What to doooo with a PhD in psychology

October 27, 2016 8:30 AM

(Cue Avenue Q) I'm at a lost with where to go with my next career path. Psych phd and now in the fed government. Kinda tired of research. My job is pretty ok, but I'd like a change.

I miss teaching and working with people. My speciality is a weird intersection of human development, immigration and healthcare policy. I'm mostly in policy work now, a few years in the fed government. I'm mixed methods, ok in qualitative and ok in quantitative but not statistician. Pretty good in project management.

Any suggestions for places to search, orgs or websites or people or anything?

posted by inevitability to Work & Money (9 answers total)

Do you have a favorite non-profit organization whose work you appreciate, admire, or otherwise enjoy? Orgs are always looking for like-minded, credentialed technical staff for a number of roles: in house expertise for policy papers, comments on relevant federal notices, original programming development, donor liaisons, you name it. Even if positions aren't open or being advertised by these orgs, you should feel fine reaching out to them to ask if they have any need for someone with your skill set. (Source: this is the path I took just under a decade ago).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 10:11 AM on October 27, 2016 [2 favorites]

Are you at all interested in going into one-on-one treatment? My nephew has a Psych PhD and truly enjoys working with vets at a VA facility.
posted by Thorzdad at 10:51 AM on October 27, 2016

I knew a man with a psych PhD who was with the US Public Health Service. He would be deployed to help provide mental health support in natural disasters.
posted by oblique red at 12:30 PM on October 27, 2016

Clinical or research psychology, OP?
posted by heyforfour at 6:15 AM on October 28, 2016

As a Federal employee you should check out the VA. Mental Health in our facility has a lot of patient-facing research going on, you hit the sweet spot for VA eligibility (Psychologists are treated as clinicians, thus automatically are eligible for all VA grant mechanisms that require eligibility status) and (if you're in any kind of career path, rather than term employee) coming on board is easy (even if NOT career, a HRML direct hire authority can work fine for a PhD).

Plus, if you aren't tied down, there are locations galore... many, many areas with VA hospitals that have both active research programs and major university academic affiliates. Like the East Coast? Check out Boston VA. Florida your thing? Bay Pines, perhaps. Midwest? Hines, or Minneapolis, or Ann Arbor. Too far north? North Texas, maybe. West coast? Portland, or Palo Alto, or San Diego. Thinking of a more tropical location? VA Pacific Islands, for example!
posted by caution live frogs at 9:48 AM on October 28, 2016

Response by poster: Research psych, FYI. So no counseling or clinical practice.
posted by inevitability at 10:29 AM on October 28, 2016

Associations (often healthcare associations but there are other member associations) may be an option. If you have curriculum development experience, education manager or program manager type roles may be a possibility. It may require the right fit to get into the door.

Association forum is one site with listings.
posted by typecloud at 2:17 PM on October 28, 2016

Maybe reduce hours at the research job and do some adjuncting, so you're spending more time doing what you enjoy but also still earning enough to live on?
posted by metasarah at 6:52 AM on October 31, 2016

PS it doesn't matter. Psychologists doing research are treated as clinicians by VA in terms of eligibility. Downside is that you can't draw salary, UNLESS you give up eligibility - but a Mental Health service line may very well support a FTE psychologist who is bringing in grant money.
posted by caution live frogs at 11:37 AM on November 3, 2016