Psychologist Job Description, Career as a Psychologist, Salary, Employment - Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job
psychologists psychology private research
Education and Training: Master's degree or doctorate
Salary: Median—$54,950 per year
Employment Outlook: Good
Definition and Nature of the Work
Psychologists are scientists who study behavior. Their work usually involves teaching, research, or social service in schools, clinics, government agencies, and private industry. About forty percent are in private practice.
To learn about behavior, they may conduct tests and laboratory experiments, record case histories, or take surveys. Using their research, they develop theories to explain the reactions of people to their environment. They also use their knowledge to help emotionally or mentally disturbed people adjust to life. Some psychologists work with medical and surgical patients who must cope with illness and injury.
Psychology is a broad field with several areas of specialization. In experimental psychology, for example, psychologists carry out research projects to develop theories about learning, motivation, and other aspects of behavior. Developmental psychologists study the growth and change that takes place throughout life. They may concentrate on one particular stage of development, such as adolescence or old age. Other specialties include educational psychology, comparative psychology, social psychology, and psychometrics.
Just as there are many areas of specialization, there are also many kinds of psychologists. The largest group is made up of clinical psychologists, who often provide individual, family, or group psychotherapy for people with emotional problems.
Clinical psychologists help emotionally or mentally unstable people understand and cope with their problems. They constitute the largest area of specialization within the field of psychology.
Education and Training Requirements
Competition for graduate programs in psychology is stiff. All applicants must have bachelor's degrees in psychology or related fields. Those who want to work as school psychologists must earn specialist degrees, which require three years of graduate study and a one-year internship. Master's degrees may be sufficient in some areas. Clinical or counseling psychologists in private practice and those in teaching and research positions usually need doctorates, which require from five to seven years of graduate study. Clinical and counseling psychologists must spend at least a year in internships. Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists are not physicians.
All states require that psychologists be certified or licensed to start private practices. Candidates for licenses usually need doctorates plus two years of experience. The American Board of Professional Psychology recognizes professional achievement by awarding specialty certification in areas such as clinical, counseling, school, and industrial and organizational psychology. Candidates for certification must have doctorates, five years of experience, and professional endorsements.
Getting the Job
Job seekers can apply directly to agencies or get help from school placement offices. Professional associations can provide information about opening private practices. Professional journals, newspaper classified ads, and job banks on the Internet list openings for psychologists.
Advancement Possibilities and Employment Outlook
Advancement depends on many factors, including education, experience, and other personal qualities. Psychologists can expand their private practices or move into high-level jobs in research, teaching, counseling, or administration. Some psychologists advance by serving as consultants to government or industry or by writing about their special fields.
The employment of psychologists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. Job opportunities should increase slightly in health maintenance and preferred provider organizations, in nursing homes, and in alcohol and drug abuse programs. More opportunities will arise in businesses, nonprofit organizations, and research firms, especially for psychologists who work as consultants. Companies will employ psychologists to design and analyze surveys and to help employees with personal problems.
Working Conditions
Working conditions vary widely. Psychologists in private practice usually have comfortable offices. Most work forty hours per week. However, their schedules vary according to the type of work and may include some evening and Saturday hours. They spend additional time studying the latest developments in the field. Psychologists must be emotionally stable, intelligent, and able to communicate with a wide variety of people. Those involved in research must be suited for detailed work.
Earnings and Benefits
Salaries vary with education, experience, and type of work. In 2004 the median earnings of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists were $54,950 per year.
Benefits for salaried psychologists usually include paid holidays and vacations, health insurance, and retirement plans. Psychologists in private practice must provide their own benefits.
User Comments
over 1 year ago
Hello,
I am a young 17 year old boy, We are doing a Career Cruiser in school to see what we are best suited for in our career choices when we get older. Mine happened to be Psychology. It it a strong point of mine in real life and with people who i am close to or have just met. People tend to tell me i am an open person and they love to get advice from me. This page helped me understand a little bit more about how i should think or handle things when i actually get out of high school and go into a college course. Thank You so much.
over 3 years ago
Oh man thanks :) this helped me with my research project for Grad Transitions.
about 1 year ago
I am enrolled at a university for psychology and I have to say for a masters or doctorate that pay is not the best...
