The stressful relationships, depressing routines and
stringent work conditions have made the living standards miserable in the
present-day world that brings forth the need of psychologists in any country. Psychologists
play a pivotal role in helping people overcome mental illnesses and problems
related to mental health. The work that psychologists offer is too important in
a country like South Africa where one third of the population suffers from
mental illnesses, as reported by The
South African Depression and Anxiety Group. The figure represents the
sick state of mental health in South Africa and the utmost importance of
psychologists in South Africa.
What do Psychologists do?
Psychologists
are non-medical doctors whose main purposes include accurately describing,
explaining, predicting, and changing human behavior and mental processes to
lift them up from the state of depression and mental illness. The field
psychology is vast and the types of jobs depend upon the specialty chosen,
theoretical orientation and the population. Clinical psychologists help people
overcome problems that keep them away from leading happy, satisfied and prosperous lives. They offer various services like counselling,
psychotherapy, personality tests and teaching in colleges and universities. To
profess psychology, a bachelor’s degree is what psychologists start with.
Perks and Benefits of being a
Psychologist
Clinical
or counselling psychology is chosen depending on the interests of the
individual. A master’s degree and/or a doctorate degree is further pursued for
growth as an individual in the field. A psychologist for practicing psychology
as directed by the states to anchor safety of its citizens needs a license.
There are numerous opportunities available for the psychologists like –
clinical psychology, psychoanalysts, marriage and family counsellors,
industrial-organizational psychology, forensic psychology, licensed
counselling, school psychology, child psychology, criminal psychology etc.
Psychologists in South Africa
To become a psychologist, substantial commitment of
time is needed which can be rewarding and challenging career. The goals, the
resources, and potential alternatives must be considered before opting
psychology as a career. Different specialties in the field of psychology
require different training and educational requirements. You can continue doing
research in the field of psychology as well. Psychologists work in different working environments- workplaces ranging from a government hospital to
rehabilitation centers to social service organizations.
Two-thirds of psychologists are self-employed and
maintain a private practice. Psychologist hourly rate South Africa amounts to a huge sum. For the kind of work, they do they have an
approximate salary of 250,139 rupees monthly or nearly 1000 rupees hourly in
South Africa.
Psychology: A promising career
If your aim is to pursue psychology as your stream,
you need to start the quest for a good research school, find the best for you,
and apply for financial aid to make your education more affordable. Then learn
about psychological behavior, people’s attitudes and make a better
understanding of the subject with a public exposure. This can be a very
promising career and the kind of jobs will be too satisfying. The society needs
a lot of valuable of psychologists who can help people live prosperous and
productive lives and you can be one such psychologist.