These programs emphasize prevention as well as treatment. In more medical settings are programs in Health Psychology or Behavioral Medicine. At a somewhat less therapeutic level would be psychology programs in Social or Personality. Some practical experience in a clinic, school or hospital is very helpful in giving you a better feel of these areas and of your interests. Non-clinical programs within psychology cover a wide range of areas including experimental, physiological, cognitive, social, and personality.
Students sometimes change their concentration after a year or so of graduate work.
The two fields overlap considerably, but the emphasis is slightly different. Counseling is comparable to emergency room and outpatient medical services that deal with the early stages of a problem and can obtain good results quickly. School settings, from grade school through college, are prime sites for counseling. College counseling centers usually have both clinical and counseling Ph.D.s on the staff. Counseling programs at a given university might be either in the psychology or in the education department.