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Discussion

BS in Psychology

Good morning!

was wondering everyone's opinions regarding if an ADN nurse would benefit from a BS in Psychology? My interest lies in Mental Health/Counseling and therefore am thinking a BS in Psychology would be a better route for me than the BSN.

Thoughts, please ?

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    • Expert

    If you want to get out of nursing entirely and into psychology or counseling, yes. If you plan to stay in nursing, it won't help you and you would be much better off with a BSN.

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    Agreed!!! With the trend of BSN-preferred and 'get your BSN or get out', you may very well find yourself out of a job altogether...unless a BS in psychology can land you a psychology counseling job or something similar instead of a nursing position. The way things are going, using the credentials listed, I don't believe one is going to help you with the other.

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    I thought bachelor's in psychology was not useful for much except to prepare one to get a higher degree in psychology. I'm pretty sure if your objective is to do some kind of counseling and you have not intention of staying in nursing, then I think you will need at least a graduate degree in psych to do any counseling. If you intend to remain in nursing, then have you considered moving towards the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner?

    Unless you just have an interest in psych and no expectations of job advancement, then go for the B.S. in psych.

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    • Author

    Yes I have considered the advanced nurse track with a focus on psychiatric nursing. I too was also under the impression that in order to do any type of counseling, one would need a masters at least in Psychology. But then I had also heard that any psychology wasn't worth much unless one wanted to teach. My only interest really within the nursing field is mental health.

    Guess I was hoping to find the quickest and most affordable route into mental health, hence the Psychology thought :) Thanks for the advice!

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    Psychology is not psychiatry. A psychology degree is great but it is a different science than psychiatry, which is the focus of mental health nursing. If you want to become a psych. nurse practitioner, you'll have to go to grad schools and some of them will only accept a BSN before MSN.

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    • Expert
    But then I had also heard that any psychology wasn't worth much unless one wanted to teach.

    I don't know what you mean by "wasn't worth much." There are tons of practicing clinical psychologists "out there," enjoying their practices and making a good living. I have several close friends who are psychologists.

    If you are looking for a quick pathway into counseling/therapy, you could investigate the LPC/LMHC programs (licensed professional counselor/licensed mental health counselor -- they have different "names" in different states). They are also master's programs, however. But generally considered an easier route than clinical psychology. The trade-off is that they get paid less than psychologists. Social workers can also do psychotherapy (they also get paid less than psychologists or psych RNs).

    Basically, you're going to need a graduate degree in something, whether nursing, psychology, social work, or counseling, to do psychotherapy/counseling. Therapy/counseling is outside the scope of practice for generalist psych RNs, and a BSN, by itself, would not be sufficient.

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    • Author

    I'm sorry I should have clarified what I mean by that phrase. I meant not worth much as in limited to only classroom teaching, that is a BS in Psychology I mean. Of course I could be mislead with this information.

    What you are telling me is a Masters degree in psychology would prepare me for a position in counseling?

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    • Expert

    In my experience, you would need a graduate degree in psychology to teach, and a BA/BS in psychology would not be sufficient. As already noted, it's been generally understood for a long time that a BA/BS in psychology doesn't really prepare you for anything except getting into a graduate program in psychology. There are some master's-prepared psychologists out there, but most have doctorates (PhD or PsyD). It is possible to get a clinical position with a master's in psychology, but you really need a doctorate to be taken seriously and get anywhere professionally.

    You would need at least a master's degree in one of the mental health disciplines (psychology, psychiatric nursing, LPC/LMHC, social work) in order to work as a psychotherapist/counselor.

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