Answer:
Hi yes my dad loves his work and feels great about helping others.
Hi Mark,
I am a clinical psychologist and I can tell you that it is an *incredibly* rewarding profession with numerous job opportunities. Some clinical psychologists work as therapists in private practice; others work as therapists, researchers, or professors, in hospitals or universities; additionally, others work as consultants to either businesses or government agencies. Regarding whether one can commit to the profession and not burn out, that too is possible. However, I have to admit that it's harder to do while in private practice than in any other setting, partially because of the more solitary nature of the job but also because of the greater responsibilities. Specifically, while those who work as therapists affiliated with a hospital do not usually have to pay rent for office space, do not have to worry about getting patients referred to them, do not have to work extreme hours, do not have to worry about directly billing patients, etc., this is not true for private practice therapists who do have to pay rent for their office space, have to worry about having patients referring to them, have to pay for insurance, have to pay for health, medical, dental, life, etc. insurance for themselves and their families, have to pay licensing fees each year, and often have to work in the evenings and weekends. I am not saying all of this to discourage you - but it is hard for a new clinical psychologist to do well in the profession if they choose to start out in private practice.
A large number of clinical psychologists actually don't work as therapists but instead choose to work as researchers, professors, or consultants. This expands the job opportunities and would allow you to choose the career path which would best suit your needs and personality.
Actually getting into a clinical psychology program is harder than being a clinical psychologist, so it's important to think about what your goals are. If you want to be a clinical psychologist, you will have to have either a PhD or a PsyD. A PhD is a research degree that takes about 5-6 years to complete (on average). Most PhD programs train their students to be researchers first and then practitioners. If you're not seriously interested in research, you're going to spend a LOT of time doing something in graduate school that you will find quite unappealing/uninteresting. Additionally, in order to actually get into PhD programs, an applicant has to have already done a substantial amount of psychological research. It's harder to get into PhD programs in clinical psychology than it is to get into medical school, so be prepared for a fight! If you really want to be a clinical psychologist, you could also choose to pursue a PsyD. This is also a doctoral degree and typically takes about 4-6 years to complete. Unlike the PhD, it does not involve quite as much research and most programs tend to be more focused on clinical work. Additionally, unlike PhD programs which often accept about 4-7% of applicants, PsyD programs typically accept between 15-25%, or up to 40%, of applicants, depending on the program. Unlike the PhD which is typically fully funded (meaning that students typically do not pay tuition), there is often no funding for the PsyD degree; a further drawback to the PsyD is that, on average, graduates of PsyD programs have a more difficult time getting an approved psychology internship and have a harder time passing the psychology licensing exam than do PhD students. Since both an approved psychology internship and a passing score on the licensing exam are required in order to work as a clinical psychologist, it would be a shame to put all of that effort into a degree and not be able to use it!
If you want to be a therapist but are not set on needing to call yourself a clinical psychologist, a far better option is to pursue an MSW. With a masters degree in social work you would be able to work as a therapist. You would be able to be employed in either private practice, or in a hospital, or a school. Practically speaking, MSW level therapists and PhD therapists are essentially the same - in fact, treatment outcome studies have demonstrated that patients who see psychologists do not improve any more than people who see social workers! An additional benefit to the MSW is that it only takes 2 years to complete and is less expensive. It is also MUCH easier to get into MSW programs than it is to get into PhD or PsyD programs.