r/psychologystudents

For context I am diagnosed with autism. I first took psychology because I was very fascinated by this field, learning about humans and behaviour. I wanted to understand humans as I always felt like I have trouble understanding them. I wanted to understand myself better. I am currently studying in Mphil after which I clinical psychologist. It's been 8 months and I feel so out of place. This has been very intensive course. Ofcourse there are strengths of being autistic like I noticed patterns others often miss. I am in India and since each state has different language the state I am is not a language I know I can understand some of it but not fully so on communication issue I have language barrier but since most people here talk in hindi I am able to manage. I feel so out of place some things are so normal for people where it's so much struggle for me. My facial expressions sometimes looks blunt, I am unable to put my thought into word, when I do a case and have to explain my supervisor I can see them being sometimes annoyed or frowining with the way I am putting words, the delay in me responding to people because I take more time to process annoys people. I wanted to be in this field because I wanted to help people like me. Because children with autism here in India I have seen they mainly do behavioral therapies, or exposure therapy. Many a times making them learn to mask to almost fit in the society. Rarely I have seen them working with the kids to build insight. After certain age I think the kid should be psychoeducated, make them realise why they are the way they are and let them chose how to live their life than being taught how they are supposed to behave to "fit" in this society. But I am losing hope I am thinking why did I take the field. I am thinking maybe I did a mistake thinking I will be able to do anything in this field. I myself don't think maybe I was ever fit to take this field. Communication is a huge factor here not only with patients but with colleagues, teachers etc. It's so easy for others for me I am struggling to learn how to do those basic field. I gave so many of my years in this field I don't want to be a burden to my parents anymore I regret it so much. I took gap years to clear this entrance it is very competative. I got admission with so much struggle and now I am here sometimes I wish I never cleared it so many of my other friends didn't and maybe that would have gave me a way out. One of my teacher has said things that make it worse I know she is not a good person but still it makes things worse she has told things like you have to be extrovert to be in this field , why do act sometimes as a small kid, why are you so timid, your questioning is so bad. The only reason I am not having worse time is I am good at studies, I have knowledge that has always been almost my coping mechanism to not be bullied. I am trying but I feel very tired. I wanted to challenge myself but I think I challenged myself too much. Maybe I should have just taken something else where there were less people. Where I don't have to feel like a failure.

So here's my dilemma. I graduated in honours psyc a few years back and wasn't really down to continue psyc anymore. Why? Because thinking really hard about it I kinda wasn't interested anymore in either academia or in treatment. I don't think id be a good therapist and everytime I talk to people in academia they flat out tell me dont do it. Publish or drown, low salary for effort you have to put in, toxic af environments etc.

But recently I had a bit of a change of heart and am considering the field again. I was kinda thinking about it was either forensics psyc or psychometrist I think it's called? Basically my favorite part of psyc is the DIAGNOSING part / investigative part, NOT the treating parts. But I hear psychometrist is kinda a dead end career unless you do a masters in neuropsychology, and forensics pays awful if you even can get a job in it.

And here's where my question arises. I'm not sure if I'm ready to do a full 7 years PhD. But I wouldn't mind doing another 2 final years in psyc for a masters. But, realistically, for my interests, what masters would I even get? And is there even many jobs in psyc with just a masters accepted for the Quebec / Ontario regions

All jobs I’m finding are 50k and less

Hey everyone,

I’m in my first year of uni and so far im enjoying it a lot. I have good grades for the most part, but i struggled a lot with some electives and that tanked my GPA. By the end of this semester, the highest my GPA could be is 3.72. Because of that, I will most likely not be able to do honours psych and therefore have a harder time getting hands-on research experience.

I am well aware that grad school (esp. PhDs) is highly competitive, and im not delusional enough to think I’ll get accepted right after undergrad. I do have a few ideas for what I want to do if/when I get rejected (masters OT, try out for MD, MPH, MSW(?), etc.) but I would also be interested in knowing what type of post-bacc training people usually do when they are looking to reapply the next year.

Please let me know what you guys did if you were in that position!

I have wanted some advice on this topic as I have thought about this for a while now. I’m a third year psychology undergraduate student, starting my 4th year in September. I was set on becoming a psychologist before I got into university, I even did a lot of research on it. Im in Canada but in my province you can become a licensed psychologist with just a masters and I took that into consideration. I thought of how much time and money I would have to spend on further schooling if I chose the PhD route and so I kind of just pushed the thought away. I even lost the chance to apply for the honours program because I was making up for a low gpa and trying to meet the course requirements to apply, now that I’m so far into my degree i just pushed it away. It sucks because I have the volunteering aspect, and I’m working towards a higher gpa, I just don’t know how to tackle the research experience barrier. PsyD is another option, one that I’m more inclined to but also one that costs 100-200k which is just not feasible.

