Today, the profession of a psychologist is becoming increasingly popular. Many organizations hire a full-time psychologist; this position is mandatory in kindergartens and schools. It is not surprising that there are many young people who want to enroll in the Faculty of Psychology, both after the ninth and after the eleventh grade. In this article you will learn what subjects you need to take to become a psychologist when entering a technical school or university. You will become aware of what qualities define a good psychologist. Find out what specialized areas there are and where guys who have studied in the relevant specialty can work.
Pros and cons of the profession
The positive aspects of working as a psychologist include:
- the opportunity to understand your life and find harmony;
- the ability to provide professional assistance to people from close circles;
- the opportunity to learn new things and develop comprehensively;
- Demand for the profession – the opportunity to find a job after graduating from university;
- with constant self-development and improvement of your professional skills - good competitiveness.
The disadvantages of choosing this specialty include:
- the presence of great responsibility for the psychological health of the patient (the advice given can affect the person’s future, including causing harm);
- the need to be prepared to accept the point of view of another person, even if it completely contradicts your personal views;
- inability to refuse to solve the problem faced by the patient;
- empathy for the tragedy of the person who has applied, which can lead to personal problems and depression in a specialist if he is inexperienced and does not yet know how to let go of what he has heard.
How to become a psychotherapist without medical help. education
The professional development of a psychologist can occur according to two branches of training: medical and humanitarian. It is enough for a general specialist to be a humanist. He will be able to work in a school, kindergarten, private company or research institute, that is, consult, provide psychological support, but not correct mental disorders. Only an educated physician can be an employee of healthcare institutions.
What to take upon admission
You have already decided on the choice of your future work activity, now it is important to know what exams are needed to become a psychologist. Even if you still have a whole year ahead of you before admission, today you need to understand which school subjects you should pay attention to.
After ninth grade
Not everyone knows, but after leaving school after 9th grade, you can already take a direction in the field of psychology. Finding a technical school or college where you can study to become a psychologist is difficult. In the best case, you will be able to receive a general education program, accompanied by an in-depth study of psychology, followed by preferential admission to a university. Such colleges usually require passing:
- Russian language;
- biology;
- social studies;
- algebra.
You have a backup option - enroll in a medical educational institution, study, for example, to become a nurse or paramedic, and then enter the university to become a psychologist, on preferential terms. To enter medical college, you will need to pass the following exams:
- Russian language;
- mathematics;
- chemistry;
- biology.
After eleventh grade
If you plan to enroll after 11th grade, then for the EGE, you need to choose the following subjects:
- Russian;
- biology (major subject);
- mathematics.
Some universities may require an exam result in social studies. Therefore, it is better, having previously decided on a university, to find out which exams are preferable in this particular educational institution. In addition, some universities may require writing an essay with psychological content. It is also possible to have an interview during which the admissions committee will be interested in your personal qualities.
If you decide to learn a new profession, but graduated from school a long time ago, then you should know that in order to enroll as a psychologist, you will have to take the EGE along with school graduates.
How to become a consultant
First of all, you need to take care of getting basic education in this area. Then you need to undergo additional training at an institution that trains counseling specialists. Remember, obtaining this specialization requires regular practice. You should start training first of all on yourself, identifying and considering your own problems.
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Only after all the techniques have been worked out and brought to perfection can you find a job. Over time, the level of professionalism will increase, which will make it possible to think about private practice.
Choosing a university
When choosing an educational institution, find out which one suits you best. Here it is worth taking into account both its territorial location and the availability of a good hostel; if you are going to study in another city, it would not be a bad idea to read the reviews of those who studied there.
If we consider Moscow, the best universities where you can get a diploma in psychology are:
- Institute of Practical Psychology and Psychoanalysis;
- State Academic University of Humanities;
- Moscow State University named after Lomonosov;
- Russian State Social University;
- Institute of Psychology named after. Vygotsky.
