Helping Psychology – June 2010

Summertime means summer school and summer jobs, so this month Helping Psychology focuses on careers in the psychology sector. From school counseling to neuropsychology, students of psychology can choose from a diverse range of career options. Even career fields outside the psychological realm, such as marketing and criminal justice, have a need for people who are familiar with the workings of the inner mind.

Food for Thought: Eating to Promote Optimal Mental Health

Eating for peak mental health is simple; stick to foods that contain nutrients and facilitate mental processes such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins. Omega 3’s, found heavily in salmon and walnuts, are extremely beneficial to the mind and body as they reduce inflammation and lower the risk of certain mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Psychology for Everyday Living

Students of psychology quickly realize that the concepts and skills they are learning are useful in daily life. Learning how people think comes in handy when participating in negotiations, social situations and work functions. Students can learn valuable life skills in different psychological disciplines such as health psychology, sports psychology and behavioral analysis.

Forensic Psychology: Choosing the Right Graduate Program

Forensic psychology is not affiliated with CSI or any other glamorized criminal investigation drama; it is a vital field that compliments the criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists develop criminal profiles using evidence from a crime scene. They also draw up evaluations that assist in determining the guilty party in a crime. Choosing a graduate program that provides in-depth training is essential to succeeding in this field.

Job Prospects for Future Psychologists

Helping Psychology’s June feature article discusses job prospects in the psychology field. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, psychology majors and prospective psychology students will find steady growth in varying psychological arenas though 2018. Educational requirements remain the same, with those who hold master’s and doctorate degrees typically receiving much higher salaries.

Munchhausen by Proxy: Diagnosis of the Week

Munchhausen by Proxy is a mental disorder that affects not only the patient suffering from the disease, but also dependents under that person’s care. Munchhausen syndrome causes a patient to seek attention through caring for a sick person, especially a child. In many cases, a mother nursing a sick child will keep him or her sick using various methods in order to receive attention from family, friends and even doctors.

Forensic Psychologists: Working to Rehabilitate Criminals

Similar to clinical psychologists, some forensic psychologists work closely with criminals in order to return them to upstanding citizens before they are released from prison. Forensic psychologists set up programs to rehabilitate inmates that include educational programs aimed at building life skills, career placement programs and psychological counseling. Not all forensic psychologists focus on this path, as some concentrate on bringing criminals to justice.

Psychology Majors: Balancing Work with School

Students who work full or part-time often find it difficult to keep up with their studies, so Helping Psychology offers a few insights on how students can balance life with school. Getting priorities straight is the first step to maintaining a hectic school schedule. Eliminating distractions such as television and social media are also important. Find out more ways to work and attend school with your sanity intact by reading the full article.

The Psychology of Motivation

What causes a person to be motivated; money, prestige or something else entirely? Psychologists have discovered certain elements that contribute to a person’s level of motivation and have come up with five theories of motivation including: humanistic theory, psychoanalytic theory, drive reduction theory, arousal theory and instinct theory.

Prison Counseling: View from Behind the Bars

Prison counselors work to rehabilitate criminals using various therapy techniques, and they also testify in court and provide information about the patient’s mental health during parole hearings. Working as a prison counselor requires at least a master’s degree in clinical or forensic psychology, and it is a lucrative career field.

Educational Psychology 101

Educational psychology is not the same as school psychology, which incorporates the use of school counselors. Educational psychology focuses on how people learn and how they can learn better. Government agencies and corporations often employ educational psychologists to increase productivity by working with employees.

Working as a School Counselor

School counseling is a dynamic career that allows practitioners to assist students with academic, personal, social and career development.  School counselors have the satisfaction of giving back to students through collaborating with students to develop academic, career and college plans. School counseling is a career field that is currently on an upward trend, and with a master’s degree in psychology, the possibilities are endless.

Careers in Sports Psychology

Students who wish to pursue an energetic career in sports psychology must first obtain a master’s degree in psychology. Supplementing major courses with health-related classes is a smart move as well. Sports psychologists work with athletes to set goals and remain motivated on the playing field.

Thesis Writing Tips for Graduate Students

Graduate students often are required to write a massive thesis paper towards the end of their academic careers. Helping Psychology offers a few guidelines for making thesis-writing a little easier, a little less stressful and a whole lot more pleasant.  As a psychology graduate student knows only so well, proper research is essential.

Selective Mutism: Diagnosis of the Week

Medical professionals originally thought that Selective Mutism was merely a choice made by shy children not to speak. Now, however, psychologists are aware that is it a psychological disorder in which children find it difficult to speak in social situations. This disorder is closely related to social anxiety.

