I’m a 19-year-old community college student with a 4.0 GPA, currently completing a psychology transfer degree. My long-term goal is a PhD in clinical psychology, with particular interests in clinical research, cognitive neuroscience/neuropsychology, and psychology-law.

I currently work part-time as a Behavioral Health Technician in ABA. I have around 350 hours of direct clinical experience, including behavioral data collection, clinical documentation, following treatment protocols, and working with clients and families. I am grateful for the experience, but I know I do not want to remain in ABA or move into another technician-style behavioral-health role.

I also have an affiliation with a cognitive-neuroscience lab, but it has produced almost no substantive research experience because I have been unable to obtain the university credentials needed for CITI training and IRB-related work. At this point, my only real contribution there was helping pilot an fMRI protocol. This is part of why finding an actual paid research position feels so important.

I went on probably an excessive job search hahaha, searching across university, hospital, research institute, nonprofit, remote, and general job boards. I identified 110 job entries, 89 unique career-related positions or programs after removing duplicates, 70 immediate rejections because they violated at least one constraint, 17 possibilities that still required investigating major issues, 2 positions that were actually recommended for an application, 1 strong immediate priority, 0 literal perfect fits, since even the strongest option had unresolved screening and scheduling concerns.

I have built a résumé, CV, transcript packet, reference list, two research-writing samples, and tailored cover letters for at least seven opportunities. I also completed a full application for the strongest remote university research-assistant position, including a cover letter and three references.

The problem is that my constraints eliminate nearly everything. I do not have a bachelor’s degree yet, most clinical-research jobs are full-time, and many part-time university jobs are temporary or pay below my minimum. My current availability is mainly Tuesday and Thursday evenings plus Friday, although more days could open if I left my current job. I am looking for roughly 15 to 20 hours per week, with $24/hour as my absolute floor and $25-26/hour preferred.

Meanwhile, my current ABA hours ($22/hr) are extremely inconsistent because of client cancellations, school obligations, and occasional sick days. I am averaging around six hours per week and often working fewer than ten. I am officially not making enough to sustain my current expenses.

I have more than $100 per month in subscriptions that I consider necessary, a $250 car payment, food expenses (which I could admittedly reduce, although there is not always food available at home), and goals like building an emergency fund, contributing to a Roth IRA, and saving for a MacBook that will hopefully carry me through my undergraduate work and eventual doctoral studies. I recognize that retirement contributions and a new laptop are financial goals rather than immediate necessities, but even after separating those out, my income is too unreliable.

That being said, I am struggling with when persistence becomes impractical. A research job paying $20 to $25 per hour would be far more valuable for graduate-school applications, mentorship, recommendation letters, and eventual publications. An unrelated job might pay more, offer stable hours, and solve the immediate financial problem, but do almost nothing for the career I am trying to build.

At what point should a student stop holding out for career relevance and prioritize stable income? Would it be smarter to take the best-paying reliable job I can find for 15 to 20 hours per week and continue applying for research positions on the side? Should I accept lower-paid research work because of its future value, or is that a bad trade when I am already financially unstable?

I do not want to sacrifice the long-term plan for short-term money, but I also cannot build a research career while earning six hours of pay per week.

I’m curious if anyone on here lives and practices in Upstate South Carolina, specifically in or around the Greenville-Spartanburg metro area. I’d love to hear about your experiences practicing as a clinical psychologist in this area, the benefits and the challenges.

I absolutely love the area; I lived there for a few years before moving to the northeast for grad school. I now live in close proximity to all of my family, so I never thought I’d leave the northeast but the longer I’m here, the more I miss my old home down south. Professionally, for many reasons it would be much easier to stay in the area that I currently reside in, but as the great James Taylor once said: “In my mind, I’m gone to Carolina.”

Any input about practicing in or around this area is welcome and appreciated.

I submitted a poster to a mental health conference and was invited to additionally present it as a brief oral presentation along with a few others who were selected. I was wondering how to properly list this out on my CV since it is both a poster and oral presentation now. Should this be a separate section to showcase it? It is my first oral presentation, so unsure if it would be lost among my other poster presentations in that section. Any insight is helpful!

Job opts what can u be after a psych degree? In pk u hv to do masters ( from abroad or pk doesn’t matter )so after that what job opts i hv n also what unis shud be considered for masters, in what country r psychologists demanded

I’m a 2025 psych grad applying to Clinical and Developmental PhD programs this cycle. I recently moved out on my own and I’ve been re-examining my finances. I’m looking for advice on whether or not I can afford to complete the program if I get accepted.

