Hi North,David,Howard and Simon, Many thanks for such profound information. It has taken me some time to review all the great input. Let me ask you to bear with me while I briefly describe my background, then connect this with my interests. I have a BA in psyc (which I am sure I said before), my senior thesis was a research study on child abuse. I worked as a guardian ad litem for the courts, and in between my children I have been a police dispatcher, worked as a parent intervention coordinator for a school district and have done some counseling with children, gratis. In truth my volunteering at the children's school has made me available for their friends to talk after school. I also have always been extremely interested in listening to the high school children in our youth group, and am very comfortable with that. I am wanting to do something which will enable me to continue down a similar path, however I have to look at being paid since I will have two boys in college in 6 years! So, with that said, what could I do with a Behavioral Science masters from Dominguez Hills? I will bag the Forensic and Legal Psy masters (this one sounded the most interesting) at Leiscester, since you say I will have trouble with transferring to the states. I would like to be able to do some private counseling/therapy, but I don't want to do what school counselors do - PAPER WORK. The MSW is appealing, but the drive would make it very difficult. I am slightly confused about the Behavioral Science degree, but it is very affordable and entirely done in the distance learning mode. I appreciate any help any of you can give me, and I thank you once again for all your valuable time. One final question, any good websites for adult loans etc? Thanks again
Anne, you may benefit from several meetings with a competent Career Counselor to assist in sorting out the issues you presented. You have related a number of personal. professional and financial matters that need to be ordered and prioritized and a good Career COunselor could be of help in clarifying your primary values and needs, professional goals and aspirations and those personal situations which may become impediments to your achieving your objectives. Finally, the career counselor will collaborate with you in making a realistic decision. Good luck!
Hi Annie and welcome back; it appears that you’re working to integrate the information we’ve presented. This is good! I second Simon’s wise counsel, which if you read the vocational counseling literature is what you’ve already started doing. In other words continue to crystallize your interests and goals. I would encourage you to think about your strategy, which at this point comes across as something like ‘I’ll take the Behavioral Science degree and see what I can do with it.’ Which I think is a bad idea. I suggest you figure out where you want to be in five years and pursue the required training. If nothing else, contact your state department of professional regulation/licensing (whatever they call it in Columbia) and find out what sort of credentialling you would qualify for if you follow through with the Behavioral Sciences degree. Good luck and feel free to post your questions.
I third the advice to get some career counseling. Better to do some extra research going in than head down the wrong path. As I mentioned I know someone who has the M.A. and is preparing for the LPC and has suddenly decided she really wants to be a Psychologist. So she is looking at Capella (I mentioned Fielding to her because of the APA factor). If you do not want to do the Ph.D. in Psych and you can't do the MSW because of distance then the M.A./LPC path may be a good option for you. If you want to do private counseling then you will likely need a license (certainly the case in my state). Check with the LPC regulatory body in your state and see if the CSU degree will meet the requirements. You will have to build in an internship, etc. If LPC is the route and this won't work then the Liberty 48 credit hour M.A. may be the way to go. Short residencies and they provide a very good guide to states requirements for LPC licensure. Best of luck. North
Annie, Please go to www.capella.edu and look at the licensing requirements in your state. In my research for intership as a liasion I find that most, if not all, require either the LPC, the LCSW, or a Licensed Clinical Psychologist certification before they can go into private practice. If you want to go into the school system find out what is required in your state. I doubt that you will find a dual purpose degree that will allow private practice and school practice. If you want private practice I would suggest the LCSW, a masters in social work, three years supervision, and passing the state exam; this is for Alabama and most other states. But the sage advice your received from Simon and David: go to a good career counselor and find out what you need to get to where you want to be. ------------------ Howard Rodgers