Working as a Relationship Counselor for Married Couples

Relationship counselors work to reconcile couples who are no longer getting along; married couples in particular often seek therapy to save their marriage. Relationship counselors focus on a couple’s past, familial relationships and other issues in order to mend their relationship.

Mental Health Support Groups as Supplementary Treatment

In addition to counseling, medication and other forms of therapy, support groups are wonderful as a supplementary treatment as they offer friendship and moral support to patients. Support groups also offer stability to patients in need of routine and long-term recovery.

Forensic Psychology vs. Forensic Psychiatry

Both disciplines in the field of psychology, forensic psychology and forensic psychiatry share one common theme: the criminal justice system. Forensic psychologists are akin to clinical psychologists in that they focus on counseling; forensic psychiatrists often engage in court proceedings such as giving testimonies and sitting in on parole hearings.

Beat Stress for Success: The Top Five College Stress Busters

Stress is the leading cause of burnout in college students; taking too many classes and rushing to graduate can cause undue amounts of stress. Helping Psychology has a few tips for students looking to relax and coast through college classes without succumbing to stress-related maladies.

Milgrim's Small World Experiment

Stanley Milgrim conducted an experiment in the 1960s that aimed to determine the degree of separation between people, even those living in other states. He constructed an elaborate experiment that involved random people, a package and a receiver. Find out more about this fascinating social network experiment by reading the full article.

Solomon Asch: Noteworthy Psychologist

As a practicing psychologist in the early 1900s, Solomon Asch conducted a famous series of experiments called the Asch conformity experiments or Asch Paradigm. He tested the theory that people will conform to the group in high pressure situations.  The results revealed that more often than not, people did conform to the opinion of those around them.

Teaching Psychology at a Professional Level

Whether teaching at a high school or college level, professional teaching psychologists are required to hold at least a master’s degree in psychology, but many hold a doctorate degree in a specialized branch of psychology. This article explores the requirements that teaching psychologists must have before finding a position in the field.

Psychiatric Drugs: Overuse and Abuse

Medications for psychological disorders such as Xanax are often misused by patients and non-patients alike. Incorrect applications of psychiatric drugs can cause serious injury and even death, and some of these medications are highly addictive. Find out about the effects of taking psychiatric medications without a prescription.

Acute Stress Disorder: Diagnosis of the Week

Following a traumatic event, some people experience extreme feelings of stress and anxiety, not unlike the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. The difference with acute stress disorder and posttraumatic stress is that the symptoms, such as shock and panic, appear suddenly and are not generally long-term.

Summer Classes for Psychology Students

Taking a summer course or two in psychology can help you graduate faster, but it can be a stressful undertaking just the same. Helping Psychology offers students a few guidelines to make the transition to summer school smoother such as tips on taking online classes, planning vacations and buying textbooks in advance.

Functional Analytic Psychotherapy: An Introduction

Functional analytic psychotherapy is related to B.F. Skinner’s behaviorism in that it aims to reduce or eliminate destructive behaviors in patients. Functional analytic psychotherapy includes working to learn coping skills that the patient can practice in place of the destructive behavior and discussing positive changes during psychotherapy sessions.

Strategies for Overcoming College Exam Anxiety

Examinations of any kind usually cause people to feel unpleasant physical sensations such as increased heartbeat, sweating, nausea and panic.  A comprehensive term for these sensations is test anxiety. Overcoming test anxiety is crucial to focusing on passing an exam with flyers colors; find out how!

Research and Study: The Work of a Neuropsychologist

Neurologists study the relationship between human behavior and the brain functions behind certain actions. Neuropsychologists conduct testing and research including studies related to memory, attention span and concentration, reasoning ability and the brain's control of the body through motor function.

Alfred Binet: Noteworthy Psychologist

Alfred Binet is known worldwide for developing the first widely-used intelligence test called the Binet-Simon intelligence scale, which is now called simply an I.Q. test. He also was a pioneer in the field of sexual psychology and dabbled in the occult arts of palmistry and hypnotism.

Parkinson's Disease: Diagnosis of the Week

Parkinson’s disease is a defect in the central nervous system that causes stiff movements, incoordination and impaired speech. Patients with this disorder often are unable to function as the disease progresses. Many viable treatments exist to manage symptoms, but no cures are available at this time.

Study Suggests Women's Stress Disorders May be Biological

Women may be more prone to stress and its accompanying disorders according to a study conducted at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The study presents the idea that female neurotransmitter receptors are the possible biological cause for the higher incidence of stress disorders, such as anxiety, in women.