Applied specializations in psychology
Clinical Psychology
Most persons interested in the applied areas of psychology are familiar with clinical psychology. Clinical psychology has the longest history of any of the applied areas. Most students quickly learn it is the most difficult area to get into. Clinical psychology prepares the psychologist to assess and treat persons with a wide range of emotional disorders. It also prepares the psychologist for research into these various and sundry disorders. Therefore, the clinical psychologist is trained as a scientist and as a practitioner. Both masters and doctoral programs are available in clinical psychology.
Clinical Psychology Specialties: Graduate schools offering clinical psychology degrees often offer specialized training in several areas. Some of these areas may include child, geriatric, health psychology, or neuropsychology. Health psychologists often work in larger hospitals doing research and clinical work in illness prevention, pain or stress management, or recovery from illness. Neuropsychologists conduct research and evaluate individuals with brain damage or neurological disorders; their work is often done in large teaching hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals or in private practice. Some graduate schools have specialized degrees in these areas, but most simply list them as specialty areas for research, internships or post-doctoral training.
Doctoral programs in clinical psychology prepare students for one of two degrees, namely the PhD or PsyD. Differences between the degrees is often more a matter of the institution granting the degree. In general, the PhD requires more research experience. There are some large professional schools of psychology which offer the PsyD degree. These schools function much as medical schools do in training physicians. They are often independent of other universities or departments of psychology. A few PsyD programs are available at universities. In actual practice there are few, if any, differences in the services psychologists with either of these degrees perform.
Clinical psychology masters programs typically require at least two years to complete. Doctoral programs require four to six years of graduate studies, plus a yearlong internship. This includes course work in more general fields of psychology such as personality, perception, social psychology, etc. Additionally, courses in statistics are emphasized to prepare the student for research. Other course work is geared towards psychological assessment (test administration and interpretation) and theory and techniques of psychotherapy. Course work in these areas is supplemented by practicum experiences.
Programs offering a doctoral degree in clinical psychology do not accept persons into a masters level program in clinical psychology. Persons who intend to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical, at some point after receiving a masters in clinical, will have to start with course work at the same level as person entering the program with a bachelors degree. They will not get credit for their masters course work. In some cases they may not be required to undertake another masters project if they previously completed a masters research thesis.
As indicated above, clinical psychology programs are extremely competitive in their admission standards. Realistically, a student should have a minimum overall GPA of 3.5 and minimum scores on the GRE which are in the 80th percentile to expect a chance at admission to a doctoral program in clinical psychology. Requirements for masters programs are somewhat lower. Increasingly, masters level persons are being hired by HMOs and work there at the same level as doctoral level clinical psychologist. On the other hand, doctoral level clinicians have far more options and work in a wide variety of settings. These settings include general hospitals, mental hospitals and clinics, outpatient clinics, prisons, universities, private practices, schools, and military settings. Many clinical psychologists teach in colleges and universities. Many also conduct research on topics within the field of clinical setting.
Counseling Psychology
The history of counseling psychology is closely tied to the educational system. Counseling psychology began as an outgrowth of work undertaken in the schools. However, increasingly counseling psychologists are becoming involved in a variety of community, university, mental health, and business settings.
Graduate work in counseling psychology is normally available through departments of education rather than departments of psychology. Graduate degrees include the masters and the doctorate, though some universities offer a specialists degree which is somewhere between the masters and doctorate.
If a student is interested in becoming a school counselor, s/he would work toward the MA in counseling psychology. However, states and provinces may require school counselors to be certified teachers. In such cases, the most appropriate college major would be in education. MA programs in counseling psychology emphasize course work in personal counseling/ psychotherapy as well as in vocational assessment and counseling.
School counselors generally spend much of their time in vocational and personal counseling as well as in a wide variety of administrative tasks in schools. Many also spend at least part of their day teaching.
