Psychology Specialties

Psychology Specialties

Psychology Special

Psychology is very diverse with a range of specialty areas. Psychologists specialize in a subfield that focuses on a specific subject within psychology. The specialty areas require graduate study in the particular area of interest. The sub-specialties in the field of psychology include clinical psychology, counseling psychology, educational psychology, experimental psychology, health psychology, and industrial or organizational psychology.

Clinical Psychology

Clinical psychologists reduce psychological distress while promoting and enhancing psychological well-being. Clinical psychologists work with patients with physical or mental health problems. They assess, diagnose and treat people suffering from mental illness. Clinical psychologists perform wide range of duties such as conducting assessments, interviewing patients, performing psychotherapy, giving diagnostic tests and administering programs. Their common work setting includes schools, hospitals, prisons, universities, prisons; mental health institutions and private practices Clinical psychologists need to have a doctoral degree.

The clinical psychology programs are accredited by APA (American Psychological Association) in many states. The programs are also accepted upon meeting the designation criteria of the ASPPB (Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards) and the National Register. The awarded degree is either PsyD or PhD. A PsyD I shorter and does not include dissertation. It focuses more on practice. . Before graduating with a doctorate degree, students are required to complete a year of formal internship. Before they begin practicing, clinical psychologists are required to pass examination for professional practice in psychology (EPPP).The society of clinical psychology and Division 12 of the APA are professional organizations offering resources for clinical psychologists. Clinical psychologists apply for specialty certification through the American Board of Professional psychology. The ABPP reviews credentials including education after which the candidate submits work samples. Later, an oral examination is scheduled.

This is a great field that brings a lot of interaction with the patients. I would be interested in studying this specialty because of the type of work and opportunities present in the various areas involved.

Counseling Psychology

Counseling psychologists help people with problems experienced in everyday life such as school problems, marital problems, and family crises. Counseling psychologists focus on providing therapeutic treatments to patients experiencing wide variety of symptoms. The counseling psychologists work in different areas such as academic settings, psychotherapy providers, and researchers. Others will work in hospitals and mental health institutions.

Counseling psychologists usually earn bachelor’s degree in psychology, and later master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology. To start practicing, you should have a doctoral degree in counseling psychology and complete a post doctoral internship. You should also obtain a license in the state in which you operate. State licensure will vary according to states. It is needed in order to deliver mental health services. To obtain the license, you are also required to pass the examination for professional Practice of Psychology. You are also required to meet continuing education requirements.

I personally would not like to study counseling psychology. This is because this specialty requires people with the ability to counsel and communicate well with the patients. I am not good in giving advices.

Health psychology

Most practicing psychologists have professional bodies which they identify with and these bodies act as gate keepers in the profession by setting standards and ethics that must be complied with in order to be admitted to the profession. Such professional bodies also help in arbitration in case of a misunderstanding or conflict that might arise between a client and a professional psychologist. The term ethics has a wide range of meanings depending on which professional background an individual is practicing from. That is where professional bodies come in to contextualize what is ethical in their field of practice. Nonetheless, many professionals agree that ethics as rules that are meant to govern members of a professional body and should therefore be observed to the letter.

When it comes to strict adherence to ethics, doctors are usually keen in ensuring that before they conduct any medical procedures that may prove dangerous or harmful to their patients, it is a cardinal rule that they must seek approval to carry on with the procedure from the patient in a transparent and informed manner. The doctors ensure that a patient’s consent is of free will nature and adequately solicited for so that responsibility for whichever outcome is observed in accordance to the written agreement. That is why the procedure for seeking a patient’s approval is commonly referred to as informed consent.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 affect many psychology practitioners in the way they manage the records that contain private information about their patients. This is usually to protect the privacy of patients from being violated through disclosure to unauthorized persons. A patient’s confidentiality is of paramount importance for no sane person would love it if everyone knows what he or she is suffering from.

Educational Psychology

The educational psychologists specialize in the study of human learning. The educational psychologists try to understand the basic aspects of learning and develop materials and strategies of enhancing the learning process. This specialty focuses on youth and education. Educational psychologists also focus on macro, meaning both the youth and adult learners. Educational psychologist professional resources include division 15 of the APA. Educational psychology is studied at masters and doctorial levels. Educational psychologists should be certified and licensed.

This field is growing as people try to understand the basics of learning and development. I would like to study this specialty because it involves interaction with learner’s ad also offers chances for growth and development.

References

“American Psychological Association” (2015) Retrieved from- http://www.apa.org/

“Occupational Outlook Handbook Online” (2015) Retrieved from- http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Kramer, G. P., Bernstein, D. A., & Phares, V. (2014). Introduction to clinical psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Watkins, C. E. (1985). Counseling psychology, clinical psychology, and human services Psychology: Where the twain shall meet?