Mental traumas are not like physical wounds; our resilient body is not as adept in overcoming emotional hurdles as it is in recovering from a bad gash or injury. Hence, there is a need for therapies or counseling sessions where one shares his misfortune with a skilled psychologist and in return is gifted with a positive outlook of life. Therapy facilitates the onset of mental resiliency.
Sometimes we find that family and friends provide us with solutions that may sound easy but are difficult to implement. If you are suffering from a mental trauma, relatives suggest that you shouldn't worry about it and let bygones be bygones. At those times, you will feel the need for a third party objective, which will patiently hear you out, offer you invaluable unbiased logical feedbacks. These feedbacks are necessary to prevent oneself from alienating himself from his emotions. As a psychologist you must always pay due respect to a person's feelings and make him feel valued.
Prevalent false notions have prevented many people from accessing the benefits of psychological counseling. These superstitions were not only in common people's minds but also in the medical world. Now the scenario has changed for the better.
In order to pursue psychology as a career, you have to go to college and study psychology and a minor subject as well. Choose your college and graduate school wisely. Settle for those places that offer you your preferred branch of psychological practices. Not all colleges may have the infrastructure to support child psychology or forensic psychology as a subject. Check out the college's faculty before being enrolled. Working in the presence of an eminent psychologist will pay off the long run. Not only will you have an educational edge but also an increased client base. While in graduate school and college, utilize most of your time in discussing aspects of the subject with your peers and seniors alike. Try to work on as many projects to earn the requisite practice for a better tomorrow. If you are planning to be practicing examiner, you should select colleges with a hospital or asylum facility to enable you to deal with more real life situations.
If you want to go into research or teaching, a PhD. in psychology is recommended for you. Instead, if you want to be a practicing psychologist, I suggest that you should opt for Psy D. degree. Even though the course matters of both the degrees are same, the workload and time span differs, with PhD. taking up a lot of time and energy.
Criminal psychologists and forensic psychologists have been making a difference in the civic society for quite some time. These people have often softened the hardcore criminals and psychopaths, not to mention the petty ones, and have given back to them their right to live as a harmless ordinary citizen of their nation.
Research psychologists have to often teach and present papers and secure grants for the university that is allowing them to do get their PhD. So it is said that the work settings for a psychologist vary according to his area of interest and specialty.
When you are starting your career as psychologist in clinical work and research, you can expect a salary of $30,000-$45,000, in the United States, depending upon geographical locale. After the first few years when you secure your license, you can automatically hike your fees. Specifically postdoctoral research provides a much lesser salary of $20,000-30,000, but offers more direct experience and specialization that a graduate school student cannot acquire. After five to ten years in the field, a psychologist can charge anything from $55,000 to $80,000 for his or her services. Then again, in cities with a higher cost of living like Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, or New York, you can expect that amount to go up by 10% to 25%. After ten twenty years of serving in this field, you will earn in the range of $80,000 to $100,000. In specialized branches like neurophysiology and forensic psychology, grants may be more than $100,000.
Conclusion: Uncover the human mind and walk towards a self-satisfying career as a psychologist.
