What types of psychologists are there by specialty - list of professions by area

The trend of our time is to turn to narrow specialists. Modern people are less and less inclined to serve their personal needs on their own, preferring to devote more time to professional activities and recreation. Therefore, the service sector is growing and will continue to grow. People prefer to hire specialists for cleaning and cooking, for personal training and putting their appearance in order. And mental discord is overcome with the help of psychologists.

What kinds of psychologists are there?

Psychologists surround us everywhere. All preschool and school educational institutions, as well as hospitals, have a psychologist on staff.

A psychologist can work as a speech therapist, coach, or business trainer. With additional training, you can become a psychotherapist.

You can choose scientific or teaching activity, stay in your home department, defend your dissertation and teach.

Psychologists often apply for the position of HR manager. In addition, companies sometimes hire psychologists as staff. In a large company, a psychologist deals with:

• personnel testing;
• trainings;
• psychological support for employees;
• development of management methods.

Important!

Considering the high demand for psychologists in many industries and the growing popularity of the profession, choosing a psychology department for training is a smart step.

Career prospects of a specialist

The career growth of a psychologist depends on the improvement and expansion of his skills, the methods he uses, and the demand for his services. At an enterprise, such a specialist can grow from an ordinary employee to the head of the HR service, deputy head of personnel matters. A successful psychologist can eventually open his own commercial office providing psychological assistance. But to be in demand, a specialist does not need a higher education diploma. It is necessary to constantly study, improve your skills through courses and trainings, learn new methods of psychodiagnostics and assistance, and express yourself.

Top universities

There is a psychology department at any university; The specialty can also be mastered at a pedagogical institute. But the main universities in Russia that train psychological personnel are:

• Lomonosov Moscow State University,
• Russian State Social University,
• Peoples' Friendship University of Russia,
• Russian State Humanitarian University,
• Moscow City Pedagogical University,
• Moscow Pedagogical State University,
• Russian State Pedagogical University named after Herzen.

Important!

There are budget places available at psychology departments.

But all top universities are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. To enter such a university, you need to pass the Unified State Exam with a high score.

Even after scoring high and passing the competition, not every student can afford to live in the most expensive cities in the country. The costs of accommodation, food, and materials necessary for study are quite significant, and the size of the scholarship in Russia is such that it cannot compensate for them.

Important personal qualities

As already noted, excellent empathy abilities are the most important quality for a psychologist. But this does not mean that he immerses himself in empathy for each client and gives him advice. The task of a psychologist is to help a person find answers to his questions himself, and not to impose his own point of view. Therefore, emotional stability, impartiality, the ability to think without value judgments, observation, tact, and responsibility are also extremely important for him. Without these qualities, it will be too difficult to occupy a position as a psychologist and fulfill your duties with dignity.

Specializations at the Faculty of Psychology

Psychology departments accept students for the following specialties:

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• general psychology,
• work psychology,
• psychophysiology,
• social Psychology,
• legal psychology,
• medical psychology,
• correctional psychology,
• pedagogical psychology,
• developmental psychology,
• political psychology.

Psychologist you shouldn't see

Psychotherapy has recently become very popular and fashionable. But among the huge number of specialists in the treatment of human souls, it is very difficult to find a good professional psychologist. Sometimes you can find your specialist only after several attempts. The search takes time, money and nerves. But even if a grief psychologist does not appeal to Vedic theories and cleansing energy therapy, a toxic psychologist may be hiding behind a scientifically based explanation.

Psychologist – “dropout”

Such psychologists do not have a diploma from a psychological university, even one that has lost its accreditation.
He didn’t even take courses in any area of ​​counseling. Usually they hide this annoying fact of their biography and avoid direct questions. Short-term courses should not be mistaken for full-fledged psychological education. Sometimes even 5 years of full-time education cannot guarantee the professionalism of a psychologist. This also requires knowledge of practical consulting. Abroad, before a newly minted psychologist has access to work, he must practice for free for a year. Many “half-educated” psychologists believe that a lot of life experience is enough to advise people. It is this experience that prevents such a specialist from looking at the problem not with his own eyes, but with the client.

Undeveloped psychologist

Even after a very advanced education, before starting to practice, every psychologist must first work through all his mental problems.
Each psychologist has his own psychologist. A specialist with advanced problems is so mired in his wounds that even his clients can see it. There is a lot of passive aggression in his work. He constantly provokes and looks at many things through his projections. Through his own fears and beliefs, a psychologist who has not worked through his own conflicts will attribute his own problems to the client. Very often, people with psychological problems begin to get involved in psychology, hoping to understand their own lives. It is important that the psychologist, when starting practice, already understands himself.

