Psychology as a career

@Busybee333 We like to tell our clients, “Half of what I’m telling you is the truth and half is going to turn out to be wrong; we just don’t which half.”

Psychology is an imperfect science. All sciences are. We haven’t worked out quantum physics yet, but it doesn’t invalidate physics. Medicine, likewise, changes almost daily but we don’t discard it because the value outweighs the fallibility.

We’ve been studying the human mind for 170 years. We know a lot of stuff. In fact, a major study was just released that suggests the single gene responsible for ADHD has been identified. And just because an approach, therapy or medication is less that optimal, it doesn’t mean it’s not a matter of simply changing things a bit. Nothing says the science is bad.

People are so often resistant to therapy because, unlike a lot of medical maladies or work issues, the client has to do all the work, all the heavy lifting. Changing your frame of mind and learning to manage what can be debilitating conditions takes a little time and learning. But we’re lazy as a species; we like to be handed a prescription and told to wait for two weeks.

Therapy works, and you can find people all over the world walking around crediting their lives to it. When a person is ready for therapy, they will get the benefit of it. Not before.

@Graylight Thank you for the stellar comment. It feels refreshing to be assured that the blurs will be cleared in time :)

Maybe quantum physics and the mind have been interconnected all along. I can't wait to learn more about it :)

@em1ly You do know psychology, associated professions and allied assistance is a robust, growing industry already, right?

@Graylight yes but it's not as developed as other medicine related professions (at least that's what I think)

@em1ly @em1ly I can see that's what you think, but it's not really true. Psychology is the work of unravelling the brain. It's hard to say a lung specialist has the same level of difficulty as a brain surgeon; all factors have to be considered.

I think a lot of the bad view of mental health comes from the insipid pop-psy dilution the media does. A 3-year research project shared with the public as a scintillating headline and based on a single possible finding does nothing to help people feel secure about psychology. Psychologists and allied professionals study for years. They intern and apprentice. They sit for state boards and require certifications and licensure. They must show continuing education and they do what they do for love, not for salary.

Don't worry about the wobbly past of psychology, as too many do. If we did that with the rest of medicine, no one would ever head to the doctor.

@jshm2 Your qualified psychologist friend is a lazy, burned out professional. That he's helped you form this opinion is reprehensible.

@Ryannnnnn As for high-paying, the range for the salary range for the US is $65-130K. Depending on where you live, that's either a lot or not nearly what others make. To lend perspective, it's only slightly above the national teacher's salary.