Psychologist Job Kit

CAREERS

withSTEM JOB KIT ™

Psychologist Make a difference with a career studying the human mind

Dreaming of becoming a psychologist?

Psychology is the study of the human mind and behaviour. So as a psychology graduate, you’ll have a huge range of qualities and skills sought by a wide range of industries.

1. MAKE A DIFFERENCE ACU Psychology students learn the skills and knowledge to make a tangible impact on people and communities as part of their course.

2. ENGAGE WITH COMMUNITY Before they graduate, ACU students have the opportunity to work and make a difference in community by applying their learned skills and knowledge.

3. GAIN EXCELLENT RESEARCH SKILLS At ACU, every psych graduate can frame research questions, undertake literature searches, analyse studies, test hypotheses and choose an appropriate research methodology. In short, they are research savvy.

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4. DEVELOP WITH GREAT COMMUNICATION AND INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ACU Graduates must be able to write research reports and essays, and show they can contribute to a group discussion, take part in debates, and deliver presentations.

5. TEAMWORK IS YOUR THING

9. HAVE GREAT MOTIVATIONAL SKILLS

ACU Psychology graduates are team players all the way. Teams need players who can listen, self-reflect, understand, and consider ideas and views from other people.

Psychological principles, when applied in organisations, help managers deal with staff fairly, make jobs interesting and satisfying, and motivate employees to higher levels of productivity.

6. YOU’LL HAVE GREAT ANALYTICAL SKILLS ACU Psychology graduates are critical thinkers. Being able to think clearly, ethically, and critically is an invaluable skill in the workplace.

7. YOUR COPING SKILLS WILL BE FIRST RATE ACU Psychology graduates are great at implementing strategies for coping with life’s challenges.

They learn about strategies that can be used to promote wellbeing and manage problems such as anxiety, depression, and family relationships.

8. YOU’LL BE A NATURAL PROBLEM SOLVER Problem solving is all about recognising what is wrong, figuring out the solution, implementing that solution and following through. ACU Psychology graduates have spent their entire degree applying these processes.

10. FLEXIBILITY IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME ACU Psychology graduates know how to go with the flow and are used to dealing with varying personalities and styles of learning.

Keen to learn the above skills? ACU offers a range of APAC-accredited bachelor degrees in psychology, which are the first step to becoming a registered psychologist.

Find out more acu.edu.au/psychology

FOREWORD

rachel dryer associate professor

Mind mentor

While many of our studen ts do a fourth year of study in order to become registered psychologists , others take different pat hways that draw on their psychology training. Th at’s why we offer double degrees in psychology an d nutrition science, or psychology and crimino logy, for example.

Part of studying psycho logy means engaging in critical thinking and evi dence-based learning, both of which are attrac tive to employers, particularly where there’s a research component to the work they do.

Our undergraduate progra m also includes a community placement an experience that really helps students work out where they’d like to take their psychology career.

So if you’re keen to help people and like the idea of always learning new things, there will be a psychology career for you .

A career in psychology means you can make a positive impact on people’s lives

A

at the frontline of s a psychologist you are llbeing in the we promoting health and healthy ways of ing community, encourag ations and often situ ful dealing with stress ms that may come later alleviating bigger proble help they need. when people don’t get the tially through a science ini y log I came to psycho tivated by understanding degree, and I’m really mo connected our mental how people tick and how s of our health and lives. health is to other aspect means you can have Working in psychology all stages of life. For me a real impact on people at h children with learning it has meant working wit , work that led to my and behaviour difficulties us on research.

