Job Career in Consulting Psychology - Research Paper Example

Consulting Psychology involves many years of study followed by training and experience. However being a fairly new branch of psychology, it has exciting prospects for someone who is willing to take up challenges and work hard to reach their goal. I have always had an analytical mind and enjoy interacting with people. My listening skills are good and I have excellent communication skills. Patience and empathy are other traits that I possess in good measure. I believe psychology helps us better analyze and understand ourselves as well as others. The human mind is extremely complex and studying mental processes and their impact on human behavior is a real challenge. I enjoy challenges and besides I have a great desire to help people unfortunate enough to have behavioral and developmental disabilities. I have the capacity to try to understand problems and draw up detailed plans to solve them. Consulting psychology I believe is the field where my talents can reach fruition. Consulting Psychology The study of human psychology is a science that deals with the mental processes and behavior of human beings. The literal meaning of the word psychology is derived from the ancient Greek term that means the study of the soul .The American Psychological Association defines psychology as “the study of the mind and behavior. The discipline embraces all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific research centers to mental healthcare services, "the understanding of behavior" is the enterprise of psychologists.” (APA, n.d. ) As the range of psychology is so vast, so too are the areas in which a career as a psychologist can be considered. Since the basis of psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior, a study of the subject helps in a greater appreciation of human development as an ongoing process throughout a person’s life. The consulting psychologist as the name implies is a consultant whose specialized knowledge is applied to various problems in human behavior in different areas through a process of consultation. In today’s world most problems have their origin in psychological difficulties. Hence there are specializations in various fields of psychology like child psychology; clinical psychology, social psychology, educational psychology and so on. The consulting psychologist can specialize in any of these branches and will work in his/her field of specialization in businesses, consulting firms, and private practices. Consulting Psychology is in demand in places as varied as business organizations, schools, nonprofit organizations, corporations as well as hospitals and other community establishments. Consulting psychologists who work for a business establishment or a large corporation will apply their knowledge to help these organizations to run more efficiently. It would involve travel and hence would be ideal for one who enjoys variety at the workplace. In this working environment, the entire organization is the client and the consulting psychologist will have to make an in-depth study of the organization and provide solutions for running it more efficiently. On the other hand the consulting psychologist can be a consultant clinical psychologist or an industrial-organizational psychologist and would provide consulting services to a wide range of clients from organizations to businesses, hospitals, schools, courts and community groups. Being a qualified mental health professional, the psychologist can either have a private practice or be part of an organization. The consultant psychologist is able to offer a range of services that can vary based on areas of expertise and preferred fields of practice. Dr. Andrew Ritcheson in an interview with CareersInPsychology.org, says “to be a good consulting psychologist, you need to be a good psychologist.” He goes on to add “it’s important to develop the broad base of understanding of human behaviors, research methodologies, clinical approaches, the fundamental building blocks. You need to master communication, reading, writing, and speaking.” (Ritcheson, n.d.) Psychologists, no matter what their specialization need to have some basic personality traits like excellent communication and problem-solving skills; patience, good listening skills and above all they need to be able to capture the trust of the patient in order to succeed in their efforts to improve the quality of life of the patient with minimal medical intervention. The consulting psychologist is one who has a background in clinical or in industrial-organizational psychology and uses those skills differently in the context of businesses, corporations or government agencies. In order to become a consulting psychologist, one needs to have a doctoral degree in psychology with a focus on consultation. As there are only a few schools offering degrees especially in consulting psychology, one may have a specialization in a variety of other fields like clinical, industrial-organizational, consulting or counseling psychology. In addition to this it is also necessary to hold state licensure to practice psychology. The American Board of Organizational and Business Consulting Psychology (ABOBCP) offers a certification program for consulting psychologists. This certification requires verified post-doctoral work experience and completion of an examination. Although the requirements vary from state to state, graduation from an accredited school, completion of supervised clinical experience and passing a written and/or oral examination are essential. The licensing process involves passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology. Becoming a member of the American Psychological Association’s specialty group, Division 13 Society of Consulting Psychology, is also an excellent addition to one’s qualifications. As the consulting psychologist will work more with business organizations and other government agencies, supplementary courses in business, finance, and management are important in order to fully understand how organizations operate and offer strategic advice. In order to get the necessary educational qualifications required to qualify as a consulting psychologist; one must have a