Bachelors Psychology to Masters advice

[BELEEMA]

Others will have the best advice on what to do on the bachelor's degree, but I'll chime in on the masters.

Is your intent to be a therapist?  If so, I encourage you to seriously consider looking into the MSW (Master of Social Work) which leads to the LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) rather than the MA Psychology, which leads to (most commonly) either the MFT (Marriage and Family Therapy) or LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor).

The LCSW can do everything an LMFT or LPC can do; be a psychotherapist, see clients in any setting, etc. But the LCSW therapist has a wider scope of practice than either of the other two, and this is true in all 50 states. There is also a large demand for LCSWs, so much so that some MSW programs are seeing applicants that already hold a LMFT or LPCC coming back for an MSW because there are more jobs for LCSWs.  The standards for social work licensure are also consistent across all 50 states, something that isn't true for MFT and LPC programs, thus your license is pretty easily transferred to other states.

LCSWs are also trained in a broader perspective; they look at the client's mental health through a lens of not just family or individual interactions, but also how systems, institutions, governmental policies, and other things affect the client's mental health.

A typical MSW degree program takes 2 years. (there are one-year programs, but they require a bachelor in social work, and it would not be a good fit for you with all your credits.) The MSW does not require a psych undergrad, and many programs do not have any specific undergrad requirements such as statistics, math, or biology, though there are a few schools that do.

I can give you info on MSW programs if that is of interest. If not, best of luck on your journey in any case.  I considered going back to school, finishing my bachelors, and getting a masters in psych or social work for, literally, decades. I finally got my shit together and started in earnest about 3 years ago, finished my bachelors in 2021 (TESU) and my MSW last December. I encourage you to make your path happen sooner than later!

Hi Studyingfortests , can you please share your path to MSW ? I was going to try BSW but not finding something that isn't onsite or very expensive  - so maybe Bachelor in Psychology would be better followed by MSW? but wandering which school for MSW - thank you for any /all advise.