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sal
Student
Burnsville, Minnesota
1
Question
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Becoming a child psychiatrist/psychologist
How would one become a child psychiatrist/psychologist, what pathway would they have to take Is it majoring in psychology, pre-med, and then residency?
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4 answers
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
350
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hello sal,
Becoming a child psychiatrist or child psychologist involves distinct educational pathways, but both start with a strong foundation in psychology. Here’s a breakdown of the pathways for each profession:
Child Psychiatrist
A child psychiatrist is a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in children and adolescents. The pathway typically includes the following steps:
1. Bachelor’s Degree: Complete an undergraduate degree with a strong emphasis on pre-med courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and math). Majoring in psychology or a related field can be beneficial.
2. Medical School: Attend medical school to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. This typically takes four years and includes coursework in medical sciences and clinical rotations.
3. Residency in Psychiatry: After medical school, complete a residency in general psychiatry, which usually lasts four years. This includes training in various aspects of psychiatry.
4. Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Following the general psychiatry residency, complete a fellowship specifically in child and adolescent psychiatry, which typically takes an additional two years.
5. Board Certification and Licensure: After completing training, obtain board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and state licensure to practice as a psychiatrist.
Child Psychologist
A child psychologist specializes in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders in children and adolescents. The pathway generally includes the following steps:
1. Bachelor’s Degree: Complete an undergraduate degree in psychology or a related field. Taking courses in child development, abnormal psychology, and statistics is beneficial.
2. Graduate School: Earn a doctoral degree in psychology, which can be a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). This typically takes 5–7 years and includes coursework, research, and clinical training.
3. Internship: Complete a supervised internship as part of the doctoral program, usually lasting one year.
4. Postdoctoral Fellowship (Optional but recommended): Some psychologists choose to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychology for additional specialized training, typically lasting 1–2 years.
5. Licensure: Obtain licensure to practice as a psychologist, which requires passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and meeting state-specific requirements.
6. Board Certification (Optional): Pursue board certification in clinical child and adolescent psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) for additional credentials.
Summary of Pathways
- Child Psychiatrist:
1. Bachelor’s degree (pre-med/psychology)
2. Medical school (MD/DO)
3. General psychiatry residency
4. Fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry
5. Board certification and licensure
- Child Psychologist:
1. Bachelor’s degree (psychology)
2. Doctoral degree (PhD/PsyD)
3. Internship
4. (Optional) Postdoctoral fellowship
5. Licensure
6. (Optional) Board certification
Both paths require a significant commitment to education and training, but they offer rewarding careers helping children and adolescents with mental health issues.
Best wishes.
Becoming a child psychiatrist or child psychologist involves distinct educational pathways, but both start with a strong foundation in psychology. Here’s a breakdown of the pathways for each profession:
Child Psychiatrist
A child psychiatrist is a medical doctor specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in children and adolescents. The pathway typically includes the following steps:
1. Bachelor’s Degree: Complete an undergraduate degree with a strong emphasis on pre-med courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and math). Majoring in psychology or a related field can be beneficial.
2. Medical School: Attend medical school to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree. This typically takes four years and includes coursework in medical sciences and clinical rotations.
3. Residency in Psychiatry: After medical school, complete a residency in general psychiatry, which usually lasts four years. This includes training in various aspects of psychiatry.
4. Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Following the general psychiatry residency, complete a fellowship specifically in child and adolescent psychiatry, which typically takes an additional two years.
5. Board Certification and Licensure: After completing training, obtain board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) and state licensure to practice as a psychiatrist.
Child Psychologist
A child psychologist specializes in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders in children and adolescents. The pathway generally includes the following steps:
1. Bachelor’s Degree: Complete an undergraduate degree in psychology or a related field. Taking courses in child development, abnormal psychology, and statistics is beneficial.
2. Graduate School: Earn a doctoral degree in psychology, which can be a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD). This typically takes 5–7 years and includes coursework, research, and clinical training.
3. Internship: Complete a supervised internship as part of the doctoral program, usually lasting one year.
4. Postdoctoral Fellowship (Optional but recommended): Some psychologists choose to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent psychology for additional specialized training, typically lasting 1–2 years.
5. Licensure: Obtain licensure to practice as a psychologist, which requires passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and meeting state-specific requirements.
6. Board Certification (Optional): Pursue board certification in clinical child and adolescent psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) for additional credentials.
Summary of Pathways
- Child Psychiatrist:
1. Bachelor’s degree (pre-med/psychology)
2. Medical school (MD/DO)
3. General psychiatry residency
4. Fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry
5. Board certification and licensure
- Child Psychologist:
1. Bachelor’s degree (psychology)
2. Doctoral degree (PhD/PsyD)
3. Internship
4. (Optional) Postdoctoral fellowship
5. Licensure
6. (Optional) Board certification
Both paths require a significant commitment to education and training, but they offer rewarding careers helping children and adolescents with mental health issues.
Best wishes.
Sha Anyanga
Psychologist
14
Answers
Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya
Updated
Sha’s Answer
You start by doing an associate degree in psychology, you proceed to a Bachelor's Degree in child psychology ( app 4 years). You then pursue a masters degree ( app 2 years) in child psychology . You go for internship then you apply for state license. You can also choose to continue with a PhD in child psychology.
Aneeqa Mariam
1
Answer
Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Updated
Aneeqa’s Answer
You first need to decide whether you want to choose Psychiatry or Psychology, because both have different pathways if you want to specialize further.
For Psychiatry, you need to complete your medical degree and can opt for Psychiatry and further specialized in Child Psychiatry.
For Psychology, you will need to complete your Masters in Child Psychology and after supervised coursework, you can apply and get your licensure.
For Psychiatry, you need to complete your medical degree and can opt for Psychiatry and further specialized in Child Psychiatry.
For Psychology, you will need to complete your Masters in Child Psychology and after supervised coursework, you can apply and get your licensure.
Katherine Avery
Run a music studio and teach private music lessons; teach college-level religion classes
299
Answers
Spanish Fork, Utah
Updated
Katherine’s Answer
One thing that also might be informational is to look at something like the graduate degree programs listed at The Townsend Institute (https://www.cui.edu/townsend) and poke around their site to see what kinds of things you would do to be eligible for their programs, and then see what they say about what you could do with a degree from them--where you could go afterward. It might help you ask more specific questions, or keep on envisioning more about your own journey, or see if you think you want to go for something like that.