This past year I’ve thought long and hard and now I’m contemplating going further with my education. I would love to pursue clinical or counselling psychology but considering the requirements and competition I just don’t know what to do. I don’t have the research experience because I didn’t do an honours degree, I’m trying to get an independent study in but the psychology professors at my uni either have students or are not taking any. Most PhD programs look for a thesis based masters over course based which in its own is extremely hard to get into without an honours degree or equivalent research experience.

I have a feeling that even after my masters I won’t be satisfied, there will always be a part of me that wants to learn more. If anyone has or is in this position I would love to hear what you guys would do.

I will begin my masters degree in the Fall. I was wondering how much do you make with your career with a masters?

Especially if you’re a therapist!

Hi everyone! I apologize if this feels a bit scattered. I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed right now and have a lot of thoughts running through my head.

I’m a 20-year-old sophomore in undergrad, and for a long time I believed I wanted to become a clinical psychologist. However, after learning more about how competitive master’s programs can be and that a PhD is often required to really advance in the field, I’m starting to question whether this is the right path for me.

I’m really passionate about helping people and enjoy listening to others talk about their life experiences. I’m also very interested in spirituality and meditation, and I would love to incorporate those elements into my future career if possible.

For those of you who are currently in a master’s program, what are you studying, and how do you like it?

For some background, I currently have a 3.8 GPA and work at a preschool. I also have several years of experience working with children and am in the process of applying for research assistant positions at my university. I live in California and hope to pursue a career that allows me to support myself comfortably while staying here.

Any advice or insight would really mean a lot. Thank you so much!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on my final year research project, which explores how ideas of child safety are shaped in Pakistan, especially through children’s digital media use and parental control.

As part of my research, I’m looking to speak with psychologists (or professionals working closely with children) for short online interviews. I’m trying to better understand how digital media might influence children’s behavior, attention span, and cognitive and socio-emotional development, particularly for ages 3 to 10.

I’m especially interested in perspectives on things like screen time, overstimulation, content type, and how children tend to copy language, behavior, and attitudes from what they watch. I’d also love insights into how fast-paced content affects mood, focus, emotional regulation, and issues like irritability or short attention spans. Alongside that, I’m exploring how parents can practically guide healthier media use in everyday life.

If you’re a professional in this area (or know someone who is), I’d really appreciate the chance to have a short 15–20 minute online conversation. It would mean a lot and would really help strengthen my research.

Please feel free to comment or DM if you’re open to it. Thank you so much for your time!

Hey guys, i'm fairly new here but uh my professor made us do a field observation report and was tasked to follow apa7 level headings. i'm quite confused because these are the instructions, and maybe the format that she wanted us to follow:

>Below are the contents. Follow APA 7 level heading in the output
1 Original title of your report
2 Place of observation
3 Date of observation
4 Time started and time ended:
5 phenomenon description (2-3 sentences)
6 Participant: description of your participant (2-3 sentences)
7 Ethical consideration: describe the ethical protocol that you followed (paragraph form)
8 Results: narrative report of your observation.

So this is what I did:

>Original Title (Centered)
Place of Observation: Place (Left alignment)
Date of Observation: Date (Left alignment)
Time started and time ended: Time (Left alignment)
5-6 being centered, title case, and bold face

I looked at it and it seemed a bit awkward so I revised it to like this:

>Original Title (Centered)
Place and Date of Observation (Left alignment)
Indent, and a single sentence.
Duration of Observation (Left alignment)
Indent, and a single sentence.
5-6 being centered, title case, and bold face

Also just wanna ask if there are references needed in a field observation report, since I only used raw data from my field notes, other than ethical considerations?

Any replies are appreciated!

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well. Some background context: I'm a final year psychology undergraduate trying to apply for clinical psychology or social work masters, and I have 6 months to complete a self publication journal as I've missed the chance to complete a thesis with support from my university.

My professors have advised me to work on a meta analysis saying that is the easiest route, but honestly without any experience I don't really know what I should be expecting. I only know some really basic knowledge like I should be setting a goal as in why I would want to do this meta analysis and how it contributes to the field, read tons of literature, then combining it while citing empirical evidence proving that what I've analysed is according to sources, but I desperately need some concrete advice such as where to start and what to look out for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

i’m graduating from CC soon and i’ll have my A.A. if i transfer to a uni i can do two years and get a B.S. i know the work won’t be easy. i’m having trouble on deciding if it’s worth it. i don’t have any experience (20). i have dyscalculia, so the math portion is going to really weigh me down (i couldn’t ever pass any basics with higher than a C). plus, i have benefits that would fully cover two years. should i take a break to figure things out, or keep going? i don’t know if taking a break would hinder me from getting the degree in minimal time.

