If you have ever thought about becoming a psychologist, then this article is for you. You'll learn everything you have ever wanted to know about becoming a psychologist, where psychologists work, how much money they earn, what kind of additional in-service training they need, how you can become a psychologist, some of the dangers involved in the job, when you can expect to retire and how you can make a difference in the lives of the people you serve.
It can be pretty emotionally demanding, but it is also very gratifying to have people open up their lives to you.
They can conduct research, perform examinations with patients, become counselors in a private field or even educators, and write reports. It all depends on which field they decide to work in.
If they work in a private field where they are their own bosses, they have to accommodate patients with evening or weekend hours. They most likely will have to listen to patients talk about their problems and help with finding solutions and treatments. Writing reports is also required to keep track with every patient's journey. Psychologists that decide to work in the social field will, often times, have to help with family problems or problems related to marriages. A psychologist that works in schools will frequently work with children suffering from behavioural, attention, hyperactivity, and learning disorders. A government or corporate psychologist, by contrast, works in a more structured environment. Their hours are fixed and they often work alone. There’s an occasional conference that takes them away from writing reports.
They can work several places, such as schools, hospitals, private clinics, and research facilities.
You have to spend many years studying to become a psychologist. A Ph.D. will enable you to work in the widest range of positions, and doing graduate work toward a doctoral degree consumes between five and seven years. Those five to seven years are dedicated to obtaining your bachelor's and master's degree. Obtaining your Ph.D. relies on completing a dissertation based on research you conduct yourself. Before you begin this research, you must complete courses in quantitative research methods, statistics, and computers. If you want to work in a clinical or counseling setting, you will begin to work with patients under supervision before the degree is completed, and at least another year of supervised work experience is required afterward. A membership in the Quebec Order of Psychologists is also required. You also need 2300 hours of supervised practical experience as part of the doctoral program in psychology. Without a doctoral degree you can find job options within psychology, but these positions will always require supervision by psychologists who have obtained their doctorates. If you have a master’s degree, you can work as an assistant and may administer tests, conduct research and psychological evaluations, and counsel certain patients. The master’s degree requires a minimum of two years of full-time study and a one-year internship. Those with only a bachelor’s degree in psychology have more limited options. They can work as assistants to psychologists and other mental health professionals.
The hourly wage of a psychologist is between 30 and 50 dollars an hour.
Psychologists need 2300 hours of supervised practical experience as part of the doctoral program in psychology. Once they become unsupervised practicing psychologists, they don't need any more training.
Hearing about everyone's problems every day can be quite draining and emotionally overwhelming. Most of the time, psychologists work with people that are dealing with a lot of negative stuff and this can very well affect the psychologist.
Robots will not replace psychologists because patients need human contact and the empathy of a real person to truly open up and share their feelings. Robots cannot understand human feelings and therefore cannot help humans in this field.
They often retire at 60. During their career, psychologists will have gained a bunch of knowledge about emotions and behaviors. By the time they retire, psychologists will have changed so many people's lives for the better.
Personally, I am still completing my college degree. Then, I have to complete my bachelor's and master's degree, and complete my doctorate. My goal is to persevere through the several years in school I have left.
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: research journal
Date: custom
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: no sources cited