Anonymous asked this question on 5/3/2000:

How many years of college do you need to complete to have a Phd in clinical psycholgy? Are there alot of job oppurtunities in the field of clinical pyschology? If not now, will there be in the next couple of years?

DrAnne gave this response on 5/4/2000:

Dear Anon:

To get a Ph.D. in clinical psychology you need to complete a 4-year Bachelor's degree followed by a Master's degree (generally 2 to 3 years to completion) and then the Ph.D. In clinical psychology, most people enter Ph.D. programs and get the Master's degree along the way toward the Ph.D. So the average I'm going to give you in number of years is for the Master's degree AND the Ph.D. COMBINED. About the fastest most people get through grad school to completion of the Ph.D. is 5 years. We have to complete a one year long internship in addition to the other requirements for the degree. Most people take a little longer to get through completion of the Ph.D. -- I'd say 6 years is more standard, at least for clinical psychology. It depends on motivation and other factors, too. I have two classmates who have yet to finish their dissertations and get their Ph.D.'s. But there are sometimes mitigating factors -- one of them got married, had two children, and teaches full-time at a small private college -- pretty tough to finish fast with all of that on your plate! The other just procrastinates. Both have taken almost ten years to this point.

One of the joys of the clinical psych Ph.D. is the flexibility it provides in terms of what you can do with your completed degree. Options include teaching, clinical work, research, and administration. Or a combination of some or all of those. So, yes, there are jobs to be had in the field. One can also establish a private practice or join a group private practice, so even if you don't work for someone else, you can still make a living. It's not easy, and it's a very competitive field. In terms of providing direct clinical services (therapy), clinical psychology Ph.D.'s, MSW's, and Psy.D's (counseling psychologists) are in competition with each other (in terms of getting jobs, that is). These days, one must meet the challenges of insurance reimbursement, and in some states HMOs have been very successful in severely limiting the number of psychologists they will reimburse.

So, in answer to your question, yes there are jobs but you may need to be resourceful. You do have many options with the degree, though, and so the likelihood of not finding any work at all is small.

Hope that answered your question! Good luck.

DrAnne