How To Become A Psychologist: A Brief Overview

If you’re thinking about how to become a psychologist, it’s easier than you might suspect. Many individuals will decide to become psychologists Their reasons vary, but many feel it might be challenging and rewarding profession. The value of psychology in today’s stressful world is evident, so for those with the right personality, it’s a great choice. The road map below is designed to give you the basics of becoming a practicing psychologist.

Find Out As Much As You Can

Take the time to find and converse with a practicing psychologist or two about what interests you. You’ll get inside insights about what you want to focus on when you go to college. Based on what you learn, you can figure out what you’d like to major in when you go to college.

College Will Help You Focus

When you go to college, you will be working towards a bachelor’s degree with a focus on psychology. Your college advisor will help you tailor a program to fit your needs and wants. Your junior and senior year will be devoted to your major with many courses in psychology. Usually you’ll also do an internship in the psychology field during your senior year. This is all put together to allow you to experience the psychological field.

Your Next Step After Getting Your Undergraduate Degree

While you can get a job with an undergraduate degree, in psychology you’ll want to pursue higher level coursework. Going to graduate school will be very beneficial on your road to being a full-time psychologist. As a graduate student, you can work in the field while studying, do research or teach. One thing you’ll want to remember is that if you want to practice, you’ll want to get your Ph.D. with a focus on the specific subfield of psychology you want to pursue.

Finish Your State Licensing Requirements

In order to practice all states require you to pass their licensing options. There is also certification tests and residency under supervision to be completed. There are also ongoing requirements that need to be met in order to keep practicing. There are courses that need to be taken that deal with licensing maintenance.

Finding out what type of subfield you wish to pursue, concentrating on the area that interests you, passing certification and keeping your licenses current are some of the big hurdles you need to do in order to be successful. In the end, if you’re considering how to be a psychologist, these steps will be a good start at getting to your goal.

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