AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

Psychologists specialize in a host of different areas within the field and identify themselves by many different labels. A sampling of
those focal areas is presented here to give you an idea of the breadth of psychologys scholarship and applications.
The field of psychology encompasses both research, through which we learn fundamental things about human and nonhuman
animal behavior, and practice, through which that knowledge is applied to solving problems and promoting healthy human
development. In each of the subfields, there are psychologists who work primarily as researchers, others who work primarily as
practitioners and many who do both (scientistpractitioners). Indeed, one of psychologys most unique and important
characteristics is its coupling of science and practice, which stimulates the continual advancement of both. Additionally, many
psychologists teach psychology in academic institutions, from high schools to graduate programs in universities.

Clinical psychologists
Clinical psychologists assess and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. These range from short-term crises, such as
difficulties resulting from adolescent conflicts, to more severe, chronic conditions, such as schizophrenia. Some clinical
psychologists treat specific problems exclusively, such as phobias or clinical depression. Others focus on specific populations for
instance, youths; familes or couples; ethnic minority groups; gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals; or older people.
They also consult with physicians on physical problems that have underlying psychological causes.

Average Salary: $72,540 per year

Educational Requirements: In most states, clinical psychologists must have a doctorate degree in
psychology, complete a one to two year supervised residency, and pass state licensing exams in order to
practice.
Clinical psychologists are trained in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental illness.
This is also the largest area of employment within psychology.

Cognitive and perceptual psychologists

Cognitive and perceptual psychologists study human perception, thinking and memory. Cognitive psychologists are interested in
questions such as how the mind represents reality, how people learn and how people understand and produce language. Cognitive
psychologists also study reasoning, judgment and decision making. Cognitive and perceptual psychologists frequently collaborate
with behavioral neuroscientists to understand the biological bases of perception or cognition or with researchers in other areas of
psychology to better understand the cognitive biases in the thinking of people with depression, for example.

Community psychologists
Community psychologists work to strengthen the abilities of communities, settings, organizations and broader social systems to
meet peoples needs. They help people access resources and collaborate with others to improve their lives and communities.
Instead of helping individuals cope with negative circumstances (e.g., trauma, poverty), community psychologists help empower
people to change those circumstances, prevent problems and develop stronger communities. Examples of community psychology
interventions include improving support for hurricane victims, partnering with neighborhoods to prevent crime, collaborating with
schools to prevent bullying and helping change policies to improve health outcomes. Community psychologists blend research and

practice, partnering with diverse citizens to plan and implement community changes, advance social justice and use research to
inform and evaluate this work.

Counseling psychologists
Counseling psychologists help people recognize their strengths and resources to cope with everyday problems and serious
adversity. They do counseling/psychotherapy, teaching and scientific research with individuals of all ages, families and
organizations (e.g., schools, hospitals, businesses). Counseling psychologists help people understand and take action on career
and work problems, they pay attention to how problems and people differ across the lifespan, and they have great respect for the
influence of differences among people (such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability status) on psychological wellbeing. They believe that behavior is affected by many things, including qualities of the individual (e.g., psychological, physical or
spiritual factors) and factors in the persons environment (e.g., family, society and cultural groups).

Average Salary: $72,540 per year

Educational Requirements: A Ph.D, Psy.D. or Ed.D. degree is required to become a counseling
psychologist.
Counseling psychologists perform many of the same tasks as clinical psychologists such as offering
psychotherapy and mental health treatment, but they typically work with clients suffering from less severe
forms of mental illness. While mental health is one of the largest areas within counseling psychology, some
people in this field opt to conduct research, teach university courses, or provide vocational counseling.

Developmental psychologists
Developmental psychologists study the psychological development of the human being that takes place throughout life. Until
recently, the primary focus was on childhood and adolescence, the most formative years. But as life expectancy in this country
approaches 80 years, developmental psychologists are becoming increasingly interested in aging, especially in researching and
developing ways to help older people stay as independent as possible.

Educational psychologists
Educational psychologists concentrate on how effective teaching and learning take place. They consider a variety of factors, such
as human abilities, student motivation and the effect on the classroom of the diverse races, ethnicities and cultures that make up
America.

Engineering psychologists
Engineering psychologists conduct research on how people work best with machines. For example, how can a computer be
designed to prevent fatigue and eye strain in people? What arrangement of an assembly line makes production most efficient?
What is a reasonable workload? Most engineering psychologists work in industry, but some are employed by the government,
particularly the Department of Defense. They are often known as human factors specialists.
.

Average Salary: $79,818 per year

Educational Requirements: Entry-level positions require a master's degree, but those with a doctorate will
find greater employment opportunities and better salaries.
Engineering psychologists work to improve the design of systems, operations, and equipment in order to
increase efficiency, improve productivity, and minimize injury. As with other specialty areas of psychology,
the area of employment plays a major role in determining salary.