over 3 years ago
This is a wonderful thing. I really needed to look into this not only as a school project but also as a career choice. =)YA
about 3 years ago
Javaron Buckleh
I am a double major with Law/Psychololg and this was very helpful to me I appreciate it. To all of you out that will and already majoring Psychology may God bless you.
over 3 years ago
thank you to who ever made this site .
it is very helpful .
because i have to do a pare weekly and this really really helps .
over 3 years ago
This site is very informational. I have to do a paper on physcologists..&& this was the perfect site for me. It helped me a lot. Thank You A Whole Lot.
about 4 years ago
Thank you. I had to do a research project on my dream job, and you had everything I needed.
about 1 year ago
This site really helped me.. thank you to who ever made it. it is really helpful for college and high school students that really take SCHOOL serious. I am a sophomore in High School and about to be a sophomore in College. Thank you again. God Bless You!
over 2 years ago
Hello,
I would like to thank whom ever did this page. It has alot of beneficial information. I am a current student majoring in psychology and I have experienced and enjoyed the many courses I have had to take for psychology and understanding behavior and life. There are so many questions still unanswered, as well as soo many people to help.
Psychology is so important to me... and I would like to make a difference if not in the world then in a person. thank you for this wonderful page.
sincerely,
gabriela
7 months ago
Jackee
I would love to become a psychologist when I get older because I find the human brain overly intriguing and also because I would like to be a profiler in the BAU in the FBI.
over 1 year ago
Rachel
I am 14 We are doing a career research project. This page helped me a lot, but I would love if it included bonuses, travel expirience, and anything about promotions.
4 months ago
mo mo
this isnt a career i would like to major in, i want to be a crack dealer when i grow up
ps. im only 15 xD
love Mo Mo*
almost 4 years ago
This site helped me solidify my choice in the field of Psychology. I am about to enter my junior year at my University, I discovered my passion for Psychology last semester but could not pin point what I wanted to pursue. This site has greatly inspired my choosing, thank you.
about 1 year ago
Karen
Thank you soooo much. This site is really helpful.
over 3 years ago
this site really was helpful to me!!
i had to help kids understand what this career was about and it really was helpful for them too.
tks again :)
over 3 years ago
Thank you so much! I'm only in high school as a freshman but I know this is what God put me on the earth to do so this really helps me understand what they really do! Thank you! :)
about 1 year ago
Kreg
I love to have sex with animals
8 months ago
yal so gay
about 1 year ago
seerena g all day
thanks for the citing material !!!!
over 1 year ago
hi my name is jason, we r doing things in class thank u have a nice day:) may god bless!
just kidding! im going to be serious this time, ok here it goes.....
hi my name is jason, we r doing things in class thank u have a nice day:) may god bless!
about 1 year ago
This site was a load of toad poop!
about 1 year ago
nessaaa
thiss ishh helpedd me alott(: to bad im finnaaa say SiKEE(:
about 1 year ago
Lync
thanks for the info... but aren't psychologists and pschiatrists almost the same? Do you need to study Math in psychology?if yes, please tell me why?
over 1 year ago
Courtney
Thanks so much for who ever wrote this ! im a freshman in high school and we took a test to see what we should be doing after high school and I want to help people with problems and give and advice to people and this helps me understand the job so much more ! thanks a tonn
almost 2 years ago
Tacara Cox
This page provided helpful info. As a school psychologist, i just have one correction. Training in school psychology includes three years of graduate study. This time includes the one year internship along with some additional field experience. There isn't an additional year of internship after 3 yrs of grad study.
almost 4 years ago
I have got an insight through this site and got inspiration to choose the apt stream for me as a carrier in psychology.
over 4 years ago
This website was a really good source for me. It answered all the questions I had in mind. Good Job!! :)
13 days ago
The game
first of all da gaim second of all i like unicorns
4 months ago
elijah smith
really good information. i have started my first module in psychology, and i needed to do a resume and cover sheet for this particular field.
i find that the information that i recieved from this site was very helpful in makint preparations to do my assigned work task.
i will also be using this site when the time comes for me to search the job market in the psychology field. thanks, and keep up the good work.
6 months ago
so um yeah this is really help for for my graduation project. and really people? thats totally immature really? i love to have sex with animals? wow your so cool. Well anyways thank you to the person who took their time to make this cite.
