3 MODULE REPORT

Running head: WEEK 3 MODULE REPORT

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WEEK 3 MODULE REPORT

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Week 3 Module Report

PSYC102

Week 3 Module Report

Looking into different career paths within psychology, specifically within the areas of psychopathology/disorders and learning/memory offers several different types of career options to persons who would be interested in working within these subfields of psychology.

Working in the fields of learning and memory have positions that focus on a person looking at how people learn and finding ways to treat others with therapies in order for them to learn and retain information. Those working specifically with people with different mental health disorders work within the psychopathology settings. In order for a person to work within either one of these fields, it typically requires a masters degree at a minimum, with many people in the psychopathology side obtaining either a Ph.D. or a Psy. D. Pay scales within these two sub fields can vary greatly, with a great deal of the variance being dependent on both the degree level and experience of the individual working within the fields. Many of the clinical field positions of psychopathology, such as working as a practitioner, have salaries ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 per year and are often times associated with office style positions in which they will be seeing patients within an office style setting. With the fields associated with memory and learning the pay rates can vary just as drastically, but will still often involve working within a traditional office style setting. To obtain work within either of these two fields, a person will be required to obtain some form of licensure within the state that they wish to work. Each state has a different set of requirements in order to become licensed, but often times include both intern clinical hours as well as some form of graduate level education training.

After doing more research into both psychopathology and learning/memory paths within the psychology field, I have developed a greater desire to work within the psychopathology field. I have always enjoyed learning about different disorders associated with the mental health field, and have been working toward becoming a clinical councilor as my ultimate end goal. In order to obtain this goal, I am working toward completing my bachelors degree with the intent of continuing straight into my masters program. One of the things that I learned more about, and that has really cemented my decision to focus on the masters level programs is what the differences were between a Ph.D. and a Psy.D. Now understanding that the Ph.D. has more of an emphasis on scientific aspects of things, while a Psy. D. has an emphasis on the clinical practicing side of things, I would be much more inclined to want to pursue a Psy.D. should I decide to take that educational path (Morgan & Kuther, 2013).

One of the largest issues within the psychopathology field today is the lack of funding to treat those suffering with mental health issues. This same issue can be seen on the learning and memory aspects of psychology as well. With the large deficits that our government is being forced to overcome in order to maintain levels of normalcy within society, mental health often are getting the cuts made to the programs in which are accessible to the public. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, cuts made to the mental health care systems have been more than $1.8 billion since 2009, and are likely to keep increasing(Thomas, 2014). These cuts to the health care systems that provide such vital resources to those suffering with mental illnesses have drastic effects on both individuals and the communities in which they live. Without people who are suffering from mental illnesses being able to obtain the services that they are requiring, it can create even more problems for the individual, which in turn is likely to create issues for them within their communities.

References

Kuther, T. L. & Morgan, D. (2013). Careers in Psychology: Opportunities in a changing world (4th Ed.). Cengage Publishing.

Thomas, M. (2014). States make deep cuts in mental health funding. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved from http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/4224421-418/states-make-deep-cuts-in-mental-health-funding.html#.U4Knp_ldUrU