PSYCHOLOGISTS
AN INTERGRAL PART OF
HUMAN HEALTH
Cody Petersen
Ms. D
Tech Writing 2100
Spring 2014
PO Box 496
Salt Lake City, UT 8410
Jolynn Drott, Instructor
Salt Lake City Community College
1575 S. State St.
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
Dear Ms. D:
This is an analytical report of the organizational culture of the profession psychology. This report
will be geared towards first year college students and try to give them as much information as to
why they would want to become psychologist.
This report will define the difference types of psychologists, the steps it takes to become a
psychologist, the important role a psychologist play in the overall health of patients and the
community. This report will go over some of the positive aspects of being employed as a
psychologist, the salary of a psychologist and finally the rewards of working as a psychologist.
The end goal of this report is to ultimately persuade young college student that being a
psychologist is for them. Thank you for reading my report.
Sincerely,
Cody Petersen
Table of Contents
Abstract
0
Introduction
1
Methodology
1
Discussion
Types of psychologist
Salary
Work Setting
Educational requirement
Positive aspects
2
2
2-3
3
3
3-4
Conclusion
4
Artifacts
4
References
5
Abstract
A psychologist is someone who studies the mind and behavior. While people often think of talk
therapy when they hear the word psychologist, this profession actually encompasses a wide
range of specialty areas including such things as animal research and organizational behavior.
The term psychologist can apply to people who use psychological knowledge and research to
solve problems, such as treating mental illnesses or work as social scientists to conduct
psychological research and teach at colleges or universities
The American Psychological Association (APA) recognizes 56 distinct divisions, each
representing a specialized field within psychology. While this report will not divulge into all 56
divisions it will discuss a few of the main fields of study.
Introduction
When you think of human health you generally think of the hospital. You think of sitting in the
emergency room. You think of how expensive the ambulance drive is going to be, and you most
certainly are thinking about the pain. The most common thing associated to human health is pain,
but some ailments of the human body cannot be cured by placing a splint or simply taking two
pills and then calling the doctor in the morning.
While the practice of medicine has been around since biblical times, the field of study known as
psychology has been around for less than 200 years. G. Stanley Hall was to become the first to
earn a Ph.D. in psychology in 1878. Hall would eventually found the American Psychological
Association. In1942 Carl Rogers developed client-centered therapy and publishes Counseling
and Psychotherapy. That defined how modern day psychotherapy is conducted. Roger’s
approach encourages respect and positive regard for patients. Another important push forward
was in 1952 when The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders got published.
Then perhaps the most important and exciting developments for modern psychology today
happened in 2000 when genetic researchers started mapping some of the human genes. Scientists
hope to one day isolate the individual genes responsible for different diseases.
Methodology
I have been working closely with the Clozaril Clinic, (Clozaril is a medication for Schizophrenia
that requires in depth and constant monitoring), for nearly two years. In this time I have become
very familiar with Dr. Leroy Anderson, a Psychologist for Valley Behavioral Health, and the
patients. In my time here I have come to see just how important mental health is to not only the
patients, but as a whole community.
While I have come to know the clinical practice of psychology very well this report has helped
me learn a great deal more about the many different types of employment opportunities in the
field of psychology.
Empirical evidence for this report includes an interview with Dr. Leroy Anderson, Psychologist
for Valley Behavioral Health, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Print evidence for this report includes the mission statement issued by Valley Behavioral Health
on the main page of their website which is included in this report.
Electronic evidence for this report includes information from psychcentral.com, payscale.com,
vmh.com, and hhs.gov
Discussion
Types of Psychologists
Because the field of psychology is so broad with there being as many as 56 specific types of
psychologists I have narrowed the field down to a slim few for this report.
Research Psychologists work in academic or research settings, often teaching students and
conducting psychological research by conducting studies and experiments with human or animal
participants. Research psychologists often work for universities, private businesses or
government entities. Their research may focus on a wide range of specialty areas within
psychology, including cognition, neuroscience, personality, development and social behavior. .
In addition to their research responsibilities, they often are required to teach certain courses each
semester, and bring in a certain level of grant income by going through a tedious process of
applying for various government grants.
Mental Health Psychologists work with people suffering from mental disorders or psychological
distress. They often work in hospitals, health clinics, mental health facilities, schools,
government offices, private practices or psychiatric institutions. Examples of mental health
psychologists include clinical psychologists, counseling psychologists and school psychologists.
