How do most people enter the clinical psychology profession?

Grad school such as a masters in marriage and family therapy (MFT). Or Ph. D or Psy. D.

You must obtain either a Ph.D or a Psy.D and then become licensed in the state where you wish to practice. The time line for completion of the doctorate is 5 to 6 years, perhaps longer. Getting into a PhD program in clinical psychology is very competitive. In other words you must be a stellar student with very high GRE scores (the GRE is the entrance exam for graduate school). It is not unusual for programs to only accept students who have obtained a master's degree with extensive research experience (a masters degree usually takes 2 years to complete...sometimes more).

So, after you complete your B.S. it might take 8 years to get a doctorate IF you must first obtain a master's degree.

As you can see, the amount of time required is equivalent to that required of a medical practitioner!

Hi Sabine!

It really depends upon what you want to do in your career. Here are some sites that will help you see possibilities. Especially in Psychology it is possible to spend a lot of time and money on a higher degree and not be able to find a job. Be careful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlAE8A_HRnM
http://www.goodtherapy.org/become-a-therapist/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marjorie-hansen-shaevitz/post_9154_b_6865002.html