Psychology Career Descriptions

Because of the different subfields of psychology, there are many different careers in the field of psychology. Psychologists generally do counseling work, research or teach at universities.

Clinical Psychologists

• Clinical psychologists are the people who work with patients who have mental disorders. They treat a broad range of people, from those with everyday problems to people with schizophrenia.

Counseling Psychologists

• This career is similar to the clinical psychologist, but counseling psychologists help people deal with everyday problems. They do not work with severe mental disorders.

Educational Psychologists

• These psychologists work to ensure a productive educational environment for students. They focus on applying methods of how learning takes place.

Experimental Psychologists

• Experimental psychologists conduct experiments to test psychological hypotheses. They do research on animals and humans.

Forensic Psychologists

• Forensic psychologists apply psychological methods to legal issues. They are used often in divorce court to judge which parent a child is best suited to live with. They also do research on how the law affects the population.

Industrial/organizational Psychologists

• I/O psychologists study the affects of jobs and working places on workers. They may also be human resource specialists or staff trainers.