Why Study Clinical Psychology?

By Author: William Hauselberg
Total Articles: 816
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Clinical psychology degrees can open the door to a variety of career options in the psychology field and can attract a variety of students due to the fields array of theoretical influences. Clinical psychologists have a variety of potential job options, including teaching, conducting research for universities or private companies, creating treatment programs for psychological disorders or addictions, and administering psychological treatment for people with mental health issues or disorders.

Areas of Specialization

A clinical psychology degree may appeal to people who enjoy interacting with others, those who enjoy problem solving, and people who like formulating their own protocols. Another major draw of clinical psychology is that it has many fields of specialization, so students can study in the areas that most interest them. Many of these areas have the opportunity for professional certification in addition to a master's or doctorate's degree in psychology, which can increase a student's career options even further. These areas of specialty may include child psychology, forensic psychology, occupational psychology, ...
... and sport psychology.

Approaches to Clinical Psychology

There are a few dominant schools of thought in clinical psychology, and students can opt to study programs that emphasize the approach that interests them the most. These schools largely apply to treatment practices, but they can influence other psychological careers as well. They include; the psychodynamic theory created by Sigmund Freud, which investigates unconscious processes to shed light on the symptoms of psychological disorders; humanistic psychology, which attempts to use people's innate strengths to overcome challenges and develop a stronger self-concept; cognitive-behavioral psychology, which attempts to change maladaptive thoughts and behaviors in order to treat psychological disorders; and family therapy, which uses interpersonal relationship dynamics in order to improve psychological well-being.

Clinical psychology is a popular and expanding field due to its versatility. Regardless of a student's specific interests, there is probably a clinical psychology degree program that will cater to their goals. For these reasons, many students find clinical psychology to be an interesting and exciting field of psychology.

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