Becoming a Psychologist

Brooklyn27

I posted a thread related to this in what I believe is the wrong forum so i've decided to create a new thread as I don't know how to move or delete my old one.

I am looking into a career in psychology and have a few questions.

1) If I get a BA and a Masters, what are my career options? can I work as a counselor or therapist?

My dream job would be a psychologist, which I know requires a Ph.D, however I dislike the idea right now of spending so long in education. If I finish my third level study at a Masters (I am thinking of Applied Psychology - Mental Health at UCC) will I be able to practice as a Therapist or counselor? Will I have many career options?

2) Do you have to have a Masters to be able to get onto a Ph.D course?

Can you go from a BA in psychology straight to Ph.D or does a Ph.D course require a Masters as an entry requirement?

3) How emotionally draining is this job? (A fully qualified working psychologist)

Are you able to switch off when you leave your working place?

Thank you very much for reading my post, thank you in advance for your answers.
Excuse my ignorance if i have said some things wrong as I have only gained an interest for the career path recently.

endacl

Brooklyn27 wrote: »

I posted a thread related to this in what I believe is the wrong forum so i've decided to create a new thread as I don't know how to move or delete my old one.

I am looking into a career in psychology and have a few questions.

1) If I get a BA and a Masters, what are my career options? can I work as a counselor or therapist?

My dream job would be a psychologist, which I know requires a Ph.D, however I dislike the idea right now of spending so long in education. If I finish my third level study at a Masters (I am thinking of Applied Psychology - Mental Health at UCC) will I be able to practice as a Therapist or counselor? Will I have many career options?

2) Do you have to have a Masters to be able to get onto a Ph.D course?

Can you go from a BA in psychology straight to Ph.D or does a Ph.D course require a Masters as an entry requirement?

3) How emotionally draining is this job? (A fully qualified working psychologist)

Are you able to switch off when you leave your working place?

Thank you very much for reading my post, thank you in advance for your answers.
Excuse my ignorance if i have said some things wrong as I have only gained an interest for the career path recently.

(1) Yes. Perhaps not 'employed', but you could definitely work.
(2) Short answer, yes. Long answer, depends on the modality you train in.
(3) Short answer, yes. Long answer, not necessarily. It depends.
(4) Depends on the type of work you're doing, who with, and for how long.
(5) Short answer, yes. Long answer, not always, and not always for the same reason.

I think you'd do better by clarifying what it is, in your understanding, to 'be a psychologist'. There's lots of different kinds, doing lots of different work.

Edit: just glanced at your other thread. An undergraduate in psychology will serve you well, no matter what career you go into. I wouldn't worry about that. It'd also give you 3/4 years to figure out what aspects of psychology interest you. On the other hand, if you are more interested in working in, for example psychotherapy, a psychology degree is not a requirement. A post graduate qualification is, though. And you likely wouldn't ever be employed directly as a therapist by the hse, for a variety of reasons.

It's complicated...

Brooklyn27

So I may become a mental health counselor with a MA without a Ph.D ?
Thank you for your helpful answers!!!

endacl

Brooklyn27 wrote: »

So I may become a mental health counselor with a MA without a Ph.D ?
Thank you for your helpful answers!!!

I think you may have oversimplified!!!

When you think 'psychologist', what does that look like?

innad

OP, you might find this page from the British Psychological Society useful. It provides an overview of the different areas of Psychology, what kind of work each area involves, and what qualifications are necessary.

Brooklyn27

When I think of a psychologist I see someone working in a service such as HSE, speaking with individuals on a one to one basis that have difficulties, and helping them to find a positive outcome to their problems.

Innad - thank you for much for sharing that link. It was very helpful!

Valmont

If only there were some kind of years-old dedicated thread on this topic which contained advice from dozens of people currently working in the field...:D