If you have ever thought of becoming a psychologist, then this article is for you. You'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about becoming a psychologist, where psychologists work, how much they get paid, 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 is a very demanding job, but it's a really nice job as well.
Psychologists study all aspects of the mind by doing research and performing examinations.
They meet with their patients and help them feel better while giving them some genuine advice to help them overcome their problems. They also do some research during the day and file some paperwork.
Some psychologists work primarily as researchers and faculty at universities and at governmental and non-governmental organizations. Others work primarily as practitioners in hospitals, schools, clinics, correctional facilities, employee assistance programs and private offices.
To become a psychologist you have to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Then, you must attend graduate school and obtain a master’s degree and/or doctoral degree. When you reach the master’s degree level, you can either obtain a master of arts (M.A.) or a master of science (M.Sc.). When you reach the Ph.D. level (doctoral degree), you can either obtain a Ph.D. in clinical or experimental psychology, or a Psy.D.
It depends on what type of psychologist you are and your experience or workplace. However, the median salary as of 2019 was $80,370 with an hourly wage of $38.64. But, for example, if you are a counseling psychologist, in Canada, you have quite a wide range in terms of salary, ranging from $29-$36 per hour and a salary that ranges from $43k to $173k each year. If you become a neuropsychologist, your salary is at an average of $91k per year, but may also range between $67k to $121k per year, depending on your experience and level of education (in Canada). If you become a clinical psychologist, your salary is at an average of $78k per year, ranging from $50k to $209k per year that is determined by experience and how many patients you may have.
Once again, it depends on what type of psychologist you want to become. For example, counseling and clinical Psychology programs also require an internship that usually lasts one to two years. For a master's degree in psychology, it requires at least two years of graduate level coursework beyond the undergraduate level.
The dangers of being a psychologist are numerous. The stress of their role, as professionals working with people in distress, the demands and importance of clinical and professional responsibility, varied and often quickly shifting role demands, the challenge of managing the intimate, confidential and nonreciprocal nature of the client/therapist relationship, isolation in the work context, role characteristics that make psychologists prone to burnout (e.g., responsibility for people vs. things, limited control over outcomes, limited resources, high level of involvement), vulnerability to vicarious traumatization from emphatic engagement with traumatized clients, the changing standards in the profession (e.g. decreased support for psychotherapy, an increased intrusion of legal and business concerns into therapeutic practice, increased documentation requirements), the stress related to the business of practice (e.g. decreasing revenue and autonomy, managed care demands), the interactions between personal stresses and the demands of our work, utilizing the person of the therapist as a therapeutic tool, the heightened risk of suicide among male psychologists, and many more!!
The chances that psychologists will be replaced by robots is 0.43%.
The average retirement age for a psychologist is around 60 to 65 years old in almost every country.
As you can see, in order to become a psychologist, you will have to obtain a bachelor's degree in psychology and then obtain a master's degree and/or a doctoral degree, on the job training, patience and to be able to understand what somebody is living in order to guide and help them.