Health Care Review

Stressors in everyday life can affect well-being.

Medical care alone may not be sufficient; mental health professionals play a crucial role.

These professionals aim to prevent, diagnose, and treat mental disorders.

They help patients use cognitive and emotional capabilities to function in society.

Psychologists: Significant Points

  • About 31% are self-employed, mainly as private practitioners and independent consultants.

  • Employment growth varies by specialty (e.g., clinical, counseling, and school psychologists at 3%). Industrial-organizational psychologists, 3% growth; and 2% growth is expected for all other psychologists.

  • Acceptance to graduate psychology programs is highly competitive.

  • Job opportunities are best for those with a doctoral degree; master's degree holders have good prospects in industrial-organizational psychology; bachelor's degree holders will have limited prospects.

  • Psychologists study the human mind and behavior, examining both normal and abnormal aspects.

  • Psychology uses a scientific approach to gather, quantify, analyze, and interpret data on human behavior.

  • Psychologists seek to identify, prevent, and solve problems of human behavior.

Knowledge

  • Psychology is an allied profession devoted to mental health.

  • It contributes to the prevention of mental illness and to diagnosis and treatment, alongside psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, and psychiatric social work.

  • Psychology is a nonmedical science, unlike psychiatry, which is a branch of medicine.

  • Psychology focuses on the individual's reaction to circumstances, while psychiatric social work examines the individual's surrounding circumstances and relationships.

Employment Opportunities

  • Psychologists held about 192,300 jobs in 2019.

  • Educational institutions employed about 24%, primarily outside of teaching roles (counseling, testing, research, and administration).

  • About 18% were employed in ambulatory health care services, primarily in offices of mental health practitioners, hospitals, physicians' offices, and outpatient mental health and substance abuse centers.

  • Government agencies employed psychologists in correctional facilities, law enforcement, and other settings.

  • After experience, some psychologists enter private practice or set up consulting firms.

  • About a third of psychologists were self-employed in 2019.

Educational and Legal Requirements

  • A master's or doctoral degree and a license are required for most psychologists.

Education and Training

  • A doctoral degree is usually required for independent practice.

  • Psychologists with a PhD or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) qualify for a wide range of positions in universities, healthcare services, schools, private industry, and government.

  • Doctoral degree holders often work in clinical positions or private practice, sometimes teaching, conducting research, or carrying out administrative responsibilities.

  • A doctoral degree generally requires about five years of graduate study, culminating in a dissertation based on original research.

  • The PsyD degree may be based on practical work and examinations rather than a dissertation.

  • Clinical, counseling, and school psychology doctoral degrees include a one-year internship.

Licensure

  • Psychologists in independent practice or offering patient care must meet certification or licensing requirements in all states and D.C.

  • Licensing laws vary but require licensed psychologists to limit their practice to areas of competence.

  • Clinical and counseling psychologists usually need a doctorate, approved internship, and one to two years of experience, plus passing an examination.

Certification and Advancement

  • The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) recognizes professional achievement by awarding specialty certification in 15 areas, like psychoanalysis, rehabilitation, forensic, group, school, clinical health, and couple/family.

  • Candidates for ABPP certification must have a doctorate and state licensure, meet additional criteria of the specialty field, and pass the specialty board examination.

Employment Trends

  • As-fast-as-average employment growth is expected, including industrial-organizational psychologists, whose employment numbers are expected to rise by 3% through 2029.

  • Job prospects should be best for doctoral degree holders from leading universities in applied specialties like counseling or health and people with a specialist or doctoral degree in school psychology.

Job Prospects

  • Job prospects should be best for people with a doctoral degree or a specialty or doctoral degree in school psychology.

  • Psychologists with extensive training in quantitative research methods and computer science may have a competitive edge.

  • Opportunities related to psychology will be limited for bachelor's degree holders.