Doctoral programs in counseling psychology prepare the student for either the PhD or EdD in counseling psychology. Increasingly there is an emphasis on the PhD degree as the better of the two. This is particularly true if the student wishes to function as a psychologist in a setting other than the schools. Licensure may be a problem for graduates of EdD programs.
Doctoral programs continue with training in vocational assessment and vocational and personal counseling. Additionally, these programs emphasize psychological assessment, research, and a broader education in psychology. When compared to clinical psychology programs, counseling psychology programs emphasize research to a somewhat lesser degree.
Practically speaking, at a doctoral (PhD) level, there is very little difference between counseling psychologists and clinical psychologists. In fact, the American Psychological Association has abolished the distinction between counseling psychology and clinical psychology internships.
Many persons with a GPA of 3.0 or better should have little difficulty being accepted into a masters degree program. Acceptance into a PhD program is another matter. Though somewhat less competitive than clinical psychology programs, doctoral programs in counseling psychology are nonetheless stringent in their admission requirements. Students should have a minimum GPA of 3.3 and GRE scores in the 65th percentile if they wish to be competitive with other applicants. Many programs are set up to allow persons to first receive a masters degree, then gain employment and at some later point go on for a doctoral degree with full credit for their masters work.
Persons with a masters degree in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, or school psychology may be licensed to treat patients in a clinic or private setting. States and provinces may vary on the requirements for licensure or certification. Increasingly the opportunities are expanding for persons with a masters degree in these areas.
School Psychology
Most school psychologists function with an MA in school psychology. They spend most of their time assessing children and adolescents with special needs, (e.g., mental retardation, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, physical impairments), writing reports on the findings of these assessments and assisting in the development of appropriate educational programs for these persons.
Because of the strong commitment to special education in the U.S. and the fact that assessment and certification of a child's special need is necessary for involvement in special education programs, school psychologists should continue to be in demand in the future.
Some school psychologists will engage in psychotherapy as part of their job, though most of the psychotherapy in the schools is undertaken by the school counselor or school social worker.
Depending on the particular university, graduate programs in school psychology are located in the education, educational psychology or psychology departments of major universities. In most instances, school psychologists are not required to be certified teachers. Most school psychologists have an undergraduate major in psychology.
Although most practicing school psychologist have only an MA degree, some schools offer doctoral programs in school psychology. Some states and provinces allow persons with a PhD in school psychology to function as do persons with a PhD in clinical psychology.
Persons interested in an MA program in school psychology should have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists are concerned primarily with matters of business and industry. This would involve worker motivation and job satisfaction, personnel selection, problem solving strategies in the company, etc. Some I/O psychologists may be called upon to do very brief counseling, but this is typically not part of their duties or training.
Historically, I/O psychologists have come from other specialties in applied psychology, most notably clinical psychology. However, today there are a number of schools with special programs in I/O psychology and many states require special licensing in I/O psychology.
Rehabilitation Psychology or Psychiatric Rehabilitation
This field is a relative newcomer to psychology, though psychologists have worked for many years in rehabilitation. Specialized graduate programs in rehabilitation psychology have focused on persons with developmental disabilities, chronic mental illness, and central nervous system damage. Clinicians are often involved in this field, particularly those with a neuropsychology background. Persons interested in neuropsychology and unable to get into clinical graduate programs may look to this area as an alternative way to pursue training in neuropsychology.
Psychiatric rehabilitation services are specifically designed to assist a person with a serious psychiatric disability (e.g., chronic/mild schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, developmental disorder, or autism) to effectively manage the disability in a community or work setting and to compensate for its functional deficits. The range of services may include rehabilitation, case management, residential treatment and support, crisis services, social services, housing, vocational rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment, peer support, and family support.
