When many people think about what a psychologist does, an image springs to mind where the patient is lying on a couch talking to the psychologist about all their problems. Yes, this is one area of psychology, but, psychology is… well…… more than you think!!

There are lots of areas of specialization within psychology, and we’ll list a few of them here:

• Educational and Developmental – the obvious example is working in a school, but it can be contributing to development and learning at any stage of a client’s life
• Forensic – often working with the police or in legal matters
• Organisational – analysing organisations (for example a government department or corporation) and devising strategies to recruit, develop and inspire
• Sport – the obvious example is working with athletes to maximize training and performance
• Academia – research, lecturing

Psychologists might work in the recruitment department for a large corporation, or with advertising companies to get the maximum benefit for their advertising campaigns. They may work in specific communities, such as immigrant groups and assess the psycho-social needs of individuals and groups.

As you can see, there are LOTS of areas that fall under the psychology umbrella. We recommend you check out the Australian Psychological Society website here: http://www.psychology.org.au/studentHQ/careers-in-psychology/