Psychology Career Paper

Extensive schooling, mental and emotional preparation, and personal dedication are the aspects required to becoming successful in this career. Psychology is a hard study to master, and depending on what field of psychology a person may want to go into can make the task even more

My entire life I have always been on the search of a career that would fit my persona, fit who I truly am, and to become someone who will constantly have the ability to help people through their difficult problems that they face. Throughout my life I have been deemed the type of person that people felt comfortable coming to with their problems. Maybe people feel this way because they sense that I have a sympathetic ear? Well, all I can say is that human behavior has always seemed interesting to me and that is probably why I made the decision to go down the psychology career pathway.

There are many professional pathways within psychology that an individual may apply themselves to for their career. These include: clinical, forensic, health, and educational psychology. The professional career pathway within applied psychology which will be discussed in this essay is the field of clinical psychology. Clinical psychology aims to reduce the amount of psychological distress an individual experiences and enhance the promotion of psychological well-being. Clinical psychologists attend to both mental and physical health problems including addiction, anxiety, depression, learning difficulties and relationship issues in order to help individuals resolve their problems. Clinical psychologists predominantly work within hospitals, mental health groups and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Clinical | Careers, 2016).

“Few fields of study offer more career opportunities than does psychology” (Sternburg 3). There are a wide selection of specialties a person could go into with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. In graduate school, which is a must to attend, there is the option to explore the different specialities or to go into the desired specialty without any research of the others. There are also many options within a specific specialty. There is the option to be a teacher, to work for various organizations, be a speaker, to have your own practice, and many others. In the psychology field these options can all be combined. In fact it is expected of psychologists to do more activities involving their specialty than solely sit in an office and listen to patients. There are two specialities that I am interested in however, over the years, these specialties have become very similar. Clinical and counseling psychology have evolved to become one in the same. Someone who specializes in clinical psychology are more

Before postgraduate work can be started, the student must receive a bachelor’s in psychology and fulfill the requirements listed for the psychology program they wish to enter. Once a bachelor’s degree is achieved, a psychology major has the choice of either obtaining their master's or their doctorate. When earning a master’s a student is accepted into the college of his or her choice, and usually completes the program within 2 years, or longer. If a master's is earned, the student may go on to become an assistant in a clinical setting underneath someone who has a doctorate in psychology, but they will not be able to do any high level of work. If a student chooses to obtain a doctorate they are again, accepted into the program of their choice, although admission is very competitive. Once accepted into the doctorate program the student serves about 2-4 years where they receive training and guidance in a hospital setting, but it all depends on the program they enter. Having a doctorate in psychology will open the doors for soon-to-be clinical psychologists, and offers a higher job title, certification, and higher pay. Whether a student chooses a master's or a doctorate, a large amount of psychology classes must be taken. More than likely when a student is an a doctorate program, they are required to fulfill a 1-2 year internal ship of professional experience, as cited from

The theoretical career development framework that I chose to assist in Catherine’s career counseling process is Donald Super’s counseling theory. I decided to chose this particular career development framework because I thought it would be the most effective and appropriate to use with the client. The client is thirty-seven years of age and is dealing with a lot on her plate. Equally important, people grow and change throughout their lives and this theory respects that.

After completing their bachelor’s degree, he can then acquire his master’s degree in psychology or complete an internship before enrolling in a developmental psychology Ph.D. or Psy.D. program (PsychologyCareerCenter). Those who enjoy research should enroll in a Ph.D. developmental psychology program, whereas those who desire to do counseling should contemplate the PsyD. program (CareersInPsychology.org). The Psy.D. program typically entails about 4-5 years of study, whereas the Ph.D. program demands about 5-7 years (Study.com). People who desire to conduct research would gravitate toward the Ph.D. program, since it involves conducting research more than a Psy.D. Those interested in therapy should consider the Psy.D. option (Kuther,

They can have a master’s or a doctorate in clinical, educational, counseling, or research psychology (NAMI, 2013).

A Psychologist has one main job which is to help many people with their mental illnesses. Such mental illnesses can affect how a person does daily things. Helping many people with mental illnesses will let them go back to doing things the way they want to do it, without the fear of birds, or the need to eat constantly. Freeing the people to live their own lives and not the disorders. I would like to pursue this career in the hope to help clients be themselves.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA) website “Psychologists who provide clinical or counseling services assess and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. They integrate the science of psychology and the treatment of complex human problems with the intention of promoting change.” ("Pursuing A Career In Clinical Or Counseling Psychology", 2014).) In the simplest terms, “the study of individuals, by observation or experimentation, with the intention of promoting change.” (Compas, Bruce, & Gotlib, 2002) Clinical psychologist careers vary in industries such as research, integrated health care, teaching, public policy and professional practice. Some clinical psychologists work exclusively on specific mental, emotional, and behavioral issues. Relationship conflict and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction are a few examples of areas of specialization for a clinical psychologist. According to the APA website (2014), in order to become a clinical psychologist the journey begins with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Next the student must obtain a graduate degree. Each graduate program determines its own entrance requirements. Some doctoral programs require their applicants to have a master’s degree in psychology. Other people enter doctoral programs with only a bachelor’s degree. Most doctoral degrees take five to seven years to complete. You must also

I feel that the Duquesne Psychology program has helped me prepare for careers or graduate school in relevant fields, though there could be some improvements. As an individual who is interested in two fields, one being Integrated Marketing Communications, this leaves me with a lot of possible career paths after university. I am interested in graduate school, but feel as though I need to take some time off before pursing it. After I take this time off, I may pursue graduate school, which I feel that the department has helped me with through the course of university. Though I am scared and nervous of what the future may hold, I know that my time at Duquesne in the psychology curriculum has made me an excellent candidate for a career or graduate

After I graduate from college and finish my military career, I plan on becoming an adolescent mental health therapist. As an adolescent mental health therapist, I hope to provide mental health therapy to elementary aged clients. Providing a safe and positive environment where children can alleviate or eliminate presenting issues and problems allowing them to live a functional positive life and perform higher in academics. As well as teach resilience and enhance quality of life by appropriate clinical service delivery and identification.

I want to be a psychologist. I would love to learn all about the way people act, think and feel and at the same time try to help them. I have a very easygoing personality and I love to have fun and laugh. I ask a lot of questions, and I think I am very easy to get along with. Some career goals I have is to finish college, I would like to find a job I want to keep that I could make a career out of, and just take it one day at a time because I have desire to make the right decisions and live a pleasant life.

With being a psychologist, there are many different careers to choose from within this profession (Explore Health Careers). The first type of psychologists to choose from is a clinical psychologist. Clinical psychologists help people with counseling and psychotherapy. They work with people who have all around life problems, such as new adjustments in life. Clinical psychologists also help people who have emotional disorders or

Psychology is the study of the mind, its biology, and behavior if the individual. The father of psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, used objective measurement and controlled analyzing to find and emphasize separation between psychology and philosophy (McLeod). Wundt opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879, using his background in physiology to study reactions and sensations (McLeod). There is no doubt that he, along with the later help of Sigmund Freud, launched what is now modern psychology. Psychology and its research helped the world understand the inner workings of the mind and how it affects everyone around us.