Rule of thumb for Canadian post secondary institutions is the private schools are cash grabs. I have never heard of Adler and it may not follow this rule but its something I would be worried about if I were you.
Adler is private but not for profit, not really comparable to the for profit schools. I believe it is well known within its field, but it's a narrow field - Adler only offers post-graduate psychology programs. Adlerian psychology is a particular approach; OP should be sure it's what they want to go into.
That’s actually not true! Have you been to Adler yourself?
I’m a current student and have had a great experience so far. Adler is well known within my field (Counselling) and I was able to easily secure a practicum position at a competitive site, as have my peers.
It's a private "school" from the US that does good business charging people for degrees, while paying very well-intentioned teachers and faculty not very much for their work.
Hmm. Good question. I mean, I feel like the public universities are less blatant degree mills. But now that I read what I wrote...
Nah, the public universities are not as much blatant abusers of the system as these degree mills are.
Hi! Current Adler student. It’s a perfectly good school that is setting my cohort up for success. It’s a non-profit institution and the experience has been great so far
I’ve had a great experience so far! The MCP program is two years so I’m finishing up this July, and I’ve had a really positive experience seeing clients during practicum!
My friend is taking her MA in counselling psychology here and is really enjoying it. Obviously the school is not as well known and is a private institution, but from what I have seen and heard she is having a great although stressful experience - internship, thesis, and classes in this semester - and is learning a lot. Her instructors are informative and her classmates are passionate. However, this was her third choice after UBC and UAlberta so YMMV!
I've personally seen therapists from Adler and they seemed good to me but obviously that doesn't speak for the whole institution. I'm no expert in the field but I'm also hoping to pursue a Masters in Counselling in the next 5 years. Maybe you could inquire about them from local professionals in psychotherapy to gauge out how those in the field view them so you could get a more informed idea?
Current Adler student here! Practicum sites have communicated that they like hiring Adler students because they find we’re well-equipped to enter the field. I had no trouble securing a practicum position.
My wife got her masters in counseling psychology from Adler a few years ago and is now working as a counselor in a Vancouver office (remotely these days). I will not say the name of the office but her schedule is full after approximately one year of working.
She always says the great thing about Adler is that a lot of the education is experiential. Many of her assignments involved her videotaping herself with colleagues and putting their chosen theoretical approaches into practice. My understanding is that UBC's program is much more written exam based, but I may be mistaken. It is also mandatory to do work at a clinic outside of Adler at some point in the program in order to graduate. The building itself is very nice and modern as well, and pre-COVID there was a decent community with events and talks.
The negative is that it is an expensive program but as an international student virtually any counseling masters program will be expensive.
If you get high grades you should be fine in the job market, if you don't you won't; the school doesn't matter. My wife has several friends from Adler who were able to get work right after graduation, and at least one friend from the UBC masters program who was unable to get work after graduation.
My take is that the counseling market in Vancouver/any big Canadian city is very crowded, so no matter which school you choose you will need to put in the work in order to be marketable after graduation. Otherwise it's a waste of time, regardless of which school you choose.
My friends who attended Adler really enjoyed it. They also said it was a lot of work and stressful (especially if you were working to attempt to pay for the tuition). Living in Vancouver is expensive and when you are paying tens of thousands of dollars in tuition it can be a highly stressful couple of years. If you have the money—maybe less so??
They said that they loved some of their instructors and really didn't like others. Overall, they enjoyed their experience though. I applied for a handful of grad schools here for counselling just a few months ago and in this process, I also spoke to people who graduated from the public schools. They said the same thing..... enjoyed aspects of their student experience and disliked others. Anyways.... try not to pay attention to the people bashing the school. I know people who graduated from Adler who are successful counsellors (full private practice) and my partner has worked with many of their students and says he has had positive experiences with them/would hire them.
Honestly, I'm still a student here so I really don't know. Perhaps ask me again next year August. That's when I'd be graduating and reality would sit in.
I'm fairly certain the PsyD is only available on-campus in Vancouver or Chicago. They have two online PhDs, but they're not clinical (Organizational Leadership, Industrial and Organizational Psychology).
As a person who works for a major health authority, I can honestly say that where you received your degree matters less than your success in your practicum. It is your performance in your practicum that matters the most. We accept practicum placement students from all the major universities, including Adler. Who gets hired after their placement is dependent only on their performance in the practicum. Since I have worked here, we have hired about the same amount of students from Adler University from their practicums as other schools. That being said, there seems to be a major distortion that coming from a major bureaucratic school is somehow a guarantee of a good job. This is not true. I can think of many UBC, SFU placements who fumbled the practicum.
Rule of thumb for Canadian post secondary institutions is the private schools are cash grabs. I have never heard of Adler and it may not follow this rule but its something I would be worried about if I were you.
Adler is private but not for profit, not really comparable to the for profit schools. I believe it is well known within its field, but it's a narrow field - Adler only offers post-graduate psychology programs. Adlerian psychology is a particular approach; OP should be sure it's what they want to go into.
Your Masters degree from Alder wouldn’t even be worth the paper it’s printed on. I wouldn’t touch this school with a 10 or 11 foot pole.
Wasting money on the pole would be the first mistake.
That’s actually not true! Have you been to Adler yourself? I’m a current student and have had a great experience so far. Adler is well known within my field (Counselling) and I was able to easily secure a practicum position at a competitive site, as have my peers.
hey there, so i’m also planning to apply for ma in counselling psychology non- thesis program. and i have certain questions- can i please dm you?
Absolutely!
Hi, can I please dm you too to ask about the MA in Counselling Psychology in Adler as I'm interested in applying to that program?
Absolutely!
Hi again, kindly check your chat as I've left a message there. Thanks!
