What is a Psychologist?

What is a Psychologist?

Psychologist are experts on the mind and behavior. They are doctoral professionals (with a PhD, PsyD or EdD from an accredited institution) who are involved in one or more professional activities: clinical practice and psychotherapy, academic research and teaching, elementary and high school counseling, business and industry, the care of medical patients, neuropsychology, forensics and the court system, or many other possibilities. Psychologists are highly trained professionals with expertise in the areas of human behavior and change. They may provide mental health services such as assessment, diagnosis and treatment -- or they may consult with businesses about team building and employee development -- or they may teach and conduct research at our colleges and universities. 

In Wisconsin, anyone who is called a Psychologist or who provides psychological services to the public must be licensed by the Department of Safety and Professional Services. Licensed psychologists have earned a doctoral degree in psychology, completed both pre- and post-doctoral supervised experience and passed both national and state examinations before they can practice independently in Wisconsin. 

The American Psychological Association (APA) has 56 divisions, each representing a specific area within the profession of psychology. Here are descriptions of a few specialized areas of psychological work. 

• Clinical psychologists are the best trained professionals who do psychotherapy and counseling. Their academic and clinical training typically takes about seven years and involves hundreds of hours of closely supervised experience doing psychotherapy and psychological testing. The topics that clinical psychologists study include human and animal behavior, cognitive functioning, development, psychopathology, psychotherapeutic approaches, scientific research methods and data analysis, psychological testing and assessment, ethical issues, and much more. Psychologists complete their academic training by conducting original research and writing a dissertation. This is followed by an intensive year-long clinical internship and one or more additional years of supervised post-doctoral experience. Clinicians pursuing very specialized areas of practice are likely to have even more additional training and supervised experience in those areas of specialization. 
  
• Academic psychologists do research and teach classes in undergraduate and graduate psychology programs. Their teaching and research may also be very specialized. You will find psychologists teaching and conducting research in medical schools, undergraduate and MBA business programs, criminal justice and communication arts departments -- any academic field in which an understanding of human behavior plays a critical role.
  
• Business psychologists  (also called Industrial/Organizational psychologists) work with businesses and other organizations, helping them meet the multiple challenges they face in attempting to be successful. Among those challenges are the need to select the right talent to complete the tasks of the business, organize and motivate an effective workforce, and understand and satisfy customers. This is the human dimension of business. Psychologists, as the experts in human behavior, are uniquely trained to help with all aspects of organizational behavior. Psychology in the workplace helps businesses find the right talent to fit the job, engage the workforce in positive effort, promote the growth and development of employees to bring out the best in the workforce, and set up systems that encourage excellence and maintain high performance over the life of the organization.
  
• Health psychologists often work with medical professionals to help patients improve their ability to cope with medical problems and treatments, increase treatment adherence, adopt new health behaviors and healthy lifestyles and recover from illness or injury. They are also involved with health and wellness professionals working to sustain healthy functioning throughout the lifespan.
  
• Forensic psychologists work with attorneys and others in the legal system. They may be involved in divorce or custody disputes, commitment proceedings, determination of competency to stand trial, risk assessment and making predictions that are based on scientific evidence.

There are many more psychology specialties as well. Whatever human beings do as individuals, in groups or in communities, we need to understand how and why we think, feel and behave. Our best understanding of ourselves -- in a down-to-earth, evidence-based, practical sense -- often comes from psychologists who are focused on the interesting questions about what it is to be human. Psychologists are dedicated to solving human problems and helping us achieve the goals that mean the most to us.