Counseling psychology is a multi-dimensional profession covering counseling and general psychology, encompassing a broad range of occupations. Counseling psychology is a subject within professional psychology to improve personal and relational functioning in all life spheres. It revolves around vocational, emotional, educational, social, health-related, organizational, and developmental needs.
Counseling psychology bypasses cultural and racial barriers and focuses on people’s behavioral patterns, interactions, and functions in a given society. Counseling psychology also deals with mental, emotional, physical, and social health and functionality at school, work, and home.
Usually, careers offer a limited number of pathways after graduation. Counseling is not one of them, luckily. Counselors can work in community health centers, hospitals, or agencies or start a private practice. They can also run a clinic, work in or with schools, the educational sector, or private consultants. Following are the top career paths available for counseling degree holders:
- Aviation or Aeronautics Psychologist
It is not a very popular field, and most people know a little about it. It is a domain of human factors psychology that involves studying different professionals related to the aviation industry. For example, pilots, air traffic controllers, and other flight crew members, etc. the task performed by the people working in this field are:
- They carry on research on safety
- They Design flight decks
- They investigating air accidents
- They Assess cabin safety
- They Evaluate prospective employees
- They train flight crews members practical communication skills and how to handle panic situations
- Vocational Counselor
The changing market is providing new gateways for people. In primitive times, people remained unhappy with their careers for their entire lives. They had no options to explore, and there was very little progress in their field. The counselors are playing an imperative role in building up people’s lives. Career counselors help people make decisions by utilizing personality assessments, interests, and other measures.
To evaluate the perfectly matched career, a counselor often starts by viewing a client’s interests, education, skills, and previous experience. They also encourage clients to boost their personality, grooming skills, improving resumes, and practicing interviews. They also assist clients who have lost their jobs and go through unemployment-stress. Every counselor knows how to handle their patients or clients.
There is an increase in demand for counseling professionals. People striving for a better future can join the counseling field as a career. To become a successful counselor, students can join traditional learning or opt for cacrep accredited online counseling programs for a bright future. After completion, they can choose between different counseling fields.
- Forensic or Criminal Psychologist
A forensic psychologist uses psychological knowledge and strategies in the areas of law and crime investigation. Thanks to several role-playing in books, popular movies, and television programs, it has rapidly become the most demanding and hottest psychology career.
While the field may be dull and tedious and not as glamorous as shown, forensic psychology is still an exciting career choice with immense growth potential. They sometimes have various job options. These psychologists work with other experts to eyeball insurance claims, monitor child custody evaluations, and investigate suspected child abuse cases.
- Clinical Psychologist
The clinical psychologist is the widely-known psychologist in society. They assess diagnoses and treats clients fighting psychological problems. They worked in the mental health field, in clinics, hospitals, and welfare centers and did not have authority by law to prescribe medicine. To become a clinical psychologist required Ph.D. in clinical psychology or a master’s degree in the same area. A clinical psychologist must have the skills like:
- Perform research and collect data
- Must have extensive knowledge of mental problems
- Consultation with other healthcare professionals
- Consumer Psychologist
Retailers are always interested in attracting potential clients and customers. To develop a practical marketing campaign, psychologists need to know consumer behavior. They also study why people purchase goods and services also analyze different factors that affect buying behavior.
Few tasks that a consumer psychologist takes care of are:
• They work closely with consumer groups to assess what attracts clients more about a new product.
• They develop advertising, publicity, and marketing to allure the audience.
• They research the shopping and buying behavior of people.
- Engineering Psychologist
A person who investigates the interaction of humans with machines is called Engineering psychologists. With the help of their expertise, these professionals help improve the design and technology of a particular gadget, consumer products, living environment, work areas, and set-ups.
Engineering psychologists test several machines to increase ease of use and appreciation from consumers. Since they have a significant chunk of practical work, they earn a handsome amount of money at the end of the day.
Engineering psychologists work in diverse environments, including academia, government agencies, and the private industry. Engineering psychologists can become advisors for companies or government agencies such as automobile manufacturers, transportation departments, highway authorities, and space technology to uplift the system.
- Sports Psychologist
There is a growing demand for a sports psychologist. They address different problems of sports and athletic professionals; they focus mainly on performance, injury, and most importantly, motivation.
There are two significant areas within sports psychology; both of them focus on improving athletic performance. They instill the importance of sports in building up robust physical and mental well-being. As part of mental preparation, they help athletes develop cognitive skills essential during pregame or pre-race routines. Athletes become aware and realize the need to learn to maintain focus on the process instead of results. They know to be more proactive with their confidence before the competition.
They work in various settings, including:
- Hospitals
- Athletic centers
- Private consulting practices
- Universities
- Research facilities
ConclusionThe above-given are just a few of the many career options related to psychology, and it’s up to you which area you want to pursue. Some areas required some additional training or specialization to excel and become the master of that particular domain. At the same time, some are directly related to psychology. It would be best if someone has substantial knowledge and understanding of the human mind and behavior.