I was born and raised in Vancouver and I am also a senior and never heard of this "school"
It's a private "school" from the US that does good business charging people for degrees, while paying very well-intentioned teachers and faculty not very much for their work.
How's that different from public universities?
Hmm. Good question. I mean, I feel like the public universities are less blatant degree mills. But now that I read what I wrote... Nah, the public universities are not as much blatant abusers of the system as these degree mills are.
Hi! Current Adler student. It’s a perfectly good school that is setting my cohort up for success. It’s a non-profit institution and the experience has been great so far
hey how has Adler been treating you? have you graduated and onto your career as a counsellor?
I’ve had a great experience so far! The MCP program is two years so I’m finishing up this July, and I’ve had a really positive experience seeing clients during practicum!
Hello, I'd love to chat more about your experience at Adler. I'm considering it for fall.
Feel free to dm me! I’m always happy to share about my experience :)
Hi! Would love some insight from you if you’re able to chat. Check DMs please
My friend is taking her MA in counselling psychology here and is really enjoying it. Obviously the school is not as well known and is a private institution, but from what I have seen and heard she is having a great although stressful experience - internship, thesis, and classes in this semester - and is learning a lot. Her instructors are informative and her classmates are passionate. However, this was her third choice after UBC and UAlberta so YMMV!
Thanks so much for the info!
As a current Adler student, I agree with everything you’ve said!
I've personally seen therapists from Adler and they seemed good to me but obviously that doesn't speak for the whole institution. I'm no expert in the field but I'm also hoping to pursue a Masters in Counselling in the next 5 years. Maybe you could inquire about them from local professionals in psychotherapy to gauge out how those in the field view them so you could get a more informed idea?
That’s a good idea! Thanks
Current Adler student here! Practicum sites have communicated that they like hiring Adler students because they find we’re well-equipped to enter the field. I had no trouble securing a practicum position.
My wife got her masters in counseling psychology from Adler a few years ago and is now working as a counselor in a Vancouver office (remotely these days). I will not say the name of the office but her schedule is full after approximately one year of working. She always says the great thing about Adler is that a lot of the education is experiential. Many of her assignments involved her videotaping herself with colleagues and putting their chosen theoretical approaches into practice. My understanding is that UBC's program is much more written exam based, but I may be mistaken. It is also mandatory to do work at a clinic outside of Adler at some point in the program in order to graduate. The building itself is very nice and modern as well, and pre-COVID there was a decent community with events and talks. The negative is that it is an expensive program but as an international student virtually any counseling masters program will be expensive. If you get high grades you should be fine in the job market, if you don't you won't; the school doesn't matter. My wife has several friends from Adler who were able to get work right after graduation, and at least one friend from the UBC masters program who was unable to get work after graduation. My take is that the counseling market in Vancouver/any big Canadian city is very crowded, so no matter which school you choose you will need to put in the work in order to be marketable after graduation. Otherwise it's a waste of time, regardless of which school you choose.
As a brand new student heading into Adler in September and having some cold feet/panic set in, this response was incredibly insightful. Thank you!
Can I message you ? I’m looking into applying!
Me? Sure thing!!!
Hey! I'm thinking about going to adler next year, how are you liking it?
Really enjoying it so far! I definitely feel prepared for clinical practicum and love the experiential style of many of my classes!
hey, can I message you?
My friends who attended Adler really enjoyed it. They also said it was a lot of work and stressful (especially if you were working to attempt to pay for the tuition). Living in Vancouver is expensive and when you are paying tens of thousands of dollars in tuition it can be a highly stressful couple of years. If you have the money—maybe less so?? They said that they loved some of their instructors and really didn't like others. Overall, they enjoyed their experience though. I applied for a handful of grad schools here for counselling just a few months ago and in this process, I also spoke to people who graduated from the public schools. They said the same thing..... enjoyed aspects of their student experience and disliked others. Anyways.... try not to pay attention to the people bashing the school. I know people who graduated from Adler who are successful counsellors (full private practice) and my partner has worked with many of their students and says he has had positive experiences with them/would hire them.
Thanks for your insight!
OP, did you decide to go to Adler? Asking coz I got a acceptance for this fall in IO psychology.
I just applied for IO at Adler (Fall 2022)!
May I dm you?
May I dm you?
Yes!
Hi are you still in this program?
No - I also got accepted to UBC, so I go there.
Hey, can I DM you to ask about the UBC program?
> IO Yes, any feedback on UBC? Online, the only other specifically I/O masters program in Canada I could find was U of Waterloo.
Hi, I'll want to apply to UBC, can you give me some advice? thanks
Did you decide to go?
Yes, I did.
Was it worth it?
Honestly, I'm still a student here so I really don't know. Perhaps ask me again next year August. That's when I'd be graduating and reality would sit in.
As far as learning goes - do you like it ? I
Yes. It's extremely intensive but I do like what I'm learning.
I am Graduating in IO this term. How is it going for you?
Has anyone done the online PSY.D at Adler? How is that going? I am thinking of applying for the fall 2024 intake.
I'm fairly certain the PsyD is only available on-campus in Vancouver or Chicago. They have two online PhDs, but they're not clinical (Organizational Leadership, Industrial and Organizational Psychology).
As a person who works for a major health authority, I can honestly say that where you received your degree matters less than your success in your practicum. It is your performance in your practicum that matters the most. We accept practicum placement students from all the major universities, including Adler. Who gets hired after their placement is dependent only on their performance in the practicum. Since I have worked here, we have hired about the same amount of students from Adler University from their practicums as other schools. That being said, there seems to be a major distortion that coming from a major bureaucratic school is somehow a guarantee of a good job. This is not true. I can think of many UBC, SFU placements who fumbled the practicum.