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When choosing a career field, there are many factors that you will probably take into consideration before making your final selection. Many people are now looking for clinical psychology programs that meet their needs. Before choosing a program that meets those needs, however, you first need to understand what a career in clinical psychology entails.
A clinical psychologist is someone who is typically involved in the treatment and assessment of mental illnesses. Sometimes they also treat and assess psychiatric problems and abnormal behavior. Clinical psychologists are involved in the complexities of the human mind which makes it a great career field for those people who want a rewarding yet challenging job.
In the United States, normally a clinical psychologist will need to have a PhD in psychology and also have received additional training in a clinical setting. The reality is that the educational requirements that allow someone to work within the clinical psychology field are very intense and can be difficult. Most people who end up becoming a clinical psychologist will spend somewhere between four and six years in graduate school after they earn their bachelor’s degree. This means that they can spend up to 10 years in school in order to become a clinical psychologist.
This is one of the first considerations that you must make before choosing a program of study. You want to make sure that you know whether or not you can make it through 10 years of study before becoming a clinical psychologist. You should also know that there are two different kinds of degrees that are available within the field of clinical psychology. There is a PhD and a Psy.D. Normally, PhD programs are more centered on research while Psy.D programs are more oriented to a practice atmosphere.
One of the first things you need to do before you choose a psychology program is to make sure that the school and the program are accredited by the American Psychological Association. After a graduate completes the accredited training program, they typically also go through a period of supervised training followed by an examination. Then, there are licensing requirements which vary by state. This is something else that you must check into before choosing a program. You need to know the specific requirements for your own state where you plan to work in the clinical psychology field.
Something else to consider before choosing your program is what your focus will be once you graduate. There are numerous situations is a clinical psychologist can work in such as private practice, an academic position at a college or even in a medical setting. Some psychologists will work directly with their clients who may suffer from psychiatric disorders. Some of the job functions of the clinical psychologist can be offering testimony in a legal case, conducting research, treatment of psychological problems and assessing psychological disorders.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider when looking at clinical psychology programs. This is why it’s important to do your research up front.
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