Psychologist – “moralist”

It is not uncommon for a psychologist to call his client to shame, or even categorically evaluate his actions.
He will indirectly or directly evaluate actions and actions, appealing to a system of certain values. Despite the existence of religious psychologists, religion and psychotherapy cannot coexist together. While psychology calls for changing your life, accepting your own shortcomings and freeing your consciousness from guilt, religion requires you to renounce everything sinful and come to terms with the precision of existence, endure suffering in order to gain eternal life after death. It’s even worse if a psychologist gives recommendations based on the attitudes of a certain part of society about what true women and real men should be. To save effort, time and money, do not hesitate to ask a psychologist about what kind of education he has. Does he have experience? You should not tolerate it if a specialist allows himself to be rude, tactless, or disrespectful in his work. Leave the psychologist immediately if he provokes shame, inferiority, or guilt in you instead of working through these states. When a psychologist makes value judgments, break up with him. As with Faith in a miracle, that a good specialist will solve all your problems for you. This can be done with the help of a good specialist, but only by yourself.

Driving school instructors can become psychologists

Studying to become a psychologist abroad

You can also get a diploma in psychology at foreign universities.

Interesting!

Among foreign students around the world, 1.5% are Russian students (UNESCO data for 2015).

Popular destinations among Russian students:

• USA,
• Great Britain,
• Germany,
• France,
• Czech Republic,
• Finland,
• Sweden,
• Italy,
• China.

If studying in the USA and Great Britain costs a lot of money, many European countries on the continent offer more humane prices or special conditions, for example, in the Czech Republic you can study for free, but only in the Czech language.

Important!

Education for foreign students in Germany, Norway, Finland is free for all programs.

Among the countries offering free higher education to foreigners, Germany stands out:

• The largest number of universities per capita among European countries.
• The most ancient traditions of higher education.
• High level of safety and social protection.
• A flexible curriculum that allows you to master 2-3 specialties at the same time and combine study with part-time work.
• The opportunity to receive a stipend in an amount that allows you to compensate for household expenses.
• Dormitories.
• Free training in German or English - both languages ​​are extremely in demand in the modern world and large companies.

We advise you to study: Selection of training programs

How to apply to become a psychologist in Germany

In German universities, a graduate of a Russian school is in for a pleasant surprise: your Unified State Exam scores are of no interest to anyone. So, if you decided in advance that you will enroll in Germany, in your senior year you will not have to worry or worry about state exams. But you need to pay attention to the average score of the certificate - this is what will be used to select you for a German university.

To enter a German university after school, you need to pass a German language exam and study for one year at the Studienkolleg. This time will not be wasted: you will adapt to life in a new country and will certainly improve your German. And studying in the first year after Studienkolleg will be easier. Admission to the university is carried out taking into account grades from the Studienkolleg and grades from the school certificate, so high academic indicators will be very helpful!

How to choose a psychologist/psychotherapist?

In the last article and in the channel that I run about psychology and soft skills in IT (PSYvIT), the question is often raised - how to choose a psychologist? What to look for? What's important to remember? I already wrote about this in short notes, but I decided to reveal these recommendations in detail in the article. So: how to choose a psychologist and how to even understand that it’s time to contact him?

A psychologist is a specialist in the helping profession. Its activities are aimed at helping to cope with difficult situations. There are a few additional concepts that are important to consider here. This is especially true in Russia, where the legal status of psychology is still in limbo. Within the framework of the article, I will consider the work of a psychotherapist according to European standards and call him a practicing psychologist. Because this formulation is more familiar to many of us.

What kinds of psychologists are there?

So, there are several types of psychologists.
A psychologist is a specialist who provides consulting services. As a rule, these are 5-10 meetings. These are specialists who work with the norm. And they don’t have to deal with complex, deep-seated cases. In our country, it often happens differently, but when choosing a specialist, it is important to pay attention to this. I will reveal this point a little later.

A psychotherapist (that’s what he’s called according to European standards) or a practicing psychologist is a specialist whose help is aimed at deeper development. Can provide support and assistance for disorders, but only with support from a psychiatrist or psychotherapist with a medical education. These are specialists with higher education who have undergone additional training (and often more than one) in the field of psychology. Typically, as part of some kind of therapeutic approach. For example, psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, etc.

