Intro
Psychologists are non-medical doctors who spend their careers studying human behavior and mental processes. They do this through direct observation and by looking for patterns of behavior that will help them understand why people act as they do. If you want a career that will help you identify people's reasons for their behavior and will allow you to help those in crisis change their behavior, you may want to become a psychologist.
Psychology is a huge field, and the duties of a psychologist vary widely depending upon the doctor's credentials and specialty. Psychologists often find their jobs highly rewarding, but if you want to work as a psychologist it's important to have the right education and qualifications. While people often confuse psychologists with counselors, a person can become a counselor with only a Master's degree - but you'll need a doctoral degree to obtain your psychologist's license. Follow this link to find a great accredited online psychology Master's degree program. You can also find online PhD psychology degrees and other degree programs.
Career Overview
Psychology careers cover a wide range of specialties, including forensic psychology, clinical psychology, social psychology, and more. Psychologists work in a number of different environments, including clinics, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. They may also work in universities or hospitals, or may work for social service organizations. Skilled psychologists and psychotherapists may also be employed as consultants for management or marketing firms, or may work as corporate trainers. A large number of psychologists are self-employed. Salaries for psychologists vary widely; the base salary for some social psychologists starts at around $40,000 while a PhD with an established practice can easily make over $80,000/year. Salaries also vary by geographical region; a psychologist in MA can expect a different pay rate from one in NC or CA, for example.
Psychologists are broken down into a few major categories. Clinical psychologists are the largest group, and they typically work in counseling centers, hospitals, and clinics. They may also work in rehabilitation centers. Developmental psychologists specialize in the changes that occur throughout life. They may choose to work with children, the elderly, or those with developmental difficulties and often work for organizations such as PSCH, Inc., which caters to these populations. Counseling psychologists help people deal with the difficulties of everyday living. They may work in drug rehab centers, university clinics, job retraining centers, and other areas where people may be undergoing major life changes. Industrial-organizational psychologists apply psychological principles to the workplace; they may work in employee assistance programs or in industries where there is a high degree of stress. School psychologists work in elementary, middle and high schools to help children cope with the pressures of growing up; child psychology is a huge sub-discipline within the field. If you choose this specialty, your course work will involve numerous child development classes. You can also choose one of the increasingly popular online degrees in psychology and social work (or social psychology) and study group behavior or cultural attitudes and perception, or as an experimental or research psychologist and conduct research in a university or in an industrial, governmental, or non-profit setting.
While it's helpful to decide upon a specialty early on in your education, it's not necessary. Once you learn psychology, you'll find that many of the base skills are transferable, and you'll decide upon a specialty as you work toward your postgraduate degrees. You'll also find that psychologists are in demand throughout the United States, and you can find work from Chicaco, Illinois to NYC or from the West Coast to Georgia or South Florida.
Educational Requirements
There are several accredited online schools of psychology which can help you achieve your goal of becoming a psychologist. Top-rated online psychology colleges offer everything from basic online psychology classes which are approved by the APA to full doctor of psychology online diplomas.
Regardless of the discipline, an education in psychology will begin with obtaining a Bachelor's degree. In most cases, you'll want to graduate with a psychology major, but you can still apply for a Master's degree program if your Bachelor's degree is in another subject. Once you have your Bachelor's degree, it will be important for you to gain some field experience - as a research assistant or as an assistant in a medical health clinic, for example. This will help you choose a specialty and is an important part of the process of learning psychology, as it gives you valuable insight into how psychologists work with their clients. Online psychology programs will work with you to identify organizations, hospitals, or clinics in your area that are accepting research or other assistants.
At this point, you'll be ready to select a graduate psychology program and to complete your internship. Psychology can be a very competitive field, so you'll have to have a strong GPA and a record of paid or volunteer field experience. Although it takes a long time to obtain a psychology degree, it's definitely worth it in the long run! You'll be working in a career that you love and devoting your time to helping others resolve their problems.
If you're interested in pursuing a psychology degree, then why not take the next step and learn more? Clicking below, you will find numerous options for online psychology schools where you can get everything from a Bachelor's to a Master's degree in psychology. If you want a PhD in psychology, you'll be glad to know that you can also easily find distance education PhD programs in psychology that are fully accredited and which have flexible scheduling and tuition payment plans. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can be on your way to becoming a psychotherapist, child psychologist, clinical psychologist, or any other type of psychologist - the choice is yours. Start your journey today!