Advice for affordable PsyD program

[kai1120]

My goal is to start a business to provide service for companies at a scale to monitor employees' mental health with technology. I've worked as an HRBP scientist intern in a large online retail company, and man, there are tons of problems. Uber (not the company, no pun intended) high turnover rate in some departments, and people do not know they need mental help until they are... gone. This could either be they are working on things that don't fit them; team culture; or workload issues, and many of them could be mitigated if caught early on, great save on talent and people's sanity. Currently, these poor fellas get thrown into performance improvement, and to no one's surprise, those two words alone break people's minds - totally counterproductive.

I'm looking at CalSouthern's PsyD program. It's reasonably priced, seems like they would provide "help" for residency to get people licensed (not necessary for my case, but it would be a perk), and is an RA institute. The drawback is that they want to see an MS in Psy or have you take their $9000 level-up program before the PsyD. I'm thinking UPheonix since getting their MS costs less than $9000 if I max out courses in their CB-DA program, and I forgot to add, I'm gambling that they may change their name by the time I finish.

Before I move on, I'd like to hear your advice, is this the right combination of universities in your mind? Or are there any other alternatives that would fit my needs?

Your Location: NC, U.S. / International (depends on times)
Your Age: 32
What kind of degree do you want?:  PsyD

Current Regional Accredited Credits: 

For a living:
PhD Computer Science minor Cognitive Science (yr 5)
MS Computer Science and Information Systems, 2017
BS Computer Science, China 2014

For fun (part-time and they can wait):
BA (w/o hon) Finance, China 2023
BS (ext) Animal Medicine, China (yr 1)
BS Civil Engineer, China (yr 1)
ENEB MBA, 2023

Current Credits: 
AP Chem 4/5

Any certifications:
CompTia Linux+ certification
CompTia Healthcare IT certification
Coursera Python
Coursera ...

[Jonathan Whatley]

The CalSouthern PsyD requires a master's in psychology or related. Cognitive science is related, and you already hold a PhD minor in cognitive science (and major in a field related to that). You might ask if they'd accept that, and if not you might ask if they'd accept that plus levelling work less than a full master's.

Some alternatives:

• Fielding Graduate University PhD in Clinical Psychology. APA accredited unlike CalSouthern. Can enter with a bachelor's unlike CalSouthern. Vastly higher cost than CalSouthern, and requires numerous residency sessions, some national, some regional.

• Palo Alto University MS in Psychology. Online and offers a PhD Prep concentration which can potentially track to admission to and reduce the time required for their APA on-campus PhD in psychology. But to get that PhD you'd have to relocate to the Bay Area.

• Antioch University New England PsyD in Clinical Psychology. APA accredited. On-campus, but has a unique schedule designed to be possible for some long-distance commuters to work with.

• A master's in social work, clinical mental health counseling, marriage and family therapy, or in some states in psychology to lead to a license like psychology associate, or something to lead to a substance or addictions license, or school psychology, or school counseling. Less time, often less cost, better chance of mental health licensing in some cases.

• A non-licensure-oriented master's or doctorate in a field like behavioral health, general (i.e., not clinical, not counseling, etc.) psychology, health administration, etc. Most flexible option overall, and potentially the closest related to the business aspect of the business you hope to develop, while still related to the mental health aspect.

[bjcheung77]

Just wondering if you really need a PsyD if you're starting a business catering to that specific field? Would something in a very similar field work? Have you taken the time to research alternatives to get you to that goal? Hmm, I was curious, would a degree from here work for you? Link: https://kairos.edu/academics/programs/do...ounseling/

[sanantone]

There's a person on Degreeinfo.com who's in CalSouthern's program, and they said the school doesn't really help with finding an internship. A graduate of their PsyD program said it was easier to wait until after graduation to become a registered psychological associate in California and work toward the required hours that way.

[kai1120]

Just wondering if you really need a PsyD if you're starting a business catering to that specific field?  Would something in a very similar field work?  Have you taken the time to research alternatives to get you to that goal? Hmm, I was curious, would a degree from here work for you? Link: https://kairos.edu/academics/programs/do...ounseling/

Technically works. I've thought about having something in Industrial Organization. Some universities put this under psychology, while others have it under other categories. This may work on the management and organization side of the proposal while not deep enough into the "stepping in and helping individuals" component. 

Kairos is an interesting option; I've looked at it before but was unsure about the theological side. Besides, they have a prerequisite that incoming students need to be licensed and already practicing.