Psychologists can specialize in several areas, such as mental health and educational and occupational psychology. In the field of health, psychologists specialize in clinical, psychological, forensic, or health psychology. Mental health is a state of mental well-being that allows people to cope with life's stress, develop their capacities, learn and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective capacities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world in which we live.
Mental health is a basic human right. And it's crucial for personal, community and socio-economic development. Psychologists focus on providing psychological treatments. Licensed psychologists are qualified to provide counseling and psychotherapy, perform psychological tests, and provide treatment for mental disorders.
However, they are not doctors. That means that, with the exception of a few states, psychologists can't prescribe or perform medical procedures. Often, a psychologist will work in partnership with a psychiatrist or other doctor who provides medical treatment for mental illness while the psychologist provides psychotherapy. Whether it's psychiatry, counseling, nursing, or one of the many therapies or support functions offered, a career in the mental health field means working in a rapidly developing field, where funding is increasing and progress is fast.
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects the way we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we manage stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.1 Mental health is important at all stages of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. Mental health refers to how people think, feel and behave. Mental health professionals can help people manage conditions such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, addiction, and other disorders that affect their thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
While clinical psychology delves into the root cause of illness to help a person recover, positive psychology delves into the root causes of happiness that can help a person protect themselves from negative experiences. Psychological psychology is a specialty in the field of psychology in which professionals help individuals, such as individuals and groups, to improve their well-being, alleviate their distress, resolve their crises, and increase their ability to solve problems and make decisions. Rehabilitation psychology is a clinical specialty applied to professional psychology that deals with the treatment and science of chronic and disabling diseases. Although historically, the practice of clinical psychology was mainly limited to people seeking help and to those who already had mental health problems, positive psychology reaches everyone, to those who have and not a clinical diagnosis. Positive psychology researchers have devised measures such as the Psychological Wellbeing Scale and the Happiness Scale, which objectively measure a person's degree of satisfaction with their life.
The American Psychological Association defines clinical psychology as “a clinical discipline that involves the provision of diagnostic, evaluation, treatment plan, treatment, prevention and consultation services to patients in emergency rooms, inpatient units and hospital clinics. Clinical psychology is the application of psychological knowledge and skills and research and intervention techniques to health and illness, particularly as it relates to mental health. Health psychologists apply psychological research and methods to the prevention and treatment of diseases, the promotion and maintenance of health, the identification of psychological factors that contribute to physical illness, the improvement of the health care system, and the formulation of health policies. Positive psychology emerged after a good deal of debate and misunderstanding about how well it can coexist with clinical or health psychology.
You'll apply psychology to criminal investigation, understand the psychological problems associated with crime, and treat those who have committed crimes.
