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Psychologist
A psychologist is a specialist in human behavior. The science of psychology is concerned with how people act and why they act the way they do. Psychologists are trained in new mind perception, intelligence, behavior and personality development. They collect and apply knowledge related to mental, emotional and behavioral characteristics of individuals and groups. Psychologists try to understand and predict how people will react in certain situations.
They contribute to the prevention diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. Many skills are similar to that of a psychiatrist, but psychologists can not prescribe medications. Psychology is basically a research science, not a medical one.
| Some of the responsibilities include: |
| • | Diagnosing and treating psychological problems |
| • | Collecting data by using interviews, case histories, and observational techniques |
| • | Developing, selecting, administering and interpreting psychological tests, questionnaires, surveys and experiments |
| • | Counseling individuals and groups |
| • | Confering with parents, teachers, counselors, administrators and others |
| • | Determining the effectiveness of treatments through followup procedures |
| • | Developing and evaluating mental health programs |
| • | Serving as a consultant to social, educational, medical or other agencies |
| • | Writing for professional and trade journals or other media |
| • | Teaching in colleges and universities |
| • | Supervising graduate students and faculty |
| Psychologists can also become specialists in different occupational fields such as: |
Clinical Psychologists
diagnose or evaluate and treat mentally or emotionally disturbed people. They are also concerned with the prevention of mental and emotional disorders.
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Community Psychologists
seek to understand the factors that contribute to normal and abnormal behavior in natural settings, such as the home, the neighborhood and the workplace. They work to promote health and prevent disorder and concentrate their efforts on groups of people who are not mentally ill (but may be at risk of becoming so) or on the population in general.
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Educational Psychologists
design, develop, and evaluate techniques and materials to solve problems in training programs.
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School Psychologists
evaluate the needs of average, gifted and physically or mentally handicapped students. They make suggestions about leaving disabled and emotionally impaired students within an educational system and they recommend implementation of appropriate programs.
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Psychometrists or Quantitative Psychologists
design, develop, implement, and analyze results of intelligence, aptitude, achievement and other tests.
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Consumer Psychologists
study buyers and what makes them prefer certain products or what makes them buy at certain times.
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Developmental Psychologists
investigate the emotional, mental, physical and social growth and development of humans.
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Health and Rehabilitation Psychologists
work in the prevention of or treatment of illnesses or disabilities. They may help people reduce stress or increase their physical fitness. They may also help patients recovering from accidents or strokes.
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Population Psychologists
study the distribution of people and how the density of population affects people, both singularly and in groups. They study the motivation for childbearing and how these affect population growths.
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Social Psychologists
study human relationships to gain understanding of individual and group thought, feeling and behavior.
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Experimental Psychologists
plan, design, conduct, and analyze the results of experiments in human and animal learning, thinking, motivation and perception. Industrial-Organizational Psychologists - develop and apply psychological techniques to personnel administration, management and marketing problems.
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Psychologists may specialize in teaching, research, therapy or public service. They may specialize in working with certain age groups or persons with certain psychological problems such as phobias.
Job Outlook
Employment opportunities look favorable, particularly in the areas of clinical, social, school and industrial. Employment settings include college classrooms and laboratories, hospitals, correctional institutions, clinics, private offices, industries, schools, businesses and government agencies.
Educational Requirements
To become a psychologist, students must complete a four-year college baccalaureate program with a major in psychology and hold at least a master's degree. To become a licensed psychologist, an applicant must have a doctorate degree. Also, two years of supervised post-doctorate experience and one year of internship are required for a specialty in clinical services.
Recommended high school courses are algebra, biology, chemistry, computer science, English, literature, foreign language, psychology, history, social studies and sociology.
Educational Programs - Chicago Area
Aurora University
347 South Gladstone
Aurora, IL 60506
(630) 892-6431
http://www.aurora.edu/
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Barat College
700 East Westleigh Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
(847) 234-3000
http://www.barat.edu/
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Chicago State University
95th Street & King Drive
Chicago, IL 60628
(773) 995-2000
http://www.csu.edu/
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DePaul University
1 East Jackson
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 362-8000
http://www.depaul.edu/
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Elmhurst College
190 Prospect
Elmhurst, IL 60126
(630) 617-3500
http://www.elmhurst.edu/
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Governors State University
1 University Parkway
University Park, IL 50466
(708) 534-5000
http://www.govst.edu/
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Illinois Benedictine College
5700 College Road
Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 829-6000
http://www.ben.edu/
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Lake Forest College
555 N. Sheridan Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
(847) 234-3100
http://www.lfc.edu/
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Loyola University at Chicago
6525 N. Sheridan Road
Chicago, IL 60626
(773) 274-3000
http://www.luc.edu/
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National Lewis University
2840 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 256-5150
http://www3.nl.edu/
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North Central College
30 North Brainard Street
Naperville, IL 60540
(630) 637-5100
http://www.noctrl.edu/
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Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 422-5840
http://www.neiu.edu/
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*Northwestern University
633 Clark Street
Evanston, IL 60208
(847) 491-3741
http://www.northwestern.edu/
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Olivet Nazarene University
1 University Avenue
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
(815) 939-5011
http://www.olivet.edu/
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Roosevelt University
430 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 341-3500
http://www.roosevelt.edu/
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Dominican University
7900 West Division
River Forest, IL 60305
(708) 366-2490
http://www.dom.edu/
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St. Xavier University
3700 West 103rd Street
Chicago, IL 60655
(773) 779-3300
http://www.sxu.edu/
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Trinity Christian College
6601 West College Drive
Palos Heights, IL 60463
(866) 874-6463
http://www.trnty.edu/
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Trinity College
2065 Half Day Road
Deerfield, IL 60015
(847) 948-8980
http://www.tiu.edu/
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*University of Chicago
5801 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
(773)702-1234
http://www.uchicago.edu/
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*University of Illinois at Chicago
Office of Applied Psychiatric Services
Dept. Code: 2-3266 1009 BSB MC 285
1007 W. Harrison
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 996-3037
http://www.uic.edu/
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Wheaton College
501 College Avenue
Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 752-5000
http://www.wheaton.edu/
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| *Graduate Degree Available |
Other Programs - Illinois
Bradley University
1501 West Bradley Avenue
Peoria, IL 61625
(309) 876-7611
http://www.bradley.edu/
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Illinois State University
North and School Streets
Normal, IL 61761
(309) 438-2181
http://www.ilstu.edu/
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Northern Illinois University
Psychology Department
DeKalb, IL 60115-2854
(815) 753-1000
http://www.niu.edu/
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Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Woody Hall
Carbondale, IL 62901
(618) 453-3544
http://www.siu.edu/
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
603 East Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61801
(217) 333-0631
http://www.uiuc.edu/
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Western Illinois University
1 University Circle
Department of Psychology
Waggoner Hall 100
Macomb, IL 61455
(309) 298-1593
http://www.wiu.edu/
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