Psychologist
Psychologists study the processes and nature of the human mind in order to understand how people behave, how they react to stimuli or circumstances and how they interact in small or large groups. They use scientific methods to gather information and try to measure what constitutes normal or abnormal behaviour. More than simply understanding human behaviour, psychologists are concerned with using this understanding to help people and to bring about change.
The work can be grouped under six main specialisms:
Educational psychologists deal with children's learning and development, working primarily in schools with teachers and parents.
Occupational psychologists study the performance of people at work and in training, how organisations function and how individuals and small groups behave at work.
Clinical psychologists work with people with mental or physical health problems - which might include anxiety and depression, serious and enduring mental illness, adjustment to physical illness, neurological disorders, addictive behaviours, childhood behaviour disorders or personal and family relationships.
Counselling psychologists help people manage difficult life events such as bereavement, past and present relationships and working with mental health issues and disorders.
Forensic psychologists undertake their work in the criminal and civil justice field, working with academic institutions, prison services, the National Health Service, probation services and social services.
Health psychologists are concerned with the application of psychological methods to the study of behaviour relevant to health, illness and health care. For example, why and when people seek professional advice about their health, how patients and health care professionals interact or how patients adapt to illness.
Other specialisms include neuropsychology and sport and exercise psychology.
Entry level
You would need an honours degree in psychology, or an equivalent qualification, accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) to meet the Graduate Basis for Registration (GBR) as a chartered psychologist. There is a list of accredited degrees on the BPS website. Full-time degree courses usually last three or four years.
For a degree course, you would normally need at least two A levels/three H grades and five GCSEs/S grades (A-C/1-3), usually including maths. Universities tend to be flexible about which A levels/H grade subjects they will accept for a psychology course, but you must be able to handle scientific concepts, be numerate and have good writing skills. They also accept equivalent qualifications. Psychology is an increasingly popular course, so you would probably need to offer more than the minimum requirements.
Making the grade
Your degree would usually offer a broad introduction to the subject but, if you wish to work as professional psychologist, you would normally undertake postgraduate study in one of the specialist areas.
If you want to work as an educational psychologist, for example, in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you would also need a recognised teaching qualification (for example a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, which takes one year of full-time study), and at least two years' classroom experience as a qualified teacher. You would then go on to complete a one-year, full-time course in educational psychology, leading to an MSc.
In Scotland, a teaching qualification or teaching experience is not needed. Instead, you would take a Scottish MSc in Educational Psychology, which requires two years' full-time study, followed by one year's supervised practice as an educational psychologist. Alternatively, you could complete three years of full-time study for the BPS Diploma in Educational Psychology.
Personal qualities
In any branch of psychology, you would have to work with a wide range of people. Depending on what type of psychologist you become, you could find yourself dealing with children or adults with learning difficulties, patients with brain damage or disease, prisoners or people at work. You would need good communication skills and an ability to mix with people. In addition, you should have keen investigative skills and should be sufficiently numerate to understand statistical methods.
Looking ahead
Employment prospects in most areas of psychology are good, especially for educational and clinical psychologists. There are opportunities to work for a number of different organisations, for the government and in private practice, although you may have to move several times to develop your career. It has been calculated that only 15 to 20% of psychology graduates end up working as professional psychologists.
Alternative suggestions
You might also consider other professions concerned with helping people, such as career/personal adviser, human resources manager, mental health nurse, probation officer, social worker, speech and language therapist or teacher.
Take-home pay
As a clinical psychologist working in the National Health Service, you would start at about £17,000 and could eventually earn up to £66,500 as head of a large department. As an educational psychologist, you would start at about £24,000 to £27,000, rising to around £56,000 as a Principal. As an occupational psychologist, you might generally start at around £17,500 but this could rise to over £100,000 with experience and with fees negotiated for consultancy work.
Effects
This is very dependent on the type of psychology that you choose to pursue as a career. An occupational psychologist working with companies in industry and commerce would usually work normal office hours; an educational psychologist dealing mainly with schoolchildren would be busiest during term time. On the other hand, a forensic psychologist may be called out to collaborate with the police at unsocial hours.
Sources of information
British Psychological Society: www.bps.org.uk
NHS Careers: www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Association of Educational Psychologists: www.aep.org.uk
CRCI: V
