Psychology as a career in India | Career Options, Colleges, Courses

Psychology as a career in India is new, yet flourishing. It is the study of human behavior and minds. Psychologists read and study and person’s emotions, behavior, and reactions to things around them. They then use this data and apply their understanding of behavior to treat behavioral problems. Treatment by a psychologist is done by focusing on counseling and therapy. There is no magic ‘quick fix’ here. Therefore, to put it all together, psychologists are responsible for identifying behavioral, emotional, and psychological issues. They are also responsible for diagnosing any specific ailments, by using information gathered from patient interviews, patient examinations and reports, and medical reference materials.

Psychology as a career in India

Psychologists are not specifically doctors. And do not confuse them with psychiatrists. They are all different terms and different roles. A psychologist has to come up with an individualized treatment plan for each patient. The plan needs to be flexible as it might have to keep changing with time along with the patient’s progress.

How to take up Psychology as a career in India

Not everyone can become a psychologist. It requires certain skills and qualifications.

Academic Qualifications

If you are keen on taking up psychology as a career in India, you must go through these educational qualifications. Possessing these qualifications can make you a licensed psychologist.

• Complete the 10+2 exam preferably with Psychology as one of the subjects
• Have a Bachelors degree (BA or BS) in Psychology  (the curriculum of which focuses on “personality development, psychotherapy, stress management and neuro-psychology”)
• Specialization at the postgraduate level (M.A. or M.Sc. in either Psychology, Social Work, or Counseling)
• Specialization at the doctoral level (PhD or M.Phil)

Personal Skills

Along with educational qualifications, the candidate also requires to possess certain personal skills. A few of them are:

• Analytical mind for diagnosis
• Exceptional communication skills to effectively guide patients who suffer from mental/behavioral issues
• Patience, which allows the psychologist to remain cool under stress when dealing with an unusually difficult case or a challenging patient
• Passion for helping people defeat their own mental/behavioral challenges
• Compassion along with drive towards patient’s
• Written and verbal communication, including report writing and presentation
• Information technology
• Handling of data and statistics
• Analytical research
• Problem-solving
• Ability to work in teams

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Job Prospects for Psychology as a career in India

If you have successfully completed your education and training in psychology and want to build a career in psychology in India, have a look at the different job options available. They all are lucrative branches of psychology.

1. Clinical Psychology

They assess and treat people going through psychological issues. They also act as a therapist for people undergoing common psychological crisis like grief. Clinical psychologists also help aid people suffering from chronic psychiatric disorders. They can choose to work for specific groups like the elderly, children, or those suffering from specific disorders, or work for the population as a whole.

2. Counselling Psychology

They are very similar to clinical psychologists. They focus more on adjustment problems than on psychological disorders. Counselling psychologists may be trained in education departments or psychology departments. They are employed in schools, colleges, offices, counselling centres, community mental health centres, etc.

3. Health Psychology

They are involved with the contributions of psychology’s contribution to promote and maintain good health. Health psychologists design and conduct programs to help individuals stop smoking, stop drinking, lose weight, anger management, manage stress and also stay fit physically. They are employed in rehabilitation centres, public health agencies, medical schools and academic settings. They can also practice privately.

4. Industrial/ Organizational Psychology

Usually called as I/O psychologists, they are involved with the relationships between people in work environments. They develop new ways to improve workplace productivity or be involved in personnel selection. They are hired in government agencies, corporate houses, academic settings, business, factories and industrial setups.

5. Sports Psychology

They are concerned with factors that improve athletic performance psychologically. They look at the effects of physical activities like exercises on the athlete’s health. Sports psychologists generally work in academic settings, sports clubs and as consultants for sports teams.

If you are keen on taking up psychology as a career in India as a sports psychologist, you can attain a postgraduate diploma from Jain University, Bangalore, and Amity School of Physical Education & Sports Sciences.

6. Educational Psychology

They try to understand basic human behavior when it comes to learning. They then develop strategies and materials that can enhance the learning process. Educational psychologists are generally trained in education departments. They are employed in schools, colleges, universities and other academic settings.

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7. School Counseling

They work with children who face trouble coping up with peers, teacher, parents or going through family problems. Schools counsellors are employed at elementary, middle and high school levels. They help the children and youth grow academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally.

8. Career Counseling

They help with making career-related decisions like choosing, changing or leaving a career at any stage in life. Career counsellors work with people of all age at different steps in their careers. Due to the increasing complaint of job dissatisfaction, work stress, anxiety, depression, lack of work-life balance, etc, the demand for career counselors is increasing. They are employed at schools, colleges and office settings. They also practice personally.

