Thursday, January 18, 2007

This semester at school I am taking the class known as clinical psychology. It covers a lot of information about the essential practices of people in the field of psychology. In class we have talked a lot about the different views on counseling and psychology. From reading the first chapter I have learned a lot about the different functions of people in the field of psychology and counseling. Their are career counselors who deal with a comprehensive developmental approach to the career paths of individuals trying to start and change careers. Marriage and family counselors help people with issues of conflict with close relationships, which can encompasse communication difficulties, conflict resolution, issues of closeness as well as trust and child rearing techniques. Clinical neuropsychiatry deals with the basic research on the brain and it's influences on behavior and these specialists find jobs in hospitals, medical schools, universities and through private practice as well. Educational psychologists help by understanding more about research assessment and methods that relate to the educational system. They use the field of psychology by understanding more about assessment, learning and motivation, cognition, child development computers and other areas. School psychologists requirements and roles differ among the different states in the United States but usually school psychologists have teaching experience and hold a masters degree in school psychology, pupil personnel or other closely related areas. There is rehabilitation psychology, which is an older field, which is also thought by some people to be a prerequisite to neuropsychiatry. These psychologists try to help people overcome problems from personal and environmental life that negatively affect them in their community. Community psychology was very popular in the 1960's and it emphasizes preventing psychological disorders and views prevention to be the best route at the community level. The techniques of a community psychologist might include crisis intervention, client advocacy, improving and providing community services and support and political activism. Legal or forensic psychology involves psychological issues connected to the law and legal system. Their duties may include psychological assessment for court trials, they are also needed in the process of providing expert testimony, they may prepare information for the court that includes summarized psychological expertise on a certain topic, they may treat people under court jurisdiction, they may conduct research on issues that affect the legal system, such as issues related to jury selection and they do other important tasks as well that involve the legal process. There are also specialties related to physical health because research has found connections between the physical body and the brain, such as through eating disorders, smoking and others health conditions. There are also specialties that involve children dealing with issues related to the developmental stages and the different psychological issues that can affect children, such as sleep difficulties, temper tantrums and so forth. Pediatric psychologists use there expertise on subjects like child development, family functioning and therapy theories to help children deal with personal and environmental issues. After reading about the different tasks involved with psychology I can understand how there is a lot to know in this field and I look forward to understanding more in depth about the different functions of psychologists in society.
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