Who is an applied psychologist

However, the work of almost all applied psychologists involves helping people increase their overall sense of well-being and mental health, which means certain duties are common across all specialties, including:. Because they work directly with patients to diagnose and treat them, most applied psychologists need a Ph. Doctor of Philosophy or Psy. Doctor of Psychology to practice.

The Ph. However, beginning practice without a terminal degree limits job growth, opportunities, and leadership potential, so most graduates opt to acquire the highest possible qualifications before seeking employment. To practice as a psychologist, all states and the District of Columbia require a license. The license requires completion of a degree program, typically consisting of one to two years of study — though in some cases, more — an internship and a specified number of education and clinical hours.

The number of hours varies by program, but they typically are in the thousands of education hours along with hundreds of clinical hours. Upon graduation, and before beginning practice, applied psychologists usually need several years typically two years of work experience with professional oversight provided by a practicing psychologist. After successful completion of these requirements, the applied psychologist can apply for licensure.

In most states, as well as many Canadian provinces, passage of the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology determines licensure. To maintain their license, the board typically mandates that psychologists complete a certain number of continuing education hours on an annual basis. Read more about online applied psychology degrees.

View all posts by: careersinpsychology. First, you will have to choose between basic and applied psychology. The short answer is that basic psychology, also called experimental psychology, focuses on research, while applied psychology uses that research to find answers.

Basic psychology relies on scientific methods to collect data and conduct research on the cognitive and behavioral aspects of humans. Applied psychology, on the other hand, focuses on using research to solve problems related to humans and behavior.

Applied psychology spans multiple sub-fields, such as health care , education fields , human resources , criminal justice , social services , and technology as well. Applied psychology can be difficult to define because of the comprehensive scope of the term. It might be easier to think of it this way: if psychology involves research, it is under the umbrella term of basic or experimental.

If it involves applying research to tackle problems, then it is applied. However, within applied research, there is a myriad of other fields. The following are considered subfields of applied psychology:. There are dozens of disciplines in psychology, such as abnormal psychology, cognitive psychology and social psychology.

But one way to view these different fields is to separate them into two types: applied vs. These groups describe virtually any type of work in psychology.

Applied psychology uses psychological methods and findings experimental psychology to solve problems of the human experience. It is nearly impossible to develop a precise definition for applied psychology due to the sheer scope of the term. Findings are applied in fields like clinical psychology, educational psychology, forensic psychology, sports psychology and social psychology — nearly every psychological discipline.

Unless the field is exclusively research-based, applied psychology is involved. A regular educational psychologist will conduct tests of how to improve school systems, but an applied educational psychologist will implement innovative programs to achieve this goal, according to the American Psychology Association.

Applied psychologists must have excellent knowledge of scientific research methods and techniques. They must know how to formulate hypotheses, create testable objectives, develop experimental design and appropriately select subjects. They must all also know how to collect, analyze and interpret findings. Applied psychologists must have public speaking skills because they often must often persuade and educate others. They must often explain to audiences why their findings are relevant and why decision makers should follow their counsel.

Strong technical writing skills are necessary in order to create user-friendly reports and proposals. Applied psychologists also must know how to elicit and monitor honest feedback in order to evaluate programs.