There are a number of qulaified psychologists in Brossard and chances are, you or someone you know, is or was once a patient. But what do psychologists really do? How can they help people suffering from mental and behavioral problems?
The nature of psychology is very diverse that the work done by psychologists can also vary greatly. They may work in different settings such as in hospitals, clinics, government offices, schools, universities, small businesses, and corporations. They can perform research, offer and conduct trainings, design products related to psychology, create programs, and provide psychological advice.
Research Psychology and Applied Psychology
Primarily, psychologists work in either research psychology or applied psychology. Those who are involved in research psychology investigate physical, emotional, social, cognitive, and biological bases of human behavior. Research psychologists usually work in schools and universities, or employed by businesses or government offices.
They spend a great deal of their time collecting data and developing hypotheses. They may perform lab research or use naturalistic observation. Methods vary, depending on the topic that they are researching about. They also often use clinical studies, administer questionnaires, conduct surveys, and perform interviews.
On the other hand, applied psychologists provide psychological advice and help people overcome their psychological problems with the use of their knowledge of human behavior. They usually work in a health care setting such as hospitals and clinics and they work directly with their patients. They also frequently consult other health professionals such as doctors, nurses, and other psychologists.
Aside from the health care setting, they can also be seen working in the government, schools and universities, as well as in businesses and non-profit settings.
Specialty Areas in Psychology
As mentioned, psychology is very diverse and that is why there are also different specialty areas that psychologists concentrate on.
Clinical psychologists are those who assess, diagnose, and treat mental disorders and can be considered as the single, largest specialty area in psychology.
There are also a number of sub-specialty areas within the area of clinical psychology. There are generalists who work with a wide range of clients, while there are also those who specialize in the treatment of certain types of psychological disorders, or cater to a certain age group. Sub-specialty areas include health psychology, neuropsychology, and geropsychology.
Health psychologists focus on promoting healthy behaviors; neuropsychologists focus on investigating the relationship between the brain and behavior; while geropsychologists specialize in treating the concerns of the elderly.
The typical work setting of clinical psychologists includes hospitals, schools and universities, mental health clinics, and private practices. They perform a broad range of tasks such as interviewing patients, conducting assessments, performing psychotherapy, and administering diagnostic tests and programs.
Another large specialty area in psychology are counselling psychologists. They also perform most of the tasks performed by clinical psychologists, but they tend to work with people with less severe forms of mental illness. This area of psychology focuses on providing therapeutic treatments to patients who experience a wide variety of symptoms.
Experimental or research psychologists are focused on conducting research on human and animal behaviors. Some of their major areas of research include substance abuse, genetics, and neuroscience. They also focus on motivation and cognitive processes.
Forensic psychologists are specialists who deal with the intersection of psychology and the law. Oftentimes, they are involved in custody disputes and lawsuits. Some of them work in family courts where they offer psychotherapy services, evaluate child custody, investigate child abuse, and conduct risk assessments.
Social psychologists are those who work in different areas such as market research, organizational management, and system design. They specialize in understanding the impact of interactions on individual and group behavior. Aside from that, their areas of study also include leadership, attitudes, and perception.
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