A psychiatrist (in Russian standards can also be called a psychotherapist, but there is a difference in the area of ​​practice) is a specialist with a higher medical education. Conducts diagnostics and prescribes treatment. Only he can recommend medicines of any kind. Can provide psychotherapeutic work. As a rule, for this purpose he has additional education.

And here we can pay attention when choosing a specialist to the following points:

• availability of higher education and what kind of education it is,
• presence of additional long-term education,
• therapeutic approach in which the specialist works.

This is where let's return to psychologists who work within the framework of advisory work, not therapy.
In our country, as a rule, these are young specialists who have graduated from a university, have not yet gone through the process of obtaining additional education, but have already started working. You can contact them, but you should pay attention to your feelings. With trauma, crisis, grief or burnout, it is recommended to go to a psychotherapist (practicing psychologist). The psychotherapist works in different modalities and approaches. I will not dwell on them in detail, because... in fact, based on my knowledge and experience, I can only speak about existential analysis, but let’s list the most famous of them so that you have a reason to read about each one. In addition to the already mentioned existential analysis, there is cognitive behavioral therapy, client-centered therapy, psychoanalysis, Gestalt therapy, narrative therapy, etc. When choosing a specialist, it is worth studying his method of work and understanding how suitable he is for your request.

Don't be afraid to ask the specialist himself about this. Read articles about the differences in approaches. There are quite a lot of them now.

Pay attention to where the specialist studied (after all, there are those who only read books) and how long it took.

Why is education important and why are books not enough? Because education involves many hours of practice. So many. Really really. And in this practice, as a rule, there is a supervisor who corrects and guides. There is a lot of reflection, a lot of analysis of your questions, answers, actions. Some approaches even analyze how you position yourself in a chair.

Psychologists and psychotherapists undergo supervision and their own therapy during training. This is an important part of becoming a professional for these specialists. It is important to work through your feelings, be able to reflect on your life and, as a result, separate your experiences from those of the client. Supervision is also necessary. It examines how a specialist constructs work. If we draw an analogy with development, this is a kind of code review. Essential for growth and efficiency.

Therefore, when choosing a psychologist or psychotherapist, if he does not indicate this on the page, ask him if he undergoes personal therapy and supervision.

These are correct questions to ask these specialists. Some approaches tend to undergo supervision on specific topics. As a rule, the specialist indicates this in his questionnaire. (And this speaks to his even greater preparation in this topic).

It is important to pay attention to where the specialist sees and how he organizes his work.

The Code of Ethics does not allow meetings with clients in cafes, parks and public places. Psychotherapeutic work is a very intimate process. It is important that work is organized in such a way that this intimacy is not violated. And the client could feel safe and comfortable.

A psychologist cannot persuade a client to work with him. Cannot offer its services without a request. Some approaches do not allow any communication between the client and the specialist outside the office. For example, if you stop going to meetings, a psychologist cannot write to you: “Where did you go?” Most approaches prohibit friendship or close relationships with the client. No romantic or sexual relationships allowed. You also need to pay attention to all this when choosing a specialist.

What request should you come to a psychologist or psychotherapist with?

With anyone.
If you feel that there is anxiety, excitement, worries about work, home or the future, you can safely contact a psychologist and discuss strategies and some possibilities with him. If you had a difficult childhood, adolescence or period of growing up, you feel that there are some unresolved grievances, thoughts, etc., try contacting a psychotherapist.

Do this when experiencing grief, loss, or violence of any kind. Burnout. Fears and anxiety.

Living like a loser. Dislike for yourself, your body, your appearance. The same impostor syndrome. Fear of speaking. Fear of evaluation. Painful perception of criticism. As you can see, the range of issues is completely different.

Very often team leads come to me who experience a feeling of helplessness or unfulfillment in their work. Because of this, there are often overworks, people place very high demands on themselves. The result is burnout. When we sort out this tangle, it may turn out, for example, that we were disliked in childhood. Or in adolescence they gave everything ready-made, depriving them of the opportunity to choose and fight. Or at a more mature age there was a difficult divorce, which eroded the feeling of confidence. These feelings need to be sorted out in order to make some changes in life and change its quality.

And another question that is often asked is whether a psychologist needs to understand IT?
It is difficult to answer this objectively. When a specialist has an understanding of the environment in which the client lives and works, this is always a plus. Especially when discussing work issues. IT has its own specifics, just like any other area. Understanding market dynamics, requirements, culture - all this simplifies the dialogue. However, it cannot be said that without this, your work with a specialist will be ineffective.

