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A psychologist is a scientist or clinician who studies Psychology , the systematic investigation of the human Mind , including Behavior and Cognition . Psychologists are usually categorized under a number of different fields, the most well-recognized being clinical psychologists, who provide Mental Health care, and Research psychologists, who conduct substantive and applied research. PSYCHOLOGY IN THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD In the professional world, 'psychologist' has two meanings. In the broadest of these two meanings, psychologist refers to anyone with an advanced degree in clinical psychology, counseling, industrial psychology, educational psychology, or one of several other subfields, and who makes professional contributions based upon that training, be it as a therapist, counselor, researcher, teacher or consultant. This sense of the word is independent of licensing. The narrower sense of the word 'psychologist' refers to licensing and to a legal context. In the United States and Canada, 'psychologist' is a protected professional title. In this sense, the title of Psychologist means that the mental health professional has a doctoral degree (usually a PhD , PsyD , ScD , or EdD ) in clinical, counseling, industrial, or educational psychology and has also met state or provincial licensing criteria. Those criteria typically include a period of post-doctoral practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, a licensing exam, and continuing education requirements. In most states in the U.S., and in most of the provinces in Canada, only licensed psychologists, licensed therapists (like Marriage and Family Therapists) and psychiatrists can legally provide psychotherapy and use this term to refer to aspects of the mental health treatments they perform. Most states exempt from licensing school psychologists who practice within employment by a school district; such psychologists must be certified by their state or province department of education. STATISTICS FOR LICENSED PSYCHOLOGISTS These statistics are from the United States Department of Labor dated 2004 unless noted otherwise.
CONTRAST OF LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST WITH PSYCHIATRIST See Also: Psychiatrist In the U.S. , licensed psychologists hold a Doctorate in their field, while licensed psychiatrists hold a medical degree with a specialty in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are Physicians who have earned an MD or a DO , whereas psychologists have earned a PhD , PsyD , or EdD . Psychiatrists generally spend shorter periods of contact time with clients/patients, and the principal method of treatment is Psychopharmacology . Conversely, clinical psychologists generally rely upon psychological assessment and the use of Psychotherapy to relieve psychological distress. It is not uncommon for people suffering from mental illness to combine these services to maximize their impact. See Also: Mental health professional TYPES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS See Also: List of psychology disciplines Clinical psychologists Clinical psychologists study and apply psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. The field includes a wide range of practices, such as research, psychological assessment, teaching, consultation, forensic testimony, and program development and administration.Brain, Christine. (2002). ''Advanced psychology : applications, issues and perspectives.'' Cheltenham : Nelson Thornes. ISBN 0174900589> Central to clinical psychology is the practice of (e.g. Trauma or Depression ), Neuropsychological Disorders , Child And Adolescent Therapy , Family and Relationship Counseling , Health Psychology , Sport Psychology , Forensic Psychology , Organization And Business Psychology , and School Psychology Counseling psychologists are similar to clinical psychologists in that they also assess clients and provide psychotherapy. Counseling traditionally involves helping people with what might be considered "normal" or "moderate" psychological problems, such as the feelings of anxiety or sadness resulting from major life changes or events. As such, counseling psychologists often help people adjust to or cope with their environment or major events, although many also work with more serious problems as well. Despite the differences, there is considerable overlap between the two fields and distinctions between them continue to fade. It is important to point out that the general consensus of the therapeutic community sees clinical psychology as an empirical science of a somewhat reductionist nature. Counselling can be experiential/qualitative as well as theoretically underpinned. Counselling and Psychotherapy is a varied and diverse art/discipline, bringing together the best of many different techniques and philosophies, and can help with many different types of crises & problems, including severe ones. Counselling applies experience, instinct, knowledge, and emotional intelligence to all sorts of human problems. It should be noted that the title "psychologists" when used by clinical professionals usually but not always refers to individuals with either a Ph.D or Psy.D. It is often used more colloquially by lay people to refer to those who work in the general field of mental health or those who administer talk therapy. Forensic psychologists See Also: Forensic psychology Forensic Psychologists are recognized experts in the application of psychological principles to the legal system. Different areas of application include the assessment and treatment of criminal offenders, reporting to courts, working with police, profiling, and advising legal counsel, to name just a few. The majority of forensic psychologists work with offenders, attempting to assess criminogenic needs and identify pathways for their containment. Health psychologists See Also: Health psychology Health psychologists are specialists in psychological and behavioral aspects of physical illness and have additional advanced training in psychopharmacology, physiology, and rehabilitation. Their clinical tools include assessment in general and specialist healthcare (e.g., chronic illness management, pain treatment, brain injury), clinical psychophysiology (eg, biofeedback), psychotherapy, hypnosis, behavioral medicine, and psychosocial interventions; they are licensed to prescribe medication in certain countries. They tend to work in hospitals and private practice. The specialty is not recognized in all countries. Health psychologists are of four general types: clinical