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A career in child psychology requires excellent listening and analytical skills and, above all, an ability to empathise with others.

Psychologists study the human mind and behaviour. The work, especially for those who deal with children, can be demanding and emotionally exhausting, but it is a career that offers great rewards.

Pscyhologists should not be confused with psychiatrists — medical doctors who specialise in psychiatric disorders, with the ability to write prescriptions — or psychotherapists — therapists who may not have a background in psychology.

The title of psychologist can be applied to anyone with a degree in psychology. However most practitioners complete further study to specialise in one of a range of fields. These include counselling, education, research, health and organisational or clinical psychology, of which clinical psychology is the broadest. The title ‘child psychologist’ is somewhat misleading because psychologists in any of these fields may in fact work with children.

Clinical psychologists provide a variety of services including assessment, therapy and consultancy. They work primarily, but not exclusively, in child and/or adult learning disability services, where emotional, behavioural, psychiatric or developmental difficulties are addressed in a variety of settings including private practice, hospitals, schools and the justice system.

“Key skills for any field of psychology include an ability to communicate, observe, reflect and empathise,” says Sinéad Fitzgerald, director of clinical co-ordination on the doctoral clinical psychology training programme in Trinity College Dublin (TCD). Assessment work requires good observation skills; therapy work requires good listening skills; and research work requires good analytical skills.

Once a student has completed a primary degree in psychology, he or she can then progress to do two to three years’ postgraduate study in their chosen field.

Five universities in Ireland — TCD, University College Dublin (UCD), Queens University, Belfast, National University of Ireland, Galway and University of Limerick — offer a three-year doctoral course in clinical psychology.

“The three years consist of 36 continuous months,” explains Fitzgerald. “At the moment we have 132 applicants for 12 places at TCD, so competition is tough.” Candidates also need agreement that the Health Service Executive will employ them as a trainee during the 36 months and for three years after training.

As with most healthcare disciplines, more women go into clinical psychology than men. There are plenty of job opportunities and salaries start at around €50,000.

Life as a Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologist Rosaleen McElvaney works in the child sexual abuse unit at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Dublin.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I finished psychology in UCD,” says Rosaleen McElvaney, a clinical psychologist with 19 years’ experience. “I went abroad for a bit before doing my clinical training. After working in various areas I trained in psychotherapy and moved to the child sexual abuse unit in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, while also working in a private practice and teaching. At present I’m doing a PhD in TCD on how children disclose sexual abuse, funded by the Health Research Board.”

McElvaney finds working with children where there are sexual abuse concerns both intellectually and emotionally demanding. “You can imagine the distress parents feel when their child has been sexually abused. They get little support from friends and neighbours because often it’s not possible to talk about it openly,” she explains. “They need a lot of help and yet I might only see them for one appointment a week. That makes it difficult. However, the fulfillment I get when the work is going well keeps me going.”

Working days are long and full. “One of the weaknesses of clinical psychologists is that we fill up the diary with appointments and don’t think about the administrative follow-up that is needed — the writing of notes, dictating of reports, phone calls and so on,” says McElvaney. “Assessment work with a child and family can take up to three hours in the morning. Then you might have two therapy appointments with children in the afternoon. Then there are meetings, supervision of other staff and maybe teaching.”

However, she finds the work consistently stimulating. “You are constantly exploring different possibilities and trying to see things from other people’s perspectives — understanding what it might be like to be in that person’s shoes.”