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Psychology Career Fields

By Ashley Boyce, an allied health world staff writer
Published: January 5th, 2010

What are a few exciting career options available to psychologists?

There are hundreds of professions that call upon the unique expertise of psychologists trained in the various subfields of psychology. Students are encouraged to explore these options thoroughly to find which one would be best suited to their career goals. Here are a few of the careers in psychology that are in highest demand:

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Counseling Psychologists usually come to mind when one considers a career in psychology. These psychologists work directly with clients applying the principals of any number of the schools of psychological thought, and often practice in their own private offices. The term Psychotherapy is often used interchangeably with counseling and refers to the same examination of thoughts, feelings, actions, and relationships to determine where problems exist so changes in attitude and behavior can be implemented to improve an individual’s quality of life. The distinction between counseling and psychotherapy is usually made by medical insurance companies who have defined psychotherapy’s results as being long term in contrast to counseling. People most often seek the assistance of psychological counselors voluntarily to deal with anxiety, depression, and stress in their personal lives.

Family, marital, and pre-marital counseling are common forms of specialized relationship counseling that address the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. In this capacity counselors will meet with families or couples both together and individually.

Clinical Psychologists most often work in a clinical setting, hospital, or institution with severely mentally or emotionally disturbed individuals. These more severe disorders would include phobias, irrational fears, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

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The distinction between counseling psychologists and clinical psychologists usually lies in the level of social function of their patients. Clinical psychologists will often work with individuals who have been committed to institutions because of their inability to function in society. This may include individuals or convicted criminals with homicidal or suicidal tendencies who have been deemed dangerous to themselves or society.

Through the process of psychological rehabilitation, clinical psychologists work to help patients cope with disorders while living in the community setting of a hospital or institution with the ultimate goal of integration back into society as is possible and appropriate.

Forensic Psychologists have varied roles, all of which apply principals of psychology to criminal law. A forensic psychologist would assess a defendant’s competency to stand trial and whether he was sane during the time of the offense. This has huge implications as it determines weather the defendant is competent to stand trial and if found guilty, how he will be punished. A defendant's eligibility for execution after committing a capitol offense is dependant on whether or not he was found to be sane. This places a tremendous responsibility on these psychologists, especially given the frequency with which insanity pleas are misused.

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Forensic psychologists are typically called upon as paid expert witnesses in criminal trials to attest to or rebuke a defendant’s claim of insanity, or to refute the reliability of other witness testimony.

Forensic Psychologists may also work closely with federal and local law enforcement in criminal profiling to create a likely description of an unknown offender based on the nature of the crime and any other information that might be available. Forensic Psychologists also apply their understanding of human psychology to help develop effective interrogation techniques and methods of incarceration. They also work closely with attorneys in the process of jury selection.

Military Psychologists can be either civilians or members of the armed forces who deal with the unique trauma associated with combat or other military operations. This field of psychology has been recognized for its importance more than ever in recent years as the occurrence of combat related stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been found to be more common, and more debilitating, than originally thought. Working in this capacity, military psychologist’s help soldiers who through retirement or honorable discharge, are making the sometimes difficult transition from military to civilian life.

Military psychologists also use applied psychology in testing the intelligence and aptitude of military enlisted service men and women, as well as officers, to qualify them for a particular military role or specialty that might require a certain psychological profile.

What are the various subfields of psychology?

Academic focus on one of the subfields of psychology, in many cases, dictates what profession the graduate will enter. The tremendous number of psychological subfields acknowledged by the American Psychological Association (APA) illustrates the number of vocational opportunities that are available after earning a degree in psychology.

Here is a sampling of the common subfields a student may choose as their academic and professional focus based on their personal interests and aptitude:

Abnormal Psychology is concerned with disorders that result in behavior that deviates from societal norms. These disorders would typically include some form of neuroses (a distress inducing mental imbalance), psychoses (indicated by hallucinations and delusional beliefs), or mental retardation.
Biological Psychology is focused on the physiological connection to psychology; specifically how the nervous system affects behavior.
Comparative Psychology is concerned with animal cognition and behavior, and its evolutionary links to humanity. This includes Ethology (the study of specific behaviors among different species of animals, i.e. aggression).
Counseling Psychology involves the interaction between a trained councilor and an individual suffering from anxiety, depression, or stress associated with either normal developmental issues or the problems brought on by physical, mental, or emotional disorders.
Clinical Psychology assesses and treats more severe psychological issues like schizophrenia and personality disorders. It is closely related to counseling psychology in the methods employed, i.e. psychotherapy.
Critical Psychology critiques all societal expectations and status quo behavioral norms, including mainstream psychology itself, as being oppressive to the individual. It points to societal factors that work upon the individual as being the source of psychological distress.
Developmental Psychology is concerned with infant and childhood development, and the developmental changes in an individual through the course of life and into old age.
Educational Psychology courses are often a part of teacher education programs. This sub-field focuses on how humans learn within educational settings, the social psychology of these settings, and the effectiveness of teaching methods and educational practices.
Evolutionary Psychology studies the genetic source of mental and behavioral patterns, and how these evolutionary adaptations may be maladaptive in the context of modern societal life.
Forensic Psychology is applied in a legal context, and is concerned with the evaluation of a criminal defendant’s competency to stand trial. A forensic psychologist would also assess a defendant’s sanity in determining eligibility for execution.
Global Psychology is concerned with psychological affects on the individual caused by large scale phenomena like economic destabilization.
Health Psychology is focused on the psychology of behavior such as eating, drug use, and sexual habits that directly impact a person’s physical health.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology is applied to the selection and evaluation of workers in any commercial industry to organize and employ methods that maximize efficiency and workplace performance.
Legal Psychology is a general term used to describe the field of research psychology used to examine jury decision making, eyewitness memory, scientific evidence, and legal policy. It is also used in offender profiling.
Personality Psychology looks at the differences and converse similarities in characteristics and behavior among individuals. Through this it seeks an understanding of the unique psychological aspects of an individual.
Quantitative Psychology applies math and computational statistical models to develop methods to analyze and explain psychological data. It includes psychometrics (creation of procedures and theoretical approaches to measurement) and mathematical psychology (modeling individual mental and motor processes).
Social Psychology is concerned with how humans interact within a society, and what they think about one another. It studies group dynamics like conformity and persuasion in the development of beliefs and attitudes.
School Psychology addresses the unique needs of both students with learning disabilities and those with exceptional aptitude. Psychologists in this field seek to maximize efficacy in learning environments.