CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY PART THREE

APA Accreditation, Terminal Degrees, Art Therapy, Psychiatric

Nursing,

Substance Abuse, & Applied Behavioral Analysis

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Your education should be obtained at a

college that is accredited by the appropriate association

Basically each degree we are going to talk about today has an overseeing association-for example the American Psychological Association (APA).

This assures that the courses you take are those that are required for licensure in your state.

When choosing a school this is essential

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY American Art Therapy Association-

requires specific psychology and art therapy courses that prepare for licensure and practice

American Psychiatric Nurses Association- a group that recognizes the special needs of psychiatric nurses

the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center-in NJ nurses have to be licensed to practice as an LPN, RN, and Practitioner

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY State of New Jersey as advanced

practice nurses with prescriptive authority-advanced practice nurses are overseen by this board

Addiction Professionals Certification Board of New Jersey (APCBNJ) for CADC eligibility-certification in Addictions is overseen by this board

NJ Applied Behavioral Analysis Association-new group that would like to see that all ABA therapy is monitored and eventually licensed.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY APA accreditation-all schools in psychology seek APA accreditation Please look at your handout about the APA goals for undergraduate

education 10 Goals that look at Knowledge, Skills, and

Values Consistent with the Science and Application of Psychology

Goal 1. Theory and Content of Psychology Students will demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts,

theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

Goal 2. Research Methods in Psychology Students will understand and apply basic research methods in

psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.

Goal 3. Critical Thinking Skills in Psychology Students will respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical

inquiry, and, when possible, the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Goal 4. Application of Psychology Students will understand and apply psychological

principles to personal, social, and organizational issues.

Goal 5. Values in Psychology Students will be able to weigh evidence, tolerate

ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline.

Goal 6. Information and Technological Literacy Students will demonstrate information competence

and the ability to use computers and other technology for many purposes. Goal 7. Communication Skills Students will be able to communicate effectively in a

variety of formats.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Goal 8. Sociocultural and International

Awareness Students will recognize, understand, and respect

the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.

Goal 9. Personal Development Students will develop insight into their own and

others’ behavior and mental processes and apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.

Goal 10. Career Planning and Development Students will emerge from the major with realistic

ideas about how to implement their psychological knowledge, skills, and values in occupational pursuits in a variety of settings.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Terminal Degrees-usually are degrees

where you take a certification exam and can get a job in the field of your terminal degree.

It is called a terminal degree because you can be employed in your specialty and do not need any further schooling to be employed in the field of specialization.

For example, when you major in professional counseling you get licensure and then are able to practice.

This is the same for art therapy and substance abuse counseling-this does not mean you can’t back to school.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Art Therapy

Program of choice should be accredited by American Art Therapy Association and possibly the APA

In order to work as an Art Therapist throughout much of the country you need have a Master’s Degree.

You need to have a Bachelor’s Degree with usually a 3.0 GPA overall.

At least 12 semester hours of course work in psychology (including general, developmental, and abnormal psychology)

At least 18 semester hours in studio art (including drawing, 3-D art form, and painting) It is imperative that the applicant evidence a range of experience using a variety of art materials and processes.

An art portfolio of at least 10 pieces

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Art Therapy

Previous mental health related volunteer experience that involves using art therapeutically is recommended.

School of Visual Arts trains students in a Humanistic approach-does anyone remember humanistic theory?

Schools in our area that offer an M.A. in Art Therapy:Hofstra, George Washington Univ.,

LIU-Brooklyn, Pratt Institute-Brooklyn, and School of Visual Arts

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Substance Abuse Counseling Need a Bachelor’s degree in with a major in

Psychology, a GPA of at least 3.0, and to take the dreaded GRE’s.

To be licensed in NJ a student needs a Master’s Degree with:3000 hours of supervised work experience, at least 300 hours of supervised practical

training in all core course areasParticipation in at least 30 alcohol and drug

abuse self-help meetingsSuccessful completion of an oral and written

examination

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Substance Abuse Counseling

Students must remember that most programs are 45-48 graduate credits

Schools that offers a Master’s Degree in Substance Abuse Counseling are:

The New School for Social Research, Montclair State University, Monmouth University, College of NJ, Centenary College, and Kean

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Psychiatric Nursing

Most nurses are RN’s or LPN’s but those who are truly psychiatric nurses are MSN’s-in other words they have a Master’s Degree in Nursing.

In order to be accepted to a psychiatric nursing program, a student must be a licensed nurse in the state in which they are applying

However, most states require the same things for licensure so transferring a license is not difficult.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

Psychiatric Nursing In order to enter program, students must

have had at least a 3.0 GPA Have completed a basic statistic course

as an undergraduate Need at least one year of work in the

field, preferably in mental health Upon graduation from any program, the

student will take a license exam and will be able to prescribe medication and supervise a mental health unit, work in a clinic, or open private practice.

CAREERS I N PSYCHOLOGY Nursing Schools that offer psychiatric

nursing degrees in our areaCUNY-Hunter CollegeSUNY at Buffalo and Stony Brook

University of PennsylvaniaUMDNJ

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Because of the dramatic rise in autism in NJ, schools

have now begun training Master’s students in Applied Behavioral Analysis.

What is applied behavioral analysis? Applied" means practice, rather than research or

philosophy. "Behavior analysis" may be read as "learning theory," that is, understanding what leads to (or doesn't lead to) new skills.

ABA is just as much about maintaining and using skills as about learning. It may seem odd to use the word "behavior" when talking about learning to talk, play, and live as a complex social animal, but to a behaviorist all these can be taught, so long as there are intact brain functions to learn and practice the skills. That is the essence of the recovery hypothesis--for many children, the excesses and deficits of autism result largely from a learning 'blockage,' which can be overcome by intensive teaching.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Applied Behavioral Analysis

Why look at this? Well in NJ we have the largest population of autistic children in the country. 1 in 60 boys are diagnosed and 1in 100 children overall are diagnosed with autism!

So there are a lot of jobs opening up in this area!

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Applied Behavioral Analysis-Brand new at

Caldwell College A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.3 Bachelor's Degree or higher, preferably in a

related field such as psychology, education, or special education

Official undergraduate/graduate transcripts Satisfactory scores on the general Graduate

Record Exam (GRE) or the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) (Students who already have a Master's degree are exempt from this requirement)

Two letters of recommendation for graduate study

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Applied Behavioral Analysis-Brand new at Caldwell College

Writing sample: a research-based paper in psychology or education of at least ten pages that was previously submitted as part of an undergraduate or graduate course. Other subject matter may be considered if the candidate has had limited prior psychology or education work.

CAREERS IN PSYCHOLOGY Any questions? Something else you may be interested

in?