What course to go with?

Hyperbullet

Hey everyone.

I'm here to seek some advice on what would be the best route to get a psychology qualification. My aim is to, somewhwere down the line, become a clinical psychologist. I currently have a 2.2 BBS Hons degree in H.R. but if i'm honest with myself, H.R. is not what I want to go into as a career.

I have narrowed this down to 3 courses, but need help deciding which route to take.

1- Hdip in Arts (psychology) at NUI Galway. This is a 2 year hdip conversion course and would mean that my current degree may count for something. However they only offer 8 places, I have been in touch with the programme coordinator and he advised me that the competition for places is intense. And with a 2.2, I dont know if i'd stand a chance.

Link:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/postgrad/go4th/psychology/hdip_psy_full.html

2- Open University Bsc Psycholgy. This is a 3 year degree programme and is accredited by the British Psychological Society. They also do a conversion diploma which again would make use of my current degree. The open university was actually recommended to me by the Psychology course coordinator at nuig. Whether he was actually telling me it was a waste of time to apply to nuig, or felt this was a better option, I dont know...:P

Link:http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/b07.htm

Link for conversion diploma:

http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/d15.htm


3- PCI College Diploma & BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy. This one is a 4 year (for BSc hons) course run in various places around the country. It is accredited by the University of Middlesex. However I have been made aware that there is a huge difference between a psychotherapist and a clinical psychologist.

Link: http://www.pcicollege.ie/Diploma___BSc__Hons__in_Counselling___Psychotherapy/115


Those are 3 courses that I have been looking into, but some good solid advice is needed here before I make a decision. Recommendations for other courses would be greatly appreciated as well.

I realise I've put up a lot of info. to look through there. But I hope I can get some helpful advice here.

Also, on a sidenote, I'd like to thank Odysseus for his help regarding some questions I had and making some recommendations.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

-Hyper.

Odysseus

Glad to see you made the post, you were welcome to the advice I gave you. But the are two questions you need to address which area psycology or psychotherapy. Then the exact course, and given that you are out west, I think you will get better advice through the forum. It can be a tad slow here on the weekends, so it may take a day or two to get some responses. Anyway best of luck with it and you know how to contact me if I can be of further help.

JuliusCaesar

Clinical psychology is difficult to get into. There are few places and the calibre of the applicants is high. Most people going into it will already have their undergraduate degree in psychology, experience working in helping field, a Masters in something relevant, more experience, and then undertake the doctorate. It's a long long run.

As regards the difference between Counselling and Psychology, I think that the study of psychology is much broader - often including things like cognitive psychology, comparitive psychology, social psychology, psychophysiology. In Clin PSych there are placements with Child & Adolescents, Mental Handicap etc.

Do you have an idea in what field of psychology you'd like to end up in?

Odysseus

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

As regards the difference between Counselling and Psychology, I think that the study of psychology is much broader - often including things like cognitive psychology, comparitive psychology, social psychology, psychophysiology. In Clin PSych there are placements with Child & Adolescents, Mental Handicap etc.

Even though my degree was in psychoanalysis, I would have done the above with the exception of the comparitive psychology, [I think I did a few other modules as well] though it does vary from course to course. Though you don't need to study any of the above to be a psychoanalyst personally I think its fundamental.

At the end of the day if you going to work in a clinical position within an organisation you really need that stuff. Otherwise your just lost at sea, when your trying to understand what the rest of your team is talking about. I think that goes for any therapist really, unless you going to just work entirely in private practice for the rest of your life, I think you need some idea of where the rest is coming from. I'm saying that as I think its an important consideration for people like the OP when they are just starting out; especially if they go down the psychotherapy road.

sadie9

You need to do more research. There is a huge difference between a Clinical Psychologist and a Counsellor/psychotherapist.

For example a Counsellor would not be qualifed to do an assessment on a child to decide if they had a behavioural problem or a cognitive or developmental impairment.
Any course in Psychology usually includes a huge amount of Child psychology and Developmental psychology.

If I was you, I would do a Foundation in Counselling or an Introduction to Psychology course, to narrow down your field of interest.

Would you be interested in something like Organisational Psychology?

Hyperbullet

sadie9 wrote: »

You need to do more research. There is a huge difference between a Clinical Psychologist and a Counsellor/psychotherapist.

