City University Counseling Psychology program

I am considering enrolling in the counseling psychology program (MA) via dl at City University.

My question is has anyone completed a dl program in counseling psychology from City or another school and if so were your job prospects limited?

Any feedback would be appreciated as would any commentary on the quality of City university programs.

 

City University is regionally accredited, and I don't think I've ever heard a bad word about then.

Just a word of caution...if your goal is licensure as a mental health professional, make sure you satisfy the requirements of the state you want to practice in. For instance, Virginia requires a degree with 48 semester hours, Massachusetts requires 60 hours. Most programs I've seen can be tailored to your needs, just make sure before you enroll.

Bruce

 

Another word of caution: There are licenses and then there are licenses. What I mean is that you can be licensed by a state and that's all well and good but you need to look into the matter of what exactly does that license get you? Does it get you reimbursement from insurance companies? Maybe, maybe not. In Massachusetts, someone with a MA in Counseling Psych can get a state license but not reimbursement from insurances. You can get a job, sure, but what kind? Working in a residential program, sure, but not working as an outpatient therapist. Of course, you can hang your shingle and hope to build a practice from the small pool of people who are willing to pay out-of-pocket for therapy but that is one tough thing to do, especially for a rookie.
The best advice I ever got (and took) was to get an MSW instead of an MA in Counseling. Check the Bears Guide, etc. for Social Work (MSW) programs. It might be worthwhile, even if you had to do some travel for residencies.
Jack

 

There is no doubt that at this time, an MSW is a more marketable degree and allows for signficantly greater reimbursement from insurance companies. However,the employment opportunities for social workers is marked by numerous jobs that also do not pay well, working with marginal client populations. In addition, large numbers of social workers who were in private practice have closed shop due to extremely stiff competition from other mental health professionals and to the heavy paper work demands from HMO's.

 

Based on current employment and salary trends neither field offers much compensation to live on with the exception of those who move into higher level administratice positions. There is this commonly held belief that individuals who enter the human services do so based on their value system and dedication rather than ambition and the need to make a good living. The burnout rate in these fields, especially working with difficult client populations is inordinate. The fact that social workers currently (changes in federal government and many state legistlative laws are graduallly creating parity for professional counselors with social workers and psychologists) have more lattitude with their licenses and employment prospects does not make this discipline more appealing, in the long run, as a career goal.

The facts, as you state them, are probably quite correct. I would only add that Social Work, like most fields, doesn't pay that well for entry level jobs. While the pay does improve through time I would say that, in my own opinion, if you're looking for piles of money you shouldn't be considering human services in the first place. Similarly, if you are sqeamish about "marginal populations" you should steer clear of both Social Work and Counseling Psychology.
Jack

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