Psychologists: what they do and how they help people

What are the fields of action of psychologists? We tell you.

It is not easy to define a psychologist as there are many specializations. But to sum it up a psychologist is a qualified professional who has received formal university training in psychology (Bachelor's or Bachelor's degree in psychology). (Bachelor or Degree in Psychology).

This professional studies, from a scientific point of view, the way individuals think, feel and behave, and has explanatory models and sufficient knowledge to be able to apply the appropriate tools and techniques for assessment, diagnosis, treatment and intervention in the different problems that may arise in different areas: education, organization, clinic, community, among others.

Sometimes psychologists also work to improve the performance or potential of an organization or an individual.

Psychologists are not only dedicated to treating psychopathologies.

As we can see, the definition of psychologist is complex. But it can be said that he or she certain aspects of human behavior, such as thinking, emotions, behavior and interpersonal relationships, to help and interpersonal relationships to help other people or groups to understand themselves better and to solve psychological and relational needs so that they can enjoy greater psychological well-being.

On the other hand, it should be clarified that not all psychologists are dedicated to the treatment of psychopathologies. For example, sports psychologists can help athletes to improve their sporting performance.

What training does a psychologist have?

Psychology is a very broad field that covers different areas of application. For this reason, there are certain differences in the educational content of the different countries.. For example, the curriculum of most Latin American countries, with a duration of five years, is composed of a two-year basic cycle, and from the third year onwards students specialize in clinical, educational or organizational psychology (the latter, also called industrial).

In Spain, on the other hand, the duration of the degree in psychology is four years. Specialization is achieved through the different postgraduate postgraduate degrees that exist.

Postgraduate degrees can be official or individual degrees. The former give the option of accessing a doctorate.

If you want to know more about training in psychology, you can visit our articles:

• Why study psychology? 10 points to consider (by psychologist Bertrand Regader).

• Top 20 Masters in Psychology

• Top 10 Universities to Study Psychology in Spain

It is necessary for psychologists to keep up to date in their field of practice, so they can attend seminars and courses to keep up to date with the profession.

What psychologists do and how they help us

Psychologists are engaged in the research, practice and teaching of a wide range of topics related to human thinking, emotions and behavior. They work with individuals, groups (such as families or sports teams) and organizations. Some psychologists also work with animals. For example, with dogs.

The following are some of the issues and problems are some of the issues and problems psychologists often work with:

• Mental health and problems such as depression, anxiety, phobias or schizophrenia.
• Neurological, genetic, psychological and social determinants of behavior.
• Brain injury and degenerative brain diseases
• Perception and management of pain
• Psychological factors associated with physical problems and illnesses (e.g., Diabetes or cancer)
• Psychological factors associated with terminal illness
• Cognitive functions such as attention, learning, memory, problem solving, and intelligence
• Psychological development across the lifespan
• Criminal behavior, crime prevention, victim care, and psychological factors related to criminal and judicial settings
• Substance use and abuse
• Psychological well-being: management of emotions and related issues (e.g., stress)
• Personal development and growth (e.g., goal realization and planning)
• Factors influencing the maintenance of "wellness", i.e., mental, emotional and physical balance
• Social and cultural behaviors and the relationships between individuals and groups.
• Psychological factors related to performance in organizations and sport.

The usefulness of psychologists

What psychologists do has to do with understanding people's behavior and mental processes, but it also has a very clear applied side. At the end of the day, there is little point in understanding something if this knowledge cannot be applied. That is why psychology has a research side and an application side.

In the first area we find, for example, psychologists who study perception and decision making, and in the applied part there is that part of the psychology community that applies this knowledge to psychotrapy, marketing psychology, etc.

In short, there are numerous professional and academic environments that benefit from the work that psychologists do on a daily basis.

Differences between psychologists and psychiatrists

Psychology and psychiatry are two disciplines that are often confused with each other, even though they are two fields of application. psychology and psychiatry are two disciplines that are often confused, despite being two distinct fields of application within the field of mental health.

Some differences between the two practices are: psychologists are psychology graduates while psychiatrists have studied medicine, both use different treatments (psychologists cannot use drugs, psychiatrists can) or the problems they treat are different. In the latter case, psychologists are not only dedicated to the clinical setting, but can also work with people who do not suffer from psychopathologies.

If you want to know more data between both disciplines, you can read this post: "What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist".

Where do psychologists work?

Psychologists work in different places as there are many fields of application.. Some work in schools, others in organizations, others in private clinics and others in prisons. Some psychologists may even work as researchers and others as teachers.

Despite the fact that the fields of application of psychology are many, the best known areas are: Clinical Psychology, Educational and Developmental Psychology, Experimental Psychology, Neurosciences, and Social and Organizational Psychology.

In addition to these fields, psychologists can specialize in: Forensic psychology, Sports psychology, Psychology applied to nutrition, Criminal psychology, Legal psychology, Sexology or Coaching.