What are the Pros and Cons of a Clinical Psychology Degree?

Clinical psychology combines theory, science and practice. As a clinical psychologist, you would deal with the cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of those with psychological problems. These problems can very greatly in severity and seriousness, from disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and substance abuse to problems related to stress, career planning and family. Quite a hefty task – don’t you think! Let’s examine some positive and negative aspects of this career.

The positives

a. Personal fulfillment – helping people and solving problems brings with it personal satisfaction. You feel like you are making a difference in someones life and as a result of your hard work, someone else is benefiting.

b. Being Your Own Boss – a career in clinical psychology is well positioned for private practice. Having a private practice leads to full control of your own time, control over your choice of patents and your work schedule. You can open your own private practice or start one with a set of colleagues. The opportunities are plentiful and vast.

c. No dull moment – your day is spent working and solving problems for patents. These problems are varied and as a result, it is hard to feel like you are doing routine work. Because you are always in an active listening mode, solving problems and using your analytical skills, the job is never mundane and uneventful.

d. Learning Experience – this is an ever changing field, thus continues education and improvement is needed. You spend much of your time in client interviews and evaluations, thus being able to hear new things and having to experiment with new treatment methods.

The negatives

a. Long Hours – in this profession, you deal with patents that have psychological problems and may need your assistance outside the 9-5 workweek. You have to be prepared to work long hours and work weekends/nights. Because you will be dealing with serious issues, issues and problems that can’t wait, you will have to be ready to assist and provide what your patents need.

b.Risk of Burnout – a career in clinical psychology can be very intense and emotionally tasking. Potential burnout and a need for distance from the profession are not uncommon. To succeed in this profession you will have to learn how to detach yourself from the problems of your patients, and this is not possible at all times. As a result, you may need to take longer breaks and refuel.

c. Paperwork – complete and precise records regarding every patient are an integral part of the clinical psychologist career. Much of the working day is spend working on paperwork, both for health insurance companies but proper patient records as well. This part of the job is tedious, boring and repetitive but necessary and an integral part of the profession.

d. Clients with slow progress – while this career can be extremely rewarding, it can get frustrating and tiring to deal with a client that is regressing, not responding to therapy or refusing to cooperate. Watching a person deteriorate or make erroneous decisions can be very tasking and difficult.

e. Tiring – much of your day is spend in direct interviews with clients. You have to be on your toes the entire time. There is not time for breaks, chatting with coworkers or daydreaming. You have to be on-task 100% of the time.

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