Psychology is such a wide field and it has many fields ranging from applied to clinical, forensic to health, and sports to organizational. You just look around and you will be amazed at how psychology is playing an important role in every field.
Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with a clinical setting. This branch is concerned with the assessment of psychological disorders and of their treatment.
Clinica psychology covers many disorders such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar, addiction, developmental, sexual, and stress-related disorders.
A person who receives higher education in clinical Psychology becomes a clinical psychologist. A clinical psychologist has some special skills and follows a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders to make diagnoses and treatments.
These skills are the specialty of a clinical psychologist that make him competent in his job.
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Top 7 Clinical Psychologist Skills
Being a psychologist can be rewarding but at the same time, it’s challenging for you. There is a difference between clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. A clinical psychologist requires a set of skills to be competent and successful in his field.
There are 9 special skills that you should have like:
Best Communication Style
Communication is an important ingredient of clinical psychologist practice. For best communication, you should know all the local languages. This will help you and your patient to stay at a comfort level. People came with a variety of problems and your communication style makes them comfortable and helps you in rapport building.
A Lot of Patience
Patients come with so many behavioral problems that are different from normal people. They usually make you uncomfortable while talking about strange things. Sometimes they show unacceptable behavior and even under their psychosis they talk wrong things about you. At this moment you need a lot of patience which not everybody can have.
Follow Ethics
If you are in a profession that needs to take care of people in any capacity, ethics plays a major role. You are supposed to treat people at an equal level, inform them of all their rights, or just stay honest with them. This is also important in establishing a rapport with clients, as they have the right to be directly involved in important decisions being made. You can’t be biased with your patients. Ethics make sure that nobody gets anything extra.
Good At Problem Solving
A good clinical psychologist always adopts a problem-solving technique. He or she helps his patient to understand the problem that is playing a role in their miserable life. Clinical psychologists help him to find the best possible and multiple solutions to their problems. Sometimes they step in with their clients and give them a solution.
Learning Attitude
Clinical psychologists always adopt a learning attitude. You can’t be a good psychologist if you do not stay connected with new knowledge and information. In this regard, you need to read the latest publications and research.
Clinical psychologists always connect with other specialists and attend workshops and conferences to learn more and more.
A Good Listening
Another key ingredient to good clinical practice is listening. One study reveals that active listening improves the success of clinicians. You pay all your attention to your client’s words. When you listen actively and respond accordingly, the client feels that you are understanding them. Mostly when females come up with postpartum depression problems, they do not have anyone who understands their problem. When you listen to them with empathy, they share more personal information that helps you to make the diagnosis and treatment plan.
Competent Assessment skills
Clinical psychology inventories are not simple, you have to get the proper training to practice them. For example, if you are assessing the personality of your patient you will use the thematic apperception test. Thematic Apperception test is an extensive test that no one can use without proper training. To understand your client and to make a successful diagnosis you should be competent in your assessment skills.
How To Become A Clinical Psychologist?
In order to become a clinical psychologist in Pakistan, You should complete your respective education.
- 4 years of Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
- 2 Years of Ms. degree in Clinical Psychology
- 3 years of a doctoral degree in clinical psychology
You live in Pakistan and you want to practice Clinical psychology within hospitals, Clinics, and healthcare centers. You should complete your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Clinical Psychology. This is a minimum criterion to practice clinical psychology in clinics.
There are advanced education levels that you can achieve to work as an independent clinical psychologist. When you are living in Western countries you cannot practice independently until you receive your Ph.D. Degree.
Fortunately, this is not compulsory in Pakistan, you can easily practice with your MS degree. But nobody knows when policy gets changed so be prepared.
Here are the eligibility criteria that are required to be a respective clinical psychologist.
Eligibility Criteria For Admission
According to Higher Education Commission Pakistan, the Minimum CGPA of 3.00 or First Division in MS/MPhil/Equivalent Degree is required to be a clinical psychologist. There can be no third division or D grade. Let’s discuss respective degrees such as
B.S. Program of Psychology
- To get admission to the B.S. program you need to complete your intermediate education in F.A. or F.Sc. with 50 % of marks.
- Students must pass the NTS test.
M.S. Program of Psychology
- To get admission to the M.S. program you should have 4 years of bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 2.5 C.Gpa.
- Students must pass the GAT test and interview with 60% marks
P.h.D Program of Psychology
- To get admission in the P.h.D program you should complete MS level education with a minimum of 3.00 C.Gpa.
- Students must pass the university test and interview with 70% marks
How Much Clinical Psychologists Earn in Pakistan
An average salary of a clinical psychologist in Pakistan is Rs 1,872,005 or an hourly rate of Rs 900. They also earn an average bonus of Rs 57,283. Salary estimates are based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in Pakistan.
Things You Should Consider
Clinical psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with the assessment and treatment of patients. They provide in-depth counseling and use different therapies to treat them. Clinical psychology is practiced by a clinical psychologist.
A clinical psychologist has a specific set of skills to practice successfully in their setups. To become a clinical psychologist in Pakistan you need to complete your bachelor’s and master’s level of education in clinical psychology.
But before considering this profession, We would suggest you look out for your interest and your compatibility. Because it requires emotional stability, power, and patience. Best of luck to you. You might want to visit or follow some competent clinical psychologists.
