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Psychology as a career, Article by Dr. Arvind Otta—UPS Education

All of us are living in times of high educational and professional expectations. Students, not only faces stress generated by high achievement expectations for themselves but they all bear the pressure from the parents and teachers. A peer pressure to achieve more and more which is otherwise taken on a positive note generates a different level of complexity among the students nowadays. This does not happen only with the children but also the parents face this issue. Life has become so busy for everyone that it is really very difficult to sit and talk with the family. Family life, professional life, and even love life is affected due to the effects of much digitalization and urbanization, or better to say, nuclear family trends. Everyone lives a stressful life which is giving a rise to the rates of suicide, increasing cases of mental health illnesses.

According to a report by WHO published in 2010, depression will be the leading cause of diseases until 2020. If the current scenario in India is considered, are we really equipped to counter this problem? This is another epidemic that is predicted really early and can be sorted out, only if, the people become sensitized enough. There is really a huge discrepancy between the number of trained psychologists and the number of mental health patients in India. So, we can predict a huge demand for psychology professionals in the near future. Let’s take a look at what different fields or streams are available for students pursuing or desiring to pursue psychology as a career.

What all different types of Psychologists do is another important question for the students who want to flourish themselves as a psychologist, which is often left unanswered and remains a puzzle for most of them. Here, making students familiar with different jobs available in the psychology field is important.

Developmental Psychologist

Developmental Psychologist attempts to explain the development of humans over time. Both in the micro sense as they develop from babies into mature adults and in the macro sense as culture itself evolves over the years and decades. The minimum education qualification is a Ph.D. in Psychology. One must have excellent communication skills appropriate for all ages, positivity, critical thinking skills, etc. As a developmental psychologist, an individual can work in hospitals, mental health facilities, nursing homes, assisted living homes, universities and colleges, government agencies, survey research companies, welfare agencies, teen clinics, psychiatric clinics, substance abuse, and drug prevention clinics.

Counseling psychologists

Counseling psychologists help those individuals who have some kind of stress in their life. Many people struggle to cope properly with stress, career-related issues, depression and anxiety, and relationship-related problems. So, they seek these kinds of services and they try to consult with counseling psychologists. These specialists meet with individuals and groups to help people cope with all these kinds of problems and they try to enhance the skills of individuals who have these problems. The Minimum educational qualification required is MA or MSc in psychology. Students must have up to the mark problem-solving abilities for their clients, patients, or for those people who have these types of problems. A counseling psychologist works in substance abuse rehabilitation facilities, hospitals and medical clinics, community centers, colleges, universities.

Health psychologists

Health psychologists observe how behavior, biology, and social context influence illness and health. They generally work along with other medical professionals in the clinical setting. Health Psychologists guide our lifestyle to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. So, these days Health Psychology is a dominant profession. The minimum educational qualification is MA or MSc in psychology. Analytical skills, writing, critical thinking, teaching, mentoring, collaboration are a few important skills you must have. A Health Psychologist works in hospitals, health care clinics, public health agencies, pain management centers, community centers, private companies, academic institutions, etc.

Social Psychologists

Social Psychologists focus on the psychological aspect of individuals within a community environment. Community psychologists or social psychologists explore characteristics such as interdependence, adaptation, diplomacy, empowerment, social justice, etc. It is also referred to as critical psychology. If someone wants to be a Social psychologist, you should have a Ph.D. in psychology but this is not mandatory, but Ph.D. psych is a degree that you must have. They can work as a human resource specialist, political strategist, public relations specialist, a marketing director in various organizations. You can choose according to your interest.

Industrial psychologists

Industrial psychologists address practical problems in the workplace through the application of psychological principles. Industrial Psychologists are also called organizational psychologists and are employed by companies to administer tests that measure employment aptitude or skills in hiring and placement programs. They also work for economics. They try to improve the relationship between humans and machines. MA in psychology with Industrial Psychology specialization is the minimum requirement to be an Industrial Psychologist. The individual must have Emotional Intelligence, effective communication skills to be an Industrial Psychologists. As an Industrial Psychologist, one can work as an Industrial organization consultant, behavioral analyst, HR organizational specialist, talent management specialist, etc.

Forensic Psychologists

Forensic Psychologists apply psychology to law-making, law enforcement, and examination of witnesses and treatment of criminals. It is also known as legal psychology. To be a forensic psychologist, the individual must have a Ph.D. in psychology. The key skills required are a genuine interest in the cause of criminal behavior, critical thinking and aptitude for problem-solving, I.T. skills, awareness of cultural and social issues, etc. As a Forensic Psychologist, the aspirant can become a psychology researcher, victim advocate, expert witness, you can work with magistrates, policing agencies, etc.