PhD and later career foc logy opens the door to cho psy in on A qualificati of different areas. working in a whole range ld be seeing people As a psychologist you cou ati por on or private in a hospital, school, cor o apply psychology skills practice. But you can als n resources, disability, in other fields like huma marketing. market research or even

) Bachelor of Science (Honours kland Psychology, University of Auc Registered Psychologist (australia)

Rachel Dryer, Associate Professor Head of Discipline - Psy chology, ACU

a qualification in psychology opens the door to a whole range of areas” Learning Disability Assessor, University of Auckland Lecturer, Charles Sturt University

PhD (Psychology), University of Auckland Head of Discipline Psychology, ACU

Check out CareerswithSTEM.com for more insights, information, inspiration and advice about careers with psychology!

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PSYCHOLOGIST

DEEP DIVE

d n i m r u o y p u e Mak And study psychology! The career opportunities are endless

Did you know?

I

EM, mental health f you’re interested in ST becoming a and making a difference, the perfect path be t psychologist might jus dy of the stu the for you. Psychology is but there’s not r, ou avi human mind and beh important skills. just one way to use these ons, you could end With the right qualificati e clinical up working in an area lik rt and exercise psychology, education, spo tice, law, or nutrition psychology, criminal jus hway options here! science. Explore your pat

Around 25% of Australian and New Zealand jobs advertised in the last four years are potentially suitable for psychology graduates.*

ACu study psychology at Courses for everyone

Skill up Graduates of a 3-year psychology degree will have:

• Excellent communication and listening skills

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE

ATAR*

DURATION

ence Bachelor of Psychological Sci

58.5

3 years (full-time)

nours) Bachelor of Psycholog y (Ho

85

4 years (full-time)

• Analytical thinking

enc Bachelor of Psychological Sci Bachelor of Arts

e/

58.5

4 years (full-time)

• Empathy

ence/ Bachelor of Psychological Sci rce me Com Bachelor of

58.5

4 years (full-time)

ence/ Bachelor of Psychological Sci and gy olo min Bachelor of Cri Criminal Justice

New in 2024

4 years (full-time)

ence/ Bachelor of Psychological Sci rts Spo and e rcis Bachelor of Exe Science

63

4 years (full-time), plus one winter and summer school

e/

75

5 years (full-time)

New in 2024

4 years (full-time)

• Observation skills • Problem solving • Attention to detail

Double degree benefits

• Gives you a competitive edge • Y ou’ll be better equipped to work in multidisciplinary teams SHUTTERSTOCK

ns to help you achieve your ACU has heaps of study optio of ways to mix and match lots psychology study dream and your passions and interests.

enc Bachelor of Psychological Sci Bachelor of Laws

ence/ Bachelor of Psychological Sci e enc Sci ion trit Bachelor of Nu OTHER OPTIONS

y or raduate degree in psycholog Already completed an underg s: ion opt these shorter another discipline? Consider ll-time) log y (Online) 1.25 years (fu Graduate Diploma in Psycho ime) ence (Honours) 1 year (full-t Bachelor of Psychological Sci

• More career path options

*ATAR SCORES CURRENT AT

CAREERSwithSTEM.com

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TIME OF PUBLISHING.

ccredited by the cil (APAC) a e r a es rs ou c U C A FYI All editation Coun cr c A y og ol ch y Ps n a Australi What’s your psychology + X? Psychology+arts

= Community worker

Postgrad study

Be in-demand

Psychology jobs will grow by 13.3% in the next five years, accord ing to SEEK.

Psychology +commerce

Studied something that could be boosted by psychology skills or want to specialise further?

Check these out: Master of Professional Psychology

Psychology+law

This fifth-year program provides psychology graduates with a year of practical training and 300 hours of external placement under supervision to translate their theoretical knowledge to a professional environment.

Graduates from this program can gain general registration following an additional year of supervised pratice.

Psychology +nutrition science

Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental)

= Marketing expert

Psychology +criminology

= Criminologist

= Legal practitioner

= Nutritionist

Successful completion of this course allows registration as a general psychologist and eligibility for the two-year registrar program, culminating in Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA) endorsement in Educational & Developmental psychology.

