Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and human behaviour. The field is concerned with how human beings think, feel, act and behave and the influence certain factors can have on behaviour. Psychology services can have a dramatic affect on how a person lives their life.

Psychology is a very expansive subject and as it is so interesting, it is unsurprising that there has been a steady increase in the number of students taking psychology at school and reading psychology at university.

What do psychologists do?

Psychologists may carry out a range of different roles and responsibilities. Within psychology, there are several different branches and the roles carried out by different types of psychologist may vary considerably. Psychologists interact with people of all ages and background and many work alongside many other healthcare professionals, as well as professionals from other departments and fields.

Here are some examples of the kind of work psychologists may do:

• helping patients with mental health disorders, such a depression and anxiety; helping them to identify the causes of their distress and find way to overcome the condition
• helping children who have been affected by divorce
• helping people who have been affected by brain injuries; psychologists can help to speed up recovery
• helping to identify optimum teaching methods for children and young people
• promoting wellbeing in the workplace to optimise performance
• helping the police and the prison services
• helping offenders and trying to prevent re-offending
• helping athletes to improve their performance

Different careers within the field of psychology

Psychology is a very broad subject and there are many sub-specialities within the field:

• educational psychology
• forensic psychology
• clinical psychology
• health psychology
• counselling psychology
• sports psychology
• child psychology
• neuropsychology

Psychology is also linked to many other different types of career and not all psychology graduates go on to pursue careers in psychology. Psychology is also very useful for career choices including law, marketing, advertising and PR, management, teaching and education and social work.

What qualifications do you need for a career in psychology?

Psychology is a very popular and competitive field. As a result of this, you will need to get good GCSE and A-level grades to get onto a degree course. You do not necessarily need to do GCSE or A-level Psychology to get onto a Psychology degree programme but you will probably need a minimum of two Science-based subjects. Entry requirements vary according to the course and the university so check with the individual institution.

If you want to become a chartered psychologist, you must complete a British Psychological Society accredited degree programme or a conversion course. This will enable you to obtain a GBC (Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership). You can then choose to pursue further study in a specialist area of psychology.