The 12 types of psychologists
When people hear the word "psychologist", immediately usually associated with a man or a woman who is sitting in an office listening and taking notes of what your client tells you while lying on a couch. This is one of the many myths about the profession of psychologist that can be heard often.
It is clear that there are many psychologists who carry out this type of practice, which is known as psychotherapy. But the fields of applied psychology are many, and, therefore, psychologists perform different tasks and functions, and work with different clients: families, organizations, athletes, dogs, among others.
Within the world of psychology there is a wide variety of jobs, roles and specialties that do not have to be much like each other.
The different kinds of psychologists
The psychologists they have varied areas of specialization . Within these, some psychologists are dedicated to the practical field, but also to research or teaching. You will be surprised to know, for example, that there are psychologists who develop their profession in the field of videogames ...
As you can see, the areas of application in which psychologists work are multiple, and for this reason, we expose you below a list of the types of psychologists that exist and we explain their main functions . These categories are not mutually exclusive, so it is not uncommon for a person to have the functions of two or even three types of psychologists.
In the same way, the fields of study of two of these types can be the same, taking into account that the psychologists who dedicate themselves to research have a similar formation to many others who are dedicated to intervene on a specific topic, just like we will see.
12 types of psychologists to understand this discipline
Below we explain what kinds of psychologists exist and what functions each one performs.
1. Clinical psychologists
Clinical psychologists evaluate and treat mental and emotional disorders .
These psychopathologies range from short-term crisis to difficulties that last longer. Some clinical psychologists have specialized in different pathologies: depression, eating disorders, anxiety, personality disorders, etc. Others focus on specific populations: children, adolescents, drug addicts, among others. Clinical psychology is regulated by law, so it is necessary to have completed an official master's degree or an opposition (for example, the PIR) to be able to exercise it.
2. Psychotherapists
Psychotherapy is a model of clinical intervention that offers psychological support and a series of techniques to improve the quality of life of patients.
Psychotherapy, in most countries, is not regulated by law, and the problems it deals with are not as serious compared to those usually addressed by clinical psychology. Psychotherapists usually treat everyday problems, problems in interpersonal relationships or emotional problems. For example, difficulties in the couple relationship, or treatment for stress management.
3. Educational psychologists
Educational psychology is the bridge between two fields of study: Psychology and education . It focuses on the processes involved in learning and the individuals and roles played by the actors in the educational field, as well as the environment in which this learning takes place.
Thus, the educational psychologist usually works in educational centers (for example, schools) or educational guidance centers. Its functions are varied, and it can work individually, for example in the evaluation and treatment of a child's learning disorders, or it can work in a multidisciplinary way with other education professionals.
4. Development psychologists
Development psychologists can often work as educational psychologists, since learning is an important part of an individual's development.
But the psychology of development not only includes children or adolescents in their field of study and application, but also includes old age . Therefore, these professionals can also work in nursing homes. In western societies there are more and more elderly people, so in recent decades the work of these professionals has become essential.
5. Experimental psychologists and other researchers
Experimental psychologists perform tests and experiments to obtain new knowledge about different aspects or psychological phenomena . In psychology, however, other methodologies are also used that do not always go through the use of the experimental method, as is the case, for example, in the case studies.
Psychologists who are dedicated to research can have their own training of other types of psychologists, but instead of intervening on subjects or groups, research on these to obtain information with which to test hypotheses or obtain specific data that they are commissioned. They can study aspects of basic psychology such as memory, attention, perception or learning processes, among others, but also phenomena linked to a specific context, such as the appearance and propagation of rumors or the generation of specific discourses.
They usually work in universities or public or private research centers, and recently there has been a boom in the interest of companies to hire these professionals, due to the importance of developing R & D programs. Large companies are very interested in issues such as consumer perception of a given product or occupational health issues.
6. Neuropsychologists
A neuropsychologist is a professional dedicated to neuropsychology .
To be able to work in this field, it is necessary to have a Bachelor's or Bachelor's degree in psychology, as well as a postgraduate degree in that specialty. Occasionally, clinical psychologists or experimental psychologists usually occupy these positions, since many neuropsychologists are dedicated to research. In the applied field, they can work, for example, in the cognitive, behavioral and emotional rehabilitation of a patient with brain damage, or in early diagnosis and intervention in dementia.
7. Social psychologists
Social psychologists they study and work on human behavior and psychological factors that affect the social, community or group environment.
They are interested in aspects such as interpersonal, intragroup and intergroup relations. They are also interested in topics such as culture, prejudices or attitudes towards other individuals, and develop programs for groups, for excluded minorities, for disadvantaged groups, among others. Here, professionals dedicated to the study of political psychology and cultural psychology can also be included, and it is also normal to find in this category people with backgrounds in anthropology and gender studies.
8. Organizational and work psychologists
Organizational and work psychologists apply psychological methods and principles in the work and organizational environment .
Their tasks are varied, but they usually work in the departments of personnel selection, training, occupational health or development. They also participate in performance evaluations or studies to know the level of consumer satisfaction. In addition, in the work environment, psychological variables such as motivation or leadership are especially important.
9. Forensic and criminalistic psychologists
The forensic psychologists apply psychological principles to the legal aspects . Your experience is essential in the court. They can, for example, help the judge decide which parent should keep custody of a child by providing useful information or assessing the mental competence of a defendant during a trial.
Forensic psychologists are not the same as criminal psychologists. To better understand the difference between both fields of application of psychology, we invite you to read our article: "Differences between criminal psychology and forensic psychology".
10. Sports psychologists
Although the work of the sports psychologist is not known by many individuals, few doubt the importance of psychological factors in sports performance. Sports psychologists they work with the athletes, the coach, the team and the whole organization to maximize the team's potential or sportsman Some of the psychological variables that are worked on are: self-efficacy, attention, motivation, level of activation or stress. But they also work interpersonal relationships of athletes, the influence of the environment or communication.
To know more about the work of the sports psychologist, you can click on this article: "10 reasons to put a sports psychologist in your life".
11. Sexologists
The sexologists are professionals specialized in diagnosing and treating psychological disorders that affect intimate relationships of individuals (for example, erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation).
They are also responsible for educating patients on aspects related to a healthy sexuality.
12. Other fields of application
But this does not end here, because there are professionals of psychology who are dedicated to smaller fields of application : traffic psychology and road safety, marketing psychology, psychology applied to video games, psychology applied to nutrition, group psychology, dog psychology, coaching ...
In short, psychology is an area that has obvious connections with any economic, social and medical area, and it is for this reason that the profession of psychologist can find very varied specializations and applications.
Beyond the types of psychologists
It must be taken into account that, regardless of how we classify the different types of psychologists, all of them exercise a fundamentally equal task: the study of behavior and mental processes and the application of these new knowledge in areas such as clinical psychology, education, etc.
That is to say, that everyone, from their different spheres of action, help us better understand who we are and how we can change .
