Pediatric Psychologist
Discover the in's and out's of an ever growing profession!
Description of Occupation:
Pediatric psychologists specialize in childhood development, and often work with children struggling to with behavioral, developmental, and emotional problems. As a pediatric psychologist it's required you asses, diagnose, and treat pediatric medical conditions such as mental illnesses and developmental disorders.
Training/ Education required:
Typically, psychologists must have completed a University degree in psychology which is a masters degree in some countries and a doctorate in others. However to become a pediatric psychologist, you must have a doctoral degree with clinical experience, and post-doctoral training in child psychology in order to obtain a specialty certification.
Working Conditions:
There are multiple places Pediatric psychologists may be seen. Schools, hospitals, and private practices being the most common. Child psychologists who work in hospital settings, provide assessment and treatment to children who have been identified to be at risk for or have already been diagnosed with potential mental health disorders and developmental or learning delays. They might also work in a specialized children's hospital or in the pediatric unit of a larger community or university hospital. Child psychologists in private practice provide assessment, diagnosis and psychotherapy to children and adolescents with a variety of emotional, social, behavioral and cognitive problems. They may work in a smaller setting studying alone, or in a group practice. Many child psychologists opt to work in private or public schools. School psychologists provide counseling, diagnosis and referrals to students with emotional, social or behavioral problems.
Salary:
The national salary of a pediatric psychologist ranges from $38,817- $98,834.
Job Outlook:
The projected job growth of a Pediatric Psychologist is expected to grow by 11% between the years 2012-2022.