Job description of a psychologist - duties, job description and requirements

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Not every person knows the duties of a psychologist. Many have a hard time imagining what this specialist does. If you believe the movies, it seems that the main function of a psychologist is to listen to the sentimental stories of clients for hours and do nothing else. But is it really so? How far is the movie picture from everyday reality? Let's find out.

Description of work

The profession of a psychologist involves working with people, helping them in difficult and atypical situations. The specifics will depend on the specific place of work. For example, there are specialists who help employees adapt to a new team. Some provide assistance in choosing a profession. There are those who prefer to act as a psychologist at school.

Depending on the chosen direction, the specifics will vary. It should be understood that we are talking about an applied profession in which a lot is learned in practice. That's why there are no universal specialists who are ready to fulfill the duties of a psychologistin absolutely every situation. On the contrary, you should stay away from such people, giving preference to those who have a narrow specialization.

Demand

Relatively recently, the vacancy of a psychologist was considered a rarity. As a rule, such specialists were hired by educational and he alth care institutions. However, in recent years, the profession has become more in demand.

Which institutions are hiring qualified psychologists? They are required in the following organizations:

• Training centers.
• Social and sports institutions.
• Commercial companies.
• Vocational guidance centers and even labor exchanges.

In addition, there are many psychologists who are in private practice, taking clients on an individual basis and receiving payment for their services directly from them, and not from the employer.

Requirements

Any profession involves a certain list of requirements for a specialist. For example, a psychologist in the personnel department should be familiar with the procedure for appraising employees. A specialist in the field of sports activities is obliged to understand its nuances.

If we talk about formal requirements, there are not many of them:

• Higher education in the speci alty.
• Experience in the chosen field. For example, if a specialist plans to take on the duties of a psychologist at a school, it is desirable that he has experience working in children's educational institutions. The same goes for the restactivities.

School Psychologist

Among the representatives of the profession there are certainly those who prefer to connect their lives with the school. Many educational institutions have this vacancy, but not all parents know why it was created. Let's look into this matter.

If earlier they tried to bring up difficult children by traditional methods that did not bring results, now a specialist acting as a teacher-psychologist is attracted to solve this problem.

However, there are many misconceptions about what a specialist does. Someone believes that a psychologist is a doctor, so only sick people turn to him. Someone is sure that this is a teacher or educator who should give instructions and re-educate the child in accordance with the wishes of adults.

However, this is not the case. He althy people turn to a psychologist. If parents are concerned about the physical condition of the student, they will most likely have to undergo a medical examination. After that, it is already possible to talk about the presence or absence of psychological diseases. If available, further correction methods are selected. The task of this specialist is to temporarily become a kind of friend and assistant for the student in solving problems.

The duties of a child psychologist do not include the need to raise a child. He should not impose on the baby the stereotypes inherent in adults, and force him to behave in full accordance with theirexpectations. Its purpose is to help the child overcome the problems that have arisen.

Duties of a psychologist

Depending on the specific specialization, the functions assigned to this specialist may differ. That is, the psychologist will not have to simultaneously perform all the duties of the following:

• Trainings. This is a short-term training aimed at developing certain skills or overcoming complexes. For example, training can be aimed at combating excessive shyness, developing communication skills, etc.
• Individual consultations. As a rule, clients turn to a psychologist when they find themselves in difficult or critical situations.
• Compilation of psychological characteristics. In this case, a specialist, using various professional methods, evaluates the qualities of a person. This may be relevant when hiring employees to work in some organizations.
• Development and education of children. A psychologist can observe their development, identify problems, conduct educational games, etc. In addition, consultations are possible not only with pupils, but also with their parents.
• Reporting. An educational psychologist whose duties include this item should not neglect its implementation.
• Work with the workforce. The task of a specialist may be to adapt new employees, prevent conflicts in the team and establish friendly relations among its members.

Knowing the duties of a psychologist, it is easy to guess that this specialist has to perform many tasks that require appropriate skills. That is why this profession is chosen by people with a certain temperament and developed empathy. It's hard to help without the gift of empathy.

Rights of a psychologist

Both duties and other rules relating to the profession must certainly be fixed in the relevant official documents. When applying for a position, a specialist should familiarize himself with them.

Rights that a psychologist has:

• Familiarize yourself with the decisions of management regarding its activities.
• Making proposals.
• Requesting documents necessary for official activities.
• Engaging employees to participate in productivity-enhancing activities.

How to master a profession

The issue of choosing a profession at all times remains relevant for young people. Among yesterday's schoolchildren, there are certainly those who plan to become a psychologist in the future.

To do this, you need to graduate from an educational institution in the relevant speci alty. In addition, the student will have to decide on a specialization. For example, you can become a child psychologist.

It is curious that real specialists often become not education, but their own life experience. For example, a mother who has raised three children can become a child psychologist herself and do this job much more successfully than herthe same age with a diploma, but no practical experience. However, in Russia much attention is paid to formalities, so it is extremely difficult to get the desired vacancy without an appropriate diploma.

Benefits

When choosing a profession, you need to know in advance what to expect from it. Let's start with the benefits:

• Useful knowledge. Even if you do not get a job as a psychologist, the knowledge gained can be used in everyday life or in another profession, for example, in the field of personnel management.
• Demand. At the moment, the doors of many institutions are open to potential psychologists. Entering the institute to study the basics and subtleties of this profession, you can not be afraid to remain an unclaimed specialist.
• Pleasure. Often, the profession of a psychologist is chosen by those who like to help other people. As a result, they receive moral satisfaction from the performance of their own duties.

Flaws

No profession can do without them. The psychologist is no exception. This profession has the following disadvantages:

• High stress levels. You need to understand that clients often contact us when they find themselves in critical situations. The psychologist has to constantly come into contact with other people's experiences. That is why you need to be able to abstract from them. Otherwise, the specialist himself will be in a constant state of stress.
• Low salary. Perhaps the profession of a psychologist is one of the most underestimated in the currentmoment. However, those who chose it often have to put up with low wages. This is why some professionals choose to practice in private.