Psychological colleges after 9th and 11th grades in St. Petersburg
| College name | Name of specialization and type of psychology |
| College "Star" | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| College "Krasnoselsky" | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| Institute of Secondary Vocational Education of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| College of St. Petersburg University of Management Technologies and Economics | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| College of Tourism and Hotel Services | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| St. Petersburg Technical College of Management and Commerce | Specialization “commercial (corporate) psychology” |
| Medical School of the Institute of Nursing Education of the First St. Petersburg State Medical University named after Academician I.P. Pavlova | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Medical College named after V.M. Bekhterev | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Leningrad Regional Medical College | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Midwifery College | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Medical College of St. Petersburg State University | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Medical College No. 9 | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| St. Petersburg Medical College of St. Petersburg State Transport University of Emperor Alexander I | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Medical College No. 1 | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Paramedic College | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| St. Petersburg Medical and Technical College of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| Medical College No. 2 | Specializations “General Medicine” and “Nursing” for the study of clinical psychology |
| College of Physical Culture and Sports, Economics and Technology of St. Petersburg State University | Specialization "physical culture" for sports psychology |
| St. Petersburg Olympic Reserve School No. 2 (technical school) | Specialization "physical culture" for sports psychology |
| College of Leningrad State University named after A.S. Pushkin | Specialization “educational psychology (by industry)”, “physical education” (specialization - sports psychology), study of social and penitentiary psychology, gerontopsychology (psychology of older people), psychology of deviant behavior |
| Pedagogical College No. 8 | Specialization “educational psychology (by industry)” |
| Pedagogical College No. 1 named after. ON THE. Nekrasova | Specialization “special (correctional) psychology”, educational psychology (by industry) |
| Pedagogical College No. 8 | Specialization "special (correctional) psychology" |
| Pedagogical College No. 4 of St. Petersburg | Specialization “special (correctional) psychology”, educational psychology (by industry) |
| Polytechnic College of Urban Affairs | Specializations in psychology of internal affairs bodies (criminologist, legal or penitentiary psychologist) |
| St. Petersburg Technical College of Management and Commerce | Specializations in psychology of internal affairs bodies (criminologist, legal or penitentiary psychologist) |
| St. Petersburg Police College | Specializations in psychology of internal affairs bodies (criminologist, legal or penitentiary psychologist) |
| Polytechnic College of Urban Affairs | Specializations in psychology of internal affairs bodies (criminologist, legal or penitentiary psychologist) |
| Faculty of Continuing Education of the North-Western Branch of the Russian State University of Justice | Specializations in psychology of internal affairs bodies (criminologist, legal or penitentiary psychologist) |
Required personal qualities
A good psychologist must have a number of special qualities.
It is important to understand that in order to become a psychologist, it is not always enough to study at university. Here, as in any professional industry, there are a number of qualities, the presence of which will help make you a good specialist. Next, we will talk about what traits you need to have in order to confidently step into the profession of a psychologist.
- Love for continuous learning. The profession in question presupposes the need for regular self-development, expanding one’s knowledge, techniques, and mastering new practices.
- Friendliness, ability to find a common language with any person.
- Persuasiveness. The ability to convey your thoughts to the listener.
- Responsible attitude towards your business.
- Tolerance, the ability not to judge people for their actions or thoughts.
- The ability to correctly express your emotions.
- Having empathy, the ability to empathize with other people.
- Ability to be a good listener. For many patients who find themselves in a psychologist’s office, it is important to be listened to and shown sympathy, sometimes they simply have no one with whom they can share their pain and relieve the psychological burden.
- Lack of xenophobia.
If you do not currently have the above qualities, you still have enough time to develop new skills and work through fears, if any.
How to become a family psychologist-consultant
This is not an easy task. After all, you have to work not with one person, but with entire families, the relationships in which are developing inappropriately. To competently help them get out of difficult situations and cope with numerous problems, a liberal arts education will not be enough. You'll have to constantly practice. It is better to start gaining experience while still a student. Various programs for volunteers that are aimed at helping people in difficult situations can contribute to their development. It wouldn’t hurt to take advanced training courses in the field of family psychology.
Directions in training
Many applicants do not even realize that when choosing the profession of a psychologist, they still have to choose a narrow direction. Next, we will look at what psychology options will open to you:
- clinical - the study of psychology based on its relationship with various diseases;
- special - the study of deviant behavior of people, the reasons for its occurrence, preventive measures;
- official activities - such a specialist is involved in personnel selection, assessing the health of the team, and carries out rehabilitation measures;
- consulting and coaching – help in difficult life situations, guidance on the right path;
- socio-psychological work – social support of the population, implementation of social services;
- psychological and pedagogical education – training of specialists responsible for the psychological behavior and development of children, their adaptation.
What kinds of psychologists are there?
There are several varieties of this profession. Specialists in this field deal with a variety of problems and use appropriate techniques suitable for achieving certain goals.
Children's
His job is to help adults understand what is happening to their children. How can they overcome the difficulties that arise in communicating with him, how to establish contact and have a beneficial influence.
The pediatric doctor involves not only the child, but also his parents in the therapeutic process. All his activities in this case are aimed at identifying problems and the causes of their occurrence. He perfectly understands the psychological characteristics of children’s development, knows everything about the age-related crises that absolutely every little person goes through. After all, the psyche of children is completely different, so a special approach to such patients is needed.
School
As a rule, he works in educational institutions, where he observes the development, adaptation and behavior of his students. Qualified psychological assistance is very important during this period. Parents themselves are not able to cope with the numerous difficulties that inevitably arise at a young age.
The leading goal of an educational psychologist is to ensure the mental health of students. It helps them develop in the right direction, taking into account individual character traits. Corrects the realization of creative potential, stimulates interest in various social spheres. His responsibilities include ensuring a favorable climate for the development of children.
