Career Information on Psychology

Due to a hectic lifestyles, many people are prone to mental and psychological problems, due to which they need to consult with psychologists. The mental health problems may be caused due to many factors such as personal problems, job stress, or any psychological disturbances.

A person who wants to become a psychologist has to be well-versed in basic counseling. He should be able to understand an individual's problem, analyze it, and then provide a beneficial solution. Admission to a graduate psychology degree is not easy, as the competition is very tough. Further, a psychology major graduate is eligible to work as a clinical psychologist, only if he has a doctoral degree like a Ph.D or a Psy.D degree.

The employment rate of psychologists is on the rise, as compared to other professions. The job prospect depends on the individual's qualification in any specialized field, such as counseling, health or clinical psychology. According to a survey conducted in 2006, there were over 1,65,000 positions held by psychologists. Around 30% of these were involved in counseling, testing, research, and administration at various educational sectors, 21% were employed in the health care sector, and approximately 34% were self-employed.

Psychology is a detailed study of the mind and the behavior of a person. There are many options for a career in psychology, such as research and health care. Other areas where psychologists can work include management, law, sports and education. Some psychologists are also employed in government, business and corporate organizations, where they provide training, conduct research, design organizational systems and counseling sessions. They also collect information, test and research, and eventually come to a specific conclusion. Research methods used by psychologists may be differentiated on the basis of the topics they study.

Some of the careers in psychology are mentioned below:

Counseling psychologists: These psychologists are responsible for understanding the mental and emotional side of the patient. They help the patient deal with everyday problems like work pressure and other personal issues. They normally work in hospitals and rehabilitation centers and are experts in guiding people, as they deal with many similar psychological cases.

Clinical psychologists: They play a vital role in the field of psychology, and are mostly employed in counseling centers, hospitals or clinics. They assist patients who are mentally or emotionally unwell, to cope with depressing situations. They help the patient forget his past and help improve his lifestyle. Some may even work on physical injuries and diseases like arthritis and spinal cord problems.

Organizational psychologists: Also known as industrial psychologists, they are people who work in different organizations and firms. They apply their psychological methods to solve workplace issues, which are common in the corporate sector. They try their level best to improve the work-life balance and productivity in a company. They may also conduct a thorough research on all management and marketing problems, and are in continuous contact with the management to meliorate the work and productivity. They are generally hired as consultants by organizations, and are well-paid for their services.

Research psychologists: Research psychologists may receive data from various sources like results from controlled laboratory experiments, by studying the personality, performance, intelligence and aptitude of certain group of people, or by conducting interviews, surveys and questionnaires. They are responsible for investigating physical, mental or social aspects of a patient's behavior.

Health care psychologists: The duty of health care psychologists is to help maintain mental health of individuals working in hospitals or studying in schools and colleges. They study how biological and social factors affect a person's health. They also counsel people in preventing diseases and encourage healthy living.

If you are planning on a career in psychology, you need to be well-prepared for the entrance tests and exams that are required in the admission process. It certainly seems to be one of the best career options available, that gives you the satisfaction of helping people, along with a lucrative income.