Hannah
What are the difficulties of working as a clinical psychologist?
I want to go into the field of clinical psychology and work in a hospital setting. However I am trying to figure out the pros and cons before I make a final decision. #psychology #hospital #clinicalpsychology
2 answers
Alissa Pappano
Alissa’s Answer
Hi Hannah,
I can't personally speak to the challenges of being a clinical psychologist, but my mom works in this profession and I have received insight from her. Working in psychology usually requires a lot of empathy and patience. You will likely have to talk to multiple individuals all day. I know that some challenges my mom faces involve a lack of energy at the end of the day. After talking with and helping so many people discuss their fears or struggles, she sometimes doesn't have the energy for a long phone call or dinner chat with friends and family. However, this is not that often that this happens and the job seems very rewarding from my perspective of watching her. There is nothing like helping others to feel better, so I think no matter what, the challenges of this job will be outweighed by the successes. Good luck!
Jennifer Hoang
Jennifer’s Answer
I want to echo what Alissa said and really emphasize the patience aspect of clinical psychology. You will have a range of patients come in and you have to be okay with the progress that they're making, if any. I spoke to a clinical psychologist who ultimately ended up switching fields because she grew tired of her patients not listening to her/how little progress some of them seemed to be making. While she's still in psychology now, I think it goes to show how patience is very valued in clinical psychology specifically. Hope this helped!