<p>I am currently in my 1st semester of a Master’s program in counseling psych and I have been thinking about applying for a different Master’s program in clinical psych in a different state. My primary reason for this consideration is that, although my current program is very good, I don’t feel the training model is a good fit for my academic views and needs. Their program use a practitioner-scholar model of training. I knew this fact going in however I did not realize how different it would be from what I was used to, or how strongly I would end up identifying more closely with a scientist-practitioner model. To put it simply, I feel fairly out of place here. While the P-S model is certainly legitimate, I have come to understand that my view of the field fits most comfortably under a S-P training model. The school I want to apply to has a S-P model of training and a good reputation for conducting research. </p>
<p>A secondary reason is that my partner hates it here. Partner is having trouble adjusting away from family and friends, and feels constantly lonely and depressed; this is distressing to me because it is not like partner at all, and I worry about partner’s well-being. This is also taking a toll on our relationship. My partner has close family living in the neighborhood of the school I want to switch to, and I think this would help with the loneliness and depression. </p>
<p>I anticipate applying to doctoral programs in either clinical psych or counseling psych after my Master’s degree. My key question is this: If I were to switch Master’s programs, would this be a kiss of death later on my applications for doc programs? I would like to avoid any needless red flags for PhD applications; however, I also highly value the style/quality of education I am paying for, and I feel strongly that my needs would be better met in a S-P training program. I am concerned that staying in my current program will hurt me in the future when applying for research-focused programs, and that my development may be hindered. In that way, I wonder if switching may actually be beneficial in showing a commitment to being more scientifically-oriented, rather than practice-oriented. I would like to think that doc programs would respect this rationale, but I really have no idea.
WHEW!!!
Any thoughts or advice?</p>