Total

Working with a psychologist is a labor-intensive process that sometimes requires courage.
But working through the issues that bother you makes it possible to see your life from a new perspective. When working with a specialist, talk about the feelings and experiences that arise in the context of your work. This will help you and the psychologist build contact.

And one more thing: we are not always able to find our specialist right away. Sometimes this takes a lot of time and sometimes the search turns out to be painful. Don't think that psychologists are any different from other people. And since one could not be effective, then the rest will not help. The human factor works always and everywhere.

A therapeutic relationship develops between the client and the specialist, which requires attention, time and willingness to be in it. This doesn't always happen quickly. Relief from work does not come overnight. You may feel angry at your therapist at times. Or don't want to come. Understanding that a specialist is right for you comes from a feeling of security and the opportunity to be in contact with a specialist. And this takes time.

And I wish you that this relationship will work out well for you.

What qualities are important for a future psychologist?

The main thing for a psychologist is interest and love for people. A psychologist works with people, so there is nothing to do in the profession for those who are tired of communication.

The psychologist must be:

• tolerant and patient;
• able to listen;
• able to analyze information;
• possessing emotional intelligence;
• capable and loving to learn.

A psychologist constantly learns in the process of his work, since psychology is a living, developing field. Relying only on a diploma received years ago is a sure path to professional ruin.

How do you know if being a psychologist is right for you? Go through career orientation and everything will immediately become clear.

What awaits the specialty in the near future?

The work of thinking, psychological qualities, and the reasons for their manifestation are key objects of study by psychologists. Certified specialists will always be in demand in the labor market. Only they can provide professional assistance to those in critical situations. The specialist helps people use their own internal resources for both personal and career growth. In the coming years, the need for psychologists will only grow. First of all, specialists with diplomas from top universities will be in demand.

Source:
Center for Humanitarian Technologies
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What knowledge and skills do future psychologists acquire?

Psychologists do not treat mental illness. They help people understand their feelings, solve problems, and optimally organize their lives.

Interesting!

New interdisciplinary directions are emerging in psychology. One of them is behavioral economics.

Future psychologists study:

• anatomy,
• physiology,
• sociology,
• logic,
• philosophy,
• anthropology,
• mathematical methods in psychology.

Students will have to read a lot during their studies. The training includes a practical block.

Short description

The quality of life of every person is affected not only by his physical health, but also by his psychological health. In recent decades, this truth has become increasingly firmly established in the minds of people, and psychologists have proven to be an effective tool for solving many internal problems that a person is not able to cope with on his own. They often work together with doctors, or use their knowledge to maintain a comfortable psychological climate in organizations. Work in the field of psychology also requires a sufficient level of awareness, the absence of serious internal contradictions on the part of the psychologist himself, therefore it is almost always preceded or accompanied by a visit by a specialist to his own psychotherapist.

Where to work after graduating from the Faculty of Psychology

Well-known and experienced psychologists have private offices; there are not so many of them. But with a quality education and good achievements, you can become one of them. The bulk of graduates of the Faculty of Psychology are employed in various organizations:

• kindergartens;
• schools;
• educational institutions;
• hospitals;
• psychological assistance centers,
• as well as in large commercial companies.

Sports teams have their own psychologists, and a correctional psychologist can work with speech disorders in children.

Where to look for work

A certified specialist is in demand in many fields. Medical clinics, psychological assistance services, private and municipal educational institutions - this is the main field of activity of a psychologist. In addition, many large companies today have psychologists on staff. They organize and conduct business trainings to raise corporate spirit, unite the team, and motivate employees. Such specialists work in HR departments and act as personal coaches for entrepreneurs. Due to their ability to predict people’s behavior, they are also in demand in marketing, as they can direct the company’s activities to generate greater profits.

Income of specialists in Russia and Germany

The range of salaries for psychologists is very large.

Depending on the type of activity of a psychologist, salaries in Russia are offered in the amount of 15-20 thousand rubles in the provinces or 50-70 thousand rubles in Moscow.

Psychologists, speech therapists, and coaches working privately set the price for their services themselves. The cost of an hour-long session with a private psychologist can be 2.5-4 thousand rubles and more. But private specialists have their own risks: they must pay rent, invest in advertising without guarantees that the investment will pay off.

Important!

