Psychologists usually specialize in a particular field, which is often defined based on what they do, where they work or who their clients are.
Clinical psychologists are the psychologists with whom most people are familiar. A clinical psychologist conducts psychological testing and evaluation. These tests are administered to diagnose mental illness and create treatment plans. Some of these professionals work in hospitals or mental health clinics, while others run their own private practices.1
A clinical or counseling psychologist may work with individuals, couples, families or groups of people. They can help people overcome a wide range of challenges, including substance use dependence, marital problems, trauma and depression. Some psychologists may specialize in treating a few different types of disorders.
Sports psychologists are interested specifically in helping athletes maintain sound mental health. They may work with athletes, managers or team directors. Sports psychologists often help individuals pursue their goals, conduct assessments and implement strategies to help clients strive for personal growth and improvement.
Beyond helping athletes achieve performance goals, sports psychologists may also help them deal with serious mental health issues. Athletes may experience eating disorders, problems with weight management, burnout, substance abuse and problems coping with career transitions. Sports psychologists strive toward early identification of issues, proactive intervention and even improvement of the sports organization in ways that better support mental health.
Community psychologists are very action-oriented. They conduct research on mental health issues within a community. They examine the social structure of the community and work to identify potential improvements that could address social and mental health problems.
Depending on their specific focus and the needs of the community, a community psychologist may serve as an educator, researcher, consultant, policy developer or evaluator and program director. In other words, they can wear many hats. Their goal is to improve the mental and social wellness of the entire community by addressing systemic social inequalities, empowering marginalized groups and building collaborative relationships with community members and organizations.
Health psychologists focus on the connection between mental health and physical health. They work with clients to examine the impact of illness on psychological states and vice versa. Beyond researching the link between physical and mental health, health psychologists work directly with clients to help them overcome challenges.
For example, a health psychologist might help clients develop healthy behaviors, such as following a nutritious diet and exercising regularly. They may work with clients who are struggling to quit tobacco or other addictive substances. They can also help clients understand the link between mental health and physical symptoms, such as when chronic stress and anxiety cause chronic headaches and stomach upset.
Developmental psychologists focus on human growth and development from birth through adolescence, adulthood and aging. They study the ways in which humans and their thoughts, feelings, habits, personal identities and morals change over time.
The tasks that a developmental psychologist may perform can depend on the particular patient population. For example, when working with young children, these professionals might screen for developmental delays or disorders and develop appropriate interventions. When working with elderly patients, developmental psychologists may assess the impact of grief, housing transitions and declining independence.
A child psychologist focuses on treating adolescents and young children. Their clients may be experiencing a wide range of behavioral, developmental, mental or emotional challenges. They may help children with stressful events, such as coping with a high-stakes academic situation, or emotional events, such as the loss of a loved one.
Child psychology is unique in the field because, compared to adults, children have different cognitive and maturity levels. Due to this, child psychologists need to use age-appropriate intervention techniques to treat emotional, mental and behavioral issues. Some examples include art therapy, child-centered play therapy and parent-child interaction therapy.
Forensic psychologists are involved in the legal system. They may act as consultants in legal cases, provide therapy to crime victims or offer evaluations during criminal proceedings. Forensic psychologists may work closely with law enforcement departments, such as by providing mental health screening services for law officer candidates and guidance on investigations.
A forensic psychologist may work with accused individuals to determine how likely they are to fall back into old patterns. They may also work with witnesses who have experienced trauma. Forensic psychologists can also conduct child custody evaluations, school threat assessments and program evaluations, such as the evaluation of death notification procedures.
Industrial-organizational psychologists study the psychology of the workplace. They help workers increase their productivity and engagement with their jobs. They also help managers select the best individuals for various roles. Industrial-organizational psychologists create training programs designed to enable employees to maximize their efficiency.
Industrial-organizational psychologists are concerned with more than just organizational efficiency and worker productivity. They also explore areas pertaining to the quality of work life, availability and relevance of training and development programs and the performance of the organization as a whole. The expertise of these psychologists may even be called upon to generate better insights about consumer preferences, customer satisfaction and sales and marketing techniques.
