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university
of south africa
contents
1 Introduction
3 Your career
13 Options in Psychology
18 Professional psychology in SA
27 Where to start
30 Psychology and...
36 Other fields related to psychology
40 Frequently-asked questions
44 What next?
46 Thank you and sources
48 Useful Unisa links
50 Feedback
01
Introduction
There is great diversity in the field of psychology. On the continent of Africa, psychology has much to explore
and to research. Unisa is in a unique position to facilitate such exploration as its teaching extends beyond South
Africas borders. The prospect of contributing to psychological knowledge from an African perspective in all its diverse forms remains an inspiring challenge.
According to the American Psychological Association (2003), the study of psychology is a good preparation for a variety of professions. A number of employers are interested in the skills that Psychology majors can bring
to collecting, analysing and interpreting data. All Unisas Psychology and Industrial and Organisational Psychology
undergraduate modules as well as postgraduate papers could be listed to demonstrate their usefulness in developing
skills in the work place. Postgraduate courses in Educational Psychology lead to various job possibilities in the fields of
guidance and training.
You may be aware of the therapeutic side of psychology as a prospective career direction. You feel anxious at
the start of their studies when a guarantee that you will be accepted into a professional training programme (at Masters level) cannot be provided. Fixated on the idea that only professional psychologists are employed meaningfully,
you limit your career investigations as well as your creative abilities to use your psychology background to prepare for
other opportunities.
The question to you is: how innovative can you be at turning your academic studies into a satisfying
career while meeting the needs of the South African community and the Pan-African community in general?
Think about... 01
Why are you interested in studying psychology? Where does your interest come from? Where are you hoping to
be in five years time? In ten years time? What kind of opportunities are you hoping your studies in psychology
will prepare you for?
Psychology @ Unisa
page 2
02
Your career
My career
Our careers change continuously: this means that we need to be ready to make career decisions all the time.
The elements below represent the ingredients necessary to make a decision about your career. Thinking about
and working through these elements will assist you with the decision you are making now, but also for future
decisions.
My future
My planning
Think about how to make your
hopes for the future real. What
practical things must you do to
realise it? Do you need to find out
more about your chosen qualification? Do you need to do a BA
degree first to become a psychologist, for example? Do you need to
talk to people in your chosen field?
Think about it and make some
notes.
What else could you be? Have you
thought about other career options
where you could utilise your unique
strengths? How else could you use
the qualification youre interested in?
What will happen if you cant
achieve your plan due to unforeseen
circumstances? What if you cant
become what you want to? Who
else can you engage with to recognise the changes you need to make?
What information do you still need
to help you plan what
you need to do? Who can you talk
to?
Think about your life experiences (work, volunteering, school, studies and
personal). Link them to the specific skills youve developed and make notes
about the skills you still need to develop or refine and when you will do this.
Reflect on how these skills relate to your career choices.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 4
My values
Your values show what is important to you. As such they have a
significant effect on your career choices. Examples of values include:
adventure; authority; challenge; community: creativity; excellence;
helping; independence; integrity; knowledge; money; power and
security.
My influences
Where and who do your career
influences come from?
Make notes about how the following
people, things and events have
influenced you:
School subjects
Friends
Family
Media (TV, movies, the internet,
radio)
Observing others at work
Economic/job trends
Role model(s)
Chance events
Write down your top five values. Can you link your values to specific
occupations? How would your values be supported by the career
choice you are making? How would your career choice support your
values?
Further resources:
Go to O*Net online (http://www.onetonline.org) to search for occupations linked to specific values. Click on Advanced search and then
select Work values from the drop-down list. Click on the value that
matches your top values. You will get a list of occupations related to
the values important to you.
My interests
Interests are important to our choices. If youre interested in working with
people, for example, how would you want to help them? If youre interested
in working with money, would you want to manage other peoples money?
What do you like doing? Write down at least three activities that you really
enjoy (for example, reading books, gardening and playing soccer). Make
some notes on how they relate to your interest in studying psychology. If you
know what field in psychology you are interested in, how do these interests
relate to a specific field?
Further resources:
Go to O*Net online (http://www.onetonline.org) to search for occupations
linked to specific interests. Click on Advanced search and then select
Interests from the drop-down list. Click on the interest groups you would
want to explore to get a list of occupations related to your interests.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 5
Volunteer work
Do your research
Start with a
career portfolio
Develop your
skills
Psychology @ Unisa
Enhance your
employability
page 6
Volunteer work
As a volunteer, your studies in Psychology will come alive and you will be enriched and in a position to
build up an important network of people who could comment on your professional abilities. Volunteers
normally work under the supervision of psychologists and social workers. Organisations making use
of volunteer counsellors include Lifeline (counselling); SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety
Group); Nicro, Childline and Rape Crisis (abused women and children); Alcoholics Anonymous (addictions); Hospice
Association of SA and St Lukes Hospice (death and dying); FAMSA and ACVV (relationships/family counselling);
ATICC and AIDS Helpline (HIV/AIDS) and Triangle Health Care Project (sexuality).
