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[ewilfong]

I am 50 years old psychologist with a successful career. I taught as adjunct as much as possible. I would like to finish my career in academia teaching and/or college counseling center, but it seems difficult to be accepted back to the academic fold even after gaining valuable professional experience. My clinical career did not allow for research, but I have strong skills. Being a two career family (spouse not an academic) complicates this as I cannot afford to start over. Any ideas on how to approach these issues in application, cover letter, CV, interview.......anything. I likely need very minimal accommodation, if any. APA approved Counseling Psychology program and Internship. Current strategy is honesty. Is that [sadly] too naive? All input appreciated. Thanks.

[mended_drum]

It might help if you listed the "issues" you'd like advice about a little more clearly.  The standard advice about disability is not to mention it at all in the initial letter. 

[ewilfong]

I understand, but with a 7 year recent employment gap it is an elephant in the room. My specific issues are how to approach wanting to be in academia or a college setting. It was my education direction from the onset, but when I talk to friends and test waters, without a history of publications, once I left the fold (due lack of opportunity while allowing spouse to to complete degree) and a valued mentor's advice to gain real world experience first, they seem reluctant to allow my return. I have superb teaching evaluations and the right schools. This was true even before my disability. Thank you for your reply. EJ

[gourmetless]

The disability sounds like a red-herring.  Don't mention it.

Play the practical real-life experience as much as possible.  Talk to your department chair where you have been adjuncting.

I am a little confused as to what exactly you are looking for..... "They seem reluctant to allow my return....."

[larryc]

Do you know the basics of the academic job search?

Forgive me if you know this already. First you find a job advertised, probably in the Chronicle of Higher Education though psychology may use other venues as well. You send in an application packet consisting of (at a minimum) a cover letter detailing how you would fit the position, a c.v., and three letters of recommendation. You should also include a teaching portfolio--search this forum for threads about that. Then you apply to every damn job in the country, jiggering your cover letter each time to make it fit the position.

You have a PhD, correct?

[ewilfong]

The disability sounds like a red-herring.  Don't mention it.

Play the practical real-life experience as much as possible.  Talk to your department chair where you have been adjuncting.

I am a little confused as to what exactly you are looking for..... "They seem reluctant to allow my return....."

Not sure what you mean by "red-herring". I could cover with "private practice".
By reluctance, I have often been told that once you have left the career path in psychology, return is next to impossible. This comes form both previous applications and "friends in high places".

Do you know the basics of the academic job search?

Forgive me if you know this already. First you find a job advertised, probably in the Chronicle of Higher Education though psychology may use other venues as well. You send in an application packet consisting of (at a minimum) a cover letter detailing how you would fit the position, a c.v., and three letters of recommendation. You should also include a teaching portfolio--search this forum for threads about that. Then you apply to every damn job in the country, jiggering your cover letter each time to make it fit the position.

You have a PhD, correct?

I do have Ph.D. And yes, I have done this before and I do appreciate you reply. Given my age, I do have to be somewhat selective, otherwise I may freeze to death (or worse). I need to look for one year or a position to retire from. Seem reasonable?

[betterslac]

The disability sounds like a red-herring.  Don't mention it.

Play the practical real-life experience as much as possible.  Talk to your department chair where you have been adjuncting.

I am a little confused as to what exactly you are looking for..... "They seem reluctant to allow my return....."

Not sure what you mean by "red-herring". I could cover with "private practice".
By reluctance, I have often been told that once you have left the career path in psychology, return is next to impossible. This comes form both previous applications and "friends in high places".

Do you know the basics of the academic job search?

Forgive me if you know this already. First you find a job advertised, probably in the Chronicle of Higher Education though psychology may use other venues as well. You send in an application packet consisting of (at a minimum) a cover letter detailing how you would fit the position, a c.v., and three letters of recommendation. You should also include a teaching portfolio--search this forum for threads about that. Then you apply to every damn job in the country, jiggering your cover letter each time to make it fit the position.

You have a PhD, correct?

I do have Ph.D. And yes, I have done this before and I do appreciate you reply. Given my age, I do have to be somewhat selective, otherwise I may freeze to death (or worse). I need to look for one year or a position to retire from. Seem reasonable?

Don't mention anything about retirement in your letter. You are looking for a position for the long run. In our last search we had several people who had never had a full-time position in academia remark in their cover letter that they were looking for a place to "wind down" in anticipation of retirement, or similar language. Bad move. We didn't care about their age, but their attitude ruled them out.

Make sure you do not convey the same impression. You are already in a bind due to staleness of your Ph.D. and your lack of publications.

[gourmetless]

I mean being disabled is a red-herring to the facts/conditions of an application. 

Well, if the people in your field say "once you have left the career path in psychology, return is next to impossible," I would not even begin to know how to counter that.  I am not in your field.

Go to conferences.  Meet people.  Do some current research/work that you can talk about.  Read the journals.  Send out applications, neithering mentioning the disability nor the retirement (thumbs up, betterslac). 

But, honestly, I wouldn't count on getting hired right off the bat.  I don't know the facts of hiring in your field, but likely you have to start at the bottom rung, given your lack of recent academic experience.  I mean, the practical experience is nice and everything, but it needs to be linked to something current which makes you compeititive.

[seniorscholar]

It seems to me that counseling center is perhaps the strongest possibility; I know our own has been beefed up recently in the backwash of campus shootings and the various other problems caused by the willingness (or requirement) of accepting students with severe mental conditions (history of hospitalization as well as current drug regimen). I don't know where those positions are advertised but you need to find out. That's the area in which a history of clinical experience and private practice will matter much more than research; and there are sometimes also opportunities for teaching or (more often) for doing things like a six-week series of group work with a focus on some issue.

The down side is that the pay for counselors is significantly lower than for beginning faculty. A  lot of ours are licensed clinical social workers with a MSW; there are two or three doctoral-level clinical psychology people at the top and an always-rotating cadre of students in clinical programs at the bottom. I'm at a very large university; a neighbor is the sole counseling person at a very small specialized college (about 500 students) and works there only 20 hours per week (filling in with private practice). So the range -- and the ways you'd sell yourself in your cover letter as the best person for the position that's advertised -- is quite broad.