The Capstone Project

FIELDS OF PSYCHOLOGY

Cassandra Howery

American Public University

Dr. Thomas

Professional Careers and Education in Psychology

June 22nd, 2015

Psychology is the science of behavior and mental processes. Over half of the number of psychologists are actively engaged in the practice so as to help people with various mental and nervous problems while the rest perform other professional activities. There is a big difference between psychiatry and psychology, but both require a degree to practice. There are four approaches to the psychology subject matter. The biological perspective focuses on the nervous system; the cognitive approach emphasizes the processing of information in the mind and the behavioral approach measures the activity of a person and how he responds to his environment. The last approach is the phenomenological approach that studies things as they appear to individuals.

According to (Toomela & Valsiner, 2010), there are various fields in psychology namely clinical, community, counseling, developmental, educational, environmental, experimental, forensic, industrial, social and school psychology. The largest psychology specialty is clinical psychology. A clinical psychologist helps emotionally and mentally disturbed patients to adjust to everyday life or surgical patients in physical rehabilitation centers. Patients that require clinical psychology are those suffering from spinal cord injuries, stroke, arthritis, and neurological conditions. A clinical psychologist can also help with a personal crisis such as the death of a loved one, divorce or death. He/she can also develop and implement treatment and programs that the patients are required to follow. Clinical psychologists can also train graduate students in medical schools to deliver mental health and services as well as administer community health programs.

Community psychologist focuses on social issues, institutions and other factors that influence individuals and organizations by focusing on the person-environment interactions, and how the community impacts on the functioning of an individual. Counseling psychology focuses on the developmental approach. In this case, a professional counselor helps clients to overcome challenges they face through support and therapy. This form of therapy is very important in human development. Development psychology is the study of physiological, social and cognitive development through all stages of life. This also includes the study of developmental disabilities and their consequences. With this knowledge, studies can be carried out to develop ways to assist old people to remain independent as long as possible.

Education psychologists study student’s characteristics, their learning outcomes, and institutional processes so as to establish where there is an academic or behavioral problem among the teachers or parents. Information gathered can also be used to evaluate students thinking and assessing weaknesses and strengths. School psychologist are trained to work on children and teachers so as to make the schooling experience more rewarding. The science of psychology is applied in forensic psychology so as to combat crime, establish rehabilitation programs in prisons and courtroom dynamics and select candidate for police force. Psychology knowledge is used to treat mentally ill offenders and analyze a criminal’s intent and mind. Industrial and organization psychology helps to create strategy to make better staffing and workforce development decisions.

As maintained by (Helms & Rogers, 2015), the minimum requirement for a psychologist is a graduate degree after which the graduate is required to meet professional standards for certification and a practicing license. After one gets a license, he needs to complete a supervised residency, internship or experience. School and industrial-organizational psychologists require specialist degrees or masters’ degrees, while clinical, counseling, research and counseling psychologists require doctorate degrees. Psychologists have analytical, problem solving, observational and communication skills and are also competent with client data, statistical, test scoring and scheduling software.

Since psychology has diverse professions, there is a wide range of potential salary earnings. Some of these fields are lucrative and can even fetch up to quarter a million dollars annually. As written in (Occupational outlook handbook 2014-2015), one of the highest paid fields is that of a psychiatrist and with a mean annual salary of $177, 520, which is about $85.35 as mean hourly wage. These positions require intense dedication, specialty degree, four-year residency, four years of practice in the field and approval from a psychology and neurology examination board. It is, therefore, clear that a psychiatrist must have a deep desire to help people with mental illnesses.

Industrial-organizational psychologists use their expertise to improve overall performance in a workplace by boosting efficiency and productivity. They are also involved in business administration, marketing, human resource and employee training. This field is suitable for students who are fascinated by business and statistics and enjoy research. Job and salary for this field increases when an individual gains a masters degree. On average, an industrial organizational psychologist earns a mean annual wage of $98, 900, that is, a mean hourly wage $47.50.

A neuropsychologist specializes in the study of cognition and the human brain; including the study of how different drugs affect the nervous system and mental processes of learning and cognition. The average annual salary is $86, 645. Another lucrative field is engineering psychology that focuses on improving machinery, technology that in turn enhances human behavior by understanding abilities and limitation of human and adjusting the factory’s systems accordingly. By minimizing risks and fatal errors in the workplace, they are able to save the lives of the workers. The engineering psychologists begin to work with a master’s degree but can expand chances for higher salaries and employment by getting a doctorate. Engineering psychologists earn between $48,000 and $ 75, 367 depending on the expertise and area of employment.

A clinical psychologist can find employment in private practice, schools, mental health clinics, inpatient and outpatient centers, and government hospitals. In most cases, clinical psychologist are required to have a doctorate degree, pass a licensing examination, and complete a supervised residency. A clinical psychologist earns approximately $72,220 annually with a $34.72 hourly wage rate. Psychologists’ salaries may vary depending on the years of expertise, location of employment, industry sector, and the level of education qualification. In the current state of the economy, students interested in a rewarding career and a good income should consider pursuing one of these psychology professions.

I have learned that a psychologists’ work is draining and stressful and, therefore, one must learn how to separate work and personal life. Psychologists on call must deal with issues of the clients at very inconvenient times.

Psychologists help patients to overcome behavioral and emotional problems and develop and implement treatment plans. They also engage in further research of the human mind and nervous system and study the human behavior in different environments. They are driven by the ability to improve human life by helping different people overcome their challenges.

One of the most common psychological disorders among the elderly is dementia. Despite having excellent physical health, a 99-year-old man is most likely to have bad short term memory and an average long-term memory. For example, when he meets a new person, he keeps asking for the name of that person repeatedly and, therefore, living with a person suffering from dementia requires a lot of patience. The advantage of this is that patients with dementia live in the moment and are less likely to hold on to anger (Chapter 2). On the downside, patients require home health care and feel like strangers in their homes. Most progressive stages of dementia cannot be cured, but psychologists manage the condition by administering medications and recommending medicine that reduce neuro-degeneration. These medications prevent symptoms of the disease from getting worse. Unfortunately, dementia patients are likely to suffer from depression and therefore the psychologist can prescribe anti-depressants and more importantly, provide support and care to the patients.

References

Helms, J. L., & Rogers, D. T. (2015). Majoring in psychology: Achieving your educational and career goals. 138

Plotnik, R., & Kouyoumjian, H. (2011). Introduction to psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. 158

Top of Form

Toomela, A., & Valsiner, J. (2010). Methodological thinking in psychology: 60 years gone astray?. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub.

Top of Form

United States. (2014). Occupational outlook handbook 2014-2015. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.

Top of Form

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form

Bottom of Form