Environmental psychologists
Environmental psychologists study the dynamics of personenvironment interactions. They define the term environment very
broadly, including all that is natural on the planet as well as built environments, social settings, cultural groups and informational
environments. They examine behavior evolving at various scales and from various processes (e.g., localization, globalization).
They have a broad and inherently multidisciplinary focus. They recognize the need to be problem oriented, coordinating as needed
with researchers and practitioners in the other fields of psychology, in related disciplines (e.g., sociology, anthropology, biology,
ecology), as well as in the design fields (e.g., regional, urban and community planning; landscape architecture; architecture and
engineering).
Environmental psychologists explore such issues as common property resource management, the effect of environmental stress on
human effectiveness and well-being, the characteristics of restorative environments and human information processing. They also
foster conservation behavior, helping people to craft durable behavioral responses to emerging biophysical limits.

Evolutionary psychologists
Evolutionary psychologists study how evolutionary principles such as mutation, adaptation and selective fitness influence human
thought, feeling and behavior. Because of their focus on genetically shaped behaviors that influence an organisms chances of
survival, evolutionary psychologists study mating, aggression, helping behavior and communication. Evolutionary psychologists are
particularly interested in paradoxes and problems of evolution. For example, some behaviors that were highly adaptive in our
evolutionary past may no longer be adaptive in the modern world.

Experimental psychologists
Experimental psychologists are interested in a wide range of psychological phenomena, including cognitive processes, comparative
psychology (cross-species comparisons), and learning and conditioning. They study both human and nonhuman animals with
respect to their abilities to detect what is happening in a particular environment and to acquire and maintain responses to what is
happening.
Experimental psychologists work with the empirical method (collecting data) and the manipulation of variables within the laboratory
as a way of understanding certain phenomena and advancing scientific knowledge. In addition to working in academic settings,
experimental psychologists work in places as diverse as manufacturing settings, zoos and engineering firms.

Forensic psychologists
Forensic psychologists apply psychological principles to legal issues. Their expertise is often essential within the judicial system.
They can, for example, help a judge decide which parent should have custody of a child or evaluate a defendants mental
competence to stand trial. Forensic psychologists also conduct research on jury behavior or eyewitness testimony. Some forensic
psychologists are trained in both psychology and the law.
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Average Salary: $59,440

Educational Requirements: While there are some jobs available with a master's degree, you will typically
need a doctorate degree in clinical, counseling, or forensic psychology.
Forensic psychologists deal with psychological issues related to the law. Some of the duties that a
professional in this field might perform include developing psychological profiles of criminals, dealing with
child custody issues, investigating child abuse, providing expert testimony, preparing witnesses to testify in
court, and offering training to law enforcement.

Health psychologists
Health psychologists specialize in how biological, psychological and social factors affect health and illness. They study how patients
handle illness, why some people dont follow medical advice and the most effective ways to control pain or change poor health
habits. They also develop health care strategies that foster emotional and physical well-being.
Health psychologists team up with other health care professionals in independent practice and in hospitals to provide patients with
complete health care. They educate health care professionals about psychological problems that arise from the pain and stress of
illness and about symptoms that may seem to be physical in origin but actually have psychological causes. They also investigate
issues that affect a large segment of society and develop and implement programs to deal with these problems. Examples include
teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, smoking, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Industrial/organizational psychologists
Industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologists apply psychological principles and research methods to the workplace in the interest of
improving productivity, health and the quality of work life. Many serve as human resources specialists, helping organizations with
staffing, training and employee development. They may provide employers with testing and other valid selection procedures in their
hiring and promotion processes. Others work as management consultants in such areas as strategic planning, quality management
and coping with organizational change.

Average Salary: $97,820

Educational Requirements: While there are opportunities available at the master's degree level, earning a
doctorate degree in industrial-organizational psychology offers greater opportunities and higher salaries.
Industrial-organizational psychologists use their knowledge of psychology to tackle workplace
issues. Increasing worker productivity, selecting the best employees for particular jobs, and
developing market research surveys are just a few of the things that an industrialorganizational psychologist might do.

Neuropsychologists (and behavioral neuropsychologists)

Neuropsychologists (and behavioral neuropsychologists) explore the relationships between brain systems and behavior. For
example, behavioral neuropsychologists may study the way the brain creates and stores memories, or how various diseases and
injuries of the brain affect emotion, perception and behavior. They design tasks to study normal brain functions with imaging
techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and functional
magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Clinical neuropsychologists also assess and treat people. And with the dramatic increase in the number of survivors of traumatic
brain injury, neuropsychologists are working with health care teams to help brain-injured people resume productive lives.

