Psychology Majors And Stuff

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

Hey y'all.

 

I've been thinking about college and careers and stuff lately, and I've had an interest in being a children's psychologist since I was... like 10. LOL.

 

I know we have some psychologists, psych majors, etc, on PM, so I wanted to ask some questions.

 

How does becoming a psychologist/psychiatrist work? Do you have to go to med school for both? Are there psychology or psychiatry  practices like a doctors office? After getting the right education, how hard it is to get a job as a psychologist?

 

Does anyone know anything about child life specialists at hospitals? Are they anything like counsellors or is their job more just to make kids' stay at the hospital as normal as possible? I met some while I was at the hospital, but I don't know much about what they do.

 

Is the main difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist the ability to prescribe meds?

 

Sorry, I don't know a ton... ;)

 

Thanks,

FCC

[HisChildForever]

Hi there, I hope I can answer your questions sufficiently. I have a BA in Psychology (I minored in criminal justice) and a MA in Forensic Psychology (I finished my coursework and testing, I just need to complete my internship). I work as a counselor in an adult psychiatric residence. [I should add that my internship will be in an outpatient clinic/hospital setting.]

 

Psychiatry - think a doctor's office. They don't offer you counseling. They'll basically diagnose you, explain a medication they think will work for you, and on your next visits they'll just ask how you're doing medication wise (like side effects). I do believe you have to go to medical school for this.

 

There are numerous branches of psychology. If you want to have your own practice (clinical), you need a doctorate. If you want to be a forensic psychologist, you need your doctorate. If you want to be a child psychologist, you need your doctorate. I think you get where I'm going with this. 

 

Basically, you need at least a Masters to do something in the field.

 

Also, there are so many fields and so many positions. Clinical work is not the end-all-be-all of psychology.

 

I don't know anything about child life specialists. I suggest you try and get in contact with the ones you met and see if they'd be available for a question-and-answer session.

Edited January 19, 2013 by HisChildForever

[PhuturePriest]

I was really interested in child psychology and marriage counseling for a while (I still am and still love the fields, but not in a career-pursuing type of way), and I can tell you that from what I saw and from what you can read above, you won't be able to do much unless you get a master's degree. That means years of schooling and a lot of debt. If you want to get into it, go to a community college first, get scholarships, and study hard. But be prepared for debt no matter what. College debt is a huge thing our generation has to consider when choosing our fields, so we have to think hard and choose wisely.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

At the moment I'm looking at a cognitive neuroscience major with a minor in psychology. Goal would be becoming part of a neuro/psych team at a hospital. Basically, I'd be a doctor. I've seriously started looking into it. Basically, I have a few years to become genius if I want to do this, and get into a super genius school. If I am committed, I will be able to do this. The commitment will be the hard part for me.

 

Fun fact: If you told me a year ago that I'd be seriously looking into becoming a doctor (especially in this field), I'd be like, "Um, yeah, no."

Edited January 19, 2013 by FutureCarmeliteClaire

[HisChildForever]

I was really interested in child psychology and marriage counseling for a while (I still am and still love the fields, but not in a career-pursuing type of way), and I can tell you that from what I saw and from what you can read above, you won't be able to do much unless you get a master's degree. That means years of schooling and a lot of debt. If you want to get into it, go to a community college first, get scholarships, and study hard. But be prepared for debt no matter what. College debt is a huge thing our generation has to consider when choosing our fields, so we have to think hard and choose wisely.

 

I wish I had a better job during undergrad and was able to start saving for loan payments. Thankfully my current job salary allows me to do this. But I'm still not looking forward to my first bill because it'll be large. However, I will say that I saved thousands (and I mean thousands) by commuting to both undergrad and grad school. If that's an option for people I suggest they take it.