In European countries, almost 100% of the population regularly visits psychologists. In Russia, the number of people visiting psychologists is smaller, since we have not yet developed a culture of this phenomenon, and the financial capabilities of the majority of the population are much lower than in European countries.

In Germany, at the beginning of a career, a psychologist earns 3-4 thousand euros per month

.
The income of experienced psychologists is 4-6 thousand euros per month
.
Many work in government organizations at a government rate, which provides a large number of additional financial and social benefits both during work and (looking to the future) in retirement. The income of highly qualified, highly specialized psychologists on staff at a company or in private practice can reach 7-10 thousand euros per month or more.
Important!

In Germany, after graduating from a university, the student visa is extended for 1.5 years, giving the graduate the opportunity to get a job. Having a diploma from a German university in hand, there is every chance of finding a job in Germany.

Pros and cons of communicating with a psychologist

Many people strive to solve problems on their own and do not seek professional help, which does not always lead to positive results.

When should you contact a psychologist?

Psychologist and writer Mikhail Labkovsky recommends contacting a psychologist when a person is trying to solve a long-lasting problem, but cannot. Consultation is necessary if you have stopped enjoying life.

Psychotherapist, trainer in the field of sexuality, writer Nina Verbitskaya in the book “Psychological assistance. How to figure it out and where to turn?” recommends contacting a psychologist if:

• There was a feeling of inferiority in life, that something was wrong.
• A person wants to change something, but does not know how.
• There is no support in a difficult life situation.
• There is a problem, but the person does not understand how to formulate it.
• Difficulties have arisen in relationships at work, in the family or in society.

Pros and cons of sessions with a psychologist: Pixabay
Professor, teacher, management consultant, writer John Kotter in his book “Psychotherapeutic Consulting” explains that people can turn to a psychologist in any life crisis when they cannot find a way out of the situation on their own.

What are the benefits of visiting a psychologist?

An appointment with a psychologist allows a person to:

• realize your emotions, objectively highlight and evaluate life’s difficulties;
• remove the emotional burden, speak out, see the situation from different sides and begin to act;
• trust your own experiences without fear of judgment;
• understand the causes of problems and failures;
• find out the objective view of an outside observer;
• dispel worries, strengthen relationships, increase self-esteem, find inner strength to improve life;
• understand the origins of the problem and get out of the emotional trap;
• analyze the type of relationship, the difficulties that can be expected in them, and choose which way to develop them is the best;
• get professional help that is based on knowledge of the human psyche;
• independently, without the intervention of a specialist in the client’s life, find a way out of the situation;
• openly talk about anxiety, fear, difficulties without the danger of being misunderstood.

The disadvantage of visiting a psychologist may be the incompetence of the specialist, so it is extremely important to take a responsible approach to choosing a psychologist.

What kind of psychologists are there in Germany?

Psychology in Germany is also divided into different focus areas. In German universities they teach these types of psychology:

• Psychologist (general psychology) – Psychologe
• Business Psychologist (corporate psychologist) – Wirtschaftspsychologe
• Transport Psychologist – Verkehrspsychologe
• Sports Psychologist – Sportpsychologe
• Social Psychologist – Psychosoziale/r Prozessbegleiter
• Psychoanalyst – Psychoanalytiker
• Educational Psychologist – Pädagogische/r Psychologe
• Communication Psychologist – Kommunikationspsychologe
• Clinical Psychologist – Klinische/r Psychologe
• Psychotherapist – Psychologische/r Psychotherapeut
• Child and Youth Psychotherapist - Kinder- und Jugendlichenpsychotherapeut
• Health and Rehabilitation Psychologist – Gesundheits- und Rehabilitationspsychologe
• Doctor, psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy – Facharzt – Psychosom. Medizin u. Psychotherapy
• Doctor, psychiatry and psychotherapy – Facharzt – Psychiatrie und Psychotherapy

Neuropsychologists

They are typically researchers, although neuropsychologists often develop their professional work in the areas of cognitive, behavioral and emotional rehabilitation of patients with brain damage. They are also specialists in the early diagnosis and treatment of dementia.

Thus, their specialty is clinical, and they work in the space that exists between neuroscience and psychology. Their main goal is to study possible changes that can affect the central nervous system and how they can affect a person's mental life.

These changes can be caused by a variety of factors, from injury to stroke or tumor. Their greatest allies are neuroimaging techniques, and their work is based on the relationship that exists between our brain and mind.