If you’re interested in pursuing a rewarding career that will allow you to earn a comfortable paycheck while helping others solve their most urgent problems, psychology is a field you’ll want to consider working in. Psychology is a broad science, but there are many possible specializations within the field. The specialization you choose will dramatically affect what your day-to-day work life will be like. The following 3 psychology specializations are ones that are currently increasing in demand as of 2018:
1. Clinical Psychologist
Clinical psychology is one of the psychology specializations with the highest level of demand. This is the branch of psychology that is concerned with decoding mental and behavioral health issues. It encompasses treatment for a broad range of issues including depression, violence and suicidal impulses.
Job opportunities for clinical psychologists are increasing in both the USA and Australia. In the United States, career experts at the Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipate that 21,000 new psychologist positions will become available by 2026. Career experts in the Australian government estimate that 24,000 job openings in this field will become available by 2022 in their country.
2. Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist
In the United States, addiction treatment is a $35 billion a year business, according to the New York Times. Every year in the USA, upwards of 2 million people seek help with getting free from opioid drug addictions. Newsweek reports that, of the 32 million Americans who have drinking problems, about 20 percent (6,400,000) have sought help. These numbers don’t even include people seeking freedom from all the other types of addictive drugs that are in popular use such as cocaine, crystal meth and numerous prescription drugs. There is sizable demand for the services that drug and alcohol treatment specialists offer.
It is not unusual for inpatient rehab centers to charge $30,000 or more for one month’s worth of care in their facilities. Although the cost of providing the care is also high, owning one of these centers is clearly a lucrative business proposition for psychologists who also have entrepreneurial inclinations.
In Australia, the costs of substance abuse rehabilitation are subsidized by publicly funded Medicare — but that’s only if a patient can actually manage to wait long enough to get treated. About 500,000 people seek treatment each year, according to ABC News, but there are only about 200,000 available slots in the public treatment centers. Those who can’t get care through the public system have the option to pay for rehab through the private healthcare system, if they can afford it.
The Australian government also currently subsidizes some of the schooling necessary to become a drug and alcohol treatment specialist. If you want to become a substance abuse specialist in Australia, government funded courses are available for earning your diploma in the treatment of alcohol and other drugs.
3. Genetic Counselor
Genetic counseling is an interdisciplinary field that involves sciences other than just psychology — namely, the sciences of epidemiology and genetics. As a genetic counselor, you’ll perform tasks like helping your patients determine to what degree they might be at risk for contracting various diseases such as particular types of cancer, or for delivering a baby with a specific disorder. This occupation is becoming better known and more in demand at a fast pace. Career experts at the BLS estimate that there will be a 29 percent increase in job opportunities in the USA for genetic counselors by 2026.
If the pursuit of a psychology career is of interest to you, these specializations are ones you’ll want to consider. These are all niches that are likely to remain relevant in the foreseeable future.