Note that being trained as a volunteer counsellor, without professional psychological qualifications, does not qualify
you to be a professional counsellor or psychologist or to practise independently. However, volunteering helps you to
contribute to a community and learn valuable skills. Volunteering will allow you to clarify your interests in terms of
helping others and expand and strengthen your network.
Check which volunteer organisations are active in the area where you live. The Department of Social Development
has a complete list of non-profit organisations in each province available on their website at http://www.dsd.gov.za/
npo/. Investigate volunteer opportunities in your area and field of interest on the GreaterGoodSA website at http://
www.myggsa.co.za/.
Unisas Directorate: Counselling and Career Development runs a peer help programme that trains students to help
other students think through and reflect on problems that they might be experiencing. Each regional campus of
Unisa trains approximately 8-16 peer helpers annually. Once trained, peer helpers volunteer their services at the
counselling office, complete a career portfolio and participate in outreach programmes to different communities. Visit
the website at http://bit.ly/UnisaPH for more information.
1 Search
Use Google to search for information related to your questions. For example, if you want to find out which type
of work opportunities are available for social work students, search using key phrases such as job titles social work
major. If you want to find out information specifically related to South Africa, then also add south africa to this key
phrase. Bookmark pages that you would want to return to and make notes about what you find and what you would
still like to find out about.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 7
Prospects
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/
This website provides more information about opportunities related to qualifications at Unisa.
Search for occupational information for specific job
titles on this website.
Search for information about specific job titles.
Learn more about career areas such as IT, tourism, engineering and more. The website also contains information about learnerships and student finance
Explore job titles related to different categories such
as your interests, skills, values, typical work activities,
and more. You could also browse through groups of
occupations related to specific industries or economic
sectors.
Explore different job titles related to job sectors, as well
as what you could do with your major subject.
3 Job-search portals
Another type of website that is useful in terms of researching specific job titles linked to different industries, is job
search portals. For example, you are interested in finance, but you are not sure which specific job titles are linked to
this field; or you want to know what kind of qualifications are needed to be a business analyst. One way to do research about this is to search on a job portal for jobs related to this field and then note the different job titles mentioned.
Other information that you would also be able to find include salary information, which organisations/recruiting
agencies recruit in this field, what kind of qualifications and/or experience are needed and typical tasks related to a
specific job.
Job search sites include PNet (http://www.pnet.co.za), Careerjunction (http://www.careerjunction. co.za), Careers24
(http://www.careers24.com/) and Indeed (http://www.indeed.co.za). Government positions can be viewed on
http://www.info.gov.za/aboutgovt/vacancies/index.htm.
4 LinkedIn
If you have not done so already, start building your network on LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com) today!
Register for a free account and start connecting with your network online.
Join groups relevant to your career field so that you could participate in discussions, ask questions and provide answers about specific topics and search for people, organisations and jobs in your field of interest.
Do research about companies and employees to help you identify opportunities.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 8
these conversations are to explore your career options, to expand your network, to build confidence, to access information and to identify your own strengths and areas of development.
Before you interview someone, do research about what you would want to discuss with them - you could ask this
person to fill in the gaps for you. Start with people you already know: friends, family, neighbours, colleagues, lecturers, tutors and fellow students. Use online social networks such as LinkedIn to further identify potential people.
For more information on how to go about this and suggestions for questions that you might want to ask, visit
http://bit.ly/info_interviews. Also, watch these videos to learn more: 3 steps to a flawless informational interview: http://youtu.be/VsYpWrfB6yY; How to conduct the Information Interview: http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=hdJsUgckKsU and The Dos and Donts of Informational Interviews: http://youtu.be/ixbhtm8l0sI.
Remember to keep track of the information you have gathered and how you make sense of this. Also, track the
questions you still have and how you think you would be able to get answers to these questions.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 9
available at http://bit.ly/Xp7jlh.
Quintessential careers.com has an extensice library of resources related to enhnacing your employability. Go to
http://www.quintcareers.com for more information.
The Monster website (http://www.monster.co.uk/) provides a number of articles related to employability issues. Click
on Career Tools and Advice (at top of page) to access career-related information.
