Clinical Psychology job

A clinical psychologist is a kind of psychologist who works with patients who have a broad variety of mental or physical health issues. They want to lessen the psychological suffering people experience and increase their psychological well-being.

Contents

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The duties and responsibilities of a clinical psychologist

Skills necessary

Programming for training

Pathway to a career

Professional recognition

Useful links

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The duties and responsibilities of a clinical psychologist

A clinical psychologist helps individuals who are going through a variety of challenges in their lives, which may come up at any point in their life. This indicates that they deal with children, adolescents, adults, as well as senior citizens. They do their work with persons who could be having challenges with their mental health, physical health, or disabilities.

Problems with any of the following may contribute to these challenges:

emotions

relationships

negative occurrences in one's life

behaviour

offending

unusual experiences

Use of alcohol and/or illegal substances

They want to lessen the psychological suffering people experience and increase their psychological well-being.

Additionally, clinical psychologists provide their expertise in the form of consulting, training, and supervision to a variety of other professions and organizations.

Clinical psychologists are not the same as medical physicians, hence they do not have the authority to prescribe medicine. Their research focuses on the ways in which people think, feel, and act, as well as the effects these things have on both the individuals themselves and the connections they have with others.

A significant number of psychologists are active participants in research and the assessment of services.

People suffering from a broad variety of diseases, ailments, and disorders are the patients that clinical psychologists treat. These could include the following:

anxiety

depression

Illness of the mind that is severe and long-lasting

adaptation in the face of physical sickness

neurological diseases

compulsions and compulsive acts

developmental problems and behavioral issues in children

issues with one's self, one's family, and one's relationships

The role requires contact with a broad variety of other professionals, such as physicians, nurses, social workers, and occupational therapists, as well as the receipt of recommendations from these individuals. The majority of clinical psychologists are employed in the Health and Social Care sector; however, some work in private practice or for other organizations.

A clinical psychologist may choose from a range of approaches while conducting a clinical examination of a patient, including the following:

The psychometric examinations

interviews

behavior gleaned via firsthand observation

Evaluation often comes before psychological counseling or treatment. The provision of consultation, guidance, and supervision to other professionals who are engaged in the care or treatment of a person is an important element of the function of the clinical psychologist.

Skills necessary

The following are some of the fundamental abilities needed to become a clinical psychologist:

excellent interpersonal skills

an inquiring mind

a curiosity about any and all facets of human behavior

want to assist others in overcoming their own individual challenges.

Maturity and a focus on the objective

Programming for training

The following is a list of the undergraduate programs that may be pursued in Northern Ireland. Both of these programs last for a full-time commitment of three years. Get in touch with the respective educational institutions to get the most recent information on the prerequisites for enrollment.

Ulster University's Bachelor of Science in Psychology with Honors (external link; opens in a new tab or window)

BSc Honors in Psychology from Queen's University (external link; opens in a new tab or window)

Coursework at the postgraduate doctoral level, which typically lasts for three years, is necessary in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The School of Psychology at Queen's University Belfast is the institution in Northern Ireland that is responsible for imparting this training.

At the end of September of each year of admission, the university posts an advertisement on its website advertising available spots on this training program. For further information, check out the clinical psychology doctorate. (the external link will open in a new browser tab or window)

Pathway to a career

After receiving their degrees, graduates may anticipate working in their chosen field and gaining further experience for a period of at least six years before being able to compete for consultant level positions.

At that level, only a select few clinical psychologists may reasonably hope to advance their careers to the position of Head of Specialty in areas such as Adult Mental Health, Child and Adolescent, or overall Head of a Psychology Service.

Professional recognition

Clinical psychologists are members of the British Psychological Society (external link; opens in a new tab/window), which is the professional chartered organisation for the field. The Health and Care Professions Council is the body responsible for administering rules and guidelines to practitioner psychologists (external link; opens in a new tab or window) (HCPC).

Before being allowed to work in the UK, clinical psychologists need to get themselves registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Any psychologist who is registered with the HCPC is allowed to use the term "practitioner psychologist," despite the fact that it is a protected but generic title. It is illegal for anybody other than a registered psychologist who satisfies the requirements set out by the HCPC to call themselves a clinical psychologist to use the protected term "clinical psychologist."