What is Psychology?
A psychology professional is person who spends a lot of time studying people’s thoughts and behaviors. These professionals work and can be employed in a wide variety of places. Many psychology professionals work at psychiatric hospitals, rehabilitation centers, assisted living facilities, mental health facilities, schools, and clinics.
As part of their job descriptions, psychology professionals engage in the following tasks: perform research, treat people with mental conditions, and listen to clients’ problems and help them overcome whatever troubles or issues they are experiencing, whether they are emotional, social, behavioral, and more.
The most successful psychology professionals have excellent research, communication, problem-solving, and listening skills.
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Online Psychology Education in Mississippi
In Mississippi, online educational services, healthcare, and social assistance industry ranks the third largest of all industries, according to its annual revenue. As a result, the state has offered many locally useful degrees to meet the increasing demand of excellent psychology professionals in the educational services, healthcare, and social assistance industry.
The state is home to many schools that offer psychology degree programs in fields such as clinical psychology, preparing students for careers in the field. There are also a variety of other fields under the umbrella of psychology and counseling, which students will learn about and be able to choose from as they complete their educations.
After graduating, graduates will be able to meet the demands of the state’s educational services, healthcare, and social assistance industry by working as clinical social workers, medical psychologists, clinical case managers, psychiatrists, and more.
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Online Associates (AS)
An online associate in psychology is perfect for future psychology professionals who would like to obtain a position such as a psychiatric technician or just get a feel for the field and learn a little more about it while they also complete their general education and prepare for further education.
During this program, students will explore key topics such as intro to psychology, substance abuse, psychotherapy, and research methods. Once psychology students receive this degree, they’ll be able to transfer to a four-year university to obtain a bachelor’s psychology degree.
The top schools for an associate psychology degree include Hinds Community College, Copiah Lincoln Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, and Jones College.
Online Bachelors (BS)
Future psychology professionals who would like to obtain an entry-level position in the psychology field should definitely earn a online bachelors in psychology. You may branch out at this level to move further toward research or counseling, as well, though employment opportunities within the field of psychology will not be much greater than they are with an associate degree. After all, this field is one in which education is highly prized and required for most positions.
Students at this level will take courses in developmental psychology, abnormal psychology, statistics, and research methods. As psychology students, you may also have the opportunity to participate in many research opportunities. The primary benefit of these research opportunities is that students will have real world experience in the psychology field.
Here are a few of the schools that offer a bachelor’s psychology degree in Mississippi: Belhaven University, Alcorn State University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi College, The University of Southern Mississippi, The University of Mississippi, and Mississippi University for Women.
Online Masters (MS)
A master’s psychology degree is highly recommended for prospective students who want to become social workers, teachers or administrators at a high level, human resource managers, and counselors who can work one-on-one with their patients. These programs are also great for students who want to obtain management positions in the psychology field.
These programs may include resources for learners such as the following: coursework in a specialized field, practicums or internships, research training, faculty mentorship, and/or graduate assistantships. After graduating from one of these programs, graduates will be extremely knowledgeable in psychological sciences and ready to counsel patients one-on-one, gain full state licensure in psychology and counseling, and more.
The top schools for a master’s psychology degree or MBA in the state are the University of Mississippi, Mississippi College, and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Online Doctorate (PhD)
A PhD or doctorate degree in psychology is the best option for future psychology professors, researchers, and psychologists. Regardless of the PhD or doctorate degree in psychology program that you choose in Mississippi, it will have a clinical psychology focus. During this program, students will learn all about psychological interventions, research methods, and much more.
- Please note:
For students who want to become psychiatrists, they will need to attend medical school to earn a medical degree so that they can be trusted to prescribe medications. The best schools for a PhD or doctorate degree in psychology are The University of Southern Mississippi, Mississippi State University, The University of Mississippi, and Jackson State Mississippi.
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Become a Psychologist in Mississippi
Many people want to become psychology professionals, but many of them may not know how to accomplish this goal. Here, you can find out exactly how to become a psychology professional in Mississippi.