Disruptors
Key skills
Psychology @ Unisa
page 10
Willingness to learn
Information management
Access information
Interest in ideas
Curiosity
Desire to learn
Communication skills
Reading
Writing
Presenting
Negotiating
Facilitating
Report-writing
Team collaboration
Networking
Multicultural awareness
Computer skills
Spreadsheets
Word processing
Internet
Databases
Presentations
E-mail
Online collaboration
Web 2.0 tools
Social responsibility
Sustainability
Environmental responsibility
Ethical awareness
Community involvement
Change agents
Research
Networking
Data mining
Knowledge management
Data collection
Critical evaluation
Data analysis (quantitative)
Data analysis (qualitative)
Sources
Griesel, H., & Parker, B. (2009). Graduate attributes: A baseline study on South African graduates from the perspective of employers. Higher Education South African & The South African Qualifications Authority: Pretoria.
Louw, J. (n.d.). Careers in applied psychology. Retrieved from http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/psychology/careers/CareersApplied.pdf.
Reardon, R. C., Lenz, J. G., Sampson, J. P., & Peterson, G. W. (2009). Career Development and Planning:
A comprehensive approach (3rd ed.). Ohio, USA: Cengage Learning.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 11
Studying is not just about managing your academic life - you are studying a qualification to help you prepare for opportunities related to your interests, skills and values. It is therefeore important that you make time throughout your
studies to engage in activities that will help you to think about where you are now, where you are going and what
you still need to do in order to get there.
Career
activities
@ Unisa
Explore ODL:
Work through My
choice @ Unisa
Intensify your
networking:
Have conversations
with other professionals through
LinkedIn, or at
careers fairs
3
Develop your
academic skills:
visit DCCD website for self-help
brochures; use My
studies @ Unisa
Explore career:
Work through
Psychology @
Unisa
Start building your
network: Join
LinkedIn
Psychology @ Unisa
Explore career
through informational interviews
and attending
career development workshops
Get involved:
Join the Unisa peer
help programme,
or a community
volunteer
programme
Your career
portfolio: reflect on
skills developed
and what needs to
be developed; keep
track of your
career research
page 12
03
Options in
Psychology
Psychology @ Unisa
page 14
Canada divisions
Aboriginal Psychology
Adult Development and
Aging
Brain and Behaviour
Clinical Psychology
Clinical Neuropsychology
Community Psychology
Counselling Psychology
Criminal Justice Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Education
Environmental Psychology
Extremism and Terrorism
Family Psychology
Health Psychology
History & Philosophy of
Psychology
Industrial and Organizational
Psychology
International and Cross-Cultural Psychology
Perception, Learning and
Cognition
Psychoanalytic & Psychodynamic
Psychology in the Military
Psychopharmacology
Psychology and Religion
Rural and Northern Psychology
Sexual Orientation and
Gender Identity
Social and Personality
Psychology
Sport & Exercise Psychology
Substance Abuse/
Dependence
Teaching of Psychology
Traumatic Stress
Women and Psychology
(SWAP)
SA PSYSSA divisions
Research
Educational
Counselling
Industrial
Clinical
Clinical hypnosis
Psychometry
Neuro/ forensic
Health/ sport
UK BPS divisions
Clinical psychology
Counselling psychology
Educational and child
psychology
Forensic psychology
Health psychology
Neuropsychology
Occupational psychology
Sport and exercise
psychology
Teachers and Researchers in
Psychology
Fields in Psychology
Psychology is a field with diverse interest and specialisation areas. This map shows an
overview of the various divisions for psychological associations internationally. Have you
thought about the area(s) in psychology that you are most interested in?
Psychology @ Unisa
page 15
WHERE?
Identify the job environment you feel you could thrive in where you feel you will do the most effective work.
HOW?
Identify the names of jobs you would be more interested in; the organisations which have such jobs to offer; those
people in such organisations that have the power to help you; the approach to use in asking for a job.
Source: Bolles, R.N. (2006). What colour is your parachute?
Adapted by Cazimira Popa, 2007
Networking
Networking means developing a broad list of contacts people youve met - and using them to your advantage
when you look for a job or information about specific aspects. People in your network may be able to give you job
leads, offer you advice and information about a particular company or industry, and introduce you to others so that
you can expand your network.
Where do I start?
Your family, friends, and neighbours and their family, friends, and neighbours are obvious people to start with, but
dont stop there. Talk to fellow students, co-workers, colleagues in your industry, and those you meet at gatherings,
such as discussion and tutorial classes, examinations, conferences, trade shows and conferences. Talk with former
co-workers, bosses, lecturers and teachers. Use on-line and off-line resources to identify further people to connect
to. LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com) is a professional on-line networking site learn how to use it effectively to
connect with other professionals in your field and fields of interest.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 16
Watch...
Search Youtube (www.youtube.com) for keywords such as psychology career and watch people talk about their
career in this field.
