So, you're in. You have decided to commit the next 4 to 6 years of your life to intense study, research, and practice. You have already differentiated between PhD and Psyd programs regarding the focus on research or practice. Unfortunately, there are even more subdivisions for you to consider. Within the rubric of PhD Psychology programs are different categories of study. There are Developmental Psychology programs, Experimental Psychology programs, Social Psychology Programs, and others that further specify the field. Which is for you? This depends on how you want to work.
     Many who begin study in Psychology, envision themselves in a room patiently listening to a client discuss a troubling issue, phobia, phase of life problem, or any of the myriad of reasons people go to psychologists. Movies and television have depicted this as the duties of a psychologist. If this is what you are after, your focus should probably be a Psyd or PhD program for Counseling or Clinical Psychology. What is the difference between Counseling and Clinical Psychology. The answer could be very little to a great deal depending on whom you ask. The difference is primarily the populations addressed and the methods of treatment used. Clinical Psychologists often work with more serious pathologies, and often implement a tested method of treatment or test a new method of treatment. There is usually a protocol for Clinical Psychologists to follow. Counseling Psychologists usually have more freedom in their therapy, which is both good and bad. Counseling Psychologists are not bound by a tested standard, but as a result have difficulty proving the efficacy of their work. Insurance companies want clarity, and there is rarely quantifiable clarity in a counseling session.
     What about developmental, experimental, and social psychology? These fields all focus on different aspects of human and group behavior but few involve too much direct counseling. Developmental Psychology, as it sounds, is the study of human lifespan development. The study of how people get to where they are and where they are going. This involves the study of how people develop normally and what occurs in the development of pathology. Social Psychology is the study of communities, groups, and social interactions and focuses on how collections of individuals behave together. Experimental Psychology is basically the study of Psychology as a natural science and bound by the experimental method. Experimental psychology can focus in any branch of psychology, but often located in a traditional lab setting. With all of these degrees with possible exception of the Psyd the expectation is that you will publish articles. This means having your research published in a reputable journal. More on publishing next time...