Psychologists

A psychologist is a scientist who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human behaviour and mental processes. Psychologists are usually categorised under a number of different fields, the most well-recognised being clinical psychologists, who provide mental health care, and research psychologists, who collect, investigate and analyse aspects of human behaviour.

In the legal context in the United States and Canada, psychologist is a protected professional title. In this sense, the title of psychologist means that the mental health professional has a doctoral degree (usually a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.) in clinical, counseling, industrial, or school psychology and has also met state or provincial licensing criteria. Those criteria typically include a period of post-doctoral practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, a licensing exam, and continuing education requirements. In most states in the United States and in Canada, only licensed psychologists and psychiatrists can legally provide psychotherapy and use this term to refer to aspects of the mental health treatments they perform. Most states exempt from licensing school psychologists who practice within employment by a school district - such psychologists must be certified by their state or province department of education.

Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists are not medical doctors and hence, in most states, cannot obtain a license to prescribe psychiatric medications. Prescription privileges in the United States have recently began to change in some states, and some psychologists are gaining prescriptive privileges, specifically in New Mexico and Louisiana. Licensed psychologists generally have academic doctoral degrees (Ph.D.) that are different from the professional degrees of medical doctors in that they require not only coursework, supervised professional training, and clinical internship but also significant academic research experience and original contributions to scientific research in the form of a dissertation. In this sense, the Ph.D. in professional psychology is a hybrid academic/professional degree, and university programs in professional psychology are not only academic but also training programs typically characterized by rigor and intensity. Some psychologists have professional degrees in psychology (Psy.D.) that include similarly rigorous coursework, supervised professional training, internship, and developing the ability to read and interpret academic research, but they do not necessarily require original research contributions to science.

Types of psychologist
Psychologists are often categorised under different fields or disciplines.


 * Clinical psychologists and counselling psychologists often work in clinics, counseling centres, hospitals and private practices. They diagnose and evaluate mental and emotional disorders, and use tools such as psychotherapy and hypnosis to treat affected patients. They conduct interviews and psychological tests, and may conduct complex treatment programs, sometimes in conjunction with physicians or other specialists.


 * School psychologists work in schools, state departments of education, hospitals, clinics and universities. They are primarily interested in applying psychological knowledge to the resolution of schooling problems. The provide consultation to teachers, administrators, and parents; assessment of students (including assessment of disabilities requiring special education); intervention services; in-service education for staff; family intervention; program evaluation; and research


 * Occupational psychologists are concerned with the performance of people at work and in training, with developing an understanding of how organisations function and how individuals and groups behave at work. Their aim is to increase effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction at work.


 * Research psychologists study behavioural processes by experimenting on human beings and animals. They work in universities and private research centres, as well as for government organizations and often contribute to fields including marketing, design, and different forms of drug and chemical research. Common areas of research include memory, motivation, and factors affecting behaviour and development.

Statistics
These statistics are from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, information dated 2002 unless noted otherwise.
 * Employed psychologists: 139,000
 * 1/4 self-employed
 * 3/10 employed by educational institutions (in positions other than teaching)
 * Median income for clinical psychologists: US$81,170
 * Median income for industrial/organisational psychologists: US$93,710

Restrictions on the use of the label 'psychologist'
In New Zealand, the use of the title 'psychologist' is restricted by law. Initially, only 'clinical psychologist' and 'registered psychologist' were restricted (to people qualified as such). However, in 2004, the use of psychologist is now limited to only those registered psychologists (including clinical psychologists). This is to prevent the misrepresentation of other psychology qualifications in the mental health field. Academic psychologists (e.g., social psychologists) are now only able to refer to themselves as 'researchers in psychology'.

Within Australia the title 'psychologist' is also restricted by law. Use of the title is reserved for full and part members of the Australian Psychological Society, which requires a four year bachelors degree and two years of further acredited study (full membership) or two years of supervised work (partial membership). On top of the APS registration, all psychologists need to be registered within the state wherein they practice in order to use the title 'psychologist'. These restrictions apply to all who want to use the title 'psychology' in any of its forms (i.e. clinical psychologist or social psychologist).

Similar restictions apply in the United States, although application of these restrictions varies state-by-state. Most states include exemptions from licensing in order to use the title "psychologist" if they are teaching in universities, or if they are certified by the state's department of education as a school psychologist and are practicing psychology within the scope of their employment by a school district. In most states, self-employed psychologists offering services to the public, whether they are clinical, counseling, school, or industrial psychologists must be licensed, which usually requires a doctorate and two years of supervised experience.