How to Become a Remote Psychological Assistant?
Psychologist Assistants are psychology graduates who work closely with a psychologist to diagnose and attend to patients. Psychological assistants can work in various professional settings, such as mental health facilities, government agencies and hospitals, and private psychological practices.
However, they are not licensed to work independently; the career is pocket-fulfilling and rewarding. For instance, psychology assistants can get paid as much as $78,000 per annum. Also, the job is highly demanded and can be done in-house and remotely. For instance, there are a lot of psychology research assistant Remote jobs on reputable job search websites like Jooble.
Do you still want to explore more about this profession? Continue reading this article as we have teamed up with professionals from job aggregator Jooble to enlighten you on the steps to take to become a psychology assistant and what the job is all about. Let’s delve right into it.
Steps Towards Becoming a Psychological Assistant
If you are passionate about assessing people’s psychological behaviors and helping them through analysis and therapy, working as a psychological assistant may be an ideal profession for you. However, there are some steps you need to take and skills you need to possess to excel in this profession.
Below are the steps required to become a psychological assistant:
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Earn a Bachelor’s Degree
A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in psychology is required before you can become a psychological assistant. A university degree in psychology usually takes between four to five years.
Also, it is worth noting that psychologists need a Master’s degree or a PhD to become licensed. You must have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology to become a psychology assistant to determine if you would like to continue on this career path. If you’re seeking for budget-friendly options, you can view this list of the most affordable on campus colleges in US that offer Psychology programs.
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Start an Internship
During your Bachelor’s degree and immediately after, it is necessary to gain some clinical experience. For example, you can intern at a hospital, clinic, psychology office, or educational institute.
It is advisable to choose an internship place that matches the branch of psychology you want to specialize in. If you do not know the branch of psychology you are interested in, you can intern at different places over the years to find out where your interest lies. Branches of psychology include clinical psychology, behavior analysis, forensic psychology, criminal psychology, child psychology, etc. You can also research and read about these specializations to get a general understanding of them.
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Consider an Advanced Degree
Although the basic educational requirement for being an assistant psychologist is a bachelor’s degree, it will be helpful if you consider an advanced degree. An advanced degree will improve your chances of being employed. It will also help you negotiate better pay.
You can get a postgraduate Diploma, Master’s Degree, or Ph. D. an advanced degree can also help transition from another field into psychology. For instance, if your Bachelor’s degree wasn’t in psychology, getting an advanced degree in psychology can help you transition into the field.
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Get Certified
Another way to increase the value of your psychology degree is by adding professional degrees to it. Don’t forget to register as a professional assistant psychologist in the state where you wish to practice. Different states have different registration modes. Find out what it takes to be a registered psychologist in your state and go through with it.
Skills That Can Help a Psychological Assistant
Some skills can help your career as a psychological assistant. You can leverage these skills to improve your employment chances and help you do the job successfully.
Below are some crucial skills you must have to thrive as a psychological assistant:
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Counseling
One of the duties of a psychological assistant is to counsel people, as the job may sometimes require them to conduct group or individual counseling sessions for patients. There is even a branch of psychology that deals with counseling.
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Crisis Intervention
Psychological assistants need to be able to help patients get through a crisis. Some patients seek the services of a psychologist when facing challenges they can’t manage independently.
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Communication
Communication is a vital part of an assistant psychologist’s job. The job requires you to communicate appropriately with clients to get the necessary information to help discharge your services efficiently.
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Empathy
The job of an assistant psychologist involves dealing with people under emotional duress. To properly relate with people, they must be able to empathize with them. This will give the client a sense of trust, making them want to connect with their assistant psychologist.
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Organization
Assistant psychologists deal with many patients every week. It is, therefore, essential for them to be organized because disorganization can lead to a mix-up. As a psychological assistant, you must be meticulous to avoid a crisis.
What do Psychological Assistants do?
The duties of psychological assistants are pretty simple. Also, they are similar to the responsibilities of a professional psychologist. If you are wondering what it entails to be a psychological assistant, here are some of the things they do.
- They conduct initial evaluations for patients.
- They write and keep patients’ records.
- They serve and respond to patients under the supervision of a professional.
- They do research and gather information.
- They handle calls and other forms of correspondence.
- They help plan and evaluate patients’ treatment plans.
- They also conduct assessments and do other tests.
- They do follow-ups for patients.
Conclusion
Being an assistant psychologist is a productive job. It is the step that precedes being a professional psychologist. However, this profession requires some processes, which we have examined in this article. Follow our recommendations to start your journey as a psychological assistant, and you are on your way to success.