9. Forensic Psychology

Forensic psychologists deal with the study of criminal and civil cases. They understand the mental state of the criminal, the motive of the crime, and also the nature of sentencing. They work with jails, prisons, forensic labs, rehabilitation centres, police departments, law firms, schools, government agencies, divorce cases, etc.

10. Engineering Psychology

This is a very new and one of the least known fields of psychology. They examine product designs making sure the final product is more practical, safe, pleasing, and more in demand by consumers. Engineering psychologists work in a way to eliminate the need for pricey re-design in the future.

11. Consumer Psychology

It is the study of why people buy certain things over the other. Basically, consumer psychologists study the thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and perceptions behind buying things, products and services. They closely work with marketing and sales executive and help them position products and services effectively. With the growth in e-commerce and digital economy, consumer psychologists are in huge demand.

12. Geropsychology (Geriatric Psychology)

This field deals with the mental issues of the elderly. Geriatric psychologists deal with the elderly suffering from depression, anxiety, dementia, schizophrenia, struggle to cope with retirement life (including financial issues), social isolation & loneliness, etc. The elderly need people to talk to. They are always overlooked by their children. This makes the neuropsychologists even more special.

13. Neuropsychology

This field is interrelated to clinical psychology. It combines neurology and psychology. Neuropsychologists deal with the evaluation and treatment of patients with brain injury or neurological disease. They try to treat neurological diseases with their understanding of psychology. They examine the cause of such diseased and come up with treatments for individual patients.

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Best Colleges to pursue psychology as a career in India

To build a career in psychology in India, you can gain your education qualification from the colleges mentioned below. These are some of the best colleges in India that provide psychology as a subject.

• Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi
• Jesus and Mary College, Delhi
• St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
• Presidency College, Chennai
• Christ University, Bangalore
• Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
• Sophia College for Women, Mumbai
• Kamala Nehru College for Women, Delhi
• Mithibai College of Arts, Mumbai
• Fergusson College, Pune
• University of Calcutta, Kolkata
• Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
• K J Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce, Mumbai
• St. Xavier’s College, Ahmedabad
• Gargi College, Delhi
• Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi
• Bethune College, Kolkata
• Amity University, Noida
• Jai Hind College, Mumbai
• Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi
• University of Lucknow, Lucknow
• Wilson College, Mumbai
• Isabella Thoburn College, Lucknow
• Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
• Loyola Academy, Hyderabad
• National PG College, Lucknow
• Women’s Christian College, Chennai
• Osmania University College for Women, Hyderabad
• Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh
• Ashutosh College, Kolkata
• Galgotias University, Noida
• The National Degree College, Bangalore
• Gujarat Forensic Sciences University,  Gandhinagar
• Holy Cross College, Agartala
• DAV College, Kanpur
• VGZ College of Arts & Science, Mumbai
• NMKRV College for Women, Bangalore
• Flame University, Pune
• Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra
• KLE University, Belgaum
• Indian Institute of Psychology and Research (IIPR), Bangalore
• Loreto College, Kolkata
• Bheem Rao Ambedkar College, Delhi
• Madras School of Social Work, Chennai
• Sarojini Naidu Government Girls PG College, Bhopal
• Ravenshaw University, Cuttack
• DAV College, Chandigarh
• Sarojini Naidu Government Girls PG College, Bhopal, Ranchi

Best Online Courses to pursue a career in psychology in India

To build a career in psychology in India, you can also take up certain online courses. These are some of the best-picked courses.

• Introduction to Psychology – University of Toronto
• Foundation of Positive Psychology – University of Pennsylvania
• Psychology at Work – University of Western Australia
• An Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience & Neuromarketing – Copenhagen Business School
• Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health – University of Sydney
• The Brain and Space – Duke University
• Viral Marketing & Consumer Behaviour – Wharton Business School (University of Pennsylvania)
• Psychodiagnostics and Psychological Assessment – National Research Tomsk State University
• Global Impact: Cultural Psychology – the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Introduction to Human Behavioral Genetics – University of Minnesota

The pay package for Psychologists in India

Psychology is a very lucrative and highly rewarding industry in India. The salary depends on various factors such as qualification, area of specialization, and experience in the profession. The starting salary ranges from 1.79 LPA to 6.23 LPA. With specialization in certain fields and experience, the scope of earnings keeps increasing.