Perhaps you have already decided on pursuing a career in psychology, but have no idea what kind of jobs await you upon graduation.
The good news is, several career paths in psychology go beyond the options of counseling or clinical psychology. The best job has to be the one you love most whether its conducting research, therapy, or solving real-world issues.
Before you zero down on any career, it’s important to first consider what interests you. Here are some of the career choices in psychology.
Marriage and Family Therapist
This is one field that comes to the mind of people when they hear psychology. Other than the typical “ talk therapy”, counselors have other responsibilities including assessing and treating different kinds of mental illnesses.
They usually work with clients without any psychiatric diagnosis and help them to cope with the challenging life events such as the death of a loved one, physical impairment, and so on.
To qualify, you need to have at least a master’s degree and two years of supervised experience. The median annual salary is up to $40,080.
Recreational Therapist
This is another interesting career field for people who want to pursue psychology.
Recreational therapists plan, direct, and coordinate recreational based treatment programs for people with disabilities, mental illness, illness, or even injuries.
They use several modalities of treatments such as games, arts and crafts, music and dance, poetry, field trips, and so on with the aim of progress or preserve the emotional and physical well-being of their clients.
The median annual salary is up to $42,280.
School Career Counselor
If you would like to work as a school counselor, you will be responsible for several issues while working with students on different levels.
You will be helping students develop the social skills necessary to succeed in their studies. You will also be responsible for helping them in making sound career decisions.
To qualify, you need to at least have a master’s degree. The median salary for this role is up to $53,610.
Career Counselor
In most cases, career counselors do the same job as school counselors, only that career counselors work with different people of all ages.
Their goal is always to take through their clients on a matter of career change, choice, personal career development and other related issues.
They aim at helping their clients identify careers that best suit them. They earn a median annual salary of $453,610.
Sports Psychology
This is one of the new and growing fields in psychology. Most competitive sports only have coaches who focus on the physical side of the sport.
This is where sports psychologists come in the picture to help with the mental aspect of sports. They work closely with athletes from different levels to identify, clarify, and also achieve their goals.
Sometimes when athletes can’t overcome certain problems on their own, they reach out to sports psychologists. Some of these issues include effective communication, controlling their temper, not feeling motivated, etc.
The median salary for this role is up to $455,000 annually.
Bottom Line
These are some of the career options available for people who want to pursue a career in psychology. Keep in mind that the list is not exhaustive. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