Search for psychology-related talks on TED (www.ted.com).
Talk to...
Another way for you to find out more about career options in psychology, is to go and talk to individuals who work
in the type of jobs and/ or organisations that you are interested in knowing more about. The aim of this would be to
clarify aspects that you are still curious about. For example, you read an article about a new programme for addiction
treatment and you feel curious about how the researchers went about evaluating the programme. You could contact
one of the authors of the article to ask if they would be willing to share how they went about gaining access to the
information they needed for their evaluation.
Psychology @ Unisa
page 17
04
Professional
psychology
in SA
Individuals can register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa in one of the following registration categories:
Registered counsellor
Psychometrist
Clinical psychologist
Counselling psychologist
Educational psychologist
Research psychologist
Industrial psychologist
Neuro-psychologist
Forensic psychologist
Practitioners in each of the above categories are required to practice within a specific scope of practice, that is,
adhere to guidelines regarding approved activities. Detailed information about the scope of practice for each of the
above categories is available in the Health Professions Act, 1974 (Act no 56 of 1974). The scope of the profession
of Psychology was promulgated in government gazette No. R 993 of 16 September 2008 (http://www.hpcsa.co.za/
downloads/psychology/regulations_defining_the_scope_of_profession_of_psychology.pdf). The scope of practice
was finally promulgated on 2 September 2011 under government gazette No. R 704 (http://www.hpcsa.co.za/
downloads/psychology/promulgated_scope_of_practice_2_sept.pdf).
Visit the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) website at http://www.hpcsa.co.za for more information. Select Professional Boards and then click on Psychology to go to the Professional Board for Psychology
website.
Other important information on the Board for Psychology website includes:
A list of accredited universities in South Africa in terms of training in psychology. (http://www.hpcsa.co.za/downloads/cpd/accreditors_2011/psychology_accredited_universities_feb.pdf)
Frequently Asked Questions about issues related to practicing as a psychologist, psychometrist, registered counsellor,
student psychologist or intern psychologist (http://www.hpcsa.co.za/downloads/psychology/updated_frequenty_
asked_questions.pdf)
Rules and Regulations of the Board (http://www.hpcsa.co.za/board_psychology_rules.php)
National Board examination information (including exam results, dates for application reading material) (http://www.
hpcsa.co.za/board_psychology_exam.php)
Psychology @ Unisa
page 19
REGISTERED COUNSELLOR
WHAT DO THEY DO?
The role of the registered counsellor is to provide a psychological screening service and short-term psychological interventions to enable individuals to function more effectively, Professor H G Pretorius (2012) summarises the role of the counsellor as follows:
to make preventative and developmental counselling services accessible
and affordable to all
to firstly act as "emotional paramedics" in cases of trauma, to intervene
appropriately, and to refer when and where necessary
to act as a resource in communities and to promote health in a
socio-cultural appropriate manner
to design preventative and developmental programmes, to implement
them in the widest possible contexts, and to monitor their effectiveness
Bachelors
Honours
Practicum
National Board
Examination
Professional registration
Complete Bachelor's
degree with Psychology
as major (for example:
BA General; BSc
General; BBA; BA(SS);
BA Health Sciences and
Social Services).
Minimum duration:
3 years (except for a
Social Work degree that
takes a minimum of 4
years to complete).
Complete Honours
degree in Psychology.
Minimum duration:
1 year
Average part-time
duration:
2-3 years
Apply to complete a
practicum at an
approved organisation.
Minimum duration:
6 months
Maximum duration:
1 year
Average part-time
duration:
5-6 years
250
FACTS
200
150
Minimum
years to
qualify as a
registered
counsellor
100
50
0
EC
FS
PSYCHOMETRIST
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Psychometrists perform psychological assessment and use psychological assessment data. Psychometrists are permitted to select, administer,
score, and interpret psychological tests, write and sign reports and give
feedback to clients independently. They need mentoring by or refer to
a registered psychologist only when they find it necessary within their
prescribed scope of practice as specified by the Board. When it comes
to reporting the results, the psychologist needs to take final responsibility for the contents of the report, but the psychometrist may contribute to the content and co-sign the report. Psychometrists are not
permitted to use certain personality measures (for example, TAT, CAT,
Rorschach); specialist neuropsychological measures; measures that are
used for the diagnosis of psychopathology (for example, MMPI-2).
The psychometrist may be part of a psychological practice or employed by private companies, industry, or institutions such as government departments or non-governmental
organisations (NGOs). The psychometrist,
who from 2006 only registers at the level of
independent practice, is allowed to practice
independently, but must adhere to the scope
of practice specifications by the Board, and not
execute psychological acts reserved for counsellors and registered psychologists.