Rehabilitation psychologists perform intellectual, cognitive, social, and emotional assessments of persons with long standing emotional or intellectual problems. They perform similar assessments with persons who have gone through an acute experience which produced brain damage. These experiences may include head injury due to an accident as well as brain damage due to such things as work injury, poisoning, or infection. Rehabilitation psychologists work on the emotional response of patients and their families to these experiences and subsequent damage. They also work as part of a team in creatively developing methods of using intact capabilities to relearn and compensate for damage which has occurred. Increasingly rehabilitation psychologists, as well as clinicians, are becoming involved in pain management programs and in consultation with employers. Requirements are much the same as for counseling psychology and for school psychology.
Applied specializations in social work
Clinical Social Work
Clinical social work, sometimes referred to as psychiatric social work or social casework, is a very important field of applied psychology. Social workers with training in these programs function as psychotherapists; many also become involved in program administration.
Very few social workers function with only a BA in social work. The degree with which the vast majority of social workers function, is the MSW (masters of social work). Students with a BA in psychology can apply to a two-year MSW program. Students with a BSW can apply to a one-year MSW program.
Many large universities have attached to them a school of social work. These schools function much as do medical or law schools, as professional schools geared primarily towards the training of persons for careers in social work. Generally research is not emphasized; rather, social workers are trained in the techniques of counseling, psycho-therapy, interviewing, and psychosocial assessment. (Psychosocial assessment is a standard interview undertaken to determine the person's background and the various social influences which have come to bear upon the individual.) Many social workers are also trained specifically in family therapy.
Social workers are found in a number of settings, including mental health clinics, hospitals, and various social agencies. Very few go into private practice.
The MSW (for a person without a BSW) is a two year graduate degree. Training includes course work in interviewing, psychotherapy, etc., as well as field placement/internship experiences. Persons who wish to apply for admission into an MSW program should have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Work experience is also a strong factor taken into account for admission. A psychology major is one of the best preparations for admission into a MSW program in clinical social work.
School Social Work
Another area of specialized training in social work is school social work. Many school social workers have been trained in clinical social work. However, several schools have specialized programs in school social work.
Programs in school social work function much the same as programs in clinical social work. Training is quite similar also, though most of the field placement/internship experience would be either in a school or connected with an educational program/setting.
School social workers are involved in the assessment of and program development for a variety of children and adolescents with special needs. School social workers engage in group and individual counseling for emotionally impaired students. They also often work as a liaison between the school and home. In many school districts the work of the school social worker and school counselor is quite similar.
Admission requirements in school social work are similar to those for clinical social work. The job market of clinical social work and school social work is generally good, especially for capable graduates.
Applied specialization in areas related to psychology
In addition to professional training in psychology and social work, several areas of professional development can be pursued with a BA in psychology. Here are some of the more common examples:
Practitioners in this area generally provide training and assistance for individuals needing to learn to use adaptive technology (e.g., prosthetic limbs, communication devices, computer-assisted learning tools, work site alterations) following physical or neurological injury. Occupational therapy generally requires one or two years of graduate training beyond the bachelors degree. Undergraduate preparation often includes course work in psychology, physical education, recreation, biology, and some physics for the health sciences. Calvin College has an occupational therapy advisor to provide further assistance.
Physical therapists generally work in hospitals or outpatient clinics providing training and rehabilitation for a wide variety of physical injuries, disabilities and diseases. Physical therapy requires a PhD Undergraduate preparation often includes a background in biology, psychology, physical education, recreation, other health science courses. Calvin College has a physical therapy advisor to provide further assistance.
A small but regular portion of past psychology majors at Calvin have pursued seminary training. Some have pursued traditional pastoral training, while others have pursued work in pastoral counseling, youth work, or pastoral education.
Educational counselors provide career, educational and personal counseling in a secondary or primary school setting, and occasionally in college counseling or career service centers. This specialty sometimes requires an undergraduate education degree. However, some education majors have also minored or majored in psychology in order to pursue this area. Educational counselors typically have a Masters degree from a graduate education program with this specialization. Note: In the state of Michigan a teacher’s certificate is not required but most people who are in such a position have obtained one.
