Career Options in Psychology

AGCAS Scotland TrainingUniversity of Edinburgh

Carole Allan, Vice-President 2012-201313 Nov 2012

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Aims

• Context: Psychology in the UK and internationally

• The role of the British Psychological Society• Careers in general• Psychology careers• Finding out about Psychology careers

Educational Context

• Psychology is the scientific study of human brain and behaviour

• Second most popular science subject -A level• Fourth most popular A level overall• 46,000 students were enrolled for a

Psychology degree in 2009/2010• Second in popularity to Law

Careers Context

• 20% of original undergraduate cohort continue into professional psychology practice

• Degree is set at Doctorate level or equivalent (postgrad qualification+supervised practice to fulfil Stage 2 qualifications)

• Then eligible to be registered with the HCPC• Common core skills-assessment, formulation,

intervention, research and evaluation

Careers outwith Psychology

• Firm grounding in scientific theory, method and its applications

• Skill set covers scientific method, statistical analysis, report writing, critical thinking and report writing

• Health and social care, HR, nursing

Psychology Careers

Honours Degree in Psychology

Clinical Counselling Educational Forensic Health OccupationalSports & Exercise

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Degree in Psychology

• Foundation for all practitioner and academic and research careers

• Need the Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership(GBC) completing a qualification

accredited by BPS at 2:2 and above, these include:

o Society accredited Undergraduate Psychology Honours Degrees

o Society accredited Psychology Conversion Course

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Advice on Building a CV

• Find out about the area from a practitioner• Try and undertake relevant research as an

undergraduate in preferred area• Do voluntary or paid work as an

undergraduate• Get a good degree• Some relevant experience after graduation• Join the British Psychological Society

Clinical Psychology

• 10,000• Generally work in the NHS• Work as practitioners with a range of patients • Single training route -Doctoral training• Undertaken while working in the NHS as a

trainee Clinical Psychologist

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Counselling Psychology

• 1400• Work in a wide range of settings including

voluntary agencies, NHS, prisons, independent practice

• 13 Counselling Psychology course in the UK• Trainees are self financing

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Forensic Psychology

• 900 registered with the HCPC• 2000 members of BPS• Main employer is National Offender

Management Service (NOMS)

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Forensic Psychology

o applying psychological theory to criminal investigation, understanding psychological problems associated with offending behaviour and the treatment of offenders

o Forensic Psychologists mainly work in the prison service, although they may also work for the NHS and Social Services

Educational Psychology

• 3,800• Generally employed by local authorities and

work in schools, social services, child guidance clinics and some private practice

• Training-in Scotland postgrad degree at Dundee or Strathclyde

• 2yrs full time, a combination of academic study work based practice

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Educational Psychologists

• School visits about individual children involving discussion with teachers, parents

• Consultation about classroom behaviour• Seeing children in a youth club type setting for

help with social skills training• De-escalation training for nursery school staff

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Health Psychology

• 400 registered with HCPC• 2000 members of BPS• Health psychology is the use of psychological

principles to promote changes in people’s attitudes, behaviour and thinking about health and illness.

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Health Psychologists

• Health psychologists are represented in a number of settings, such as academic health research units, health authorities and university departments

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Occupational Psychology

• Approx 4,000• Occupational psychology is the application of

psychological knowledge and expertise to identify and resolve organisational, team and individual levels of working.

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Occupational Psychology

• Occupational psychologists work in-house for larger organisations, in both the private and public sectors (including government departments. Other are in private practice or work as consultants to businesses

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Sports and Exercise Psychology

• Approx 500• Sport psychologists work with sports

participants across a range of both team and individual sports and from amateur to elite levels of competition.

• An exercise psychologist is primarily concerned with the application of psychology to increase exercise participation and with the general public

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Sports and Exercise Psychology

• Sport and Exercise psychologists work in a wide range of sport and exercise settings

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Neuropsychology

• Neuropsychologists work with people of all ages with neurological problems, which might include traumatic brain injury, stroke, toxic and metabolic disorders, tumours and neuro-degenerative diseases.

• Neuropsychologists work in a variety of settings including NHS regional neurosciences centres, rehabilitation centres, community services.

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Neuropsychology

Qualifications Required:o GBCo Chartered Status in either Clinical or Education

Psychologyo Society’s Qualification in Clinical

Neuropsychology (QiCN)

teaching and research in psychology

What is Teaching and Research?o Teaching and research usually go hand in

hand at the higher education level, with lecturers at Higher Education Institutions usually undertaking some research as well as teaching.

o All university lecturers are expected to help extend their subject by gathering psychological evidence on key research questions, and tell others what they have found by publishing articles

Qualifications Requiredo GBCo PhD in psychology ORo Three years postgraduate

experience as a teacher of psychology

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Information• BPS website for careers info• http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-education

training/careers-resources/careers-resources• BPS website for Divisions ie Practitioner Groups• http://www.bps.org.uk/networks-communities/member

networks/divisions/divisions• DVD on Clinical Psychology training• http://dcp.bps.org.uk/dcp/clinical_psychology/difference_home.cfm• Psychology Student Employability Guide• http://www.pnarchive.org/docs/pdf/employability_guide.pdf