Average Salary: $90,460 per year

Educational Requirements: Doctorate degree in neuropsychology or clinical neuropsychology.
Neuropsychologists specialize in the study of the brain and cognitive science. People who work in this field
often perform cognitive tests, run brain scans, assess people suffering from brain injury, and study how
drugs impact the nervous system pharmaceutical labs.. They may work at colleges and universities,
hospitals, research centers, mental health clinics, and

Quantitative and measurement psychologists

Quantitative and measurement psychologists focus on methods and techniques for designing experiments and analyzing
psychological data. Some develop new methods for performing analyses; others create research strategies to assess the effect of
social and educational programs and psychological treatment. They develop and evaluate mathematical models for psychological
tests. They also propose methods for evaluating the quality and fairness of the tests.

Rehabilitation psychologists
Rehabilitation psychologists work with stroke and accident victims, people with mental retardation and those with developmental
disabilities caused by such conditions as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. They help clients adapt to their situation and improve
their lives, and they frequently work with other health care professionals. They deal with issues of personal adjustment,
interpersonal relations, the work world and pain management.
Rehabilitation psychologists are also involved in public health programs to prevent disabilities, including those caused by violence
and substance abuse. And they testify in court as expert witnesses about the causes and effects of a disability and a persons
rehabilitation needs.

School psychologists
School psychologists are engaged in the delivery of comprehensive psychological services to children, adolescents and families in
schools and other applied settings. They assess and counsel students, consult with parents and school staff, and conduct
behavioral interventions when appropriate. Most school districts employ psychologists full time.

Average Salary: $58,360

Educational Requirements: Most states require the completion of a 60-credit school psychology specialist
program, which leads to a master's or Ed.S. degree. Approximately 32 percent of school psychologists hold a
Ph.D., Psy.D. or Ed.D. degree.
School psychologists work within the educational system to diagnose and treat behavior and learning
problems in children. They often work in collaboration with other professionals including teachers and
doctors as well as parents to help kids overcome social, emotional, behavioral, and academic problems.

Social psychologists
Social psychologists study how a persons mental life and behavior are shaped by interactions with other people. They are
interested in all aspects of interpersonal relationships, including both individual and group influences, and seek ways to improve
such interactions. For example, their research helps us understand how people form attitudes toward others and, when these are
harmful as in the case of prejudice provides insight into ways to change them.
Social psychologists are found in a variety of settings, from academic institutions (where they teach and conduct research), to
advertising agencies (where they study consumer attitudes and preferences), to businesses and government agencies (where they
help with a variety of problems in organization and management).

Sport psychologists
Sport psychologists help athletes refine their focus on competition goals, become more motivated, and learn to deal with the
anxiety and fear of failure that often accompany competition. The field is growing as sports of all kinds become more competitive
and attract younger children.
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Average Salary: $55,000 per year

Educational Requirements: Most jobs require a master's or doctorate degree in sports psychology or in
related areas such as clinical or counseling psychology.
Sports psychologists are interested in the psychological components of sports and athletics. Professionals in
this field often focus on topics such as motivation and athletic performance, utilizing their knowledge of
psychology to help athletes perform better or to help people recover from sports injuries.

Salaries for Clinical, Counseling and School Psychologists

The areas of clinical, counseling and school psychology represent three of the largest employment areas
within psychology.
As of May 2012, the median annual salary for clinical, counseling and school psychologists was $69,280 per
year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salaries earned by psychologists in various
professions ranged from between $67,650 to $90,020. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $38,720, and
the highest 10 percent earned more than $110,880..
Salaries for Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Industrial-organizational psychology is one of the fastest growing specialty areas, with an expected 26
percent increase in jobs through the year 2018.
As of May 2014, mean annual earnings of industrial-organizational psychologists were $90,070 with a
median annual salary of $76,950. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $51,970, and the highest 10 percent
earned more than $145,480.
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Salaries for Various Psychology Jobs

Career Counselor: $46,000

Clinical Psychologist: $63,000
Cognitive Psychologist: $55,000
Counselor: $47,530
Developmental Psychologist: $56,500
Engineering Psychologist: $79,818
Experimental Psychologist: $56,500
Forensic Psychologist: $59,440
Health Psychologist: $40,000 (entry-level) to $85,000 (advanced-level)
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist: $97,820
Psychiatrist: $144,020
Neuropsychologist: $79,570
School Counselor: $53,750
School Psychologist: $59,440
Social Worker: $43,040
Sports Psychologist: $54,000

Typical Career Options

Many students graduating with a bachelor's degree will work in some division of human or social services.
Some common job titles in the area include:

Case Management

Career Counselor

Rehabilitation Specialist

Psychiatric Technician

Child Psychologist
Childhood psychology is a specialized branch of traditional psychology that focuses on children, mainly their
development and behavior. It is one of the most commonly studied types of psychology today. This type of psychology
typically covers every child, from birth to adolescence. Some areas covered under childhood psychology include
milestones, behavior problems, social skills, mental and emotionnal well being and development.

