Careers in Psychology, Summaries of Psychology

Download Careers in Psychology and more Summaries Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! Careers in Psychology February 22 2013 Undergraduate Advising What can I do with Psychology degree? Table of contents • Human Services • Research • Education • Human Resources • Business and Industry • Psychology Links Human Services • Direct Care: o Counseling o Psychotherapy o Case Management o Mental Health Services o Physical Health and Wellness o Crisis Work o Art Therapy o Music Therapy • Administration: o Advocacy o Programming o Community Relations o Management o Development/Fund Raising o Grant Writing EMPLOYERS • Federal government, including Departments of Health and Human Services, Justice, Veterans Administration, VA Hospitals • State government, including Departments of Human Services, Mental Health & Mental Retardation, Community mental health centers, State psychiatric hospitals, Facilities for mentally impaired, Justice, Probation and parole • Local government • Senior citizens' centers • United Way agencies • Social service/nonprofit organizations • Religiously affiliated service organizations • Hospitals/healthcare providers • Private psychiatric facilities • Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) • College and university counseling centers • Private practice • Sales • Customer Service • Management • Insurance: Claims Management, Underwriting • Real Estate: Sales, Property Management • Public Relations EMPLOYERS • Service providers • Wholesalers • Manufacturers • Retail stores including: Department stores, Specialty stores, Discount stores, Super retailers, Online retailers • Call centers • Financial institutions • Insurance companies • Real estate companies • Property management firms • Apartment complexes • Public relations departments of large businesses or nonprofit organizations STRATEGIES Develop career goals and seek relevant experiences to prepare for those goals. Earn a minor in business or supplement curriculum with business or communication courses. Obtain relevant experience through internships or part-time jobs. Work a part-time or summer job in a retail store. Demonstrate a willingness to take on additional responsibilities such as "assistant manager." Participate in student organizations and seek leadership roles. Learn to work well with different types of people. Develop a strong commitment to customer satisfaction. For sales, develop the ability to work well under pressure and be comfortable in a competitive environment. Be willing to start in a management-trainee program or other entry-level positions. When job searching, seek employers interested in hiring "any major." Understand the top skills employers desire and be prepared to demonstrate them, such as communication (oral and written), computer, interpersonal, leadership and teamwork, etc. GENERAL INFORMATION Psychology provides a broad, liberal arts background. Some students may choose to study psychology because they enjoy the subject but wish to pursue careers requiring "any major." In this scenario, it is critical to develop desirable skills through internships, part-time or summer jobs, or volunteer experiences. Some skills valued most by employers include: communication, interpersonal, leadership, teamwork, and computer skills. Other students may major in psychology because they want to work in a related field. Many entry- level helping positions are available, however the amount of direct client contact is limited for those who have a bachelor's degree. Students may wish to pursue graduate education in psychology, social work, counseling, college student personnel, or other related fields to increase opportunities and earning potential. Research career fields to learn what type of degree (master's or doctoral) and subject area are most appropriate. The following list provides some examples: Master's Degree • Licensed Clinical Social Worker • Professional Counselor • Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors • Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors • Rehabilitation Counselors • Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists Doctoral Degree • Counseling Psychologist • Licensed Clinical Psychologist • Experimental Psychologist • School Psychologist • Sport Psychologist • Industrial/Organizational Psychologist For those wishing to pursue graduate education, maintain a high grade point average, secure strong faculty recommendations, and gain experience through volunteer or work opportunities. Assist a faculty member with his or her research. Psychology Links • American Psychological Association • Graduate School Options for Psychology Majors • Association for Psychological Science • National Board for Certified Counselors • The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology • Online Psychology Career Center • Psych Web • Encyclopedia of Psychology • American Counseling Association • American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy • Psychologist from the Occupational Outlook Handbook • Human Resources, Training, and Labor Relations Managers and Specialists from the Occupational Outlook Handbook • Counselors from the Occupational Outlook Handbook • Social and Human Service Assistants from the Occupational Outlook Handbook • Teachers-Postsecondary from the Occupational Outlook Handbook Career Options With a Bachelor’s Degree Although a bachelor’s degree in psychology will not prepare you to become a professional psychologist, an undergraduate major can mean that a student graduates with both a strong liberal arts education and adequate preparation for entry-level employment in one of many career paths. The undergraduate years are an excellent time for exploring careers through courses, have conversations with people who have careers that interest you, internships and part-time jobs. Summer work and part-time jobs not only provide you with exposure to different fields, they also give you practical experience that can be attractive to employers. And sometimes these jobs can lead directly to employment after graduation. As part of the undergraduate curriculum there are often opportunities for field experience, independent study, and research. Any of these may give you excellent work experience. By the time you graduate with a bachelor’s degree, it is possible to have assembled a resume with work experience attractive to employers. Besides the requirements for a major in psychology, take courses that relate to your vocational interests. Some colleges have formal, structured emphases for majors. Examples of these are courses in industrial organizational psychology, mental health services, developmental psychology-disabilities, management, applied psychology, behavior modification, and biopsychology. The first option could require taking psychology electives such as industrial psychology, personnel psychology, educational psychology, sensation and perception, and interviewing, supplemented with courses in economics or marketing. The vocational goal of a student in this type of program is obviously to work in business. A closely related alternative is the double major or major-minor combination. Psychology and management is a route similar to the industrial/organizational option just described. Psychology and education is a combination that could prepare a student to teach psychology in a high school or to teach special populations, such as those with mental or physical disabilities. But the student whose college or university does not offer a formal route that matches his or her career interests can fashion his or her own program. Talk to your advisor, psychology department faculty, and campus career counselor about ways to increase the attractiveness of your degree to prospective employers through health psychologists also investigate issues that affect a large segment of society, and develop and implement programs to deal with these problems. Examples are teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, smoking, lack of exercise, and poor diet. The following are some of the fields that graduates with bachelor’s degrees in psychology have entered. For more information about specific careers in these fields, check with your advisor, local library, and people working in these fields: x administration and management x business and industry x casework x child care x employment interviewing x gerontology x health services x marketing and public relations x personnel x probation and parole x psychiatric assisting x research or laboratory assisting x sales x teaching x technical writing AREAS EMPLOYERS STRATEGIES TEACHING Public and private schools x Obtain teaching certificate for public school positions x Seek guidance from education department of your school x Secure strong personal recommendations RETAILING Management Buying All major retail including: Drug Specialty Variety Department store chains x Obtain related sales experience with part-time summer retailer, campus yearbook or newspaper x Secure leadership positions in campus organization x Find internship with individual or chain store SALES Retailers Wholesalers Manufactures Insurance companies Real estate x Obtain sales experience 2/2012 2/2012