Career As Psychologist

“Psychologist is a very good choice for the professional highly lucrative  career.”

Before proceeding for this career…. Firstly, let us explain you about “Psychologist”.

The Psychologist is an expert or specialist in psychology.

Sometimes peoples think that the Psychologist and Psychiatrist are same profession, but they both are completely different.

Psychiatrist or other medical doctor uses medication for treatment while Psychologists can only use talk therapy as a treatment.

“A Psychologist is a professional specializing in treating and diagnosing diseases of the brain, mentally or emotionally disturbed and behavior problems.”

In most branches of social work which require counselling services, psychologists are much in demand. It is a highly rewarding and lucrative field.

“Psychology term was first appeared in 1870s.”

In India, the first department of psychology was established at Calcutta University in the early 1915.

Types of Psychologist:

Clinical & Counseling Psychologists: These works with patients and provide mental health care.

Organizational & Community Psychologists: Who apply their psychological theories, research and techniques to the issues in industry, business, social benefit organizations, etc.

Academics: They conduct the psychological research or teaching psychology in colleges or universities.

The common term used for psychology is “scientist” or “scholars” (the person indulge in research projects) and “professional” or “Practitioners” (The person who apply psychology research). The work of a psychologist is to conduct counselling and apply psychotherapy to patients. To become psychologist you need a master’s and doctoral degree in psychology. To practice in psychology you need a license.

Courses & Eligibility

Also Check: Top Medical Courses

So You Want to Be a Psychologist?

The first step to become a Psychologist, you will need to cover up the entire degree level, i.e. Bachelor in Psychology, post graduation degree and then Ph.D degree. The psychology programmes extended to 4 year undergraduate degree in addition to 4 to 6 years doctorate degree.

Many universities in India offer various courses from bachelors to Ph.D degree level in this field. Some of the most sought courses opted by students are listed here:

Bachelors Courses (Three Year duration):

• B.Sc in Psychology
• BA (Hons) in Psychology
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

Master Courses (Two Year duration):

• Master of Arts in Psychology
• Master of Arts in Applied Psychology
• Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
• M. Sc in Psychology

Doctoral Courses (Two Year duration):

• Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
• M.Phill in Psychology

Educational Requirements: Students can apply for bachelor courses after 12th. For Postgraduate (master) courses in psychology, you should hold a graduate degree in psychology from any recognized university. For M.Phill & Ph.D courses, students should have completed a master’s degree in psychology.

Admission

Also Check:

Top Courses After 12th Science

Many universities offer direct admissions to students in these courses in case of number of students are less than the seat allotted. While some other colleges or universities organize their own entrance examination for providing admissions. Some entrance examinations are listed here:

• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham All India Entrance Examination
• Manipal University MA Clinical Psychology Entrance Exam
• Delhi University M.A Applied Psychology Entrance Exam
• Annamalai University M.Sc Clinical Psychology Entrance Exam
• National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Entrance Exam

Entrance Exams – CUET 2024

Where to get admission?

Top colleges to pursue courses in the field of psychology are mentioned below:

• Indian Institute of Psychology & Research, Bangalore
• University of Delhi, New Delhi
• University of Calcutta, Kolkata
• Annamalai University, Chandigarh
• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Skills Required:

For becoming psychologist aspirants, one have some key skills which will help them to become professional psychologist. The skills are given below:

• You should have to be shown empathy with your clients so that they can share their feelings or problems with you without any hesitation. It will make them free to say anything.
• You should have strong communication skill to communicate with your client effectively.

The observation skill inside you is to be very accurate. It will help you to understand the facial expression, body position, actions and many others of the people.

Career Scope

“Job opportunities are endless for a Psychologist.”

They can easily find jobs in private and government sectors. Psychologist mostly taken up for jobs in various universities, colleges & schools, hospitals, clinics, government agencies, etc. Countries like Europe, USA, New Zealand & Australia are the popular places for job opportunities.

The employment in psychology is expected to rise in a few years. Most of the job opportunities will open in the clinic and in the school psychologist. Due to more demand in health care centres, hospitals, mental health centres, social health services and schools will lead to the growth of employment in psychology sector. With the increase in the aging population, mental problems, physical problems the need of psychologist is increasing. There are a number of sectors offer for the psychology degree holder’s. You can work in various psychology departments in different hospitals.

Recruitment Areas:

• Rehabilitation Centers
• Psychological Research Centres
• Advertising Industry
• Teaching
• Welfare Organizations
• Psychological assessment and testing
• Research Establishments
• Development of prevention programs
• Forensics
• Universities/schools
• Child/ Youth Guidance Centers

Duties of a Psychologist:

• Identify and research human behaviors and emotional patterns.
• Use test and assessment to aid in diagnosing a mental health condition for the patient.
• They gathered information through their observations, interviews, surveys, and other methods used.
• Search organizational, psychological, emotional, behavioral, diagnose disorders, using information collected from their research study.
• Offer long term counselling for those patients suffering from mental health disorders
• Share the problems of their patients and make conclusions.
• Write reports, articles, research theory, and to share collected data.
• Studies the behavior and brain functions.

Job Profiles

• Psychotherapist
• Counselor
• Teacher
• Consultant
• Clinical Psychologist
• Psychiatrist
• Clinical Social Worker
• Psychiatrist Nurse
• Art Therapist
• Practitioner

Salary

“Psychologist with M.Phill & Ph.D degree earns a very handsome salary package.”

The salary of a psychologist varies upon various factors such as education, experience, area of specialization, working area, etc.

In India, the average salary of a psychologist is between Rs. 2.5 to 3.5 lacs per year. Once you get established in this field or specialize in any of its branches you can earn more.

In the United States, a psychologist earns an average salary of more than $70 k per year.

Books & Study Materials

Some good books to study psychology are listed here:

Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud

The Power of Habit by Charles M. Duhigg

The Neurotic Personality of Our Time by Karen Horney

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking by Oliver Burkeman

For more information regarding Career as Psychologist, ask your queries below.