Applied Psychology and Psychology Careers B-5psychologist if engaged in clinical, counseling, or school psychology or engaged in
assessment. Others work outside of the field in jobs requiring research or analysis skills
and work in health, industry, or government areas.
For those interested in counseling or providing therapy, many states allow indi-
viduals with master ’s degrees and prerequisite training and supervision experiences
to become licensed to provide unsupervised counseling and therapy. Titles may vary
by state, but some of the areas and titles associated with licensed master ’s-level work
include licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), licensed professional coun-
selor (LPC), licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), or licensed clinical social worker
(LCSW). These individuals may work in a larger organization or work independently in
private practice. Beyond these areas, some individuals with a master’s degree in psychol-
ogy become certified or licensed to serve as school counselors at various levels and may
work in an elementary, middle, or high school.CAREERS WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
B.4 List the kinds of careers that are available to someone with a bachelor’s
degree in psychology.
Although people earning only the baccalaureate (bachelor’s) degree in psychology can-
not be called psychologists or provide therapy in a private practice, there are many career
fields open to such a person. More than 1 million bachelor’s degrees in psychology have
been awarded since 1970, and since 2000 the number has increased each year (Landrum,
2009; Snyder & Dillow, 2010). A bachelor ’s degree in psychology can be highly flexible
and adaptable to many different kinds of careers (Landrum, 2009; Landrum & Davis,
2007; Schwartz, 2000). While surveys by both the American Psychological Association
and others reveal many may work in health-related or social fields, individuals with a
bachelor ’s degree in psychology may be employed in research development or research
management, administration, business, education and teaching, professional services,
sales, or management (Grocer & Kohout, 1997; Landrum, 2009).
Other possible careers include marketing researcher, social worker, and communi-
cations specialist (Landrum & Davis, 2007; Schwartz, 2000). With its emphasis on critical
thinking and empirical observation, psychology trains people for a variety of potential
workplace environments and requirements. Psychology is an excellent major even if you
intend to do graduate work in some other career: Business, law, child care, teaching, and
management are only a few of the areas that relate to psychology.AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
B.5 Describe some areas of specialization in psychology.You said that some psychologists teach or do research. What kind
of research do they do?There are many different areas in which psychologists may focus their energies.
They conduct experiments, surveys, observations, and so on to gather more information
for their particular field of interest, to find support for current theories, or to develop
new ones. Let’s look at some of the areas in which psychologists may specialize.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY Even though not all psychologists do counseling or therapy,
many psychologists do. Clinical psychology is the most similar of the areas to psychiatry
in that professionals with this focus traditionally work with individuals with more seri-
ous forms of mental illness. It is also the area of specialization with the largest number
of psychologists. Clinical psychologists, like psychiatrists, diagnose and treat psycholog-
ical disorders in people. However, the clinical psychologist cannot prescribe drugs orMany people with a bachelor’s degree in
psychology work in health-related or social
fields, such as this social worker who is
working with a mother and child.clinical psychology
area of psychology in which the
psychologists diagnose and treat
people with psychological disorders
that may range from mild to severe.Z02_CICC7961_05_SE_APPB.indd 5 9/2/16 6:26 PM