Psychology - what do I do after my degree?

[Goshitstricky]

This is premature because I'm still on my access course but I have just sent if my UCAS application.

I am hoping to study psychology with counselling and MH studies as un undergraduate.

However I've been out of education since primary school until last year and I was raised in a family where university wasn't even considered as an option.

I want to be a clinical psychologist I think. Someone who can help people with their mental health, though talking therapies and create really good healthcare plans for people through understanding their lives and though processes etc.

However I'm overwhelmed and confused about the path I need to take to get there or if another option (other than clinical psych) is what I'm actually wanting.

Can anyone help me plan out a clear path so when I get to uni I know I'm doing the right thing for where I want to get to please. I have progression plus at college but I feel like a bit of a fool asking what I imagine is quite a basic question. Please be kind it's taken years for me to get here.

Make sure your degree is accredited

DS has just started a job as an Assistant Psychologist in an NHS Trust. This is the first step towards getting on a DClinPsy course to become a clinical psychologist.

He applied for about 20 jobs before he got an interview for the AP role. It really helped that (a) his uni course was BPS accredited and (b) he did a paid internship in year 3, working with the client group he is now working with in his job.

He took some advice from a clinical psychologist about applying for the DClinPsy - the more and varied work experience you have on your CV, the better your chance of getting onto the course. It’s incredibly competitive - DS has a first in Psychology and he is now thinking he may have to do more than a year as an AP before he applies for it.

Your uni’s careers advice service and your tutors should be able to talk to you about graduate career paths.

Yeah, make sure it's a GBC accredited course, or you may have to do a conversion after, gain volunteer work or support worker experience along the way if possible or after your course. Get a mix of clinical and research experiences after Undergraduate before applying for the doctorate. Try to get a research publication if you are minded that way. Prepare for a long slog! Good luck

Without wishing to discourage you, bear in mind that the DClinPsy course for training to be a clinical psychologist is very difficult to get onto. You need a couple of years' work as an assistant psychologist, quite possibly for no or shit pay, plus top grades. Many people apply several times before getting a place. It's a tough route.

In general there is a surfeit of psychology grads. I'd encourage you to think about which route you want to follow post undergrad if you want to go into psychology and understand the realities of getting started in that field - the further degrees you'll need, the work experience required, the level of competition.

Op don't under-estimate how valuable your life experience is. And yes grades are important, but not the be all.
I cannot tell you how many 20something high achieving psych students I was alongside in my conversion degree that struggled to find a place in a dclinpsy/ professional doctorate or asst psych role. For some odd reason, I had 3 job offers. The only differences between them and me were, I had bog standard grades, I was way older than them, worked in different fields, i had 0 problem in contacting journal authors to ask them questions.

There are way, way more people who start undergraduate courses and who want a career in psychology than there are actual opportunities to start out in a psychology career after having achieved that degree. Don't let that put you off, the opportunities exist and if you work hard there's no reason why you shouldn't be one of the few who make it, but you need to be realistic. Coasting isn't an option. Being mediocre isn't an option. It's not just about the academics but you definitely need to shine academically. Your academic work needs to be such that yours is a name that springs to mind if any of your professors are asked to name the best student in your cohort. Once you are applying for opportunities, your application will be part of a huge pile of equally dedicated, enthusiastic and qualified hopefuls, only a handful of whom will be interviewed. Start thinking now about how to use university vacations and your spare time in termtime to make your application stand out as better than the rest.

Hmm, have you considered occupational therapy or social work or mental health nursing?

All of the above have the option to train as a high intensity therapist afterwards. They are very diverse careers with multiple opportunities and are not as competitive as clinical psychology. They also have the opportunity to specialise in particular areas and earn more later.

I say this as someone who has a psychology based degree (not accredited as I partly did another subject aswell). It is a useful degree for many jobs but it doesn't qualify you for anything. Yes, with accreditation you could go on to get work experience and try your luck at the doctorate. Be prepared that even the best grades and work experience aren't always enough though. Some just never make it. Plus remember that even those who do just because it has been competitive to get there it doesn't mean they like their jobs anymore as a result sometimes. You would also need to be flexible to do placements around a large part of the country on the doctorate.

I studied Psychology at uni and absolutely loved it!

I too thought I would go into clinical psychology but realised pretty quickly that my grades would never be good enough to get me on to the course. Basically needed a first and I think it's fair to say, you still would. Plus lots of relevant experience.

However I used my degree as a stepping stone into managerial roles in mental health services, - absolutely fascinating.