7 months ago
shamika heidelburg
I am really interested in being a psychologist can somebody tell me if this job will make me a good amount of money?
8 months ago
Curstin
Thanx (: THis site was helpful. I'm 15 and deciding my career and i would LOVE to be a Forsenic Psyhcologist :) I hope they don't mind girls on their teams! ;D Wish me luck :3
8 months ago
hye my name is siti salma and i'm from kuala lumpur,malaysia and i'm really interested in psychology and wanted to become a psychologist....i'm starting to have interest in this sice i went for counseling sessions..............starring frm there i'm interested in this field but the course fee 4 diploma is very high and i'm confused on doing what????plzz give some suggestion
8 months ago
Regina Carmona-Romero
I am a college student at University of Phoenix. I am wanting to change my career goals to becoming a physicists. I have more passion for this than I do for Accounting. This information was very helpful to me. Thank you
8 months ago
honors degree BSC PSYCHOLOGY
9 months ago
Storme
I am 17 and interested in becoming a Forensic Psychologist. I have always loved forensics and the study of the mind. We are doing a school project on what we want to persue out of high school. This sight was very helpful. thank you
10 months ago
lebogang maswanganye
this has greatly assisted me in my assignment
11 months ago
I have always been interested in peoples behaviours. At a very young age of 10 years old i started to learn about people and how they behave in the world. I learned how people can snap and go " crazy " I learned how people act when they lie and how they behave in a manner when speaking to someone It has intested me and this page has helped me.
about 1 year ago
hana
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about 1 year ago
Im Janelle and we're doing a research project at school and this helped me a lot also:)
over 1 year ago
this was very useful to me
over 1 year ago
Kelsey
Hello,
I am a young 16 year old girl, We are doing a Career Cruiser in school to see what we are best suited for in our career choices when we get older. Mine happened to be Psychology. It it a strong point of mine in real life and with people who i am close to or have just met. People tend to tell me i am an open person and they love to get advice from me. This page helped me understand a little bit more about how i should think or handle things when i actually get out of high school and go into a college course. Thank You so much.
Kelsey Cusick, Washington State.
over 3 years ago
oh yeah AMAZING this site is .
over 3 years ago
this site was/is very help full with my papers i have to do weekly .
thanxxx to ever who made it .
your a life saver .
over 3 years ago
this is very good and helpful infomation but there is no information about students in the caribbean who would like to persue psychology.can u please provide information for caribbean people.
9 months ago
taylah
this site is so not good love the slut
11 months ago
terr
thanks 4 d info. its useful for prospective psychologists like me. helful and sufficient.
about 1 year ago
Amatullah
As part of my A Level Health and Social Care unit, I needed info on the job role of Psychologists and tbh, this was quite useful. :)
about 1 year ago
well this page really informed me alot about what i wanna do fresh out of high school im 17 and had a reserch paper on what i would really see my self working in and be happy doing so i had chose psychology i think i'll be great with ppl because all the ppl that i have met i have mostly all said that they feel like they know me like for ever because they just open up to me even their like deepest of thoughts or problems. well thanks a lot for all the info...........:):):)
over 1 year ago
Thank you for this amazing page=)
over 1 year ago
Monica
this was really super helpful for my career project as well so thanks again people who are responsible for this fantastic site....yeah!
over 1 year ago
Hannah
Hi,
This article is wonderful! Who ever created THANK YOU! I am doing a research paper in my Senior English class for my final and this thing was a God sent life saver! :D
about 1 year ago
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so big, that he's a big poop.
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about 1 month ago
most of these people will never become psychologists because they are immature. Most of you are beyond retarded... you will never be able to compare with me. How can mere retards ever become psychologist.. oh they can because we live in the retarded society known as the united states.
That can be the case,but it is really most of the people in the world. You losers make me laugh...you will never
even pass high school let alone become a psychologist.
less than a minute ago
lalala
5 days ago
deaun
this site is really helpful i wish i had found it earlier i think that it is very infromative and i like how it tells you the field work and everything so keep up the god work
16 days ago
hello sir,
how is your day? mine is very good. hola. what a fine website you have here. enjoy your rest of the day. sorry for keeping you frm doing your job, by reading this not important email.
about 1 month ago
Billy Bob Bob Billy
I want to be a psychologist when I get out of college. So far, my plan is to move too ENgland and be a psychologist there.