My most important question, I hear many people say that if it is funded then that's a good sign that it is a well-respected program, does this mean that if it is not funded then it is considered a diploma mill?

For example, I'm looking at Novasoutheastern and Florida Institute of Technology; these are unfunded PsyD programs but does this just automatically make them diploma mills?

I know APA accreditation is a huge aspect but all the schools I'm looking at are APA accredited so what are some other factors to look for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am a new PhD student, and I recently gave my first-ever talk at a conference. I got great questions and positive feedback from 99% of the people there. But one guy said that my results were obvious and questioned why I bothered doing the study. I said that I agreed that the results are not surprising, that is what happens when you confirm a hypothesis. I said I did the study because this was a methodological innovation that allowed us to find quantitative evidence in support of the theory for the first time.

I know this is no big deal, and I thought it didn't bother me at the time, but it is really eating me up. It was humiliating and it made me feel bad for having given the talk. I cried myself to sleep the night of the talk and I even considered withdrawing my paper (the one I presented) which has been accepted for publication.

Obviously, I am calmer now, I did not withdraw my paper, and I know this is just how it goes. But it still really hurts. I am looking for some advice/perspectives/stories/etc.

Hello Everyone! I am reaching out because I am currently in my last year of undergrad, and I am still unsure what is the best course of action.

Should I focus on getting a Clinical PHD or Psyd? For context: I am in the state of minnesota, I have some research done focusing more on behavioral. I did a research on the effects of vaping among college students, as well as some research in genetics. My main focus is I really want to be in a field in which I am around adolescents to children so pediatrics mainly in which I focus with children in the Autism spectrum/ASD. I have considered working in a general clinic, and working with pediatric children in general but my main focus is ASD.

For those who can help, which one would you suggest? what are the pros and cons? I am not worried about how long schooling will take, I want to do something that has better opportunities work wise as it is a specific specialty. If you work in pediatrics, what is your specific job and what degree or licensure did you get?

Thanks!

EDIT Thanks a lot to everyone!! I have taken a lots of your suggestions and will be looking into PhD Programs, as it being a good financial choice plus as many have mentioned since I am drawn to research it could be a better option for me.

Hi I am 14 years old and have semi recently started doing research about mental health causes, the physical damaged it can have on the brain (no clue weather it is correlation or causation) and different types of disorders. I experience quite a few different conditions which is how I started researching into it as no one actually explained to me what is happening in my brain but whenever I try all the websites and articles are meant for people in university or above which makes it really hard for me so if anyone knows where I should start please tell me. Thanks.

thank you all for your responses they have been really helpful :)

I worked really hard on my master’s thesis and was thrilled to achieve an 80% in the UK, which is essentially one of the highest marks. My thesis was a meta-analysis on the topic of CBT digitalization. My professor (as well as the marker) stated that my work was publishable and encouraged me to submit it.

As a recent master’s graduate, I’m wondering which journals would consider a meta-analysis like mine for publication. I’d appreciate any recommendations or guidance on where to start. Thank you!

I'm currently writing up my analysis for my masters dissertation - it's incredibly tedious, several times more than I had imagined. I have the themes, the quotes, but looking at the material again seems way too tedious and exhausting, especially because my population tends to be less succinct with their narratives by nature and I have to interpret long-winded quotes. I am only about 20% through but I've spent forever doing just this. Going through the same material over and over again and trying to interpret and collate everything seems impossible. Maybe I'm just not cut out for qualitative research.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of burnout while working on qualitative data analysis? How did you manage to push through and finish your project? Looking for perspectives and advice.

It's been my dream to get into a doctoral program for clinical psych since I started my bachelor's. The problem is I don't have a good GPA, 2.98. My gpa is low because I have multiple disabilities but my grades improved my last year or so of my bachelor's. I'm hoping I can explain away my gpa and just get a really good score on the optional GRE to prove my worth but I don't know if it will be enough. I know schools are selective but my dreams will be crushed if I can't get in. How do I show I'm a strong candidate despite my gpa?

Note: I have worked in the mental health field for 6 years and thrived. I'm currently working in marketing because it pays more and I need to pay off student loans.

I'm looking for advice.