Remember - it's the rare degree that leads directly into a career. Most degrees are about demonstrating a certain level of ability & determination. The world is your oyster and you don't have to know what you're going to do after the degree before you start.

Do consider Mental Health nursing too - a much quicker route than clin psy. Many do further trainings in therapeutic approaches and deliver therapy too. If that’s your bag.

If you do decide on a psych degree consider a 4 year one with a year long placement as it will give you some experience.

I would think an OT degree will guarantee you work. It depends what you want and how realistic you are about being a Psychologist. Very very few make it. Most psychology grads. And there are thousands and thousands of them, don’t. Counselling isn’t regulated by professional qualification so choose what route you want. However I would go the OT route for employment and psychology for pleasure!

Have you researched how many years training it takes to become a clinical psychologist and how many opportunities are available for further training to achieve your goal?
Personally I would be looking at a degree that gives you a job at the end (in most cases), social work, OT, nursing etc. And I say that as a psychology graduate.

I would be doing a straight psychology degree if you want to be a clinical psychologist. It is a very long, competitive, academic and expensive route-good luck!

It's also a very respected general degree. All the people I know who studied psychology are now doing something unrelated, but it was useful in getting those jobs. So you don't have to do something related at all.

One person is a tv producer, one a primary teacher, one in HR.

My background is a health and social care, and all the courses I've applied for have come accredited by BPS. I went for the combined course to give me options and more experience in talking therapies with the option to do counselling if I'm finding the psych isn't working out but maybe that was the wrong choice.

I don't want to do nursing, all my background is in care and I've nursed all my family through to end of life and my disabled son who is now in adult care so that's it for me in that respect.

My daughter graduated with a psychology degree last year. Her original plan was to be a clinical psychologist and for some reason she was interested in working in prisons. That changed quite early on in her studies, and she became much more interested in teenage mental health. I say this because once you start your studies you may find that your interests develop in unexpected ways!

In her second year she volunteered as a tutor in a secondary school nearby. She really enjoyed that, and decided that she wanted for teach. During lockdown she carried on tutoring remotely (again on a voluntary basis) and also did an online counselling diploma. She is now training as a psychology teacher and is loving it. She enjoys the classroom teaching but hopes in time also to have a pastoral role, being responsible for mental health and pupil wellbeing.

But are you aware of how many years training it takes OP, how many places per applicant and how you might fund it? To be a clinical psychologist it is a lot more than an undergrad degree. Personally I would be sticking to a plain old psychology degree, you can specialise later. But again, look into what the courses you have to take further up the line require.

I used my psychology degree to get onto a two year graduate social work course and became a social worker.

I don’t have any career advice, OP - but you may like to know there’s now a dedicated ‘Mature Study and Retraining’ board under the Education topic:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students

You might find it helpful to ask for your thread to be moved there?

For becoming a clinical psychologist specifically it's worth having a look at www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-therapies/roles/clinical-psychologist.

However, if doing a professional doctorate isn't a realistic option, it might also be worth looking at other psychology-related roles in healthcare: www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles/psychological-professions and www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/explore-roles (click on "Roles" in the "Psychological professions" bar).

I'm not set on 'clinical' psychology that's why I posted I'm interested in a career where I can do something similar and help people with their MH as much as I can, sorry it's been a week that's trying so I'm not being clear.

I will look at all the links and yes, I do know how long it takes to study, I've not gone into this thinking I can't walk out of an undergrad straight into a position in a hospital as a psychologist. I'm young enough to endure several years of training I just want to be sure it's what I want.

All the advice has been great, thank you.

this from the BPS shows all the options for psychology careers

careers.bps.org.uk/

as others have said, the clinical doctorate is v hard to get onto, but if you do get a place, then there are lots of options for qualified clinical psychologists.

Educational and occupational psychology are other good options that might interest you.

Thanks to everyone who's responded so far. We're moving this thread over to our Mature Study & Retraining topic at the OP's request.

Good luck OP. With hard work and determination you can achieve anything, I just didn't want you to be one of the many 1st year undergrads who think in 3 years time they will become a 'psychologist'.

Psychology graduate here. Yes, clinical is the most competitive (mostly because you get paid to train). I have lots of clinical and research experience plus an MSc. I applied four times to clinical psychology and had seven interviews with no offers. I am now doing an occupational therapy degree with the aim of working in mental health.

Do consider the IAPT route where you are employed as a trainee psychological well-being practitioner which is CBT-based and you can go on to do high intensity training in the more specialist therapies (again you are employed as a trainee). You can reach at least band 7 doing this without the need for a 'core' profession.

Highly recommend the NHS careers website to give you some ideas.

Good luck!