Career in Psychology

Career in Psychology

Psychologists use scientific methods to study the factors that influence the way people think, feel and learn. They help people overcome challenges and improve different aspects of their lives. People deal with various challenges such as relationship problems, eating disorders, learning problems, substance abuse, parenting issues, and even managing the effects of chronic illness.

A psychologist’s duties include collecting information through observations, interviews, surveys and other methods. S/he researches and identifies emotional patterns, and writes articles, research papers, and reports to share findings and educate others. It is also a psychologist’s job to come up with an individualised treatment plan for each patient and to modify it as necessary over time depending on the patient’s progress.

What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

Psychiatrists are trained medical doctors. They can prescribe medications and they spend much of their time with patients on medication management as a course of treatment. Psychologists focus extensively on psychotherapy and treating emotional and mental suffering in patients through behavioural interventions.

How can one become a psychologist in India?

Psychology is a fascinating field that combines the love for understanding human nature with helping other people. People have become very aware of its importance in recent times.

Becoming a Psychologist in India involves 4 stages with the right set of course. Even if you are not able to crack a top college, and you have the skills, you can make it big. If you have the passion and skills, you will rise and shine!

To be eligible to join a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, one should have completed 10+2 with psychology as one of the subjects. Some school provide Psychology with Commerce and PCB as well. Candidates have to appear in entrance tests conducted by various educational institutes.

After completing a 3-year long Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) in Psychology or Applied Psychology, there is specialisation at the postgraduate level, where one can get an MA or MSc in Psychology/Applied Psychology. specializations available at masters: Clinical Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Social Psychology, Health Psychology, Counselling Psychology, Sports Psychology, Educational Psychology, Consumer Psychology, Forensic Psychology.

After completing post-graduation, one can go for a job in private or state-run nursing homes or hospitals.

Otherwise, a Psychologist can also start her/his own clinic. Further, one can attain specialisation by doing an MPhil/PhD degree in Clinical Psychology/Educational Psychology/Rehabilitation Psychology (2 years) or get a Diploma in Counselling Psychology (1 year)

It is advised to get registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India to practise legally as a counsellor.

Apart from getting a theoretical education, Psychologists also go through practical training courses through attachments with hospitals.

Some of the subjects and specialisations are:

Developmental Psychology: Includes, child psychology, adolescence, ageing-related diseases etc.

Clinical Psychology: Looks into diagnosis and treatment of mental or emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression.

Cognitive Psychology: Looks into learning, perception, emotion, memory, decision making and other crucial aspects of the human brain

Social Psychology: Looks into how individual human behaviour is affected by society, interpersonal relationships and group dynamics. Includes, Psycho economics, Political Psychology etc.

Criminal Psychology: Looks into thoughts, will, intentions and morals(!) of criminals. Includes studying Psychopaths.

Statistics: includes numerical application. The students interested in the field of Research need to have in-depth knowledge of the subject. It takes students deeper into using mathematical concepts to design experiments, analyse data, determine probabilities, factor in sampling error, establish probability, and examine correlation and regression.

Fields in psychology

Counsellors are required in NGOs, Rehabilitation Centres, Career counselling centres etc.

Clinical Psychologists are in great demand, though they are not paid for the efforts they put in during their educational years. It is also required to complete their MPhil before they start to practice independently.

Organizational Psychologists are in great demand and they work in big MNCs and organizations. They can also work in the HR department.

Research: Both qualitative and quantitative research are promising areas and there is an increasing demand in the area. From IITs to AIIMs, all require a psychologist to help them with their research.

Good colleges/universities in Mumbai/Pune:

Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS (Mumbai)

Fergusson College (Pune)

The various benefits of choosing psychology as a career include:

·        Demand for Psychology is on a rise, and more and more job opportunities will be created.

·        The work is fun, rewarding as well as challenging.

·        It helps you to create a positive difference in people around.

Career options in Psychology

Given that psychology touches every facet of life, psychologists can channel their individual interests into any number of career paths. Following are three of the primary fields in the psychology profession, along with some of the specific jobs available in each area.

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

This is the largest branch of psychology. While sharing many similarities with counselling psychology, clinical psychology tends to deal with more severe mental issues by looking at the causes of mental illness and prescribing appropriate treatment. Basic topics include abnormal psychology and cognitive psychology. Graduates will need to be licensed by their state to diagnose and treat patients.

CLINICAL & COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGISTS

Not to be confused with psychiatrists, clinical psychologists work with individuals experiencing sudden emotional difficulties by employing a variety of methods for treatment. They often work in hospitals or mental health facilities, but can also have their own practices.

Clinical and counselling psychologists work with people who have mental, behavioural and emotional problems. The focus is on the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental health problems; psychologists in this field generally work in private practice or hospitals.

The field seeks to improve peoples’ ability to cope and function through all stages of their lives. Students in this field take foundational psychology courses before selecting graduate-level classes geared toward their chosen profession.

SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR

Professionals in this career work with individuals struggling with addiction, with the ultimate goal of helping patients break those behaviours so they can lead fulfilling lives.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST

These psychologists treat individuals, couples and families who are working through relationship problems, by addressing both individual issues and the relationship as a whole.They are trained in both psychotherapy and family systems. They diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders occurring within families and help individuals attain long-term wellbeing within their relationships. Marriage and family therapists hold a graduate degree in the field plus at least two years of hands-on clinical experience

EDUCATION &SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

School psychologists work in a school setting with parents, teachers, and students of all ages to correct behavioural and emotional issues, thereby improving not only students’ mental health but also their academic performance.

School psychologists work within the educational system to diagnose and treat behaviour and learning problems in children They often work in collaboration with other professionals, including teachers and doctors as well as parents to help kids overcome social, emotional, behavioural, and academic problems.

CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST

These psychologists are trained to work specifically with children experiencing a different range of emotional and developmental issues than adults. As with other clinical psychologists, they are either practitioners or researchers.

The mental and psychological development of children and adolescents, and its influence on emotional or developmental problems, is the focus of child psychologists, who may specialize in a specific age group, such as infants, toddlers, or teenagers.

GEROPSYCHOLOGISTS

Working with older clients, geropsychologists determine if patients are competent to make their own legal and medical decisions; diagnose mental disorders common to this population, such as dementia; and help seniors cope with the deaths of partners and friends.

CLINICAL FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGISTS

Clinical forensic psychologists use their psychological expertise in the legal arena. Their duties may include testifying in court; interviewing people who are charged with crimes to determine if they have a mental illness; and screening law enforcement applicants.Some of the duties that a professional in this field might perform include developing psychological profiles of criminals, dealing with child custody issues, investigating child abuse, providing expert testimony, preparing witnesses to testify in court, and offering training to law enforcement.

Psychologists in this occupation are typically employed by prisons or by police departments to analyse the behaviour of convicted or accused criminals, respectively. Those working in corrections facilities are charged with rehabilitating inmates for release.

BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

Behavioural health counsellors treat patients with problems such as anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, and depression. They practice from the assumption that human behaviour is learned—and can be modified—through environmental influences. Professionals in this subsection of the field work with patients to understand and change negative behaviours, such as addiction.

INDUSTRIAL-ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS

These psychologists work with companies to create policies within workplaces to increase employee productivity and satisfaction.Industrial-organizational psychologists apply their expertise to issues in the workplace, typically helping companies create policies, screen job candidates, or address problems in the workplace. They may also work as corporate trainers.

Industrial-organisational psychologists use their knowledge of psychology to tackle workplace issues.  Increasing worker productivity, selecting the best employees for particular jobs, and developing market research surveys are just a few of the things that an industrial-organizational psychologist might do.

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY

This branch of psychology is interdisciplinary because it ties in with subjects such as neuroscience and linguistics. It is primarily concerned with how people’s brains work, including how they learn new information, remember it, and think about it.

PSYCHOLINGUIST

Psycholinguists study how people acquire, create, and understand language. Most psycholinguists work as teachers or researchers at universities, but depending on their training and certifications, they may also work with hospitals, in private practice or as speech therapists.

HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEER

These psychologists are also engineers, applying psychological principles to the design of objects and environments to optimize human performance.

ACADEMIC/RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGISTS

Academic and research psychologist help to expand the knowledge base of the field by using the scientific method to address specific psychological topics, a process that entails creating a testable hypothesis, collecting data, and analysing and reporting findings. In addition, these kinds of psychologists work as teachers, generally at the college level.

PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSORS

Psychology professors help train the next generation of professionals by creating and shaping course curricula, as well as by teaching and advising students directly. They may also be involved in research projects.

RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGISTS

These psychologists conduct studies on a wide range of psychological topics. Their duties may include conducting interviews, creating questionnaires, and presenting papers at professional conferences.

LAB MANAGERS

Lab managers oversee operations in a laboratory as research is being conducted. This job entails tracking the equipment in a lab, training assistants, and ensuring that the workplace is safe.

ENGINEERING PSYCHOLOGISTS

work to improve the design of systems, operations, and equipment in order to increase efficiency, improve productivity, and minimize injury. As with other specialty areas of psychology, the area of employment plays a major role in determining salary. Engineering psychologists who work in the private sector earn considerably more than those employed in university settings.

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGISTS

Sports psychologists are interested in the psychological components of sports and athletics.9 Professionals in this field often focus on topics such as motivation and athletic performance, utilizing their knowledge of psychology to help athletes perform better or to help people recover from sports injuries.

You know, the best thing for being a psychologist is that you should love to understand people, their problems and trying your best to help them. You should feel like they are someone very close like your family so that you can understand them with all your knowledge.