Bachelors
Honours
Practicum
National Board
Examination
Professional registration
Complete Bachelor's
degree with Psychology
as major (for example:
BA General; BSc
General; BBA; BA(SS);
BA Health Sciences and
Social Services).
Complete Honours
degree in Industrial and
Organisational Psychology or Psychology (Check
with the University you
wish to apply to, to
determine what the
requirements are).
Minimum duration:
3 years (except for a
Minimum duration:
Social Work degree that 1 year
takes a minimum of 4
years to complete).
Average part-time
duration:
Average part-time
2-3 years
duration:
5-6 years
Apply to complete a
practicum at an
approved organisation.
Minimum duration:
6 months
Maximum duration:
1 year
3500
FACTS
3000
2500
2000
Minimum
years to
qualify as a
psychometrist
1500
1000
500
0
EC
FS
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Bachelors
Honours
Masters
Internship
Community Service
Complete Bachelor's
degree with Psychology
as major (for example:
BA General; BSc
General; BBA; BA(SS);
BA Health Sciences and
Social Services).
Minimum duration:
3 years (except for a
Social Work degree that
takes a minimum of 4
years to complete).
Complete Honours
degree in Psychology.
Minimum duration:
1 year
Average part-time
duration:
2-3 years
Minimum duration: 2
years. Can only be
completed full-time on
the Muckleneuk
Campus (you may also
apply to other Universities)
Average part-time
duration:
5-6 years
FACTS
Minimum
years to
qualify as a
clinical
psychologist
Complete a one-year
internship at an
approved organisation
5
Board Examination
and Registration
Write and pass the
Professional Board
Examination. Register as
clinical psychologist with
the Professional Board
for Psychology
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
NEUROPSYCHOLOGY
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGISTS
Clinical-forensic psychologists are clinical psychologists who specialise in the assessment and/or treatment of persons
who, in some way, are involved in the legal process or legal system.
According to the forensic psychologists scope of practice in South Africa, these practitioners may: conduct psychological
assessments, diagnoses, and interventions; refer clients to appropriate professionals for further assessment or intervention; provide therapeutic interventions; advise on the development of policies, based on forensic psychological theory and
research; design, manage, and evaluate forensic psychology-based programmes, and interventions;
designing, managing, and conduct research; report on, and supervise research, in forensic psychology;
train, supervise students, interns, and other registered psychology practitioners in forensic psychology; and
provide expert evidence and/or opinions
1
Bachelors
Honours
Masters
Complete Bachelor's
degree with Psychology as
major (for example: BA
General; BSc General; BBA;
BA(SS); BA Health
Sciences and Social
Services).
Minimum duration:
3 years (except for a Social
Work degree that takes a
minimum of 4 years to
complete).
NEUROPSYCHOLOGISTS
Average part-time
duration:
5-6 years
FACTS
Minimum duration:
1 year
Average part-time duration:
2-3 years
INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Possible employers include private and public companies; consultants to trade associations or to retailers or manufacturers; university lecturers who do research in the field; private consultants;
large organisations such as mining houses, insurance companies
and government departments.
Graduates can be appointed as researchers by the following
institutions: universities; the Council for Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR); the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
and the Chamber of Mines of SA, and other companies, for
example marketing research houses which use psychologists to
execute research with regard to consumer behaviour and profiles.
Bachelors
Honours
Masters
Complete Honours
BCom degree in I & O
Psychology.
Minimum duration:
1 year
Minimum duration:
3 years
Average part-time duration:
5-6 years
Average part-time
duration:
2-3 years
4
Internship and National
Board Examination
Complete internship (1 year
full-time)
Write and pass the National
Board Examination
5
Professional registration
Register as a psychologist (industrial) with the
Professional Board for
Psychology
FACTS
Psychology @ Unisa
The South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) has been approved by
the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) as the Education and
Training Quality Assurance body (ETQA) for some crucial human resources
qualifications in South Africa. The Board offers various levels of professional
and pre-professional registration from level 1 (HR technician) to level 5
(master HR practitioner). Please see the Board's website at
http://www.sabpp.co.za/ for further information about qualifications needed.
page 24
RESEARCH
PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Bachelors
Honours
Masters
Internship
Board Examination
and Registration
Complete an internship
of one year at an
organisation approved
by the Health Professions Council of South
Africa.
Complete Bachelor's
degree with Psychology
as major (for example:
BA General; BSc
General; BBA; BA(SS);
BA Health Sciences and
Social Services).
Minimum duration:
3 years (except for a
Social Work degree that
takes a minimum of 4
years to complete).
Average part-time
duration:
5-6 years
FACTS
Psychology @ Unisa
Complete Honours
degree in Psychology.
