A Career: Choosing A Career In Child Psychology

Child Psychologist Career Essay Choosing a career in children psychology can be a very demanding but also very rewarding job. The schooling and training can also be extremely rigorous. You have to be a good observer with attention to detail. You need to be able to notice the subtle changes in children's behavior. You need to have an open mind so you can question your assumptions. You need empathy and good communication skills. Children psychologists serve an important role in our society to address the needs of children who are struggling with mental, social-emotional, and learning issues. Some psychologist work and help children in clinics, schools, and even universities. They can work with individual clients or even groups of clients,

This process begins with four years of undergraduate studies in psychology. The coursework involves studies of statistics and research methods, abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, the psychology of learning, history, and systems of psychology. Once a bachelor's degree is obtained, the next step is taking graduate studies in psychology, specifically child psychology, developmental psychology, or school psychology, are ideal for this type of career. These programs usually last two years. Graduate studies in child psychology usually focus on helping students develop the skills they need to effectively treat children with social, emotional, behavioral, or psychological issues. These courses include assessments and diagnoses, individual and group therapy techniques, educational psychology, psychopathology, and quantitative analysis. Sometimes, graduate programs will include an internship requirement in which students spend about 1,000 hours in a supervised placement. The final step in becoming a child psychologists is to complete a Ph.D or Psy.D in clinical or child psychology. These studies can last about two to five years, depending on the program requirements. There are many aptitudes that you may be required to have to become a successful child psychologist. Communication is probably one of the most important ones, child psychologist must be able to communicate with children on their level. Another one would be empathy, children that require psychological services are most likely dealing with a significant issue