Is it Possible to Earn A Degree in Behavioral Psychology by Way Of Test-Out Method?

[sanantone]

Occupational therapists do not practice counseling psychology; you need to be licensed as a psychologist or psychological associate/assistant/technician to practice psychology. Whether or not occupational therapists can provide psychotherapy depends on the state, but I doubt this is one of their main duties.

There aren't registered behavioral psychologists. There are registered behavior technicians; this is a credential that only requires a high school diploma. In 2014, the average salary for a behavior analyst with a graduate degree was $55k, so they make more than $20 per hour. Yes, occupational therapists make a lot more. Becoming an occupational therapist is a lot more expensive, but the difference in salary gets you a better ROI.

https://online.sage.edu/applied-behavior...herapists/

Being a behavioral psychologist simply means that you subscribe to behaviorism. Behaviorism is a school of thought that believes that people can never fully understand thoughts and feelings, so they should focus on conditioning to change behavior. Think of the Pavlov dog study. Pavlov believed that psychologists should focus on what's observable. Behavioral psychology is an area of research and an approach to treating psychological disorders.

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Here's an example of legal limitations for occupational therapists. Unlike clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors/mental health counselors, and psychologists, occupational therapists cannot diagnose mental health problems or provide psychological services in my state. Your friend will have to look at the laws for her state.

© The practice of occupational therapy does not include diagnosis or psychological services of the type typically
performed by a licensed psychologist.

https://www.ptot.texas.gov/idl/8E9BFE41-...F368422D7C

[cookderosa]

$20 an hour is not enough to get kicked, punched by someone's autistic kid, pissed on and screamed at as a registered behavioral psychologist. It's very hard work and it's not for everyone. Maybe your friend should try before she buys??

You said it more directly than I did, but I agree someone should work in the field before deciding if it's a good fit. And for what it's worth, many people find deep satisfaction from that kind of work, but it certainly won't appeal to everyone.

I think she can start her general psychology degree now and choose her career once she has a better grasp of her options in the field, there are many!

[basicunitoflife]

Occupational therapists do not practice counseling psychology; you need to be licensed as a psychologist or psychological associate/assistant/technician to practice psychology. Whether or not occupational therapists can provide psychotherapy depends on the state, but I doubt this is one of their main duties.

There aren't registered behavioral psychologists. There are registered behavior technicians; this is a credential that only requires a high school diploma. In 2014, the average salary for a behavior analyst with a graduate degree was $55k, so they make more than $20 per hour. Yes, occupational therapists make a lot more. Becoming an occupational therapist is a lot more expensive, but the difference in salary gets you a better ROI.

https://online.sage.edu/applied-behavior...herapists/

Being a behavioral psychologist simply means that you subscribe to behaviorism. Behaviorism is a school of thought that believes that people can never fully understand thoughts and feelings, so they should focus on conditioning to change behavior. Think of the Pavlov dog study. Pavlov believed that psychologists should focus on what's observable. Behavioral psychology is an area of research and an approach to treating psychological disorders.

---

Here's an example of legal limitations for occupational therapists. Unlike clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors/mental health counselors, and psychologists, occupational therapists cannot diagnose mental health problems or provide psychological services in my state. Your friend will have to look at the laws for her state.

© The practice of occupational therapy does not include diagnosis or psychological services of the type typically
performed by a licensed psychologist.

https://www.ptot.texas.gov/idl/8E9BFE41-...F368422D7C

No OT's don't do therapy per se but just because it's not in the job description doesn't mean it's not done. They can and do work in mental health facilities and many are trained to lead group therapy sessions and individual session if they so desire to acquire additional certifications. I know because I've been there   . 
The OT also met privately with all the patients to help them out with discharge planning. But you're correct, it's not psychotherapy or behavioral therapy BUT it's a field that has been influenced by psychological research.

Another field that is kind of an alternate route to therapy (behavioral or otherwise) is registered nursing. Your friend would go from RN --->NP---> independent practice depending on your state. 
I totally didn't mean to be rude and I'm sorry if I did. The truth is I'm also looking at getting a psychology degree myself but I'm a little bit on the older end of the spectrum and I've seen too many kids who are in debt for their psychology degrees and they're not using it, in-spite of doing internship after internship. I think melding psychology with something like OT, RN or even Recreational Therapy is a good idea so your friend can make money while they are growing their business and brand. Like Cook said, there are many options so it probably doesn't make sense to worry about it too much at the moment.

[cookderosa]

I think the thread has gone a bit off topic lol

[sanantone]

Occupational therapists do not practice counseling psychology; you need to be licensed as a psychologist or psychological associate/assistant/technician to practice psychology. Whether or not occupational therapists can provide psychotherapy depends on the state, but I doubt this is one of their main duties.

There aren't registered behavioral psychologists. There are registered behavior technicians; this is a credential that only requires a high school diploma. In 2014, the average salary for a behavior analyst with a graduate degree was $55k, so they make more than $20 per hour. Yes, occupational therapists make a lot more. Becoming an occupational therapist is a lot more expensive, but the difference in salary gets you a better ROI.

https://online.sage.edu/applied-behavior...herapists/

Being a behavioral psychologist simply means that you subscribe to behaviorism. Behaviorism is a school of thought that believes that people can never fully understand thoughts and feelings, so they should focus on conditioning to change behavior. Think of the Pavlov dog study. Pavlov believed that psychologists should focus on what's observable. Behavioral psychology is an area of research and an approach to treating psychological disorders.

---

Here's an example of legal limitations for occupational therapists. Unlike clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors/mental health counselors, and psychologists, occupational therapists cannot diagnose mental health problems or provide psychological services in my state. Your friend will have to look at the laws for her state.

© The practice of occupational therapy does not include diagnosis or psychological services of the type typically
performed by a licensed psychologist.

https://www.ptot.texas.gov/idl/8E9BFE41-...F368422D7C

No OT's don't do therapy per se but just because it's not in the job description doesn't mean it's not done. They can and do work in mental health facilities and many are trained to lead group therapy sessions and individual session if they so desire to acquire additional certifications. I know because I've been there   . 
The OT also met privately with all the patients to help them out with discharge planning. But you're correct, it's not psychotherapy or behavioral therapy BUT it's a field that has been influenced by psychological research.

Another field that is kind of an alternate route to therapy (behavioral or otherwise) is registered nursing. Your friend would go from RN --->NP---> independent practice depending on your state. 
I totally didn't mean to be rude and I'm sorry if I did. The truth is I'm also looking at getting a psychology degree myself but I'm a little bit on the older end of the spectrum and I've seen too many kids who are in debt for their psychology degrees and they're not using it, in-spite of doing internship after internship. I think melding psychology with something like OT, RN or even Recreational Therapy is a good idea so your friend can make money while they are growing their business and brand. Like Cook said, there are many options so it probably doesn't make sense to worry about it too much at the moment.

Becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner is another option. 

If someone is licensed as an LPC, LMFT, LMHC, LMSW, or LCSW and is unemployed, then there's something wrong with them. These jobs typically pay less than $60k, especially if you have no experience, but there are plenty of openings. My state will pay back $40k to $80k of your student loans if you become a licensed mental health professional because the shortage is so severe. 

The unemployed and underemployed people with psychology degrees usually only have a bachelor's degree, and they aren't licensed in anything. There are actually plenty of jobs out there for them; the jobs just aren't desirable. You have to be willing to work with criminals, at-risk youth, and/or dysfunctional families. I know a lot of kids with undergraduate psychology degrees who are landing jobs in parole and social services right out of college making $39k to $45k. At my last job, which was counseling at-risk youth, about half of my coworkers were under 25.