Psychologist

This career is for a person with an analytical mind and strong communication skills. A psychologist should have a tolerant, subtle, methodical & mature personality. He should be understanding and ethical by nature. Difficult situations are encountered by a psychologist on a regular basis; therefore, he must be able to handle them well.

Ethics come into play when decisions are required regarding what’s wrong and right. Decision making skills are crucial in this profession. Since psychologists work alongside other professionals like doctors, nurses & assistants, good teamwork is imperative. The job involves interaction with individuals, couples, families and groups which requires attributes like intelligence, problem solving capabilities, creative thinking, reliability & sensitivity.

To sum it up, a psychologist should be able to accept individuals from all strata of society and show an interest in people and the problems they face in life.

Psychologists study, analyze & assess people and their behavior. Their focus is on the human mind and the physiology & processes associated with the brain. They can work in either research, medical, clinical or diagnostic fields. The most popular area of specialization is clinical psychology. Others include school counseling, social, forensic, research, educational and industrial psychology.

Research psychologists focus on subspecialties of psychology like cognition, personality, social behaviors & neuroscience. Counseling psychologists help people deal with personal crisis and give advice on how to improve everyday life. School psychologists try to detect & resolve students’ learning and behavioral problems. Industrial psychologists deal with issues in the workplace including employee sexual harassment & discrimination. Forensic psychologists assess and interpret the minds of criminals & work closely with the police, lawyers & judges. All of these fields involve extensive research & analysis on human behavior to find out ways to curb & prevent all kinds of objectionable behavior patterns.

Responsibilities of a psychologist include contributing to research & analysis, meeting with patients, couples, families or groups to discuss their problems in a systematic way & providing help and advice in resolving mental health issues. Ethical boundaries must be abided by at all times, including patient confidentiality and maintaining professional distance.

Psychologists use techniques and tools like interviews, questionnaires, scales, tests, & workshops for their work. After a diagnosis, they must provide appropriate treatment options & decide on the best course of action. They should be able to think about long term prevention, and how the particular individual can benefit from being a productive member in society.

Qualification requirements vary according to different specialties. In order to become a clinical or counseling psychologist, a doctoral degree is necessary. This can either be a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. degree which usually takes 5 to 7 years. Additionally, clinical psychologists need one to three years of supervised clinical training & experience.

Other specialties require a graduate or master’s degree, for example, a school psychologist must have done 3 years in graduate school and a 1 year internship. The competition to get into graduate psychology programs is fierce. Clinical, counseling or school psychologists often require a license to be able to fully practice their field.

In the U.K., the wages for clinical psychologists range from £28,313 to £37,326 per year. Senior clinical psychologists can expect to earn between £36,112 and £43,335.

In the U.S., in 2009, clinical, counseling and school psychologists earned an average salary of $66,040 per year while industrial psychologists earned $83,260. Psychologists who have specialized and those working in the private sector earn considerably more.

In India, a psychologist earns between Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 1,200,000 depending on specialty, location and popularity. In a private hospital, a fresh clinical psychologist with an MPhil degree can draw about Rs. 30,000 a month. However, much depends on your expertise

Working conditions in this career vary according to different fields. Most psychologists work in their own office space but some may be required to visit hospitals, prisons, schools, rehabilitation centers, community clinics, etc. They will be expected to work 8-9 hours a day and sometimes asked to be on call, if they are clinical psychologists.

Risks of working in this field should be evaluated beforehand because psychologists encounter highly unstable patients who may be violent or abusive in behavior. Clinical psychology is therefore quite intense and may be distressing for some sensitive individuals.

Although most psychologists work independently, sometimes they must work as a team with other professionals like doctors, nurses, scientists, lawyers and other personnel.

Personal satisfaction by being able to help people in their times of trouble gives a sense of fulfillment. Interaction with different kinds of people makes the job less mundane. There is a great deal of flexibility in work schedules especially with your own practice.

Self employed psychologists can own and manage their own business and have full control over their affairs. There is a potential to earn high salaries in this profession, and it provides challenges and calls for creative thinking. Psychologists also enjoy having a high status in society in which they’re well recognized and respected.

A bachelor’s degree usually gets you nowhere in this career. A master’s or graduate degree may prove to be an arduous and expensive ordeal. The work can be stressful and emotionally draining especially when dealing with difficult & unstable clients. Accumulated feelings of guilt & helplessness may compromise on the happiness of the psychologist himself.

Paperwork, billing & insurance issues can be a hassle particularly if self employed. It may take time to establish a footing in this career & set up a client database. Unexpected situations will lead to erratic working hours.

Employment opportunities are estimated to grow between 10 and 20% by 2010, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Opportunities are especially on the rise for those with a graduate/master’s degree. Some specialties like school, industrial and clinical psychologies are rapidly expanding, hence necessitating the need for more trained professionals.

Job outlook on the other hand will vary by specialty. In 2008, psychologists accounted for approximately 170,000 jobs. 29% of these were in counseling, administration in school, and research. 21% worked as clinical psychologists.

Job opportunities exist in virtually every country. Europe, USA, New Zealand & Australia are popular places to try out for research and scholarships. Chances are especially bright in third world countries due to a lack of psychologists.

Though you may opt for any subject combination in Class 11 and Class 12 to be eligible for a bachelor's in psychology, it’s considered preferable to take science (physics, chemistry, biology) with psychology. (Some schools offer psychology in senior school.) After that, do your bachelor’s and master’s in psychology and/or a PG diploma in guidance and counselling.

For better career prospects, you may do an MPhil and/or a PhD. Those wanting to work with disabled children require a licence from Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) or an equivalent qualification in special education. To work in hospitals, you need an MPhil/ PhD from national-level or international recognised institutes