Psychologist

A psychologist is a person who evaluates, studies, diagnoses and treats mental processes and behaviour. There are many different fields of psychology. Some psychologists provide mental health care, while others conduct research in a university or other academic setting. They are often confused with psychiatrists, due to the counselling aspect of the position. While both counselling and psychotherapy are common activities for psychologists, they are just one branch in the overall field. Teaching and research comprise a major role as well.

Education

You need to go to college and achieve a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology. You will want to get as much experience as you can, working with both your professors and graduate studies on research studies while at the same time exploring your own interests. After college, you move on to graduate school. You will want to choose a school that matches your interests. For example, if you are interested in child psychology, make sure the graduate school has a child psychology professor. Stanford (https://www.stanford.edu/dept/psychology/cgi-bin/drupalm/gradprogram) and the University of Michigan (https://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/graduate/) have two of the best graduate programs in the country. If you really want to practice, try to find a graduate program which stresses hands on learning, and will give you excellent clinical experience. After you complete your graduate program, you need to decide if you want to go for a Ph.D. degree or Psy.D. degree. Both are accepted within the field. A PhD. Degree with allow you to teach at a college or university.

Job Description

The job description of a psychologist depends entirely on the field of psychology you decide to enter. Research psychologists study the cognitive, physical, social and emotional aspects of human behavior. Psychologists employed in industry, business or government settings provide training, design organizational systems, conduct research and in general act as advocates for psychology. Psychologists who work in the field of health service provide mental health care in clinics, hospitals and schools. Psychologists are responsible for applying their knowledge to a wide range of areas. The largest speciality is clinical psychology. Clinical psychologists typically work in counselling centers or hospitals. They help emotionally and mentally distressed clients adjust to life while helping surgical and medical patients deal with their injuries or illnesses. They often interview patients and provide psychotherapy while implement modification programs. Some clinical psychologists work in physical rehabilitation settings and will treat patients who have suffered spinal cord injuries, experience chronic illness or pain, or have recently suffered a stroke.

Pros & Cons

Becoming a psychologist can be very rewarding. You get to work with people and help them deal with the problems. In some patients at least, you will see progress and improvement, which makes it feel like you are making a difference. As your patients improve, you really see the results of your work and years of study. Once established within a country, the work is fairly dependable. Psychology is a very diverse field and offers many different opportunities and chances to transfer to various fields. The days can be long sometimes however, and it is an emotionally draining job. If you open up a private practice, it can be professionally isolating and tough to get established in a community. Private practices also require business efforts and marketing to be successful, adding to the employment duties. Also, many university positions have little if any job security and rarely offer tenure.