Psychology +sports science

= Performance coach

All the industries Psychology graduates can work in…

• Health • Welfare

Pay day

The average annual salary for psychologist jobs in Australia ranges from $95,000 to $110,000, according to SEEK.

Master of Psychology (Clinical)

Successful completion of this course allows registration as a general psychologist and eligibility for a two-year registrar program, which upon completion leads to Psychology Board of Australia area of practice endorsement in clinical psychology.

• Education • Management

get your research on

•P roject administration

Keen on further research? ACU has some brilliant research centres, including the Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, which tackles critical educational and psychosocial issues through positive psychology, and the Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, which aims to advance knowledge that improves mental health, participation and wellbeing.

•H uman resources •M arketing • I nformation technology •D esign

Learn more at acu.edu.au/psychology

•B usiness

*Source: Understanding Industry Demand for Australia’s Psychology Graduates

•S cience 5

PSYCHOLOGIST

REAL PEOPLE

Psyched to study Honours student Zoe Renowden moved from regional NSW to study psychology at ACU

), ACU Bachelor of Psychology (Honours

Z

high school. She oe wasn’t a huge fan of the classroom, didn’t love the rigidity of more deskfavoring PDHPE over her heavy subjects. ice thing Certain that the 9 to 5 off create to t wasn’t for her, she set ou arding rew h a pat hway that was bot on ssi pa a th and flexible. And wi , ers oth g pin hel for wellbeing and fit. al tur na a e lik d me psycholog y see with “Growing up I str uggled s. “My say e Zo ,” lth hea l my menta inspiration to me psychologist was a huge s in a role where and I rea lised that if I wa [like her] son I cou ld help another per cessar y.” ne d an l then I would feel ful

zoe renowden psychology honours student

Big deal

nsition to uni was For Zoe, ma king the tra al NSW, she moved to daunting. Based in region chelor of Psycholog y at the big smoke to do a Ba ced for its smaller, less ACU - a uni she preferen d campus. intimidating class size an all rea lly know who ors tut “The lecturers and

the lecturer all really know wshoand tutors so you can get to kn you are, ow them” CAREERSwithSTEM.com

6

you are, so you can get to know them,” she says. “It’s so much easier to ma ke friends too!”

Alt hough she rated her undergrad units — “learning about the brain every day was fascinating!” — Zoe found her niche in her honours yea r. She’s currently writing a report on patern al pregnancy-related an xiety. “I’m starting to understand the grave effects it can cause not on ly for fat hers, but for mothers and children too ,” she says. When she’s not smashing out assign ments, Zoe is dreaming of her next big move — a Masters of Clinical Psycholog y — which wi ll allow her to work in a clinical setting.

And her advice to fellow brain lovers?

“Psychology is a sciencebased degree which can be tough, but if you believe that helping others is part of your life journey, it’s a great way to get there!”

A M G I T S E H T G N I H SMAS

dream Ahmed Tohamy unlocked his d gra stpo U AC , ips sh ern int After a string of g people and their families un yo of h alt he al nt me the g gig — supportin

ahmed tohamy clinical psychologist

A

s a kid Ahmed was always pas sionate about helping others, and with mental hea lth rarely talked about in his community, he could see the opportunity to make a real difference - par ticularl y for kids.

“I’ve always been interested in the struggles of adolescent mental health… for me [psycholog y] was a ver y good chance to radically cha nge a young per son’s life trajectory for the bet ter,” Ahm ed says.

To achieve his career goals, he embarked on a leng thy study journey, enrolling in a Bachelor of Psychological Science, and then a Master of Profes sional Psychology .

He peppered his pathway with internships, set ting him up for succes s as a psycho logist before deciding to stu dy again - a Master of Psychology (Clinical) at ACU. “It was then that I could combine the ory with the practical experience that I had already gained,” he says.

“I learned so much with the two combined!”

These days, with his clinical qualifications, Ahmed is living out his career dreams - changing the lives of young people as a clinical psycho logist at the Wollongong Chi ld and Adolescent Mental Hea lth Ser vice.

