Is it a field in psychology?

Are you unsure whether the job you want to do can be done with a degree in psychology?

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Two common queries are about being a "criminal profiler" or being a "sex therapist."

"Criminal Profiler" aka Forensic Psychology

For more information on being a "criminal profiler" visit: What is Forensic Psychology? It's not Silence of the Lambs. by Matthew Huss (http://www.psichi.org/content/
publications/eye/volume/vol_5/5_3/huss.asp) Eye on Psi Chi (Spring 2001, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 25-27), published by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Chattanooga, TN).

"Sex Therapist"

In general, sex therapists are licensed or certified mental health professionals or physicians, who have specialized in treating sexual disorders at some point in their graduate work. To become a sex therapist, then, you would first attend a graduate program (return to the links on the left). During your graduate work you would seek opportunities, such as an internship, with those doing work in the area. Visit American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (http://www.aasect.org/)

Family Therapist

Persons who do psychological therapy with families may have a variety of backgrounds but have graduate degrees. Follow the links on the left pertaining to graduate school in psychology to learn more. Visit American Art Therapy Association (http://www.arttherapy.org) for more information.

Art Therapy aka Expressive Therapy

In general, persons doing art therapy, while they may have an undergraduate degree in psychology, do not necessarily have an advanced degree in psychology. There are programs specifically for Art Therapy and may be interdisciplinary in nature.

Gerontologist

Again, there are many paths to a career in gerontology. Read this article by the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, Careers in Aging (http://www.aghe.org/ciastart.htm)

Careers in psychology

If you want more ideas about psychology-related careers, visit the following links.

American Psychological Association (http://www.apa.org/students/)
- Careers for the 21st century (http://www.apa.org/students/brochure/)
- APA has a number of additional resources on careers in psychology listed at their website such as a collection of articles at http://www.apa.org/students/career.html
National Association of School Psychologists (http://www.naspweb.org/)
Society for Industrial/Organizational Psychology (http://www.siop.org/)
American Counseling Association (http://www.counseling.org/)
National Association of Social Workers (http://www.naswdc.org/)
Check with your Psychology Department for other resources
- Remember to talk with your advisor!
Occupational Outlook Handboo k entry for Psychologists (http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htmhttp://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm)
Here is a collections of links about careers in psychology to get you started:
- Links related to careers in general and/or careers in psychology. From Dr. Retta Poe, Western Kentucky University (http://edtech.cebs.wku.edu/~rpoe/careerslinks.htm)

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Presented by the M.A. - Clinical Psychology (http://edtech.tph.wku.edu/~psych/areas/clinic/) and Ed. S. - School Psychology (http://edtech.tph.wku.edu/~psych/areas/school/) Graduate Programs of Western Kentucky University

Questions or comments about the graduate programs: contact psych@edtech.cebs.wku.edu
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