In today’s competitive market place particularly in the field of psychology having a competitive edge and a combination of a unique set of skills is critical for professional growth and advancement. Enrolling for an undergraduate degree in Psychology is the first step to becoming a licensed psychologist but to be the best in the field further educational advancement is necessary. Enrollment in a Masters program in psychology is essential for personal and professional development, increased job prospects, better earnings, and it is a stepping stone to getting a Ph.D. Some of the requirements for practicing psychology include at least a Doctoral degree to be licensed by a state board, accruing of supervised hours, an internship at the undergraduate level and Passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). However, students without a doctorate cannot use psychologist as their job title.
How the enrollment in a Masters in psychology program leads to professional success
A successful psychologist is one who is guided by the beneficence and non-maleficence principle which states that psychologists should possess the desire to help others and to do no harm at all costs (Ciarocco, Dinella, Hatchard & Valosin, 2016) . A Masters degree will prepare me to help others because it will widen my scope of knowledge on psychology while helping me hone my professional skills and develop new competencies. Advancement in education gives students an opportunity to learn their profession of choice in depth and particularly on how to act around colleagues and patients. Psychologists help many people through difficult life issues by diagnosing and correction of behavioral disorders, carrying out psych evaluations, counseling, theorizing and explaining human behaviors, and diagnosing and treating mental disorders. Since my Masters will enable me to practice as a psychologist, it will give me a chance to help people in an altruistic manner since it will equip me with the required skills and competencies. The Master's degree will give me the opportunity to learn about interpersonal skills when interacting with patients, different theories in psychology, health promotion, understanding and care of different patients and principles and ethics in the field of psychology (Glassman, 2016) . These skills coupled with my desire to make a positive impact on patients' lives will, therefore, prepare me to help others.
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My expectations as a practitioner-scholar are high including becoming a licensed and a certified psychologist, to broaden my career prospects in psychology, improve my salary prospects and get a doctorate after my masters (Glassman, 2016) . I believe these expectations are preparing me for professional success since a ccording to a US Bureau of Labor Statistics report there is a 22% projected growth in the field of psychology by the year 2020. The growth will be fuelled by the need for qualified psychologists to tend to the increasing elderly population (Norcross & Sayette, 2016). One major advantage of attaining a Master's degree in psychology is the ability to specialize in a field which interests and is a fit for a psychologist's competencies. One can become a behavioral psychologist, a research psychologist, a clinical psychologist or an industrial organization psychologist (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). However, in some states, psychology practitioners who hold only a masters degree are prohibited from holding the psychologist job title which is why I intend to use my Master's degree as a stepping stone towards gaining a doctorate so that I can become a fully certified practicing psychologist.
Research forms the foundation for any profession particularly in psychology since it forms a basis for the coining of theories and disputing them (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). In my career research will guide me in understanding the various theories about different psychological fields. These theories will have great utility in the diagnosis of patients' psychological patterns and inform me on the best course of action based on tried and tested successful theories. The research will also guide my Master's thesis and lay a foundation for possible new findings to add to the already existent body of research data or even in the formulation of new theories (Norcross & Sayette, 2016). The research will boost my resume and enhance my employability while building my knowledge base so that I can be a knowledgeable professional. I aspire to concentrate my research on behavioral psychology since it is a broad subject with a million undiscovered concepts and I hope my research work will be published in a reputable psychological journal. For instance, the research from assessment 3 gave me insight into various psychological theories and helped me understand the rationale behind them (Glassman, 2016). It also broadened my knowledge on psychology and sharpened by analytical skills when reading different theorists and their schools of thought.
An analysis of the requirements to qualify as a psychology professional
The setting up of standards and a threshold that professionals need to meet to practice as professionals are essential to safeguard the reputation of that profession and protect patients from quacks (Glassman, 2016). The field of psychology has various academic and accreditation qualification requirements for someone to hold the job title of psychologist. Communication is among the most desirable skills in a psychologist. They should be eloquent and possess the ability to express themselves eloquently to their patients such that the patients can work through their issues according to the psychologist's professional direction (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). A psychologist who ventures in the research psychology profession should possess strong research and numeracy skills (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). They should be able to collect, analyze and evaluate data accurately since their research findings are impactful on the entire field and accuracy is key.
Psychologists should also be fast thinkers and problem solvers since patients can disclose any unexpected information anytime and to be able to give a correct and helpful answer the professional may need to think on their feet and provide a solution (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). The psychologist should possess key competencies like the ability to interact with people at all levels since they would be dealing with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. They should also display professionalism in their interactions with colleagues as well as with their parents. That includes non-disclosure of confidential records to third parties and avoiding forming unprofessional relationships with their patients (Glassman, 2016). They should also uphold ethical and legal guidelines as stipulated by the law and also be well conversant with assessment and intervention procedures in the psychology line of work.
