A large number of people around the world suffer from various forms of depression, substance abuse, anxieties, phobias and mental health issues. Psychologists are non-medical doctors who specialize in studying the mind and human behaviour, helping people overcome their fears and interact normally with their friends, family & colleagues all while helping them lead a better life.
Being a psychologist is a very fulfilling job. Here are the steps you should take to achieving your dream:
1) Earn your bachelor’s
You can start off your goal to pursuing psychology as your career by first earning your bachelor’s degree. This course contains various aspects to it including general psychology, experimental psychology and developmental psychology.
2) Gain experience
The best way you can learn and get motivated on achieving your goal of becoming a psychologist is to obtain a hands-on experience in your field of choice. You can do this either by volunteering at a mental health facility, helping handicapped children or broadening your knowledge by finding a professional development workshop for psychologists either physically or through an online platform. These are great ways of getting a better insight of what your future would look like.
3) Look into graduate programs
Once you are done with your bachelor’s degree, you need to go ahead and find out the master’s degree that is ideal for you. If you plan on changing college for your masters, make sure that the new college you wish to transfer to have all the facilities you require to pursue the type of psychology you want to specialize in.
4) Complete your doctorate in psychology
Once you are done with your masters, you most probably will have to consider about taking your doctorate as well. Some of the fields of psychology do not require a doctorate so make sure that you do proper research on whether a doctorate is required for the type of psychology you wish to specialize in. If you are looking to do your doctorate, remember that most schools require a good GPA and some sort of experience in your particular field. This is where your experience during the bachelor’s comes in to use.
5) Do a psychology internship
Once you are done studying, most countries require you to do an internship for about a year or two. This is where you really get to apply all the things that you have learned during your bachelor’s, masters and doctorate.
During your internship you will not only be able to gain experience but you will also be able to decide whether you chose the right field of psychology for you all while helping people in need. If you are planning on working in centres specializing in mental health you may have to get approval to work at such an institute as mental health is a more sensitive aspect of psychology.
6) Get your license to practice
According to your country, you may need to pass certain requirements in order to be eligible to become a licensed psychologist. You most probably will have to sit for a national exam as well. So try to be prepared as much as possible to ensure you have not wasted your years of studying.
These steps are your basic guide to fulfilling your dream of becoming a psychologist and helping people out. With these steps you will be on track to becoming a psychologist in no time and can contribute a lot in helping put a smile on patients and their loved ones faces.