Continuing Education For Psychologists - What You Can Do With A Higher Degree

Continuing education for psychologists offers a great idea to expand your skills and specialize in certain areas. In order to stay competitive in the job market, it's important to always improve your skills and knowledge; this specialization also helps greatly in finding the right job for you. Here are some of the areas where continuing education for psychologists can help you get a job.

Substance Abuse - There is always a high demand for mental health professionals in the field of substance abuse. This is a complicated area that requires some real expertise. You'll be dealing with people who need help with problems with alcohol or drugs. Counselors are needed for patients in all age groups. You can work at a rehabilitation clinic or non-profit organization that helps people with substance abuse problems.

Forensic Psychology - One of the fastest growing fields is forensic psychology. Here you would be helping criminal investigators solve cases by studying the criminal mind. This fascinating field of study is one of the opportunities that continuing education for psychologists presents. It is not only fascinating, but a viable way to make a living using your degree since there are so many jobs available.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology - This field implements psychological theory in the workplace. You deal with workers to increase efficiency and deal with work-related mental issues as they arise. Like forensic psychology, this is a growing field that is always looking for qualified counselors. Duties include conducting surveys, analyzing data, and working with people hands-on to solve workplace problems.

Sports Psychology - Many people pursue continuing education for psychologists in order to work with something they love - sports. Recently, we are beginning to understand the importance of the mental side of sports. An athlete's performance is highly dependent on their state of mind. In this field, you would work directly with athletes and study them in order to maximize performance. There are both hands-on and research positions in sports psychology.

Experimental Psychology - This type of person does research and conducts experiments for universities, research institutes, governments and non-profit organizations. They look at universal issues that affect the human mind - the effects of psychoactive substances, how we learn, attention span, genetics, neurology and other factors. These are the people who conduct all the famous experiments you studied about in your undergraduate classes. Many of these experiments have shaped what we know about the human mind today.

Child Psychology - This specialization deals with everything as it relates to children. You might be studying how the mind develops, how kids learn and what factors affect the mental development of children. Not only would you be doing research, but also using research to help kids develop.

These are just some of the specializations that can get you better and more interesting jobs. Continuing education for psychologists might be just what you need to give your psychology career a boost. You can pursue a higher degree either through a traditional classroom program or by entering a distance program where you participate online.