CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

What do psychologists do? Psychologists study mental processes and human

behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people and other animals relate to one another and the environment. To do this, psychologists often look for patterns that will help them understand and predict behavior using scientific methods, principles, or procedures to test their ideas

Conduct research at universities, government agencies, and private organizations

Promote physical and mental health as a health care provider

Schooling for Psychologists

Degrees are offered at these levels:Bachelor’s (B.S. or B.A.)Master’s (M.A., M.S. or M.Ed.)Doctorate (Ph.D. or Psy. D.)

The degree you need depends on which field of psychology you want to go into

Bachelor’s DegreeSales

associatesAdministrative

supportPublic affairsEducationHuman

Resources

Health care professions

Employment counseling

Corrections counselors

Personnel analysts

Probation officers

Master’s Degree Some find jobs in health, industry, and

education, the primary work settings for psychology professionals with master's degrees

Jobs for persons with master's degrees in psychology become available in community mental health centers (e.g. case management, licensed clinicians

Graduates with a master’s degree in Psychology may conduct research and data collection and analysis

Doctoral Degree

Those with a doctorate in psychology are the highest paid and have the widest range of opportunity

Usually work in health service provider subfields, industrial–organizational psychology, educational psychology, and other fields with applications in these settings

Fields of Psychology Art therapists Clinical psychologists Cognitive and perceptual

psychologists Counseling psychologists Developmental

psychologists Educational psychologists Engineering psychologists Evolutionary psychologists Experimental

psychologists

Forensic psychologists Health psychologists Industrial/organizational

psychologists Neuropsychologists Quantitative and

measurement psychologists

Rehabilitation psychologists

School psychologists Social psychologists Sports psychologists

Forensic Psychology Forensic psychology is the intersection between

psychology and the criminal justice system. It involves understanding criminal law in the relevant jurisdictions in order to be able to interact appropriately with judges, attorneys and other legal professionals.

The psychologists can, for example, help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child, evaluate a defendant's mental competence to stand trial, or evaluate the relevance and validity of psychological assessment results

Forensic psychologists also conduct research on jury behavior or eyewitness testimony, and some forensic psychologists are trained in both psychology and the law

Clinical Psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of

science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development

Clinical psychologists treat those with chronic illnesses as well as short term conditions

Focus on specific problems as well such as: phobias, eating disorders, PTSD and clinical depression

Developmental Psychology Studies the stages of a person’s

psychological development throughout the lifespan

Focus is usually on childhood and adolescence

As life expectancy increases, developmental psychologists are becoming more prominent

Experimental Psychology

Wide range of focus including cognitive processes, comparative psychology, learning and conditioning

Work with the empirical method and the manipulation of variables to understand particular phenomena

Health Psychology Health psychologists specialize in how biological,

psychological, and social factors affect health and illness

These psychologists may study how patients handle illness, why some people don't follow medical advice, and the most effective ways to control pain or to change poor health habits

Often team up with medical personnel in private practice

Also studies issues like teen pregnancy, substance abuse, dieting, exercise and risky behaviors

Psychology at URI Join the psychology

club Apply for Psi Chi-

the honors psychology program

Apply for a relevant internship in your field of interest

Participate in research on campus

Connect with professors involved in areas you are interested in

Resources

http://www.apa.org/divisions/div12/aboutcp.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/different-fields-in-psychology.html

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm