I am often asked what the difference is between a doctorate in Clinical versus Counseling Psychology. Truth be told is that they are practically identical depending on the program. Both types of program prepare students for a psychology license. The coursework is pretty much the same. In a perfect world a clinical psychologist would be trained to function in clinical in-patient settings like mental hospitals, prisons, and other health care facilities. But this is not the case. In my opinion the status of the school will be more important to your career than whether your doctoral degree is in clinical or counseling psychology.