Consumer Psychology
Consumer psychology is a specialized branch of social psychology, and it is the study of consumers and their behavior. This
includes their wants and needs, as well as what influences their purchasing habits. There are a number of things that might
influence what a consumer purchases, such as how a product is packaged, how much it costs, or how easily accessible it is.
Businesses will often use consumer psychology to make consumers more willing to buy certain products or services. The results
of consumer psychology research, for instance, can help these businesses present their products or services in a more appealing
light, which may make consumers more likely to part with their hard earned money. This can include little details, like packaging,
shelf placement, and advertising.

Geriatric Psychology
Geriatric psychology is an important branch of psychology that focuses on the mental, emotional, and physical problems faced by
elderly individuals. This often includes studying and researching different problems that might occur as a person begins nearing the
end of their life in old age.
Professionals in this field can offer counseling to elderly individuals experiencing feelings of depression, frustration, anxiety, and
grief, for instance. This type of counseling can help make elderly adults feel better, and family therapy can help their loved ones
adjust better to the changes encountered with old age. Geriatric psychologists can sometimes help elderly adults deal with chronic
pain and memory problems as well.
In short, geriatric psychology can help elderly individuals live out the rest of their days in relative peace and comfort, with a calm
mind.

Media Psychology
Media psychology is branch of psychology that focuses on the relationships between media and human behavior. This applies to
individuals and society as a whole. Basically, professionals in this field study how people interact with media and each other due to
media influence. This field of study can be used to determine how the media affects us and how we perceive certain elements of
the media. It can also be used to determine what can be changed in media to give us a more pleasant or appropriate experience.
However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, a new and online media specialist made anywhere from $47,000 to
$90,000. The salary of these professionals is often influenced by their education, experience, and location, as well as their area of
expertise

Rehabilitation Psychology

Rehabilitation psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on treating individuals dealing with disabilities and problems that
make living normal lives difficult. Professionals in this field try to help people with these types of problems adjust and work toward
leading happy and healthy lives.
psychologists who worked in substance abuse facilities in 2010 earned a median annual salary of $69,150. Those who worked in
physicians' offices, on the other hand, earned a median annual salary of $109,600 in that same year.

Psychometrician
Psychometrics is the science of measuring people's mental capacities and thought processes through a systemized manner. In
other words, its a way to create tests to determine how smart we are or what are personalities are like.
Psychometricians are the scientists behind those interesting - and sometimes nerve wracking - aptitude and personality tests. The
tests that these professionals create help to better understand how the mind works. They are able to measure the how a mind
functions and how it compares to other groups of people.
Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2011, which states that psychometricians made between $50,000 and $100,000 each year.

Military Psychology
Military psychology is a special branch of psychology that focuses specifically on military personnel and their families. This might
involve performing psychiatric evaluations; assessing and treating mental and emotional disorders; and offering counseling
services.
In the United States, every branch of the military employs psychologists that treat active duty and retired military personnel. Job
titles of different types of military psychologists might include:

Army Mental Health Specialist

Army Psychologist

Navy Psychologist

Marine Psychologist

Air Force Psychologist

Military psychologist salaries are determined by a psychologist's years of experience and his rank in the military. An army captain
with two years of experience, for example, made $4,275.30 per month in 2011. A colonel in the army with 14 to 16 years of
experience made $7,765.80.

Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a field of psychology for all of the soul searchers out there. Trans translates to "beyond", and personal
refers to personality. Therefore, transpersonal psychology is a field of psychology is the study of the human aspect that goes
beyond the realm in which the so-called normal personality operates.
Studying transpersonal psychology often involves studying spirituality and the parts of the ego that are typically unexplored.
Because this field of psychology deals with spirituality, there is often a religious aspect to it as well. This often involves getting
acquainted with previously unknown levels of consciousness and life beyond the physical plane.
transpersonal psychologists fall under the broad category of counseling psychologists, who earned a median salary of $73,090 in
2011

Spiritual Psychology
Spiritual Psychology is a blend of spirituality and science. It uses elements of both traditional psychology and spirituality in order to
help individuals feel better and more content with their lives.
Professionals in the field of spiritual psychology understand that the body, mind, and the spirit all work together, therefore, they
must be studied together. Each of these elements must be healthy and "in shape" to achieve optimal harmony. This sometimes
involves treating a fractured spirit, which is frequently a piece of the human puzzle that is ignored. In a way, spiritual psychology
focuses on repairing fractured souls or replacing missing pieces of the soul.
Because spiritual psychology is, in many ways, an untraditional career choice, it is difficult to find median salary information for this
profession. counselors. In 2009, the median salary for counselors was $44,400. This figure might be much higher or much lower
for some spiritual psychologists, though, depending on their locations and the demand for their services.