There are sets of laws and policies that guide the practice of psychology aimed at regulating the professionals and guiding them to act ethically (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). They are guided by six principles of competence, integrity, professional and scientific responsibility, respect for other people's rights and dignity, concern for other people's welfare and social responsibility (Brandt, 2012). Psychologists are expected to be competent in their work by only undertaking tasks that align with their educational and professional experience. They should act with integrity by observing transparency and professionalism in all their dealings while respecting the people they work with respectfully and in a dignified manner (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). They should also be altruistic and put other people’s needs first while observing social responsibility by only engaging in practices that positively affect the society.
The psychologist is expected to act ethically at all times guided by the psychologists’ code of ethics. Psychologists should adhere to their professional and scientific qualifications when providing services in diagnosis, therapy, teaching, research, supervision, consultation and other professional services (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). They should observe boundaries of competence and only provide professional services depending on their education, training, supervised experience, or appropriate professional experience. If they wish to explore new techniques in their service provision, they should only do so after going through the required training, supervision or consult a person with experience in practice (Norcross & Sayette, 2016). Psychologists are also expected to provide information to patients or groups they work with in a simple easy to understand way, and they should make decisions only based on scientific and professional knowledge (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). Psychologists are not to discriminate against their clients based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, or any basis proscribed by law. They should also desist from engaging in sexual harassment or engaging in unprofessional relationships with their patients (Glassman, 2016). When going through personal problems that could impair their judgment and job performance and lead to harm to the p[arties they work with they should take a break until they are fit to resume to work.
The process of becoming a psychologist is sequential, and practitioners must follow each step before getting certified (Brandt, 2012). The process begins with enrolling for an undergraduate degree whereby a student has to attain good grades to get admitted for a Masters degree. They then join a graduate school where they enroll for courses in their field of choice like clinical psychology, counseling psychology, research psychology, and school psychology (Norcross & Sayette, 2016). On graduating from their Master's course students then proceed to the doctorate level but those who don’t are not allowed to use the term psychologist (Brandt, 2012). Before proceeding to doctorate level students can work in human resources, counseling or human services among other fields but they are not qualified to hold the psychologist job title. The students go for an internship and after completing their doctoral education are required to complete one year of postdoctoral supervised professional experience before applying for a license. The graduate then sits for the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) a prerequisite for licensing (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). Once they pass, they are now ready to practice as licensed psychologists.
An assessment of My Skills and knowledge Gap compared to the requirements for becoming a psychologist
Having examined the skills and knowledge competencies required to become a licensed psychologist I still have a long way to go. Academically I'm yet to complete my Master's degree before proceeding to undertake my doctorate. I am yet to explore my options and seriously study different states licensing requirements since I would wish to expand my job prospects by being an all rounded person who can work in various states which need a different number of internship and supervised clinical hours (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). The personal skills gap that I have right now is on my research skills since they are not as sharp as I would like them to be yet. I’m therefore taking online classes on research and also a short communication course to ensure that my research and communication skills will be top notch by the time I graduate.
An action plan to achieve my professional goals
A career plan is an essential part of every student’s learning for personal and professional development (Ciarocco et.al., 2016). It entails self-assessment to unearth the strengths and weaknesses so that the individual can fortify the strong points and work on their areas of weakness. It encompasses self-assessment, research and evaluation, decision making and finally taking action. A career plan is important since it makes you stay grounded, focused, efficient in resource management and effective during grad school and even after when looking for employment and licensing. My strengths include great interpersonal skills, ability to work with people at all levels, strong desire to help people, good listening skills, I am approachable, and I have good time management skills. My weaknesses include average research skills which I feel need improving, impulsivity can sometimes make me make a wrong decision, and I feel my communication skills also need to be strengthened.
Research and evaluation show that to become a licensed psychologist I needed a doctorate in most states, an internship and supervised training (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). An evaluation of where I am at now shows that I already completed my undergraduate internship and still pursuing my Masters so after completion I still have to go for the supervised training and enroll for a doctorate (Johnson & Kaslow, 2014). In my current position, I will create opportunities to build my knowledge and skills by volunteering with the Walk in counseling center during my free hours and on weekends. To widen my professional network, I will join The American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) to interact with likeminded people and make new professional connections (Glassman, 2016). In addition to enrolling for a short course on research, I intend to use the student resources at the library and also other resources like the internet to stay up to date with the literature in the field of psychology.
References
Brandt, S. (2012). Licensing-Basics. Licensing Kompakt, 11-39. doi:10.1007/978-3-8349-4069- 8_1
Ciarocco, N. J., Dinella, L. M., Hatchard, C. J., & Valosin, J. (2016). Psychology Major and Career Survey. PsycTESTS Dataset . doi:10.1037/t52490-000
Glassman, M. (2016). Educational psychology and the internet . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, W. B., & Kaslow, N. J. (2014). The Oxford handbook of education and training in professional psychology . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Norcross, J. C., & Sayette, M. A. (2016). An insiders guide to graduate programs in clinical and counseling psychology 2016-2017 . New York: Guilford Press.