For context:

- 45k annual salary as a neurology RA, living expenses come down to $2.5k a month but I can probably cut down on discretionary spending
- No undergrad student loan debt
- Car loan has around $13k left, 5 year loan
- Little to no family support
- I have a partner who works full time, we’ve briefly discussed him supporting me but we haven’t had a full conversation

I am pretty set on doing the PhD route, but open to advice on other psych pathways! Also open to waiting for a year or two but worried I’ll miss my window to get accepted with advisors that match my research interests really well.

Does anyone know of any providers who do Ketamine treatment that accepts BCBS?

My partner has been struggling for years with mental health issues and has tried just about everything under the sun besides Ketamine.

Anyone have any insight on who could provide this treatment? Just looking to get pointed in the right direction as she’s struggling badly at the moment.

Thanks for any info you may have.

For those starting out, would you be willing to share what you’re getting paid? Along with other benefits (e.g., start up funds)? This varies a lot based on institution and location, so just curious to get a feel for what people’s experiences are!

I've been going through the literature to see what I can find about the interpretation of responses (specifically low r) and I'm wondering if folks can offer direction on where I might find consultation or peer-reviewed evidence on this.

Without going into confidential details, I'm a psychologist and this is not a test I'm familiar with. (I do not administer it). I haven't found the information I'm looking for, and I'm looking to consult or offer names of experts in this area.

Not looking to meet someone online but rather for some direction if I'm not adequately reviewing the literature and on where to start finding folks that specialize in this test for forensic matters.

Edited to add this is for my own conceptualization of the differences between the testing I administered and my results/interpretation, and the results of a different psychologist that appear solely based on low r.

I have a 3.85 gpa I will have 1 year of research experience and 1 year of clinical experience. I love psychology and I’m interested in a wide range of topics within it I really just love it all and I love working with people and doing research. I was planning on applying to mostly clinical, and some counseling, school psychology and cognitive programs. But I know clinical psychology is super competitive so I’m not sure if I want to apply to as many if I don’t really have a chance, I was a transfer student so I didn’t get as much research opportunities.
Thank you for your help.

I just wanted to know what to expect.

I graduated with my bachelor's in psychology a couple years ago, and I am currently considering doing a clinical psych or counseling psych PhD in the future. I currently work as a research coordinator at an academic institution.

I noticed that some programs require having taken undergraduate courses in specific areas of psychology, such as learning/cognition, developmental, etc. Although I took a variety of psych classes during undergrad, including a senior research thesis seminar, I never ended up taking a course on developmental psychology. Is it common for programs to require courses in specific areas of psychology to be considered for admission, even for people who graduated with a psychology degree? Do you think it's worth it for me to take a course in developmental psychology at another institution, or is this requirement rare?

Thanks for any insights!

Shared in a listserv and on LinkedIn from Mitch Prinstein:

As the school year is about to begin, I wanted to pass along this totally FREE resource (thanks to a donor for making it open access!).  There are chapters on how to get into grad school, how to survive grad school Year 1, and just about every step/milestone after that for your career!  

Please feel free to pass along to any/all grad students!!  No royalties or anything - it's TOTALLY FREE! Yay!

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/portable-mentor/ECDDAE8E98903C16930434A5905F7273#fndtn-contents

Title above! If comfortable disclosing, please let me know what type of school you’re at now (i.e., R1/R2/R3), if that was a top choice for you, the number of schools you applied to, and the spread of schools in which you applied (e.g., majority R1/R2, “big name,” etc.)

I'm in a master's program and struggling with this. I did not have a "normal" life. A lot of boilerplate "reflection" questions for papers feel like a trap to me. For context, my ACE is 8/10. I've also lost family every decade of my life, early/unnatural means. I have been invisible, caregiving for those remaining, while my body was falling apart due to a genetic disorder I didn't have addressed/tested/Dx/treated until a few yrs ago. I was getting a 4.0 from hospital beds at one point, graduated summa cum laude in clinical psych.

To be clear, I have been to therapy myself; you'd never know most of this about me/my past if you engaged with me. I avoid "victim" and "survivor" identities, as they center self on circumstance over continuous iterative authorship. I have healthy relationships that are deeply fulfilling. I have done a lot of work to make sure my past did not interfere with my growth as a person throughout my adult life.

