How to Become a
Psychologist
What is a psychologist?
A psychologist assess and provides treatment for clients with a mental illness. They can specialize in different types of psychology, like sports psychology, clinical psychology, or counselling psychology. They may also do research about mental health.
What does a psychologist do?
A psychologist works with clients to achieve goals set at the beginning. They can also diagnose mental illness' and refer clients to a psychiatrist who prescribes medication.
Where does a psychologist work?
They could work at hospitals, schools, jails, or universities.
What are the pros and cons of becoming a psychologist?
Pros:
- the satisfaction of helping someone
- meeting interesting people
- it pays well
- lots of job opportunitys
- learn more about why people act the way they do
- gain patience
Cons:
- cost and length of education
- some clients can be violent
- if you work in a hospital, you may be "on call" during the night or on weekends
- it's difficult to hear about other people's pain sometimes
How much do they get payed?
They can be payed anywhere from $40,000 - $120,000 per year depending on your experience and where you work.
What education is needed?
To become a psychologist, you need to get a master's degree(six years; four years for a bachelor's degree and two years for a master's degree) and a PhD(an additional four years) in Clinical Psychology. It is also good to do work placement, where you work for free to gain experience. This will help you get a job in the future. Some good courses to take during highschool are Probability and Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, English, and World Issues/Philosophy.
Psychologists must be non-judgemental
If they are judgemental it could affect the client in a negative way, and the client probably wont come back.
Psychologists must be emotionally stable
If they are unstable, it could trigger their client. They shouldn't share a lot of personal information.