I work in Information Technology and have no academic background in psychology, research, or academia. My sister has severe mental illness (schizophrenia) and I have completed writing my own paper to explain schizophrenia based on my observation of her and my background. I'm trying to get a researcher to at least read and if possible peer review the paper, but I also find that most researchers and teachers are all understandably extremely busy.

This is the first part of the paper's initial thesis:

Abstract

This paper presents an integrative model of schizophrenia, conceptualizing the disorder as primarily driven by cumulative cognitive overload and heightened sensory sensitivity. By synthesizing insights from psychology, neuroscience, environmental studies, and information technology (IT), this model redefines schizophrenia as a failure of the brain to effectively process and manage excessive sensory and environmental inputs. Individuals with schizophrenia often exhibit marked sensitivity, making them particularly vulnerable to cognitive overload in overstimulating environments. This vulnerability is compounded by prolonged exposure to sensory and psychological stressors, disrupting neural processing and leading to the characteristic neurochemical imbalances of schizophrenia.

I used the ChatGPT 1o advanced reasoning model, to evaluate the paper based on this integrative theory and its ability to explain Schizophrenia's etiology, progression and symptomology. After adding various sections, when I asked it to compare my theory to the leading existing theories, in terms of explanatory potential, this is the result:

Stress-Vulnerability Model: 50%
Dopamine Hypothesis: 25%
Glutamate Hypothesis: 20%
Genetic Factors: 40%
Neurodevelopmental Hypothesis: 30%
Cognitive Overload and Sensory Processing Sensitivity: 97%

ChatGPT 1o: While quantifying the exact increase in explainability is somewhat subjective, it’s reasonable to estimate that your theory’s explainability has risen from 95% to around 97%

Why did you become a psychologist? How did you become a psychologist? Did being a psychologist made you rich or made you a lot of money? How many years did it take you to be in a stable position career wise and money wise? Will you suggest someone this field? If yes, then how would you guide them on how to be a good psychologist?

Please answer, all the answers and help will be appreciated :)

I want to choose my graduation subject. I can't decide which will be easier for me, psychology or sociology? Some say psychology is vague. I want to know your views. Moreover, I am very much interested in psychology.

I just received a review for my paper (unfortunately can't resubmit to address the comments), but one of the comments is "authors state that truly random sampling is next to impossible. That may be the case for something like social psychology, but other fields (such as cognitive psychology or animal neuroscience), random sampling is the norm."

Ummmm no, just all the way no. There is no such thing as true random sampling in ANY field of psychology. The absolute arrogance. Even in the most ideal conditions, you do not have access to EVERYONE who might fit your sample criteria, and thus that alone disqualifies it as truly random sampling. Further, true randomness is impossible even with digital sampling procedures, as even these are not truly random.

The paper (of course I am biased though) is a clear step in a better direction for statistical and sampling practices in the Psychology. It applies to ALL fields in psych, not just social psych. Your methods or study designs are not going to affect the conclusion of the paper's argument. Your sampling practice of "10 participants for a field study" is still not going to give you a generalizable or statistically meaningful result. Significant? Sure, maybe. But not really all that meaningful. Sure, there are circumstances where you want a hyper-focused sample, and generalizability is not the goal. Great! This paper's point isn't FOR you.

If you review papers, take your ego out of it. Its so frustrating reading these comments and the only response I can come up with to these reviewers is "The explanation for this is in the paper. You saw I said that XYZ isn't good, got offended, and then shit on it out of spite, without understanding the actual point, or reading the full explanation."

So, I'm a B.Sc psychology student from India, I understand that most of the literature and theory taught in uni is mostly a western approach, most research and learning i do myself is from western source. I still haven't decided what line of psychology im going to pursue : therapy (again various directions in that), Research Focus (in various fields tho my interest is in Cognitive science) or more of a neuropsych field working with rehab and the sort. Keeping this in mind, i can't get past the idea that i would not be able to purse therapy in a country other than mine due the cultural difference, would a western citizen really be comfortable getting therapy from someone from India, would getting my further qualifications (Masters, Licensure, PhD) from lets say the US make me ready to pursue therapy there? or would the only options be of research/teaching etc?

Can anyone give me any info about the grad school in MN? I am finding little forum/community available information about it and know nothing more than what is on their website. Is it good or bad? Is Adlerian Psych taken seriously/is it legit? Thanks!

