Lying on a couch and talking about one’s childhood problems is probably the most iconic image people have of psychologists. This form of psychoanalysis was developed by Sigmund Freud and even though a lot has changed in the last century, psychology primarily still remains the study of the mind and behaviour of humans and non-humans.

A bachelor’s degree in psychology can open doors to study how we learn, memorise, manage emotions, get motivated, how social conditioning impacts our fears, or how we develop different types of personality traits, etc. A majority of students, after completing a bachelor’s in psychology, choose to specialise further within the field. Owing to the dynamic changes in the world, careers in psychology are not only manifold but also diverse. Let’s take a closer look at different specialisations.

Mental health professionals

Clinical and counselling psychologists are trained to diagnose mental illness and emotional problems which lead to dysfunction in an individual. Using psychological tests, interviews and observing non-verbal behaviour, they can assess severity of the mental health problem in an individual. Both clinical and counselling psychologists use different therapy models of “talk therapy” to develop therapeutic treatment plans to help individuals and or groups through their journey to overcome personal challenges. Typically, these specialists do a master’s and or a PhD and work in settings such as hospitals, educational institutions, corporate organisations and clinics. Several do private practice
as well.

Psychologists interested in mental health may also specialise in creative expressive modes of therapy as well such as psychodrama, expressive movement, arts-based therapy, music therapy, etc. All psychologists working as mental health professionals may opt to work, after additional training, with specific sections such as children, adolescents, couples, LGBTQ+, substance addicts or even individuals with maladaptive use of technology.

Rehabilitation psychologist

Psychologists can undertake to study the impact of injury or disability on an individual and the family. The interventions they develop could be then applied in school or at home.

Psychologists in research

Psychologists, preferably with a biology background, can choose to study further — how the brain functions in order to learn, remember information, speak, sensory perception issues, intelligence and so forth. Cognitive psychologists work in university settings and have a PhD in the subject. Some cognitive psychologists may collaborate with other scientists to work on challenges like Alzheimer’s, dementia, learning disabilities, etc. While others may collaborate in the area of artificial intelligence and machine learning as well to help develop better models of learning for machines. So by understanding how human children learn with curiosity, machines could potentially be taught to be curious to learn new things.

Psychologists in organisations

Organisations employ industrial and organisational psychologists to assist with recruitment, performance assessment, training, motivation and so on. Psychologists working in this area mostly have a master’s degree and occasionally have a PhD. After the pandemic, for instance, many employees want flexible work hours and even work from home options. It is then the role of organisational psychologists to assess performance, build team spirit and motivate employees becomes more important. They need a knowledge of laws governing employees in organisations to manage leave, salary benefits, diversity and inclusivity laws.

Psychometricians

Some psychologists specialise in using and interpreting standardised psychological tests. They are called psychometricians and typically work in educational institutions to help diagnose mental illness. They also work in private and public sector companies to offer “assessment centres” that assist in recruitment of employees.

Even though psychology is underpinned with centuries of extensive research and theorisation, it is essentially a subject that is practical and experiential. A student may need to look out for internships to try out the applied nature of psychology. As a budding psychologist, you could sit in a corner of a room observing human behaviour and you will literally see the theories taught in class come alive around you.

The writer is an experienced career and mental health counsellor