plenty of time to send them into the schools who required them!

GRE can feel a bit different than other standardized tests, like the SAT in high school, as you're studying for it and signing up for your testing date all on your own, rather than through your school.

Claudia Carlos I studied using these books I got from Amazon 😊 www.amazon.com/Official-Super-Power-Pack-Second/dp/1260026396/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=gre+study+book&qid=1592672957&sprefix=gre+stud&sr=8-7 I also took a practice test online before doing any studying, so I could see what section I should focus the majority of my studying on!

@@DarrianCorey Thank you! I'm starting my senior year of my undergrad this august so I'm about to purchase all these books right now! So when do you think is a good time to apply to programs?

Claudia Carlos That's great! Honestly, I think the sooner you can get started, the better. All programs have different deadlines so it depends, though the majority seem to fall somewhere around December 1 - January 15. Each program website will tell you when their applications open and close. With the deadline, November is likely going to be your last chance to take the GRE in time to submit your scores to programs (Keeping in mind you also have to register for your GRE testing date about a couple of months in advance.) I always recommend to others to take the GRE in August first if you feel comfortable enough to do so, as that gives you time to re-take it once more before December deadlines if you don't like your first score. And if you do like your first score in August, that's even better so you can have the rest of your time to focus on other parts of the application!

@@DarrianCorey Do you have to take the GRE for a masters program or is it specifically for doctorate programs?

Nami328 Entirely depends on the school/program! I will say that in my experience, doctorate programs require GRE scores as part of their application more often than master's programs seem to, but I have seen it go both ways depending on the program and how competitive it is. Your best bet is looking at the admissions requirements on the websites for each of the programs you are interested in applying to, and it will tell you if they require scores to be submitted or not. Hope that helps!

Bummer. 😕 I believe NYU has an APA-accredited Ph.D. program in Counseling, if that may be of interest to you? Of course, it's always best to look up any of the programs you are interested in either with the APA directory www.accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs or CACREP directory www.cacrep.org/directory/ just to be sure. But I agree that it can be surprising at times which ones are or are not accredited!

Haha I also cringe a little at my earlier videos! I definitely was more timid, and can even tell when I was filming late at night and trying not to wake anyone up 🤣 Although on the flip side, I will say that I purposely made Squidward my avatar photo on Paramount+, because I am naturally pretty monotone 😅 But thank you for watching! I'm glad you got something out of it and hope it wasn't too painful to watch 😉

Haha! Well thanks! 🙂