Why be a Clinical Psychologist?

As a clinical psychologist, you will have a toolbox full of techniques and competencies you can use to help people better understand the strands of their life, recognise their own intrinsic strengths and learn skills to steer a path through their troubles.

If you’re interested in people, have a passion for discovery, learning and listening, and are prepared to work with problems which don’t offer easy or immediately solutions, clinical psychology might just be for you. Here are a few other reasons that might help tip the balance:

Breadth of client work

Clinical psychology training focuses on the assessment and treatment of behavioural and emotional problems across the lifespan. Although you will often work with people with serious mental health problems, you will also work with people with other issues such as pain, disability and addiction.

Provide effective treatments

As an evidence-based profession, you will use research-proven interventions to improve lives. Clinical psychologist are experts in the integration of science and theory in understanding and treating complex problems, always with a view to promoting positive change.

Great job prospects

There will never be a shortage of the need for psychological insight and according to the Australian Government Job Outlook, the number of psychologists grew very strongly between 2013 and 2018 and this growth will continue over the next five years (from 37,500 in 2018 to 48,800 by 2023).

Know thyself

Who are you anyway? This is a role where opportunities to learn about yourself and your own psychological functioning abound. Examining your own experiences and belief systems will give you greater emotional intelligence, enhancing both your professional and personal life skills.

The human factor

This is a job that’s intrinsically interesting. As the study of the mind, psychology is all about people and you will enter with clients into their deepest emotions and fears, listening to their stories and guiding them towards a productive outcome.

Holistic care

Clinical psychologists often work directly or indirectly with carers, families, doctors and allied healthcare teams, and communities to encourage a more psychologically satisfactory way of engaging with people in distress.

Examine psychological theories in practice

The clinical arena provides opportunities to examine psychological theories in practice, as well as stimulating new ideas and insights.

Workplace and specialisation options

Workplaces include hospitals, schools, counselling centres, rehabilitation centres, community health care practices and universities. There are limitless specialisations to explore within research, clinical work, service development, consultation, and teaching, to name a few.

Diversity and variety

Clients will come from every imaginable walk of life and there will never be a one size fits all solution.

Own your destiny

Manage your time Many clinical psychologists are self-employed and work from their own private practice, with the flexibility to suit. Others, depending on what type of position they take up, have opportunities to negotiate their own hours.

Evolving fields

The information age has changed society, and the ways people interact, resulting in an ever-expanding array of new study topics.

Find out more about studying Clinical Psychology at UTS