Minimum duration:
1 year
Average part-time
duration:
2-3 years
Minimum duration:
1 year. Can only be
completed full-time on
the Muckleneuk
Campus (you may also
apply to other Universities)
Students in the MARC programme at Unisa have to complete two placement periods of ten weeks
each at an institution to gain practical experience within the research field. These placements take
place in various contexts such as education, social research, business consulting, social services,
medical research, knowledge services and marketing research. The Masters in Psychology (Research
Consultation) (MARC) students of 2010, in collaboration with Proff. Eduard Fourie and Martin
Terreblanche presented a poster at the 2010 annual PsySSA conference about the practical placement aspect of the MARC programme. The group identified a number of skills they gained from the
respective placements including data capturing; statistical analysis; compiling a literature review;
project management and planning; consulting; data analysis (quantitative and qualitative); independence; presentation skills; report-writing; evaluation; time management; interpersonal skills; networking; critical thinking; questionnaire development; research interview skills; market research; and
fieldwork.
page 25
EDUCATIONAL
PSYCHOLOGY
WHAT DO THEY DO?
Educational psychologists are involved in counselling clients in educational contexts. Their focus is on guiding and counselling clients with a view
to alleviating emotional problems, making subject and career choices,
assisting learners with barriers to learning, and facilitating the school
admission process. Some conduct basic research on topics related to the
learning of reading, writing, mathematics and science. Others develop
new methods of instruction including designing computer software. Still
others train teachers and investigate factors that affect teachers' performance and morale. School psychology is related to educational psychology. The primary responsibility of a school psychologist/ counsellor is to
help learners, teachers and parents with career and subject choices,
school adjustment and personal matters.
Bachelors
Honours BEd
Option 1:
Complete a Bachelor's degree
(your degree should also
include Psychology as a major
and recognised teaching
subjects)
Minimum duration: 3 years
AND
Complete a Postgraduate
Certificate in Education
(PGCE)
Minimum duration: 1 year
Option 2:
Complete a Bachelor of
Education (BEd) degree
(Complete as many Psychology modules as possible for
your BEd degree)
Minimum duration: 4 years
Master of Education
(MEd) in Guidance
and Counselling
Internship
A limited number of
students will be admitted annually to this
degree.
You must apply before
31 July of the year
preceding the year in
which you wish to
register for selection
Those who are provisionally selected must
appear before a selection committee in
Pretoria in September
Practical training, which
is compulsory, is offered
only in Pretoria
Complete an internship
(1 year) at an approved
organisation.
5
Professional registration
Write the qualifying
examination of the
Professional Board for
Psychology and register
as an educational
psychologist.
A school psychologist:
FACTS
05
Where to
start
INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY
BA General
PSYCHOLOGY
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
INDUSTRIAL PSYCHOLOGY
BCom in Industrial & Organisational Psychology
Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)
Bachelor of Administration (BAdmin)
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING &
TECHNOLOGY
PSYCHOLOGY
Bachelor of Science (General) (BSc)
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
PSYCHOLOGY
Include as many psychology modules as possible in
the Bachelor of Education (BEd degree).
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06
Psychology
and...
Possible opportunities
Communication Science
(BA)
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Possible opportunities
Social worker
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Qualification
Possible opportunities
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Programmes (12 months): Programme in Applied Organisational Development; Programme in Client Service Excellence; Programme in Industrial and Organisational Psychology; Programme in Skills Development Facilitation
Short courses (6 months): Short course in Business Psychology and Human Behaviour; Short course in Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases in the Workplace; Short course in Employee Wellness; Short course on
the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1993; Short course in Organisational Development: The Appreciative Inquiry
Approach; Short course in Workforce Diversity
Workshops: Workshop in Group Process Consultation; Workshop in Consultation Skills Training; Workshop in
Career and Executive Coaching; Workshop in Skills Development Facilitation; Workshop in Self Management and
Work-related Skills
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07
Other fields
related to
psychology
Social psychology
Social psychologists study how people interact with each other and how they are affected by their social environments. They study individuals as well as groups, observable behaviours, and private thoughts. Employment opportunities exist at tertiary institutions. Many social psychologists are employed in the private sector as consultants, researchers, marketing directors, managers, political strategists, technology designers and so on. Social psychologists also
work in government and non-profit organisations, designing and evaluating policy and programmes in education,
conflict resolution and environmental protection.
Sport psychology
Sport and exercise psychology is the scientific study of the psychological factors that are associated with participation
and performance in sport, exercise, and other types of physical activity. Obtaining a job usually depends more on the
applicants research and teaching records in sport psychology than their ability to provide athletes with performance
enhancement and consultation. Some positions in this field are available at tertiary institutions, research institutes
(such as the Sport Science Institute), and medical research laboratories.
