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Clinical Psychologist

Hello,
I want to ultimately be a clinical psychologist. I have to pick my A-Levels soon. Would Psychology (obviously), Chemistry, Philosophy and Business Studies be okay? I only want Business Studies incase I wanted to open up a Psychology firm or something in the future. Okay, cheers!

Reply 1

Mel1312

Original post by flakes corn

Hiya ^.^

You wouldn't need business studies to open up a psychology firm but if you enjoy the subject then go for it.

The fact you have one science plus psychology is very good (Chemistry) but some courses I've heard ask for biology so if you don't enjoy BS then you might want to have a look at biology.

Philosophy seems really interesting and I regret not picking it as an AS Level. Enjoy it!

Otherwise, good options and good luck :biggrin:

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

Lord Asriel

Choice of A levels doesn't really matter, but be aware that your performance at A-level will be on your application form for postgraduate clinical training. It may be a case of picking subjects where you will perform well.

For your undergraduate degree, biology A-level is very helpful, as is maths to get you through some of it. Essay based subjects can also be helpful for some of it, but I would recommend at least one hard science so you have some familiarity with empiricism.

Reply 3

hellodave5

Sounds good. In the grand scheme, they don't matter. But as above, just do things which a. you enjoy, and b. will give you a good grounding in psychology and the sciences.
You will most likely have to do an undergrad degree in psychology, then a masters degree in a related area; before you apply to do clinical.

Reply 4

undine_monty

Original post by flakes corn

Hello,I want to ultimately be a clinical psychologist. I have to pick my A-Levels soon. Would Psychology (obviously), Chemistry, Philosophy and Business Studies be okay? I only want Business Studies incase I wanted to open up a Psychology firm or something in the future. Okay, cheers!

I looked into this about a year ago because i thought I wanted to do this. I chose A-Level options that would be useful in studying Psychology for September coming up. I chose Psychology, Biology, Sociology for uni. Plus History as my fourth option. Most uni's don't ask for specific A level subjects but UCL does. I figured that even if I don't apply for uni's that ask for specific a levels, it would still be handy. To be a Clinical Psychologist, you need an Undergraduate degree in Psychology (3 years) and then a Masters in Clinical Psychology. Getting the masters is longer as lots of research is needed to even be accepted into the course like doing research in hospitals, seeing how patients deal with their problems for example. The course itself is 3-5 years depending on the Uni. Then afterwards, you'd probably be a Trainee Clinical Psychologist, you could look into internships that do this.

Reply 5

giella

This information is a little misleading. You need graduate basis for chartered status with the BPS in order to be eligible to apply to a professional doctorate in clinical psychology. A masters is not a prerequisite for entry onto the professional doctorate, although many candidates do have this. What is really valued is experience in a number of settings. Volunteering, clinical management roles and support work are all good ways to get this, as well as assistant psychologist positions, which only require the undergraduate degree in psychology as an entry qualification.

However, I would also advise anyone interested in doing clinical psychology to take a good look at their reasons for wanting to do it and consider whether doing psychiatric nursing would be a better route for them. This route is less competitive and is a more secure career path to follow, whilst not ruling out entirely the prospect of doing clinical psychology at a later point in their career. There are many options available with this career path, including becoming a cognitive therapist and it's also free to train as well. To gain further therapy qualifications, often the NHS or other employers would sponsor psychiatric nurses to train. Definitely worth considering.

Clinical Psychologist

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