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Very few psychologists received any training in running a private practice (or anything business related) in graduate school. Most psychologists I know (myself included) have to make it all up as they go along, with varying levels of success. For me, the "easiest" part has actually been getting clients (way easier than I thought it would be). The hardest part, surprisingly, has been meeting other therapists. I'm a pediatric neuropsychologist, so I need therapists to refer to when I recommend that a kiddo should start therapy, and it is very difficult for me to build up a list of practitioners to refer to. And when I finally do find a therapist that I want to refer to, he or she doesn't have any openings. I've tried meetup groups (even started my own) and state/local agencies, but it's still been really slow going building a professional network.

More recently, some therapists have begun writing books about running a private practice specifically to address this gap in our education. There are also some websites/bloggers that address this topic as well. Try things like Casey Truffo's Be a Wealthy Therapist , Lynn Grodzki's Building Your Ideal Private Practice, or David Diana's Marketing for Mental Health Professionals... if you check those out on amazon you'll also see many other similar titles.

This book is what I used to find programs, it has some Canadian programs, from what I understand, and is pretty well-organized. It also has overall tips on the application process, and was really helpful for me. As a disclaimer I'm not related to the author/publishing company, I just found it to be pretty solid. Good luck!

Girl* ;)

Thanks so much for your responses by the way. After the initial "wtf I studied so hard for this," I've been going through the Insider's Guide, and have discovered that I have probably been looking at this grad school thing all wrong.

Previously, I (probably like most applicants) was thinking "oh let me look at US News and World Report and see who they say is #1." Needless to say, I've been bloody frantic about getting that 1400 GRE score. I've now been advised to look at the acceptance rates to APA/APPIC internships, because after devoting half a decade of my life to studying, I don't want to have a low chance of getting that internship.

Thanks again :) Any advice that can be firehosed through the internets would be appreciated haha.

A month late on your post, but I would highly suggest you get into evolutionary theory of psychopathology. Everything really begins to click, the dots really seem to all connect, and its the most insightful way to glean things that most PhD clinical psychs will not be knowledgeable about.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolutionary-Psychopathology-Marco-Del-Giudice/dp/0190246847

Read the sample chapters and I think after that you will not hesitate to buy the complete book.

Good luck.

It's ok if you aren't an expert on psychopathology, that's what your research, didactics, and experiential training are for.

If you're looking for reading material, focus less on the DSM and the disorders themselves, and look more at critical perspectives of psychological assessment and diagnosis. In particular, look for Paul Meehl's work, especially that focused on clinical intuition vs. statistical prediction.

https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Versus-Statistical-Prediction-Theoretical/dp/0963878492

I'd also recommend Scott Lilienfeld's articles. They're all great and he's an invaluable skeptic for our field.

If you read and grasp this material, you'll be head and shoulders above your peers with years of clinical experience or those who just focus on learning categorization and symptomatology of disorders.

I interviewed there <10 years ago and have several close colleagues who are grads. Feel free to PM me. I would say they explicitly are looking for people with background in "psychology + X". Your background in phenomenology is hugely helpful.

If you haven't yet, Id recommend checking these out from previous/current faculty;

"A Different Existence"
https://www.dupress.duq.edu/products/psychology3-paper

Psychotherapy as a Human Science
https://www.amazon.com/Psychotherapy-Human-Science-Daniel-Burston/dp/0820703788

One consideration is cost. Funding for PsyD students is much more limited than for PhD programs. There are also many counseling focused PhD programs, where the focus is more on counseling then research. If you're interested in applying for a psychology doctorate, I recommend this book hands down as the best guide for getting in to the program. This is a book you want to look at long before you begin the application process.
Alternatively, you could apply to masters level clinical and counseling programs which would be less intense, less schooling, less expensive, but would not be that different in that you'd be doing counseling work. Other graduate programs to consider are Social Work or Marriage and Family Therapy... each is unique, so one may appeal to you more than the other.

The "Insider's Guide to Clinical/Counseling Psychology" was really helpful to me for looking at all the schools https://www.amazon.com/Insiders-Graduate-Programs-Counseling-Psychology/dp/146253211X

There are stats listed on each school, like how practice/research oriented is, average GRE scores, cohort sizes, etc.

Synopsis Of Psychiatry by Sadock, Sadock and Ruiz

https://www.amazon.com/Kaplan-Sadocks-Synopsis-Psychiatry-Behavioral/dp/1609139712/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537285344&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=synopsis+of+psychiatry+11th+ed&dpPl=1&dpID=51Zh0rYBDaL&ref=plSrch

Pocket DSM - V

https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Guide-DSM-5-Diagnostic-Exam/dp/1585624667/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537285418&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=pocket+dsm+v&dpPl=1&dpID=41n2aRvk4KL&ref=plSrch#

This is quite a lot, I promise.

Look into the most current version of the Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology.