The subfield of psychology that resonates most with me is clinical psychology.
Clinical psychology involves treating people who have mental health problems, as well as
administering tests such as IQ tests and exams that test for learning disorders, among
other things. I have been seeing the same clinical psychologist every week since I was
ten years old, so I am very familiar with a lot of the services she offers, including testing
(which is never a good time). Since I’ve experienced it so much and know a bit about it
already, clinical psychology wins my attention.

            I think the image or stereotype in my head of psychology is different than the
average person’s. In my mind, I see the most brilliant people I’ve ever known. I see
people who try desperately to help me solve my problems while quietly dealing with
their own in ways that would never make you worry about them or even think that they
have their own family problems, but of course they do. I see people who care about their
clients and deliver first-rate medical care, even if it means sleepless nights for them as
they try to help me sleep in a residential treatment center, or taking on my stress as I
unleash my week’s worth of stored up anxiety every Monday.

            I also see the faces of people who are undertrained and unqualified to work with
people who struggle with mental illness. I see them make poor word choices as well as
poor decisions in their actions. I see them hurt more than help. I’ve experienced that
myself. But overall, I see smart people who spent years and years studying in order to
help me live my life as close to a normal human being as I possibly can. I don’t tell them
often enough how much I appreciate it. But I think they know.

            But what do I think the average Joe sees when they’re told to imagine a
psychologist? A couch with a head but no foot, and a man sitting in a chair opposite
them writing down every response to every question verbatim, picking through their
brain and invading their privacy just for fun.

            This image begins to fall apart in a number of ways in the study I read. Brinthaupt,
Counts, and Hurst wanted to discover the common stereotypes about psychology as a
field and more specifically a psychology degree. They asked the students in a required
college course called Seminar on Careers in Psychology to participate in their research
project. The man sitting in the chair image loses its validity when you learn that of the 81
students in this class, 65 were women and 16 were men (Brinthaupt et al., 2012). Far
more women earn psychology degrees than men, yet the dominant stereotypical image
is that of a male.

            The experience varies between practitioner in my experience. For example, my

psychologist is female and does not take notes during our session because she wants her
clients to feel that she is fully engaged in the conversation, preferring to write down
notes after session is completed. On the other hand, my psychiatrist is male and does
take notes during our sessions. I have noticed the upward trend in female psychology
professionals, and I hope it continues.
References
Brinthaupt, T. M., Counts, V. E., Hurst, J. R. (2012). Stereotypes about the psychology
degree: Students sources and beliefs. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 39(3-4), 229-
242.