If you find the inquisitive minds of children fascinating and love to be around children, then maybe consider child psychology as your future career.
Child psychologists deal specifically with the psychological, behaviour, social and emotional needs of children.
There are no specific courses for child psychology and you will need to have a masters or doctorate degree in psychology, specialising in child psychology.
Once you have your degree, you will need to work as an assistant in the field before you become a licensed psychologist.
Take as many psychology, social sciences, child psychology and child development classes as you can in order to become successful in your career, but once in the field, do not loose your human empathy which makes a great child psychologist.
You will need to register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and write the board exam before you can work as licensed psychologist.
“It is a difficult career to succeed in, but if you can, it is a very rewarding and interesting field,” says educational psychologist Dr Karin Smith.
“There are a lot of challenges in the field that you will have to overcome. To a child, you are a stranger and their parents have taught them not to speak to strangers. So you will need to have patience and be able to make the child feel comfortable,” she says.
Once you get into child psychology, there are different branches you can take. You can be an educational psychologist, school or developmental psychologist or an adolescent psychologist.
You can work in a wide variety of settings including schools, private practice, hospitals or research settings. Child psychologists employed in schools may help children struggling with behavioural issues, while those who work in private therapy practices often assess, diagnose and treat specific mental disorders.
But whichever path you choose to go, you will need to overcome the challenges in order to embrace the rewards of the field.
“You can often work long and intense hours, you need to be able to be focused and really be able to listen to your clients.
“But knowing you can make a difference in someone’s life is the most rewarding feeling, for me,” says Dr Smith.
