Career Options in
Psychology
AGCAS Scotland Training
University of Edinburgh
Carole Allan, Vice-President 2012-2013
13 Nov 2012
1
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
2
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
Occupational
Sports &
Exercise
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
7
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
8
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
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
10
Forensic Psychology
• 900 registered with the HCPC
• 2000 members of BPS
• Main employer is National Offender
Management Service (NOMS)
11
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
12
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
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
14
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.
15
Health Psychologists
• Health psychologists are represented in a
number of settings, such as academic health
research units, health authorities and
university departments
16
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.
17
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
18
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
19
Sports and Exercise Psychology
• Sport and Exercise psychologists work in a
wide range of sport and exercise settings
20
Neuropsychology
• Neuropsychologists work with people of all
ages with neurological problems, which might
include traumatic brain injury, stroke, toxic
and metabolic disorders, tumours and neurodegenerative diseases.
• Neuropsychologists work in a variety of
settings including NHS regional neurosciences
centres, rehabilitation centres, community
services.
21
Neuropsychology
Qualifications Required:
o GBC
o Chartered Status in either Clinical or Education
Psychology
o Society’s Qualification in Clinical
Neuropsychology (QiCN)
22
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 Required
o GBC
o PhD in psychology
OR
o Three years postgraduate
experience as a teacher of
psychology
Information
• BPS website for careers info
• http://www.bps.org.uk/careers-education training/careersresources/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
24