bachelor’s degree in psychology followed by a master’s and a doctoral degree. The bachelor’s degree typically requires four years of undergraduate study, followed by a two or two and a half year’s master’s degree course. Schools that offer doctoral degrees vary in their time requirements depending on the career path the student chooses. These can vary from four to seven years. Sometimes the time taken to complete the degree is four years followed by two to three years for completing a dissertation. Before the dissertation is complete the student will be designated Psy. D or Ph.D. “ABD” - All but Dissertation. Attending an online psychology school, can reduce the time taken to complete each of these degree programs. While the Bachelor’s degree program can be complete in about thirty six months, the Masters could take as little as eighteen months. The time taken for a doctoral degree too can be reduced by about a couple of years. However, one needs to invest a lot of time and these online schools also include a residency component at the school. In addition to the degrees that are a must for a consulting psychologist, experience in related areas will make a world of difference to the kind of job one can get. Experts agree that seeking practical experience while still in school and being always on the lookout for specialized internships is effective in getting satisfying and remunerative jobs. A most effective strategy is networking. Attending conferences especially those held by the business-related APA divisions and linking into professional networks will be a surefire way to get the job one wants. Division 13 of the American Psychological Association has psychologists from every field of psychology and becoming a member will ensure networking with psychologists with a wide variety of backgrounds and experience. Attending a psychology school is expensive but is worth the investment. The costs of education vary and are much higher at private schools compared with public schools. The annual tuition fee for a bachelor’s degree could cost around $7,020 from a public four-year school and a private school could set you back by as much as $26,273 annually for the same. For a master’s degree fees for instate residents will be less than those for nonresidents. According to APA, residents pay about half of what nonresidents do. In-state residents at public schools pay about a third of the tuition paid by their counterparts at private institutions, while nonresidents at public schools pay about three fourths of that paid by their counterparts at private schools. Financial assistance is available through teaching assistantships, research assistantships, traineeships, and fellowships/scholarships. Online bachelor’s degrees in psychology may come a bit cheaper with an estimated cost of around $47,000 for the entire undergraduate course of study and for a master’s degree; it may be over $25,000. The same training and residencies are available at online schools. However attending an accredited school is a must. As in other fields, salaries vary depending on the part of the country you choose to work as well as the qualification and experience of the candidate. Salaries for consulting psychologists vary according to qualifications, work experience and the organization for which the consultant works. Location, industry, and benefits are other factors that count while salaries are negotiated. However average salaries at entry level for a candidate with a master’s degree would be around $38,750, while for someone with a doctoral degree would be $55,000. A median salary of about – $80,000 would be considered reasonable. Private sector jobs would be more lucrative with a salary of around $100,000. Private practitioners’ earnings are high, but then their risks too are greater than those of a wage earner. These however are only average assumptions and real figures are not easily available. Research has proved time and again that taking on challenges is what propels people into rapid growth in their respective careers. Employer trust is a necessity to prove oneself and this is where one needs to have a mentor in order to be able to climb the ladder of success. Opportunities in consulting psychology are growing but so also is competition. As employers are generally reluctant to hire people without the necessary experience, the mantra to land a good job in this field is preparation, experience and initiative. Many psychologists begin with a clinical consulting practice, gain the necessary experience, build skills and network with people and then take the leap forward into consulting psychology. Having a mentor who will oversee training and help one gain the necessary skills for a career in consulting psychology will be a huge advantage. Although a consulting psychologist works more with businesses and government organizations, s/he has to work with a very complicated set of functions and while they may not be human they are not less challenging. The role of the consulting psychologist resembles the one of a traditional management professional, advisory in nature but applying psychological knowledge to help solve problems on an organizational level. However it is a challenge to work out the best ways of approaching a problem and develop methodologies to measure real change in the organization. Consulting psychology is still in its infancy and most practitioners who are in the field have not received much formal training in the sphere. However the prospects for the future are very bright and many of those in the field are advocating specialist training programs for future candidates in order to give them more insightful experience. The career prospects for the future are truly exciting and I certainly hope that by the time I finish my education, more opportunities will open up for budding consulting psychologists like me. References American Psychological Association. Support Center How does the APA define "psychology"? Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/support/about/apa/psychology.aspx#answer Ritcheson, Andrew. (n.d.) Careers in Psychology.org Dr. Ritcheson Consulting Psychologist Retrieved from http://careersinpsychology.org/interview/dr-andrew-ritcheson/ Read More