I am looking for one graduation ticket to the April 28th 3pm ceremony. Please let me know if you have a ticket!

Im currently living in San Francisco and thinking of moving to New York for grad school, the second option would be stay in SF, I wanna work with research, experimental psychology or behavioral analysis, which city has more job opportunities in those fields?

Hello everyone! I’m currently an undergraduate student majoring in Psychology and minoring in sociology and have no idea how to get my foot in the door. I’m tired of doing part-time restaurant jobs and want to finally branch out into my career. I’m looking for internships, but I was wondering if any certifications would be helpful in the meantime, like health & life insurance or something else. I also accepted a TA position for the following two semesters which I feel is an okay start. Any ideas that would fit my major and minor and something I can complete within the year? I don’t feel like I’m doing enough.

Hi guys,

I recently commented the below on a different thread, and, because Metanoia has a lot of cache still in the UK for Counselling Psychology trainings, I thought some of you might find the below helpful.

I want to emphasise that my case is likely rare, and 90% of my cohort have fully qualified and a lot of them seem quite happy with their experiences. Quite a few of us aren't, but qualified anyway.

Before you apply for any course, part with your loan and dedicate so much blood, sweat and tears, do your research. Not just from the course provider, but from ex and current students - not just in their open evenings or on their website.

Metanoia has some big issues that need honestly talking about and fixing. Before you consider training with them - do your research and make an informed decision....

I've literally just finished the course via an exit award of sorts. I can't in good conscience recommend it unless you're already a confident therapist with lots of client hours under your belt.

I'll be fair: some of my course mates loved it and have just qualified as Counselling Psychs. Let me outline the clear pros and cons as I see them for you to make an informed decision....

PROS:

- Open, reflective, casual style (lectures are conducted in a circle, most of them start with an open ended check in)

- Good professional reputation (somehow, Metanoia still holds professional gravitas. They are well respected in the therapy world)

- The benefit of a dual award (at least now they offer you a diploma in year two so you can qualify and register as a counsellor - building a private practice before you have the full doctorate).

- Tutors who are practitioners (keeps things grounded in current up to date practice)

CONS:

- Terrible support if you have learning needs (I had undiagnosed ADHD for the whole course, and I got little to no support with it)

- Disorganised (tutors can take weeks to respond to emails, assignments are poorly communicated and changed last minute, marking is unpredictable, feedback is unclear)

- Tutors with lack of experience (some of my newly qualified cohort are employed as tutors right now on the course)

- Lack of actual teaching (in year 1, you get X3 days of teaching per month. Only one of those days is dedicated to teaching you clinical skills. That's at most 12 days of learning how to be a therapist per year. If you're not a confident professional already (which some of my year were) you won't feel anywhere near confident enough to work clinically at doctoral level.

- Behaviour of tutors (we had experiences of tutors storming out of lectures, gatecrashing others lectures, bitching about each other in lectures, deflecting blame and blaming us for problems with management. The head of faculty does nothing but deflect and the head of division is seen twice a year in two meetings).

- Cost (for what you get, the course is extremely expensive. Although you good argue the starting salary for a counselling psych is decent. There are a few hidden costs, like having to pay them thousands of pounds to stay registered with them if you take more than the final year to do your thesis)

I hope that gives you an informed picture. My coursemates who did well were locals (simple commute) who already had established psychotherapy practices. The ones who didn't had learning needs, long commutes, and hadn't delivered therapy or counselling before.

Hello all!

I am graduating high school this coming May and hopefully beginning college this fall. I plan to major in Clinical Psych to become a marriage and family therapist.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice? I’ve taken some college courses from dual enrollment but I'm going to a different college to actually begin my college journey. I want to be as prepared as possible so I don’t end up failing super horribly.

I always had the interest in psychology and becoming a therapist and helping people. For many reasons not of my own I landed up doing BS in Environmental Science. I’m from India and in my 3rd year, I feel i can no longer continue in this field as i have no much interest in it. I did some finding out that canada offers some Masters programs in psychology after which (and licensing exams) i would qualify to work as a therapist. Can someone tell me if that’s a real possibility, has anyone done it before? I would love to get into clinical psychology but that would mean doing a bachelors again which i feel is a train a missed long ago. I really want to be a therapist and don’t want to end up taking some other jobs. Please if someone can help me out with the current scenario in Canada. Also, as i am from India will that be an additional problem?

Which should I do:

- Trust The Process

- My Coping Mechanism? Graduating

- We Listen And We Don’t Judge

- Understanding Minds, Changing Lives

- Progress Isn’t Linear

- Healing Isn’t Linear

- Stimulus: College, Response: Graduated

- Operant Conditioned Myself to Graduate

OR GIVE ME BETTER IDEAS