- Complete High School
In order to become a psychology professional in Mississippi, the first step is to graduate from high school. While attending high school, it can be important to take as many science courses as possible to prepare for college. However, most high school students don’t know what they want to do in college, so getting started after you finish isn’t a big deal most of the time. - Earn A Psychology Degree in Mississippi
The specific psychology degree that future psychology professionals need to earn will depend on their future career goals. There are four degree options including an Associate Psychology Degree, Bachelor’s Psychology Degree, Master’s Psychology Degree, MBA in Organizational Psychology or another related field, and a PhD or Doctorate Degree in Psychology. - Explore the Psychology Field
One great way to explore the psychology field is to obtain an internship. An internship can be in any of the following fields that fall under psychology: research, counseling for children-families-marriages-addictions, technicians working in hospitals, mental health facilities, or teaching. - Obtain Licenses in Mississippi
Depending on the specific career that psychology professionals want to pursue, they may need to receive a license or certification. Future social workers will need to obtain a social work license through the Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists. Future social workers can obtain a LMSW or LCSW.
The Mississippi Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists also offers a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy certification for certain counselors. Future teachers will need to obtain a license through the Mississippi Department of Education.
The Mississippi Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors offers a few licenses for future counselors: Provisional Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor. Future psychologists will need to obtain a license through the Mississippi Board of Psychology.
In order to work as psychiatrists, Mississippi requires that they obtain a medical license through the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure.
- Become a Member of a Professional Organization
There are many options of professional associations you can join in Mississippi and the country as a whole. Just a few are the Mississippi Psychological Association, the Mississippi Association For Psychology In Schools, the Mississippi Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychology Association
Careers for Psychology Graduates
- Psychiatric Technician:
Sometimes referred to as mental health technicians, psychiatric technicians are professionals who provide care for people with mental conditions. The job duties of psychiatric technicians may include assisting with patients’ activities of daily living, administering medication, talking with patients, taking their vital signs, and encouraging them to engage in activities. - Social Work Assistant:
Social work assistants typically work really closely with social workers to make a big difference in a wide variety of people’s lives. With the guidance of a social worker, assistants are expected to help people solve their problems, provide resources to vulnerable people, assist with maintaining records, and much more. They must have excellent communication and organization skills. - Administrative Service Manager:
The overarching goal of administrative service managers is to ensure that an organization runs without any problems. Most administrative service managers are responsible for monitoring staff members, developing department guidelines, making sure office equipment works properly, overseeing records, and creating budgets. - Teacher:
The primary goal of teachers is to educate and inspire students, whether they’re teaching physical education, psychology, art, music, science, or another subject. During a typical day, teachers can be seen creating lesson plans, grading classwork, assigning homework, attending work meetings, instructing students, and lecturing. Teachers are also expected to meet with parents and students periodically throughout the year. - Psychiatrist:
An actual medical doctor, a psychiatrist is most known for diagnosing and treating people with an extensive array of medical conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, among others. The most common treatments that psychiatrists prescribe include medications and psychotherapy. These psychology professionals can choose to work in any of the following psychiatry fields: child psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and many more. - Substance Abuse Counselor:
Substance abuse and addiction counselors are most known for assisting people struggling with addiction. These professionals may be expected to perform tasks such as develop treatment plans, listen to clients’ problems, help clients obtain a job, provide useful resources to clients, facilitate group therapy sessions, and work closely with family members. - Community Health Workers:
Community health workers play an integral role in the community. The primary goal of these professionals is to ensure that the community has access to important services and educational resources. As part of their job description, community health workers are expected to offer informal counseling, refer underserved people to healthcare providers, advocate for vulnerable people, gather data/information, and much more. - Counselor:
The main job of residential counselors is to support the people residing in residential facilities such as group homes, psychiatric hospitals, or assisted living facilities. As residential counselors, they’re supposed to offer a listening ear to residents, encourage them to participate in therapeutic activities, make use of community resources, write reports, and ensure residents are safe. - Group Counselor:
The role of group counselors is to facilitate group therapy. During the group therapy, they may encourage discussion among participants, help them recognize destructive behaviors, offer helpful feedback, and share coping techniques. A group counselor may work with people dealing with a wide array of problems, from addiction and divorce to grief or specific conditions.
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