He regularly relies on his pos tgrad research experience, backboning ses sions and interventions with the advanced theoretica l concepts he picked up at ACU. His big gest takeaway? Psycho logy is an art!

“Theor y is important, but clin ical practice is a combination of science and art,” Ahmed says.

“The art - that comes with practice.”

Day in the life Forget routine, for a clinical psych no day (or patient) is the same 8:30am

d to Get ready for the day! Respon for p pre r, nda emails, check cale assessments and sessions and make any phone calls

10am

nt.

Assessment with a young clie my and k boo rule no s “There’ clients are highly complex!”

12pm

Multi-disciplinary team mee

SHUTTERSTOCK

I’ve always been interested in the struggles of adolescent mental health” Bachelor of Psychological Science, UNSW Master of Psychology (Clinical), ACU

1pm

ting

a Attend a school meeting for young student client

Masters of Professional Psychology, Western Sydney University Intern, Concord General Repatriation Hospital Psychology Department

7

2pm

Parent/family session. “It’s suc h an amazing opportunity to do rea l, intensive work with families.”

3pm

Joint review of a client with a psychiatrist

4pm

Psychotherapy session with a young person. “I’m always hav ing to think on my feet and adapt!”

Intern, Penrith Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Clinical Psychologist, Wollongong Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service

PSYCHOLOGIST

Get the job!

Choose this career if you… ✔ Want to work in a w ide ra nge of industries ✔ Love helping peop le ✔ Are fascinated by human behaviour ✔ Li ke solv ing problems

Pathway options at ACU

UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHOLOGY

3 year sequence or 3 year bridging prog

ram

4 YEAR DEGREE Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) (4 years)

) Bachelor of Psychological Science (3 years Bachelor of Psychological Science / (4 years) Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science Bachelor of Psychological Science / (4 years) Bachelor of Nutrition Science NEW IN 2024 Bachelor of Psychological Science / ce Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justi NEW IN 2024 (4 years)

Watch and listen

Bachelor of Psychological Science / Bachelor of Commerce (4 years)

Immerse yourself in the world of psychology!

TV series: The Mind, Explained (Netflix)

Bachelor of Psychological Science / Bachelor of Arts (4 years)

Find out what’s happening inside your head! This series covers everything from dreaming to anxiety disorders, highlighting how exactly the brain works.

Bachelor of Psychological Science / Bachelor of Law (5 years)

Podcast: All in the Mind

e)* Gradute Diploma in Psycholog y (ACU Onlin e degre elor’s bach leted comp a (1.25 years) *with

Explore all things mind, brain and behaviour, with topics on everything from addiction and artificial intelligence to toxic masculinity and grief.

Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) (1 year)

TV series: You Can’t Ask That (ABC iView)

PROVISIONAL REGISTRATION

Master of Professional Psychology (Melbourne) 5 + 1 internship, Fifth year of Psychology 1 year of supervised practice

Electives checklist ✔ Maths ✔ Biolog y ✔ English ✔ HSIE ✔ Commun ity and fa m ily studies ✔ PDHPE

Master of Psychology (Educational and Developmental) (Melbourne) Fifth and sixth (plus) years of Psychology

Master of Psychology (Clinical) (Melbourne & Strathfield) Fifth and sixth (plus) years of Psychology

This is all about asking surprising and sometimes uncomfortable questions to find out more about misunderstood Australians. Check out ‘Eating Disorders’ and ‘Schizophrenia’ in Series 3, ‘Obsessive Compulsive Disorder’ in Series 6, and Postnatal Depression in Series 7 to hear what it’s like living with these challenges.

Podcast: Hidden Brain

PsyBA National Psychology Exam

Deep dive into the unconscious patterns that drive human behaviour. There are episodes on fear, listening, memory, confidence and even the psychology behind scams.

GENERAL REGISTRATION

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This edition was published on 9 July 2024.

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