CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Where will a career in psychology take you?

Can you read my mind? You can do telepathy and know what another person is thinking, right?
– Typically what most people ask psychologists?

Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior, offering the chance to explore
unanswered questions about the brain, such as how it functions under stress, how it learns
language, how it remembers facts or how mental illness can affect the way it works.

Psychology is a vital field now because of the increasing focus on mental health and wellbeing.
If you want to take up psychology as a career, check out how you can study it, various
specialisations, and the job opportunities and scope in this field.

WHO IS A PSYCHOLOGIST?
As a psychologist, you will understand, evaluate and explain human’s thoughts, emotions
feelings and behaviour.Psychologist provides counselling and assistance to the people who
have mental, emotional and behavioural disorders by recognizing their real problem.
WHERE DOES A PSYCHOLOGIST WORK?
With an individual patient, group or with an organization as per the patient’s need. A
psychologist works at various places according to their specializations such as schools, hospitals,
community centres, organizations etc.
However, it must be noted that a psychologist is different from a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist
works in a hospital environment and they hold the medical degree while a psychologist
undertakes a degree in psychology and works in a non-medical environment.

HOW TO BECOME A PSYCHOLOGIST?

 10+2 level with or without Psychology as one of the subjects

 Graduation degree in Psychology Honours
 Post Graduation degree in Psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology/industrial
psychology and organizational behavior/school or education psychology/health
psychology/cognitive psychology/social psychology/experimental psychology
 Optional PG Diploma courses in specialized areas of psychology
 Optional M.Phil degree in Clinical Psychology
 Doctorate degree in a specialized area of Psycholog

CAREERS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER IN PSYCHOLOGY

 Clinical Psychology- is the single largest employment area within the field of psychology.
Clinical psychologists assess, diagnose, and treat people living with psychological or
psychiatric disorders. They typically work in hospital settings, mental health clinics, or
private practices.

 Career Counselor:- At the tender age of 16 to 18, when an average Indian student
usually clears Class 12, it is quite easy to get awed by the entire spectrum of career
choices available to you and get confused about which career to choose and how to
develop suitable skills for the career. This is where career counselors come into picture.
They access a school or college student, or a professional willing to change his or her job
objectively; analyses his or her personality, skills, aptitude, interest, intelligence level
and related socio-economic factors and then, suggest best suitable career choices for a
student. They suggest ways to the candidate to enhance their career prospects in their
chosen field, find suitable jobs, and prepare them for job interviews. Career counselors
also help people to deal with job related stress and deal with various phases in the
working life of a person.

 Counselor:- Counseling is a generic term for all kinds of assistance psychologists provide
to people dealing with any type of problem - be it career planning, difficult in handling
the social issues, emotional problems, matrimonial or parenting crisis, dealing with
divorce or your past, and domestic violence. A counselor offers support, consultation,
techniques and therapies to the client and ensures his or her healthy development.
Several institutes in India are now offering counseling courses in the form of Certificate,
Diploma, and PG Diploma programs in Psychology that produce trained professionals in
the field. To opt for a PG Diploma in Psychological Counselling, you should be a graduate
in Psychology while for a Diploma program in Guidance & Counseling, a graduate degree
in any stream might suffice. Those who have a MA or M.Ed degree in Psychology may
also opt for Diploma and PG Diploma Programs in Vocational Rehabilitation and
Counseling or Rehabilitation Psychology.

 Industrial or Organizational Psychologist: - As an industrial psychologist or

organizational psychologist, you can help employees to improve their work
performance, improve their work behavior, and build their job-related skills. You will
help companies to choose right professionals with right attitudes and right aptitudes for
specific job roles, assess people for promotion, determine training needs, and make
people-related decisions that play an important role overall performance of the
organization.

 Special Education Teacher:- There are psychology graduates who have the cause of
students with different types of disabilities - physical or mental - at heart. To tap into
this field, you will need a B.A. degree in Psychology as well as a B.Ed. program in Special
Education. Opportunities as a special education teacher is aplenty as enrollments in
 Special Education Programs are on a rise and the awareness in parents of
disabled/afflicted/mentally retarded children is increasing.

 Forensic Psychologist:- Forensic psychology is the red hot psychology job trend that you
might want to try and has certainly gained its celebrity status due to how it is portrayed
in TV shows, movies and detective novels. Used extensively in criminal investigation and
law cases, forensic psychology is certainly an exciting career choice. Besides working
with the police investigators on murders forensic psychologists may also work in
assessing insurance claims and cases of child custody. Profiling a criminal or tapping into
the psyche of a potential criminal or suspect is one of the chief roles of a forensic
psychologist.

 Health Psychologist: - Health psychologists are interested in how mental, emotional,

and social factors influence health and illness. They often work in hospitals or
government settings to help promote healthy behaviors and prevent illness.For
example, they may research the causes of health problems, administer community
health programs, and help people choose healthy behaviors. Health psychologists
typically hold a PhD or PsyD degree in psychology.

 School Psychologists: - Work in educational settings to help children deal with

emotional, academic, and social problems. School psychologists also work with kids who
have behavioral issues, learning disabilities, and other needs.

 Sports Psychologist:-Focuses on the psychological aspects of sports and athletics,

including topics such as motivation, performance, and injury. The two major areas
within sports psychology are centered on helping improve athletic performance and on
using sports to improve mental and physical health.

 Criminal Psychologist: - A large part of what a criminal psychologist does is studying

why people commit crimes. They may also assess criminals in order to evaluate the risk
of recidivism (how likely the person is to re-offend in the future) or make educated
guesses about the actions that a criminal may have taken after committing a crime.

 Neuropsychologist: - A neuropsychologist is a psychologist who specializes in

understanding the relationship between the physical brain and behavior. The brain is
complex. Disorders within the brain and nervous system can alter behavior and cognitive
function.
  CAREER OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIC SETTINGS

Individuals who wish to become practicing clinical psychologists have another option for
earning a doctoral degree, which is known as a PsyD. A PsyD is a doctor of psychology
degree that is increasingly popular among individuals interested in pursuing careers in
clinical psychology. PsyD programs generally place less emphasis on research-oriented
skills and focus more on application of psychological principles in the clinical context

“Psychology is an incredibly diverse field and careers can range from those that focus on
mental health to those centered on research. People who are interested in a psychology
career should spend time carefully researching their options in order to determine which
specialty area is right for their needs, interests, and goals.”