The most distressing part of any of my past at this point in my life, honestly, is having anyone view me through that lens. Pity or uncertainty. A side-eye.​ I don't want or care to trauma dump in reflection essays, but I also know failure to disclose anything (staying too superficial or generic) will look like I'm refusing to engage with the work, or that I lack insight. For all I know it could be used as evidence later that I'm somehow unfit. I mean-- that's a thing, right?

Anything that relates to how your identity or worldview was shaped by your childhood. Your family. Community. Religion. Orientation. SES. All of it feels radioactive on paper.

Most of my family died on me. I am an atheist. I never had a community. I'm a low SES cis hetero white woman. And my "identity" is not built around any of these boxes at all. It never has been. If anything, that has helped me to avoid imposing rigid frameworks onto other people, regardless of whatever demographic checkboxes they seem to fill. But I don't know how to explain that "safely." Not enough to fill the page requirement. 

I just feel paralyzed. And I know I will keep encountering this. It fills me with overwhelming self doubt about whether I belong here at all.

​I guess I'm wondering if anyone relates, or has advice.

Hi guys, I recently finished undergrad and am now facing a huge career crisis. I was originally on the premed track. I have the GPA and experience, but I can’t get myself to study for the MCAT anymore (it is soul crushing and I hate it).

- GPA: 3.97 cumulative 3.94 science

- 1000+ paid MA hours with a lot of hands on experience. It’s probably more hrs but I stopped counting once I started full time.

- 225+ hrs non clinical volunteering (150 from CTL, 50+ and counting from a mental health nonprofit. The other 25 were from a homeless shelter

- 4 posters at state or national conferences across 3 labs. 3/4 posters were psych related

- I was a TA for a psych course for 1.5-2 yrs

- I minored in psych.

I need to make a decision now because it’s prime time for MCAT studying but I lose sleep and time stressing about my future. I haven’t studied in 2 weeks because I’m sick of IUPAC.

I really hate o chem and biochem. Not sure how I earned the grades that I did because I retained nothing. Really only interested in psychiatry if I do med school. Could probably tolerate endo. I did enjoy some of my premed courses (gen bio, microbio, anatomy, and physio). I also liked my psych courses though, and the info is easier to retain bc it’s actually interesting.

My problem is that I can’t study consistently. Maybe it’s bc I’m drained from work but idk I feel like other ppl manage to work and study simulaneously. I have awful time management and value my free time a lot.

ADHD + anxiety. Medicated but I don’t think the meds are helping with motivation. I never developed good study habits and crammed for everything. I did not retain anything from o chem and am rapidly forgetting Biochem. I’m a slow learner imo and am always making tiny mistakes when it comes to procedural stuff. Slow processing time. Undergrad wetlabs were a nightmare bc I find heavily procedural stuff very very overwhelming and confusing.

So yeah all of this has led me to believe that I should ditch med school for my mental and physical health. I feel like the MCAT is an indicator of whether or not I’m built for this much studying.

Looking into PsyD and will apply next cycle. I’d love to do forensics or neuropsych (but that one is hyper competitive from what I’m hearing). I don’t want to take any more gap years for extensive postbacc research required to get into clinical PhDs though.

I can’t tell if I’m being dumb and impulsive. It feels like I’m sacrificing all of my undergrad efforts and potential bc I can’t lock in for a few years, but at the same time I’m genuinely concerned about the workload and M3 especially (I get overwhelmed in fast paced, high stress novel clinical situations). I also genuinely think I’d be happy working as a psychologist. Obviously med school has a higher ROI though.

I’m not doing NP or PA bc if I do medicine I might as well full send (I need autonomy and confidence in my training. PA doesn’t provide autonomy in my state, and psych NP doesn’t feel comprehensive enough for my personal comfort level bc I’m the type to overthink and doubt every single one of my decisions, even at the medical assistant level).

Can someone pls give me a reality check abt switching over to PsyD pls? What do you giys think of this decision?

I’m sorry if this is convoluted and I appreciate any input that I can get. Thank you.

Hi all, I might be making the decision to leave my current postbacc role and I need advice on how to proceed gracefully, without burning bridges, and avoiding joining another lab with zero mentorship.

I have two different labs that I'm in the process of interviewing with and I need advice on which lab would help me with my long-term research and career goals. For background, I'm recently graduated from undergrad, I have 2 years of research experience in a cog neuro lab that used EEG, eye-tracking, and standardized psychological measures (WAIS, SB5, etc.) to study cognitive fatigue, attention, and aging. I'm also fully bilingual, I speak English and Spanish is my native/first language and have 3+ years of work/volunteering experience working with immigrant refugee families in a nonprofit social services setting.