Military
This specialist devotes most of his time not to research work, but to practice. He is in constant contact with military personnel and their loved ones, so he is well versed not only in his profession, but also has the necessary knowledge about the life of officers and soldiers. It carries out its activities through constant monitoring, conducting questionnaires, testing, surveys and analyzing the information received.
Psychologist Daria Milai
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This is a very responsible specialization. The distinctive features of such a doctor are restraint and the ability to retain information. Every day he has to solve many questions and tasks, because the duties of a military psychotherapist include:
- psychological selection of those wishing to enter the service;
- development of methods that help strengthen discipline and patriotism;
- adaptation and rehabilitation of soldiers returning from the combat zone;
- training those who are about to go to hot spots;
- resistance to negative influence from outside that personnel may be exposed to;
- conducting consultations for military personnel and their relatives.
Clinical
This profile requires additional medical education. It is necessary for working with psychosomatics and providing assistance to physically ill patients. This doctor is knowledgeable in the field of pathopsychology and is able to diagnose mechanical disorders. His responsibilities include:
- carrying out work aimed at restoring health;
- elimination of deviations and difficulties in personality development;
- training physicians in aspects of social psychology and deontology;
- assessing the clients' condition and the effectiveness of the treatment interventions involved;
- conducting psychodiagnostic studies and monitoring patients who are susceptible to various types of disorders.
Places of future work
Working with children in kindergarten is one of the possible places of work for a psychologist.
Many might have the impression that after graduation they will be able to go into private practice. However, not all graduates open their offices and begin private receptions. Most go to government agencies to gain experience; in the future, they have the prospect of moving to private firms and opening their own practice. In any case, you should not worry that, having received a diploma in psychology, you will have serious difficulties finding a job. So specialists of the chosen profession are needed:
- at the university (you can stay at the same educational institution where you previously studied, or become a teacher for new students yourself);
- in the prosecutor's office or police (adequate psychological health of employees and strengthening of discipline are very important);
- in clinics and hospitals – restoring psychological health in patients and their relatives, maintaining the well-being of employees;
- in the education system (in schools, kindergartens, colleges, universities) - providing psychological support to students;
- in organizations and firms - professional support from a psychologist may be needed by an employee of an organization of any type.
Knowing what you need to take for a psychologist, you can delve into the study of these subjects in advance. Remember that many educational institutions have preparatory courses where you can brush up on relevant subjects. When choosing the profession of a psychologist, be prepared to communicate with people, meet their problems, be able to listen, and help.
Career prospects of a specialist
The career growth of a psychologist depends on the improvement and expansion of his skills, the methods he uses, and the demand for his services. At an enterprise, such a specialist can grow from an ordinary employee to the head of the HR service, deputy head of personnel matters. A successful psychologist can eventually open his own commercial office providing psychological assistance. But to be in demand, a specialist does not need a higher education diploma. It is necessary to constantly study, improve your skills through courses and trainings, learn new methods of psychodiagnostics and assistance, and express yourself.
Features of the specialty
The profession of psychologist has been in great demand over the past 10 years. At school, at an enterprise or in a large office, such a specialist provides indispensable assistance, building the right relationships in the team.
The Faculty of Psychology is the result of a conscious choice and long-term study. It is impossible to master a profession with high social responsibility in one day. Training to become a psychologist takes place over 5–6 years using theoretical knowledge. The more a person studies, the easier it is for him to understand people and their behavior, knowing the psychotypes of the individual.
A psychologist studies human nature: he understands how actions lead to certain results. This is a specialist who can explain the nature of fear, find the root cause of a phobia or obsessive thoughts. If a person cannot understand what is happening to him, then the psychologist is an assistant, a guide to hidden thoughts and feelings.
What to do if you graduated from school many years ago
First you need to pass exams in the form of the Unified State Exam (Unified State Exam) in those subjects that are necessary for admission.
If more than three years have passed since passing the exams, then such results will not be accepted. You need to take them again. It is better to find out how to do this at the educational administration institutions that are located at your place of residence. Specialists from these institutions have operational information, since they take part in the organization and conduct of the Unified State Exam.
Additional exams
Once a student decides to enroll in the psychology department, he must use the knowledge acquired at school for further studies. Before choosing specialized subjects for testing at school, the future student considers them as an opportunity to demonstrate their own skills and abilities.
For most universities, together with biology, mathematics and the Russian language, it is recommended to take social studies - a discipline that shows how a student understands and perceives the world. Worldview is the most important aspect for an applicant who is going to study to become a psychologist.
Important qualities for a psychology student:
- perseverance;
- curiosity;
- love of books;
- curiosity.
The presence of such qualities in an applicant is an advantage when taking entrance exams at a university. The student also provides certificates and awards that show his desire to be a well-rounded individual.
A future student may be asked to undergo an interview: this is a short conversation with teachers or curators that will show the applicant’s potential. The student is notified of such an interview in advance.