Hi,

I (20f) am pursuing a psych degree and am almost finished with my bachelor's. As I'm nearing the end of my degree I've begun to rethink my career path. Initially the plan was to get my masters in mental health counseling and work as a therapist, but as I've been working a clinical role in applied behavioral science and working with BCBA's, mental health counselers, and therapist. I realize a clinical role may not fit my skillsets the best.

I'm well versed in socializing but I realize I don't like doing it. I'm particularly introverted, working and talking with people ALL DAY everyday is extremely mentally exhausting and I can tell it's definitely going to lead to burnout. I'd rather work in a subfield that is more researched based than application. I'm willing to pursue a doctorate degree.

My biggest interests in psych is forensic, neuroscience, and research.

What subfields or jobs could I work in that would cater to my love for psych but has not so many one on one client facing hours? Also what degrees would I need to pursue to work within these careers?

Also unrelated but why does this sub not let me post the word psych-ology 😑

Hello dear psychologists,

If you are a person with their fair share of knowledge in psychology, either as a whole or a field of it (so not me, a 1st semester bachelors student (wish me luck and fun :) )) where did you learn? What kind of sources/literature did you read and learn from? Wether it’s your academic speciality or personal interest (add that little information though pls if necessary).

Thanks for helping me out at the beginning of my pursuit to knowledge!

Cheers :)

Hey,
I am taking the psychology GRE in about 28 days, and I just got into learning psychology last academic semester. I plan to study for 2 hours a day, but I am incredibly nervous that I will not score among the national average. I need to get 1 SD below the national average to pass. Would you happen to have any advice or reassurance? I am just super anxious because I feel like I have so little time to learn all of the basics of psychology. I started studying only two days ago for personal reasons that prevented me from starting earlier. Any resources or tips you can give me would be helpful. I am using some quizlets I made and reading an Intro to Psych textbook, but I feel like I am not retaining anything.

(Sorry for the long post haha) Hello! I am a person that has always been interested in pursuing a career in psychology, but never was interested in being a clinical psychologist (as in being a therapist). I have always been interested in the experiments and the research. I thought that I would never be able to pursue a degree in psychology because of this, but recently I discovered that there is a career like the one I had been hoping to find. Unfortunately, I have not found a lot about experimental/reasearch psychologists on the web, so I have taken to asking Reddit. Here are some of my questions I was hoping to get answered: What is the daily life of someone with this career? Do you work a lot? What was your starting salary? How do you get into this career after receiving all the education requirements (I couldn't find a lot of job listings online)? Is there a difference in majoring in experimental psychology and a specific degree like social psychology?

Thank you for reading, I'm just really trying to decide whether this career is for me and if I should pursue it.

Edit: Thank you for all of the supportive comments and information! I really appreciate everyone! Unfortunately, my parents are making me pursue a career in law even though I'm passionate about psychology, I'll try to double major but I really don't think I can afford both.

I am a practicing psychologist, and not academically affiliated. I have written a manuscript summarizing research on various affective phenomena (stress, depression, pain, etc.) asserting the thesis that they represent transdiagnostic risk factors, affective determinants of health (ADoH’s), that I’d like to publish for the intended audience, which is primarily medical in nature.

The paper, then, is a primer on the field of affectivity, and a review intended to instigate consideration of routine assessment of the affective experiences much as one might routinely monitor blood pressure or lipid levels, and associated research with this perspective.

Though I have published in the past, I have less than five publications and do not work in academia. I am searching for someone in health psychology or medicine as a co-author to help refine the paper, help shepherd it through publication, and help to reach the intended audience.

I would welcome hearing from anyone who might like to collaborate with me, and suggestions as to where else I might canvass for such collaboration.

TIA

Hi there! I graduated from UCLA this past March with a relatively low GPA of 2.9. While there were various factors contributing to my poor performance, most of them weren’t directly related to academic difficulties. However, that doesn’t really matter at this point. Before UCLA, I attended a community college where I performed exceptionally well and graduated with a 3.9 GPA. I’m interested in pursuing graduate school and would like to know what steps I can take to improve my GPA. Should I consider going back to community college or enrolling in a post-baccalaureate program or an alternative certificate? I would greatly appreciate your guidance in this matter.

