Clinical, Counseling, & school Psychologists

Caring and helping treat mental disorders is essential to create explanations and solutions. Clinical, Counseling, & School Psychologist diagnose and treat mental disorders and learning disabilities. Disabilities include cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems, using individual, child, family, and group therapies. They design and implement behavior modification programs. Clinical Psychologists meet with clients to identify problems- emotional, mental and behavioral- in their lives. Through observation, interviews, and tests, the psychologist monitors the client's progress on a regular basis t ensure that their needs are met by the course of action, and to adjust it if necessary.

There are three types of Psychologists:

·         Clinical

·         Counseling

·         School

They all have everything in common the only difference is the industry they may work in. They could work in a various industry.

Psychologist are in great demand right now! They are expected to grow by 17% between 2018 and 2028.  

Estimates show an annual job opening of 208 in the Gulf Coast region.

On average, Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologist make an average income of $71,174 in Gulf Coast region. 

Does this career match you?

These skills, interests, and knowledge areas are recommended for a career as a speech therapist. The following data describes the relative importance of each knowledge/skill area from the opinion of those in the industry.

1.  Communication

Communication is clearly critical for any career, but it's especially important when studying human behavior. The ability to communicate with clients is imperative for clinical psychologists to help them, while research psychologists need to be able to effectively describe observations and portray their findings well.

2.  Numeracy

Although it may not seem intuitive, psychologists must have a facility with numbers. Researchers, especially those involved in quantitative information, look at large amounts of data that have to be interpreted. A good psychologist understands how to summarize these numbers with the use of statistical tests and equations. Without these abilities, researchers could not begin to understand what they are observing and whether it is significant to the wider human population, and clinical psychologists would not be able to understand the data and how to apply it to their practice.

3.  Research

No matter what your role in psychology, research will play a critical part. Whether you are conducting your own experiments and want to see if they have been performed before or are trying to help a patient by seeing what other psychologists have experienced, knowing how and where to find the information you need is critical. There are thousands of scientific journals out there, with information from decades of research. Being able to find the information you want, and evaluate it effectively, is crucial.

4.  Ethics

As with any profession that takes care of people, psychologists have an enormous responsibility. They have the ability to change people's lives and are frequently dealing with people at their most vulnerable. Having a strong ethical code is important to ensure the safety and well-being of your patients. And as a researcher, basing experiments on a strong ethical foundation is critical to ensure you get unbiased, useful results without harming anyone.

5.  Patience

Results in psychology can often take years to see, whether in pure research or when working directly with patients. But for true progress to be made, patience is imperative. You must be able to keep yourself motivated, even when results aren't immediately apparent.

6.  Problem-Solving

Just as in every career, things in psychology do not always work as planned. Problems will arise and they need to be solved. Good psychologists have to have alternative strategies available and be able to implement them quickly. Well written research plans actually account for common issues that may hinder work. Sometimes unexpected things happen, and you will have to step in and make a change to save your work. You need to have a library of approaches ready to make sure that your work moves forward.

*source: Touro University Worldwide

How to Become a Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychologist?

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree

Earning a bachelor's degree is the first career step for prospective school psychologists. Students can earn a degree in a related field, such as education or psychology. Students that earn a degree in an unrelated field should be sure to take some key courses in areas such as abnormal psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, educational psychology and statistics.

Success Tip

• Gain experience in a school psychology-related area. Volunteering or working with school-aged children may give students valuable exposure to the developmental and educational work of school psychologists. Such experience will not only help students refine their interests in school psychology, but will also show commitment to the profession, which will bolster their applications to graduate school.

Step 2: Complete an Education Specialist (Ed.S.) or Master's Degree Program in School Psychology

Graduate programs in school psychology go by a few different names, such as Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Education Specialist (Ed.S.). Oftentimes, programs will combine a master's degree with the Ed.S. certificate. Regardless of the degree title chosen, students need to enroll in a program that is approved by NASP and will prepare them for state or national licensure. NASP-approved programs typically consist of three years of study. In the first year, students take foundational coursework that teaches them about the scientific and professional roles of school psychologists. Coursework may include cognitive assessment, statistics and research methods, counseling techniques and psychopathology. The second year requires that students complete one or more practica while taking courses in advanced intervention and counseling techniques. The third year is devoted to a full-time internship that typically requires 1,200 hours, 600 of which must be in a school setting.

Success Tips

• If possible, develop Spanish-language skills. Graduates with Spanish-language proficiency may find increased job opportunities in the subfield of English-as-Second-Language (ESL) education.
• Consider gaining independent research experience. While most school psychology programs include some training in research methodology, students who want to eventually complete a doctoral degree may want to pursue additional opportunities for conducting independent research.

Step 3: Attain NASP Certification

The Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential is offered by NASP. To earn this credential, school psychologists must have completed a graduate program and internship in school psychology, preferably from an NASP-approved school, and achieve a passing score on the Praxis II school psychology exam. The NCSP is a voluntary certification, but many states require it or accept it in place of other licensure requirements.

Step 4: Become Licensed

School psychologists in all states must be licensed by the state. Licensure requirements are usually very similar, if not identical, to the requirements for the NCSP credential, and individuals may only have to provide proof of their NCSP certification in order to obtain state licensure. Graduates without the NCSP certification will have to present proof of their graduate degree, internship experience and passing score on the Praxis II school psychology exam.

Step 5: Determine the Need for a Doctoral Degree

Although not required for most entry-level school psychologist positions, an increasing number of school psychologists have begun earning a doctoral degree. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) programs can be entered either directly from a bachelor's degree or after completing a master's degree. Students who have completed a master's degree and school psychology internship may be more competitive candidates. Bachelor's degree graduates will need to meet course prerequisites and demonstrate a commitment to school psychology through gaining research or work experience. A doctorate in school psychology usually involves 2-5 years of study and research, an internship and a dissertation. Doctoral graduates may command better salaries as specialists and may have wider opportunities, including college and university teaching and research and agency positions.