What Type of Jobs Can I Get With a Degree in Child Psychology?

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With the increase in child abuse, bullying, peer pressure, mental illness, and a rise in crime, the field of Child Psychology is growing and there are more psychologists that need training to work with these types of children. A Child Psychologist is trained in how to handle the different child and support recovery from mild to serious mental, social, and educational roadblocks.

A child psychologist must decide what ages he or she is most interested in, so they can focus on the developmental norms according to age. A Child Psychologist would not treat a 10-year-old the same way as an 18-year-old. Methods used on young children cannot be effective with a high school senior. Learning the different stages of a child’s life may require special training, so the psychologist is well-prepared to deal with children in the age category they are most interested in. The following are some career choices a licensed Child Psychologist may pursue:

Jobs in Child Psychology: Private Practice

A licensed child psychologist may opt to start his or her own clinic. This will usually require a doctorate degree. In the clinic, the psychologist evaluates the child, interviews parents about the child’s behavior, and develops a treatment plan for that child. The treatment plan will be individualized according to the child’s age, needs, and behavior. Becoming a part of the community can help a new clinic become visible and gain clients. A psychologist who wants to open and run their own practice must also be business savvy. He or she will need to understand payment arrangements with clients, insurance filing, paying any employees a salary, and which insurance companies are allowed. The psychologist will need to have the patient or guardian signs an agreement not to disclose any information unless permitted. The client will be explained about confidentiality and be assured that anything said by the patient will be protected and privileged information. The clinician will also need to know standard procedure for keeping records that would be necessary to filing a tax return.

Community Jobs

There is a wide array of choices for Child Psychologists wanting to make a career out of helping people and children in the community. A Child Psychologist may work with the court system in evaluating children who are victims of divorce or child abuse. They may work in a school setting or for child welfare. A Child Psychologist may also have the option of working in a mental health institution geared toward child behavior and mental illness. Those who are interested in older children may want to consider working in a juvenile home environment or in a community activity that involves older children who need support getting off of drugs or alcohol.

Teaching and Research

A Child Psychologist may prefer working in researching child and adolescent behavior. They study how the brain functions at certain ages, the psychological impact on puberty, social behavior among peers and adults, and mental disorders (some of which can lead to suicide or criminal behavior).

A licensed Child Psychologist may want to become a professor at a local college or university. A Psychologist with proper training and experience may feel comfortable working with college students to teach them courses related to the field of Psychology for children. Many times, a professor in college will do research on the side and write books and educational materials related to Child Psychology. To be a professor, it is most likely to get a teaching job with a Doctorate degree in the assigned fields. The school professor may also want to be a guidance counselor for students who are contemplating the Child Psychology field and all of the training and testing required.

Abnormal Child Psychology

Among other jobs in child psychology is an Abnormal Child Psychologist, which involves working with patients who have suffered from a mental illness and display severely abnormal behavior. The child may have personality disorders, sociopathy disorder, or criminal behavior due to a psychological condition. The Abnormal Child Psychologist may be evaluating and implementing a treatment plan all the way from lower elementary to college.

The choices are endless for a Child Psychologist. A licensed professional in this field can choose from a wide range of careers such as caseworkers, crisis counselors, group counselors, or youth counselors and facilitators. With such as wide range of choices, a professional counselor is bound to find the field of work he or she chooses to be a rewarding career and confident that he or she is helping children that may not have anyone else in their lives that cares about their well-being.