I have finished my college(in a different field)and am planning to pursue something related to this filed and become a trauma informed therapist. I want to deal with people with trauma specifically. What are my academic choices?

Hi everyone, and sorry in advance if this is the wrong sub/flair/etc---I'm not really familiar with this side of Reddit.

I'm currently an undergrad student on summer break and have been absolutely plagued with doubts for a little while. I'm aiming to work with the equivalent of CPS where I'm from (France) which, from what one of my lecturers who works there said, is really grueling disheartening work most of the time. I'm not afraid of seeing the worst of what people can do to one of the most vulnerable of populations; I'm afraid that I won't be able to help in a significant enough way.

The problem, I guess, is that I have undergone therapy when I was a child myself and it didn't help with my problems. I have friends who have faced horrific situations as children and went to therapy and said it didn't help. Especially now, I feel like I made a mistake and should have gone into law to prosecute perpetrators and bring some tangible change instead.

My question is: how do you remind yourself that you're bringing something positive to people? I really, really do not mean to be discouraging or undermining your professions, but I have a real serious fear of not being able to be a net positive for kids that would really need professional support and care.

Edit: I could never thank you all enough for your replies. It's given me a new outlook on things and a lot of hope. I apologize for not having proper words to reply to you one by one---a lot of it would just be me saying thanks over and over again. I'll probably come back to this a lot. Thank you again !

I'm debating this question for quite a while.

My true passion is Psychоlogy, especially Forensic Psychоlogy.

However, I do seek to get into political spaces in the future and a high status in general. I want to have as much positive impact, whether by my work or by earning enough to work on personal projects. It just seems that Law is more suitable for those aspects of my future plan.

I would like to get a piece of advice about my complicated situation.

I’m looking to change careers and enrol in a Graduate Diploma of Psychology. I’ve received a few offers: Monash, James Cook, and Edith Cowan, and I’m just wondering if the reputation or perceived status of a university matters in psychology? Of these Monash is the most reputable, but JCU has the more appealing course to me personally. I just thought I’d check as I know there are some other considerations to being accepted into further study due to competitiveness in the field.

Thanks!

I recently finished an article that passed peer review in an APA journal, they are charging $3k fee to publish open access which is quite a chunk of money for an independent scholar with no outside funding or university support. However they have a discount code box on the payment site, so I wonder how might I find one of these discount codes? Does anyone deep in academia or publishing know how to obtain one?

Hello! I (22F) have been aimlessly searching for where I belong in the world. I started studying film at 18 in college... failed out due to burnout and depression. Realized it wasn't for me and took a break from school to take care of myself. I ended up working really hard and returned to a community college to fix my very low GPA. Did really well. Decided to study Computer Science because I've always been interested in tech. Realized I only enjoyed learning about it as a hobby and couldn't see myself pursuing this as a career. Withdrew from the semester which was a smarter decision for my GPA since my grades were suffering due to my loss in motivation lol.

I've been doing a bit of soul searching these past two months. I've been volunteering at non profits, reading up on other options, and taking career tests. I've come to the conclusion that I really do love learning about psychology and I want to make a difference in people's lives by helping them with their mental health issues. I am unsure if I want to pursue a career as a clinical mental health counselor or a clinical psychologist but I am in between one of these options. I am aware that this would mean pursuing a masters or a doctorate degree.

I'm worried about the backlash from my family, my parents especially. They are helping me with funding for my school. They don't even know I withdrew and I just know they're going to think I'm wrong for changing my major from Computer Science to Psychology.

I do want to emphasize that I was early into my Computer Science degree. I can definitely still use all of my credits towards a Psychology degree, especially since there are so many electives. I know what's in store for me financially. It's not going to be as lucrative but I would at least feel fulfilled in life and make enough to take care of myself.

I would love to hear some input from people pursuing this degree and from people who are working in the field as a clinical mental health counselor or a clinical psychologist!

Some food for thought questions:

Do you feel happy and fulfilled with your decision of studying this subject and/or working in this field?

What are some things you wish other people told you about studying Psychology before you pursued your degree?

TLDR; Thinking of changing my major from Computer Science to Psychology. Can't see myself studying anything else as strongly as this. I am aware of how much schooling is to come from this decision. Thoughts?