Art Therapy
There is no formalised registration category with the Health Professions Council of South Africa for art therapy. In
terms of professional training there would not be one best route to take, since clinical, counselling and educational
psychologists could possibly use forms of art therapy in their work. While you are busy with your undergraduate
psychology modules that you need to complete to get to your chosen postgraduate programme, you could start
making contact with practitioners in this area to find out more about their background and possibly get more
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practical recommendations.
Art Therapy (http://www.arttherapy.co.za/) offers a number of workshops and courses in this field. Their
website also contains some useful information about the field. The Art Therapy Centre (http://www.arttherapycentre.
co.za/) also offers a number of training programmes and descriptions of the projects they are involved in.
You could consider becoming involved with art therapy on a volunteer basis while busy with your formal studies.
Try Greater Good SA (http://www.myggsa.co.za/) to look for art-related volunteer opportunities in your area. This
would also be a great way for you to network with other professionals and find out more about your area of interest.
Social Work
The Unisa Department of Social Work offers the following definition of social work: Social work focuses on the
interaction between individuals, groups and communities and their social environments. It includes the following:
the facilitation of people to address their problems stemming from their social interactions; empowering people to
promote their own welfare and to develop their own abilities, resources and potential. The principles of human rights
and social justice is fundamental to social work.
As with all other helping professions, prospective social workers have to be interested in individuals and
their stories, as well as possess excellent interpersonal communication skills. Social workers work within a variety of
contexts, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs); community-based organisations (CBOs); voluntary and
private and religious welfare organisations; government sectors (local, provincial and national); private business, clinics
and hospitals. Social workers work closely with psychologists, counsellors, health care professionals, legal advisors and
lawyers.
Psychology can be taken as a major for the BA Social Work degree. This means that once you are qualified
as a social worker, you could continue your studies in psychology to become a counsellor and/ or psychologist.
Play therapy
Play therapy uses a variety of techniques which give traumatised children the opportunity to communicate feelings,
emotions, experiences and behaviour through play (http://gestaltplaytherapy.co.za).
Where to apply?
The Institute for Child Youth and Family studies together with the University of North-West (NWU)
University of Pretoria (http://web.up.ac.za/Default.asp?ipkCategoryID=1903&subid=1903#MSDPlay)
Further resources:
http://www.playtherapy.co.za/
http://gestaltplaytherapy.co.za/
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Psychiatry
According to the South African Society of Psychiatrists (http://www.sasop.co.za), a psychiatrist is: a medical doctor,
who has specialized in the field of Psychiatry. To be able to practice, a Psychiatrist must be registered with the Health
Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), as a Psychiatrist, under the specialist register.
Psychiatrists have medical training and can examine, diagnose and treat patients with medical illness that
can lead to mental problems. Psychiatrists are also trained in psychotherapy and therefore are able to treat patients
through psychotherapeutic interventions. Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and psychotherapy to treat mental Illness.
A Psychiatrist must first complete a medical degree. This is usually indicated as a MBCHB or MBBCH degree.
This qualification takes six years to complete. An internship follows that takes another year, and South African doctors
are then required to complete one year of community service. All together it takes eight years to be registered as a
medical doctor in South Africa.
After this a doctor could specialise and become a specialist. It takes another four years of study to gain the
qualification to practice as a Psychiatrist. This qualification is usually indicated as a MMed Psych or a FF Psych or FC
Psych.
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08
Frequentlyasked
questions
What selection criteria are used for the MA Clinical Psychology programme?
It is not possible to clearly state what the criteria are, but the honest presentation of yourself is what is important
during the selection process. The first round of selection is usually paper-based. Each University will have different
types of information that will be requested from you. If you are invited to the selection interviews, selectors will usually observe your ability to communicate, how you relate to others in the group and deal with the pressure of the
selection process. No one can tell you what to prepare except that you go and allow yourself to be part of the selection process.
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Some Universities have specific criteria such as proficiency in three South African languages and community
work experience. The application information and forms for programmes at different Universities will also inform you
whether additional requirements apply.
Unisa is currently not offering the BPsych equivalence training for registered counsellors/ psychometrists what now?
The BPsych equivalence programme of Unisa is in the process of being re-curriculated to meet the HPCSAs revised
requirements for training counsellors and psychometrists. It is envisaged that the re-application process will be completed by 2015, however this depends on a number of circumstances. Even if the programme is approved, there is
no guarantee that you can be selected for the internship programme. You may contact other institutions to enquire
about completing training to register as a counsellor or psychometrist. Each institution has requirements in terms of
registering for this programme, even if you have completed your Honours degree.
