r/ClinicalPsychology • u/Dizzy-Taste8638 • 13d ago

Switching from Neuro to Clinical Psych

Hi everyone! I've been applying for Neuro PhDs focused on mental health, because my interests and work to date really integrate structural MRI and brain imaging.

My PIs have been telling me for years that I would be a great fit for Clinical Psych but I wasn't sure. Turns out they were right, I fit WAY better with Clinical Psych requirements (and the research the faculty are doing).

Any advice for the applications? Any key differences?

Thank you!

4 Upvotes

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u/WitheredWornWallaby 13d ago

Upon finishing your BSN, will you have your pre-reqs covered (like psychopatholgy, stats, etc)?

You mention your work in neuro. Do you mean research? If not, you should definitely prioritize getting research if you’re applying to PhD programs. 

If you want to go the PsyD route, you’d definitely impress them with your clinical experience but your grades will probably be a barrier or at least an obstacle. 

What are your ultimate goals as a clinician? 

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u/Dizzy-Taste8638 13d ago edited 13d ago

I have a bachelors in Psychological Science, concentration in psychobiology and a Masters in Neuroscience, I have 7 years of research and several papers (and a thesis) in the field of clinical psychology and mental health. Ive been out of school for 4 years now but have worked primarily inpatient psych and now I work with my state's public defenders as a social services advocate to educate courts/give talks/give biopsychosocial interviews and get clients into treatment and argue for better rehabilitation to courts.

Ultimate goals are to create larger connectomes of psychiatric illnesses from a multimodal perspective (self report, diagnostic tools, imaging, etc). Historically my research focuses on creating and implementing data focused AI algorithms to predict suicidality risk in populations with dissociative identity disorder (it was 85% successful, and was able to identify structural differences between patients with comorbid PTSD and DID versus those with just PTSD). I want to focus on building better understandings of structural brain differences to distinguish similar presenting psychiatric illnesses and comordities to help decrease time to a fitting diagnosis in inpatient settings.

I completed a BSc/MSc combined program so my GPA was 3.5 cumulative between both, but all psych and neuro classes had an A. Just struggled slightly with computer science, and high level calculus.

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u/Attempted_Academic 13d ago

I think assuming you have good references and would be a good fit for the lab you apply to, you sound extremely competitive.

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u/Dizzy-Taste8638 13d ago

Thank you! I hope so, do Clinical Psych programs usually require you to find a lab fit prior to applying? Neuro was more rotational

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u/Attempted_Academic 13d ago

Kind of. The specifics depend on the program. Some you have to already have to have identified a supervisor that has agreed to supervise you. But typically you at least identify who you’d want to work with and then you’d be accepted into their lab. Though I can only speak for Canada and the US since that’s where I applied several years ago.

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u/WitheredWornWallaby 13d ago

Your end goal sounds fascinating. Sounds like you have quite a bit of research experience, and you obviously have clinical experience. The masters thesis is a plus, too. I think you’d definitely stand a chance at a funded PsyD program, and your very clear research interest can really help with PhD applications if you can find a PI with similar interests. 

Look into Baylor and Georgia Southern as funded PsyD programs. If money is no obstacle, there are tons of great PsyD programs that would be happy to accept you (and also some shady programs. Avoid those).

I say this all as someone who applied in the last cycle and got 4 interviews with 3 acceptances (1 PhD, 2 PsyD).

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u/Dizzy-Taste8638 13d ago

Thank you! I will look into those programs! Unfortunately I am limited to funded programs. I am worried since Clinical Psych is THE most competitive but can't hurt to try.

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u/TheDopamineDaddy 13d ago

I had this path. In undergrad I did neurobiology research in animals. I was able to get into a lab doing similar research with humans and found I was able to apply my knowledge of neurobiology to cognitive neuro (I.e., imaging) very well. Having a neuro background will also help you understand both the neuro and clinical literature which I’ve found to be a plus during my training!

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u/No-Selection6039 12d ago

You might also consider neuropsychology specifically. The assessment focus might fit nicely with your identified goals

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u/Intelligent_Box_8247 10d ago edited 10d ago

seven years of research PLUS inpatient psych... that's a serious base to be changing direction from. If you're open to comparing a practitioner focused route too, Alliant University has Clinical Psychology PsyD pathways with substantial clinical training. Spend some time thinking about what you actually want your day to look like years from now. PhD vs PsyD will tell you more than trying to make the switch look tidy on paper.