health psychologists (similar to medical psychologists), public health psychologists (who specialize in the promotion of health and prevention of illness), community health psychologists (who specialize in health advocacy and activism among communities and groups, and critical health psychologists (who specialize in the sociopolitical aspects of health behaviour and experience). Clinical health psychologists are oriented to biopsychosocial aspects of physical health and illness and their field overlaps that of behavioral medicine to a large extent. Clinical and community health psychologists work in a number of different roles: clinical diagnosis of problems that relate to physical illness, psychological, psychophysiological, and psychosocial interventions; clinical communication; organizational design in medical care; health promotion; teaching and training; consultancy; giving advice on health policy. The clinical specialty is not recognized independently in all countries (e.g., New Zealand). School psychologists See Also: School psychologist School psychologist work in schools, state departments of education, hospitals, clinics and universities. They are primarily interested in applying psychological knowledge to the resolution of schooling and learning problems. They provide consultation to teachers, administrators, and parents; assessment of students (including assessment of disabilities requiring special education); intervention services; in-service education for staff; family intervention; program evaluation; and research. Organizational psychologists See Also: Industrial and organizational psychology Organizational psychologists are concerned with the performance of people at work and in training, with developing an understanding of how organizations function and how individuals and groups behave at work. Their aim is to increase effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction at work. This specialty can be highly lucrative. Research Psychologists Research psychologists study Cognitive and Behavior al processes by Experiment ing on human beings and Animal s. They work in universities and private research centers, as well as government organizations. Many research psychologists also teach as psychology professors. Common areas of research include Perception , Memory , Motivation , and factors affecting Development and Social Behavior . Unlike clinical and counseling psychologists, research psychologists are generally not licensed. Sports psychologists See Also: Sports psychology Sports psychologists work mostly with professional athletes to enhance the athlete's sports performance. They work to understand and assist athletes in becoming even more competitive in their respective sport, focusing on the psychological aspects of an athlete's challenges and expectations. PROFESSIONAL LICENSING REQUIREMENTS Licensed psychologists, in virtually every jurisdiction and state in Canada and the U.S., are required to have obtained academic doctoral degrees (typically a PhD or PsyD ). These academic programs typically take four to six years of postgraduate work to complete and offer some combination of rigorous training in research, clinical practice, and the science of psychology. Licensed psychologists can contribute to scientific research in the form of a dissertation. In this sense, the PhD in professional psychology is a hybrid academic/professional degree (with a greater focus on academics), and university programs in professional psychology are not only academic but are also training programs typically characterized by rigor and intensity. Some psychologists have a professional degree in psychology ( PsyD ), which focuses more on clinical practice, and include similarly rigorous coursework, supervised professional training, internship, and developing the ability to conduct and interpret academic research. The majority of PsyD programs also require a dissertation, which can include quantitative or qualitative research, theoretical scholarship, program evaluation or development, critical literature analysis, or clinical application and analysis. Within Australia, the title 'psychologist' is also restricted by law. Use of the title is reserved for individuals registered with their States Psychologist's Registration Board, which requires a four year bachelors degree and either two years of further accredited study or two years of supervised work. These restrictions apply to all who want to use the title 'psychologist' in any of its forms. In New Zealand, the use of the title 'psychologist' is restricted by law. Initially, only 'clinical psychologist' and 'registered psychologist' were restricted (to people qualified as such). However, in 2004, the use of psychologist is now limited to only those registered psychologists (including clinical psychologists). This is to prevent the misrepresentation of other psychology qualifications in the mental health field. Academic psychologists (e.g., social psychologists) are now only able to refer to themselves as 'researchers in psychology'. In the U.K. the use of the title "chartered psychologist" is protected by law. However use of the term 'psychologist', 'psychotherapist' or 'therapist' is not. This can create confusion and varying quality of service as many inadequately trained practitioners who are not chartered can establish practices and charge for services for which they are not properly trained. Similar restrictions apply in the United States, although application of these restrictions varies state-by-state. Most states include exemptions from licensing in order to use the title "psychologist" if they are teaching in universities, or if they are certified by the state's department of education as a school psychologist and are practicing psychology within the scope of their employment in a school district. In most states, self-employed psychologists offering services to the public, whether they are clinical, counseling, school, or industrial psychologists must be licensed, which usually requires an advanced degree, two years of supervised experience, and passing written and oral examinations. The licensing may carry the title of licensed psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist, or some other title depending upon the state or province and the license involved. Prescribing Powers In some areas, psychologists cannot obtain a license to prescribe Psychiatric Medication s. Prescription privileges in the United States have recently begun to increase, e.g., in New Mexico , Louisiana , and Guam . SEE ALSO
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