It is important to start thinking about other options you could pursue given your qualifications, skills, interests
and career vision. You are not limited only to qualify as a registered counsellor/ psychometrist. Use the information
and activities in this book to explore more options.
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Internet? If you have been earning an income and others depend on you, how will you plan for their support?
Support during your studies: The demands of the training require that you need to have substantial support from
others - think about people you could talk to about some of the challenges. It might be people who have completed
the programme, or just people who could create a space for you to share your experiences.
I have completed a degree in psychology and now I am interested in industrial psychology (or I have completed a degree
in industrial psychology and now I am interested in psychology)
If you have completed a degree, you need to complete the modules for the major subject (Psychology or Industrial
and Organisational Psychology) for non-degree purposes before you could register for the Honours degree. Your
next degree would therefore be the Honours degree.
You may be exempted from some modules based on your previous studies, but this will be confirmed by
the Student Admissions and Registration section before you register - you will enquire which modules you need to
complete in order to qualify for an Honours degree in either Psychology or Industrial and Organisational Psychology,
given that you have already completed a degree. Refer to the My modules book available on the Unisa website at
www.unisa.ac.za for the modules needed for a major subject.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Unisa Department of Psychology for their input and continuous support of this publication. A special thank you to Professor Fred van Staden and Dr Elsj Cronj from the Unisa Department of Psychology
for their input and support for this publication when we orginally proposed the idea for this booklet in 1996.
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08
What next?
What do need to do now? (Hint: check the checklists you completed at the beginning of this booklet and see which
aspects you could still pay attention to) How will you do it? When will you do it?
What?
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How?
When?
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09
Thank you
and sources
Sources
Is your major a major factor? Careering. September 1994. UCT Careers Office
American Psychological Association. 2003. Careers for the 21st century. Available: http://www.apa.org/students/
brochure/brochurenew.pdf
American Psychological Association. About Clinical Psychology. Available: http://www.apa.org/divisions/div12/
aboutcp.html
American Psychological Association. What is a counseling psychologist? Available: http://www.div17.org/Students/
whatis.htm
American Psychological Association. What is the difference between counseling & clinical psychology? Available:
http://www.div17.org/Students/difference.htm
American Psychological Association. Graduate Training & Career Possibilities in Exercise & Sport Psychology. Available: http://www.psyc.unt.edu/apadiv47/gradtrain.htm
American Psychology-Law Society. Careers in Psychology & Law. Available: http://www.ap-ls.org/students/Careers.
php
Bedell, B & Phayane, O. 1988. Employment opportunities for post-graduates in research psychology. Department of
Psychology, University of South Africa. Pretoria.
Careers.co.za. Information for School psychologist. Available: http://www.careers.co.za/
George Mason University. Cognitive Psychology. Available: http://www.gmu.edu/departments/psychology/homepage/undergrads/whatis/cognunder.html
Professional Board for Psychology, Health Professions Council of South Africa. Training and examination guidelines
for psychometrists in the categories supervised practice and independent practice.
South African Society of Psychiatrists. What is a psychiatrist? Available: http://www.sasop.co.za/D_patientdeuWhatispsyc.asp
Society for Personality & Social Psychology. What is a personality/ social psychologist? Available: http://www.spsp.
org/what.htm
University of Scranton. The Psychology Department handbook. Available: http://academic.uofs.edu/department/
psych/handbook/toc.html
University of South Africa Department of Social Work. What is social work? Available: http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.
asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=23543.
Westchester University Department of Psychology. Careers in Environmental Psychology. Available: http://www.
wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_cas.psy/Career_Paths/Environmental/career09.htm
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10
Useful Unisa
links
Webpages
Unisa website
http://www.unisa.ac.za/
Unisa contacts
http://bit.ly/11K74zm
Application to study
http://www.unisa.ac.za/apply
http://www.unisa.ac.za/counselling
Unisa on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfSouthAfrica
Unisa on Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/Unisa
Academic departments
Unisa Department of Psychology
http://bit.ly/19nZpzm
http://bit.ly/1aa19f9
http://bit.ly/179TjOW
http://bit.ly/Y5fdgo
http://bit.ly/11ADwZX
http://bit.ly/120xFrU
http://bit.ly/12g4DaR
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11
Feedback
We appreciate your feedback about any aspects of this booklet - let us know what worked and what did not; what is
clear and what is not.
You could complete the on-line feedback form at http://bit.ly/psych_feedback or send an e-mail to Leza Deyzel
(deyzel@unisa.ac.za) or Sonja Barnard (barnase@unisa.ac.za)
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http://www.unisa.ac.za
@unisa
http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfSouthAfrica
university
of south africa