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Are you interested in a psychologist career? I am a licensed psychologist. I have worked in the social services field for more than two decades and have been licensed as a psychologist for close to two decades. I have two graduate degrees, including a MA in Counseling Psychology and a PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Currently, I am in private practice, but I contract my services with several agencies, including the police department, corrections, child services, Veterans Affairs and a community-based counseling center. I see individuals, families and couples for private sessions and also facilitate group sessions.
Psychologists do more than just talk to people in their offices in private therapy. They also work in a wide variety of settings and help people with all kinds of issues. Over the years, I have worked extensively in school settings. Frequently, psychologists help identify learning and developmental disabilities for children from preschool to high school age.
Although much of what a psychologist does is similar to a Marriage and Family Therapist or social worker, there are definite distinctions. A psychologist is able to perform many diagnostic tests that other mental health professionals are not qualified to give to clients. Marriage and Family Therapists primarily provide counseling services and social workers help people and families with the services they need for healthy functioning, such as housing and access to medical care.
Frequently, people confuse psychologists with psychiatrists. Psychologists are not medical doctors. I do not have the ability to write prescriptions for medication, although I have a great deal of education and training about medications and medical conditions that can affect mental health.
Psychologists provide diagnosis and counseling services. Psychiatrists provide medication and medical treatment. I commonly consult with psychiatrists regarding medication and physical health and I frequently receive referrals from psychiatrists for counseling services for their patients.
One of the things I enjoy the most about my work is the variety of people I work with. Much of my work is now focused on helping people cope with trauma. I work with returning soldiers with the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping them reintegrate into civilian life and identifying problems such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety.
I also work with the local police department with officers involved in shootings and other violent events. Through the state’s Victim-Witness Program, I work with clients who have witnessed or been involved in domestic violence, rape, robbery, violent accidents and all kinds of other life events.
I also work with families integrating new family members or blending into a new family group, couples who are getting married, college students who are sorting out their sexual identity and children learning to deal with school problems. These are just a few of the kinds of people and issues I see in my office every day.
When I first began working in the field, I worked with individuals and families facing chronic and life threatening illness. Over the years, as my interests have changed and evolved, I have been able to also draw clients who reflect those interests. As my skills have improved or I have gained new tools to use as interventions, I have also been able to broaden the types of clients I work with and the agencies I work with.
Most states require psychologists to have a doctorate-level degree and many hours of supervised internship as part of licensing. Licensing requirements vary from state to state and some states only require a Master’s degree for licensing. Almost all states require sitting for licensing exams.
In my case, there were two exams required before my license was granted. In addition to my degrees, I also have several postgraduate certificates, which has helped me provide services to a larger number of agencies.
One thing that has really helped me is the variety of settings I was able to serve my internships at. In my state, 3,000 hours of supervised internship were required and many of these intern settings were volunteer unpaid positions.
However, by taking advantage of opportunities, I was able to stretch and learn new things. I worked at several programs providing services to homeless children and domestic violence victims. I also worked with college students, providing diagnostic services for learning disabilities.
One of my most rewarding assignments was working a suicide hotline for veterans, which provided me with tremendous insight into the things soldiers face when they return from deployments. What I have discovered over the years is each step in my learning as a psychologist provides me with a new set of skills that I continue to use throughout my career.
One of the things I have had to learn the hard way in my private practice is basic business skills. As the mental health field has changed, I have had to learn how to do my own marketing to grow my business and solicit clients. Gone are the days of simply signing up with a number of insurance companies and letting it be known you are in business.
Today, I spend time posting articles online on article directories, talking on Twitter and posting on my Facebook page. I have to work to establish myself as an authority in my field because clients are more savvy and research providers before scheduling appointments.
I have also had to learn about managing my own finances. I submit my own claims to health insurance companies and invoices to clients who do not use insurance. I have also had to learn how to work with insurance companies and inform potential new clients about the advantages and disadvantages of using health insurance for their mental health services.
One thing I am thankful for in my past is my volunteer work. By working in the social services arena first, I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into when I decided to become a psychologist. I had a good basic understanding of both the joy and the challenges of working with people in emotional distress.
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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