Psych. Majors?

Question

I want to be a psychologist that sits down and talks to people about their problems and things of that nature. Is that a clinical psychologist? and what courses in college would i need to take for that?
thanks!!!

Also, How much to clinical/ counseling psychologists make?

Answer 1

You definately want to be a clinical psychologist. You would probably want to major, or at least have a strong minor in psychology as an undergrad. Then you will have to do graduate work.

In most states, you have the option of doing a Master's in Counseling or a Ph.D.

The master's is 2 years of courses followed by 2 years of internship. You usually do not have to do a thesis. When you are done you can qualify for a license that reads something like "Marriage and Family Therapist." You can hang out your own shingle, work for other therapists in a group, or work in a managed care setting. Some therapists who work on their own can fill up 30+ hour long spots at $100 per spot. While they have some expenses, this is pretty good money. It is however, not the norm. If you work for someone else (like an hmo) you will probably be seeing people individually or in small groups for about $36,000.

The other route to go is the Ph.D. or Psy.D. This is a 4-5 year academic (post-bachelor's degree) track plus dissertation and internship years. When you are done, you can do everything a Master's level person can do, but you can also teach and do research at the university level and do forensic work (testifying in court about psychological matters). These last two options give you the ability to make significantly more money. Also, some positions in hospitals etc. require the Ph.D. for their top spot. A clinical Ph.D. should make $50,000 a year to start and it goes up well over $100,000 as you gain experience.

Other people on this board have mentioned that you want to be a behavioral psychologist or a Psychiatrist. NO NO NO. In order to do counseling, which is what you described, you are legally required to have a license. The only way you can get this license is to have a clinical psychology degree (master's or Ph.d.) OR have a medical license.

That's why some people say "be a Psychiatriast." The reality is that Psychiatrists CAN do counseling, but it is not economically feasable for them to do so. Counseling pays about $150/hour. If they are doing medical work (ie. consulting on medications) they can easily see 3 patients an hour at $250 each! (I know of one Psychiatrist who regularly sees 8-10 an hour; he doesn't have much time to talk to any of his patients about their life situation. But I'll guess he drives a really nice car).

When you seek advise on what you need to do to get into certain careers, make sure the person knows if there are licenses you need and what the legal requirements to get those licenses are.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

It sounds more to me like a behavioral psychologist. Most general psychology batchelor degrees have the same curriculum. You would just need to talk to your counselor and they will let you know all the classes that you need to take.

Answer 3

I think you want to be a psychiatrist instead of a psychologist. You have to go to med school to be a psychiatrist and diagnose problems for people.

Answer 4

human beings do have this "concept" about male psychology majors because the completed fielf of psychology is going adverse to what society says a male should be/do. ignore the stereotypes and bowing right down to society's criteria. the individuals who make interesting of you're small minded creatures. If it truly is the field for you, delight in it. Oh and that i had a daughter who majored in psychology (she then replaced her suggestions in spite of the indisputable fact that it is yet another tale) and no one ever made wise alecky comments to her about it. it truly is a actual double popular.