PhD in clinical psychology vs. MSW for mental heath?

The original plan was to get my PhD in clinical psychology. I enjoy school and want to do research to contribute to the field, but I also want to be a practicing psychologist when I am out of school, diagnosing and treating mental illness. I have a friend in an MSW program for mental health social work and she keeps telling me that a PhD is a wasted degree and no one ever gives therapy with it, you can only really teach or do administration work. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this, especially when I have professors who have their PhDs in clinical psych who are practicing and doing psychotherapy and are just teaching on the side.





Can you really not practically give therapy as a PhD in psychology?


Why would a PhD in clinical psychology be better for a psychotherapist? Why would an MSW be better?


Can anyone help me tease this all apart and help me decide which degree I should go after if the ultimate goal is being able to competently give therapy?

PhD in clinical psychology vs. MSW for mental heath?
Your friend is completely wrong a PhD in clinical psychology is a degree in which people do lots of clinical practice (now she is correct about a PhD in social work - which is a research degree). Now the PhD in psych prepares you in both areas. It is true that most of the psychotherapy (though in most mental health work we don't really talk about psychotherapy - as it is actually counter indicated in some forms of mental illness) is done by social workers. To say though that a PhD in clinical psych is a wasted degree is to fail to appreciate that comparing a PhD to an MA is a bit like comparing apples to oranges. They are both fruits - but they are very different. A PhD will always give you more clout and prestige and in a multi-professional medical context with MD's your PhD will always give you a leg up on the MSW (I say this as a MSW). So if you have the interest and passion for doing a PhD in clinical psych I would do it. You could be equally competent to do therapy (if you personally would be competent I can't say) with either an MSW or PhD (possibly also with an MA in clinical psych and an MFT or LPC).





DA