Psychologist Degrees in West Virginia - WV

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: February, 19 2010

A December 2009 article by the Public News Service noted that the economic downturn has affected West Virginia families tremendously. As part of the social safety net, individuals who hold a psychology degree in West Virginia have helped this state’s citizens deal with the stress of unemployment, eviction, foreclosure and debt.

The Charleston Gazette goes on to say that the West Virginia Health Care Authority has found nearly 20 percent of babies in the state were exposed to alcohol or drugs by their mothers and medical costs of treating infants for withdrawal had doubled during the study’s time span.

In times of great crisis, people often turn to mental health professionals like licensed psychologists to help them deal with their problems. In addition to a lot of schooling, you must have sympathy for your patients and the strength to deal with their issues objectively, as a scientist. The issues above are not unique to this recession. They are perennial, and the demand for qualified psychologists will always exist.

 Continuing Education for Psychologists in West Virginia

If you hold a school psychologist license and a psychology degree in West Virginia, you must take at least three continuing education hours each year in school psychology.

All psychologists have to renew their license every two years and prove that they took 20 hours of continuing education courses. At least half of these must be approved by the American Psychological Association or the National Association of School Psychologists.

Other types of courses you can take for continuing education credits include post-graduate courses run by psychologists, professional presentations and publishing articles in peer-reviewed journals. You can earn up to three hours of ethics credits each year if you serve on the West Virginia Board of Examiners in Psychology.