For example a Counsellor would not be qualifed to do an assessment on a child to decide if they had a behavioural problem or a cognitive or developmental impairment.
Any course in Psychology usually includes a huge amount of Child psychology and Developmental psychology.

If I was you, I would do a Foundation in Counselling or an Introduction to Psychology course, to narrow down your field of interest.

Would you be interested in something like Organisational Psychology?

We did cover "Behavioural Science" as part of my degree, which touched on this briefly. It was interesting.

Apologies for not updating this much, I have been reading through alot of info online and prospectus' from different colleges, and I'm beginning to think that psychotherapy would be better suited for me. Again though, I'm still doing a lot of reading.

Would it be safe to assume though, that regardless of whether psychotherapy/clinical psychology is my end goal, that I would need a degree in psychology?

Odysseus

Hyperbullet wrote: »

Would it be safe to assume though, that regardless of whether psychotherapy/clinical psychology is my end goal, that I would need a degree in psychology?

No not if you are aiming for psychotherapy, but if you have the time to spare to get a degree in psychology, it would be a good option. It would open more post-grad studies. However, you do not need it.

Hyperbullet

Hey everyone,

First off, thank you all for your input so far. I've finished reading prospectus', it took a while!!

Having gone and had a good think about things, I want to go down the route of psychotherapy. Realistically, if I wanted to become a Clinical Psychologist, I'd need to have done my initial degree in psychology and be going for my masters now, if I wanted to go to phd level.

Odysseus pointed me onto the PCI college site. They seem to offer exactly what I need, however how well accredited are they in terms of a career once finished to an honours degree level?

The one thing i've learned so far is that there's multiple bodies that govern the psychology profession by the looks of things. It would be so much simpler with one overall body. (have I just opened up a can of worms?)

Odysseus

Hyperbullet wrote: »

Hey everyone,

First off, thank you all for your input so far. I've finished reading prospectus', it took a while!!

Having gone and had a good think about things, I want to go down the route of psychotherapy. Realistically, if I wanted to become a Clinical Psychologist, I'd need to have done my initial degree in psychology and be going for my masters now, if I wanted to go to phd level.

Odysseus pointed me onto the PCI college site. They seem to offer exactly what I need, however how well accredited are they in terms of a career once finished to an honours degree level?

The one thing i've learned so far is that there's multiple bodies that govern the psychology profession by the looks of things. It would be so much simpler with one overall body. (have I just opened up a can of worms?)

AFAIK Middlesex Universarity confer their degrees, as far as profession bodies as I understand it, once you finished the degree and get you clinical hours behind you, you would be entitled to IACP membership. Once again AFAIK they wouldn't take me as a membership so I'm not too familar with them, however, I know quite a few therapists working within the HSE Addiction Services who would belong to the IACP. However, with PCI you are talking psychotherapy not psychology.

hotspur

If you do the 3 year diploma in PCI you will get into the IACP although technically their courses are currently currently on the list of accredited courses since they are being reevaluated etc. But nobody who completes PCI doesn't get into the IACP if they complete their clinical and supervised hours. The 4th year addition for the degree doesn't seem relevant.

But as you are a graduate I advise doing a postgraduate course in psychotherapy. It does make a difference currently in respect of gaining accreditation with the more stringent accrediting bodies, and it will be necessary to have trained at postgraduate level when the statutory regulation comes in at some point.

There is no upside for a graduate to train at undergraduate level at PCI unless it is a geographical decision which given your previous posts I'm assuming it is. You mentioned Galway in your original post so you may be interested in the Tivoli Institute which run psychotherapy courses in Dublin and Galway and are well regarded:
http://www.tivoliinstitute.com/professional_course_2006_galway.asp

sallyann23

You need a course that will qualify you for the 3 important professional bodies viz IACP, ICP and IAPPC. Theres a list of recognised courses on www.iappcare.com which I believe are the only worthwhile courses out there and they qualify you for the 3 bodies. Also you want to feel like you've been trained and psychologically prepared. By reputation I've heard from numerous people that the Tivoli Institute is the best for that and its on the IAPPC recognised list and on the IACP list. They also supply clients for the practical side of the course as well as a place to see them. Tivoli don't advertise so just go to www.tivoliinstitute.com.

JuliusCaesar

sallyann23 wrote: »

Theres a list of recognised courses on www.iappcare.com which I believe are the only worthwhile courses out there and they qualify you for the 3 bodies.

Funny they don't mention the TCD CBT course, or the UCD one either.