Forensic and neuropsychologists often work in private practice. Forensic psychologists often
have to testify in court and court settings, while neuropsychologists often work in hospital
settings as well. Neuropsychologists can be a part of a multidisciplinary hospital team and work
closely with other medical disciplines, including medical doctors.
Clinical psychologists work in a variety of settings, most often private practice or public mental
health. You will also find them in clinical counseling centers at universities and colleges, helping
students with milder problems of adjusting to college life. These psychologists all work in office
settings, sometimes in conjunction with other mental health professionals such as psychiatrists
and social workers.
Salary
Starting psychologists in clinical work and research generally make somewhere between $45,000
– $55,000 in the United States, depending upon geographical locale and position. After the first
year you will become eligible for licensure and your salary will enjoy a little bump after that.
After 5-10 years in the field, many psychologists enjoy incomes ranging from $65,000 to
$90,000. While some specialty areas such as neuropsychology and forensic psychology enjoy
higher salaries, often into the six digits. After 10 to 20 years, a typical clinical psychologist with
a thriving practice can make between $90,000 and $150,000.
Work Settings
Because psychologists perform such a wide variety of tasks, work settings can vary dramatically
according to the specialty or area of work.
Though the setting can range dramatically one thing stays constant throughout the practice of
patient private confidentiality. This rule protects patients under federal law. It states” The
HIPAA Privacy Rule provides federal protections for individually identifiable health information
held by covered entities and their business associates and gives patients an array of rights with
respect to that information. At the same time, the Privacy Rule is balanced so that it permits the
disclosure of health information needed for patient care and other important purposes.
The Security Rule specifies a series of administrative, physical, and technical safeguards for
covered entities and their business associates to use to assure the confidentiality, integrity, and
availability of electronic protected health information.”
Educational Requirements
To be a psychologist you will need to get a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with a minor in
some other major. Get as much experience as you can working with graduate students and your
professors on research studies and explore your own interests and likes in psychology. You will
want to find studies at the university or college you attend that focus on the type of psychology
you would like to work on and befriend the professor that teach undergraduate and gradute-level
courses in that type of psychology.
If you want to go into research or teach at a college or university after your doctorate, then you
will want to get a Ph.D. degree. If teaching or research is of less interest to you, focus your
energies on a Psy.D. degree. Both are well recognized and accepted within the field, and you can
do anything with either degree, but a Psy.D. often is accompanied with less stress and
requirements to complete, making it somewhat easier.
If you want to start a private practice, find a graduate program which emphasizes hands-on,
clinical experience early and often. This should start in your second year and continue until you
finish in practicums.
Positive Aspects of the Job
It will be very rewarding to be directly working with people and their problems with working so
closely with people you will often get the opportunity to see the results of your work. With the
exception of few you will be working a 9-5 work schedule, with flexibility built-in for most. You
will have a fairly dependable work once established within a community. You will be able to
collaboration and networking with other professionals. Lastly this is a very diverse field offering
many different opportunities
Conclusion
While the field of study of psychology is large and expanding every day and with the ever
growing wealth of knowledge of just how the mind and brain work we are going to need more
dedicated people who live by the same mission statement that Valley Behavioral Health stands
by which states “To improve, enhance, and promote the emotional well-being, growth and
recovery of individuals who experience life disrupting problems due to mental illness and/or
chemical abuse; and to strengthen the quality of personal, family and community life.”.
The steps to becoming a psychologist can seem overwhelming when looking at it all together,
but they remain an integral part of today’s modern society because Psychology helps to find
solutions to the behavioral problems that encompass a great percentage of the population and
with constant growing proof that a good mental health of a patient helps to heal not only that
individual but also the community as a whole.
Artifacts
References
Mission Statement. (2014, February 20). Retrieved from
Http:// http://www.vmh.com/Forms/psych_20training_20handbook.pdf
Private practice psychologist, average salaries. (2014 February 20.). Retrieved from
Http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Private_Practice/Salary
Anderson, L, Psy D. (2014, February 01). Interview by Petersen C.
Types of Psychologist.(2014, February 22).Retrieved from
http://psychcentral.com/lib/0007166
Timeline of important psychology dates. (2014, February 18). Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/psychology101/a/timeline.html
HIPPA policy and statement.(2014, February 25.) Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/index.html