Cognitive psychologist

Cognitive psychologist deals with mental processes such as thoughts, memories, and problem-solving. If someone wants to be a Cognitive psychologist, one needs to understand all the things mentioned above. In essence, it is concerned with the problem-solving capabilities of the brain. A Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization is a basic requirement to be a Cognitive Psychologist. The person must have analytical skills, writing skills, teaching skills, critical thinking skills. A Cognitive Psychologist can work in universities, government agencies, counseling centers, resource centers, or as a researcher.

Educational Psychologists

Educational Psychologists scientifically study human behavior in the education setting. It deals with issues such as learning disorders, adolescent behavior, etc. These studies focus primarily on the different developmental stages of children and teenagers. If you want to be an Educational Psychologist, you must have an MA or MSc in psychology. An Educational Psychologist must have skills such as communication skills, listening skills, developing a rapport with diverse age groups from children to adolescents. They work in schools, as a professor or lecturer in college, college or school counselors, education counselor, etc. according to their personal interests.

Bio-psychologists

Bio-psychologists try to understand the role of the brain and neurotransmitters in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It combines neuroscience and the study of psychology, which are two different branches of biology and psychology. Students need to study biological perspectives to understand the behavior and thoughts of individuals. The minimum educational qualification is a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. If someone wants to be a Bio-psychologist, this is the desirable level of education. Other skills they must have were teaching aptitude, critical thinking, mentoring, and collaboration skills. As a bio-psychologist, one can work as a research assistant, lecturer or professor, scientific researcher, counselor in a mental health setting, counselor in NGOs, and different organizations.

Clinical psychologists

Clinical psychologists work with those individuals who have a mental illness. They diagnose individuals and provide therapy and counseling. The minimum education qualification is MPhil in psychology or PsyD or Ph.D. in clinical psychology. After completion of MPhil or PsyD, one can apply for an RCI license. A clinical psychologist must have good communication skills, patience to deal with different kinds of people. A clinical psychologist work in hospitals, NGOs, can start their own clinic, work in schools, with defense, etc.

Graduation in Psychology is the first step toward becoming a Clinical Psychologist but if someone does not have a BA / BSc in Psychology then also, they can start studying Psychology from Master’s level. Few Universities offers MA/ MSc Psychology to those students who are non-Psychology Student. After completion of the Master in Psychology candidate may choose anyone from the following course:

• Professional Diploma in Clinical Psychology is a full-time one-year course. The candidates on successful completion of the course get a license from RCI of Clinical Psychologist (Associate).

• MPhil in Clinical Psychology is a 2 Year full-time program. The candidates on successful completion of the course get a license from RCI of Clinical Psychologist.

• PsyD in Clinical Psychology is a 4 Year Program but the candidate already registered with RCI as a clinical psychologist following a 2-year MPhil clinical psychology degree, should join the Third Year of the PsyD Program and can complete PsyD in 2 Year.

It is suggested to pursue MPhil in Clinical Psychology instead of PsyD in Clinical Psychology as there are only a few seats available for PsyD in India and most of the institutions ask for a degree of MPhil Clinical Psychology as an eligibility criterion for granting admission in PsyD in Clinical Psychology. So, it’s better to complete MPhil in Clinical Psychology, after it the aspiring candidates can obviously opt for a PsyD or Ph.D. for a doctorate level of degree.

Although, one must not get confused between Ph.D. and PsyD as both of these degrees have an entirely different course structure. Ph.D. is basically a research-based degree that can be either done on a full-time basis or as a part-time degree whereas PsyD is a hospital-based full-time degree.

RCI & its importance and relevance in Psychology

For a person thinking of being a psychologist, first of all, need to know about the Rehabilitation Council of India or RCI, as most commonly known.

The word rehab often brings in fear and feelings of awkwardness within us. Rehab is a variation of a hospital where the action of restoring someone to health or normal life by training and therapy after imprisonment, addiction, or illness takes place under expert supervision.

“The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) is the apex government body, set up under an Act of Parliament, to regulate training programs and courses targeted at disabled, disadvantaged, and special education requirement communities. It was set up in 1986. The main focus is to regulate and monitor services given to persons with a disability, to standardize syllabi, and to maintain a Central Rehabilitation Register of all qualified professionals and personnel working in the field of Rehabilitation and Special Education. The Act also prescribes punitive action against unqualified persons delivering services to persons with disabilities.”

RCI is a central body that regulates professionals as well as training courses. This institution helps to bring in uniformity in regards to training, data of professionals, accreditation throughout the nation. It defines standards for educationists, practicing professionals, universities and generates licenses to the institutions/professionals for their approved eligibility.