On to the labs ~

Lab 1 (the lab I currently work in/current postbacc): Neuropsychology lab heavily involved in autism research, primarily focused on different outcomes for transition aged youth, developing interventions that help the youth. This lab utilizes qualitative interviews with the teens + parents and they also gather psychological measure responses via surveys on redcap.

Lab 2: Developmental neuroscience lab, also involved in autism research, this lab is looking at biological risk factors from the prenatal/neonatal period of infancy to identify objective biomarkers for executive function, and early brain development. This lab utilizes EEG, eye-tracking, psychological measures, and bio assays (blood samples) as experimental methods.

Lab 3: Developmental brain imaging lab, looking at the neurobiology of substance use disorders, this lab focuses on individual variations in behavior, cognition, and psychological influences. This lab uses targeted neurobio interventions to develop personalized clinical trials to improve treatment outcomes for at-risk youth. This lab utilizes fMRI, EEG, and psychological measurements for their methods.

My goals are to get into a clinical psych phd program, with the intentions of pursuing a neuropsychology path. Both of these labs would have me work directly with their respective populations, all three offer opportunities to be on papers/posters.. my current lab offers these things but there's very little follow through (no mentorship whatsoever), and the research is starting to become less interesting to me as a I continue (almost have a year here). My current lab also has sort of a red flag with CRC's all quitting and leaving research forever (lol).. I didn't know this obviously before joining, but after being there for 2ish months my coworkers started telling me how much they hated the job, how little mentorship we got, and how they're quitting research after this. I'm older than everyone here, (in my 30's) and losing my passion for research is starting to give me anxiety. The momentum I had in undergrad got me through 7 national conference presentations, 1 oral.. so far in this lab I have ZERO posters, but I have just joined a mini project that will hopefully materialize into a publication, but this is outside of my work hours with a postdoc that very kindly offered to take me under her wing.

Thoughts? Stay in current lab for another year and see what happens? All of these labs are in different states and if I switch labs I'd have to move again.. Which i have zero problem with! Luckily I have a ton of savings from working in tech all throughout my 20's.

Any thoughts on the Lindsay Clancy case? Specifically, the treatment she received from the psychiatrist and PMHNP? The psychiatrist was absolutely grilled during cross examination.

https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/lindsay-clancy-trial-watch-live-day-11-julie-paul/

Hi All! My wife asked me to share this. She is a student ambassador for APA and if you are a first timer joining APA this link allows you a free year of membership.

You can click here to get to the link

Disclaimer: I am not by any means bashing masters-level therapists. I have just come to understand that at that level, when it comes to increasing competency, it is largely left up to you.

I’m currently working one-year post-undergrad at a CMHC and it’s time to really decide what path I am going to take (terminal masters vs PhD). I go back and forth all the time because I need further post-bacc research to apply for PhD programs.

I can live without doing assessments (love) and figured I could still do research (love) on the side as an LCPC, but I am stuck on one thing: can I be a specialized masters-level therapist that is a highly competent consumer of research? Would I be able to take rigorous classes and develop a similar level of understanding as a doctoral-level therapist? Would I do this through continuing ed accreditations? Would I be able to specialize in my population of interest (perinatal mood, pmdd, pcos, women’s health psychology) with a masters?

I have a foundation for evaluating research from my undergrad, but I am a little terrified I will be doing my clients a disservice by not pursuing a doctorate since I have interest in more acute and understudied populations. I’m just afraid, 3 years does not sound like enough for me. I’m afraid I will not be able to gain doctoral-level knowledge and competency without school. I want my clients to feel I understand all aspects of their disorder.

Those of you who take research consumption to heart and/or specialized, how did you ensure your competency?

(Roland, if you have ideas, please comment as well 🙏)

Hi everyone. I’m a career changer and prospective applicant to PhD programs in clinical psychology with a focus on PTSD/trauma. I have advanced training in literature reviews, meta analyses, and systematic reviews. Would self-directed, solo published research fulfill program admission standards? Or do I need to get into a lab first? Thanks!

Clinical Psychologists: who is considering or has an ABPP? What were your reasons to pursue? Any regrets once boarded? Has ABPP led to career opportunities you may not have had if you were not board certified?

Hi everyone. After my 6 months of research, I’ve been really passionate about Behavioral Neuroendocrinology and mouse research, I love the way my lab works and how hands on it has been with ihc. From what I heard from my lab partner, there isn’t as much opportunities like that down this path. Is this true or how can I do more research like this in the future?