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psychology major
I want to major in psychology when I go to college. I was watching the show "Obsessed", which deals with people with obsessive compulsive disorder, and I realized that is what I want to do with my life. These psychologists use exposure therapy on their patients in order to help them overcome their OCD.
What would that be called.. a behavioral psychologist?
Also.. what should I declare my major if I decide that's what I want to do with my life?
I want to go into work everyday knowing I'm going to be helping somebody with their intense OCD..
are there therapists who focus specifically on that? Just people who need help overcoming their OCD? Because that's ultimately the type of psychologist i want to be....
Sorry, I'm new at this college thing and I just want a little guidance before I jump into everything.
Thank you.
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Want to answer more questions in the Work & School category?
Maybe give some free advice about: School?
If you want to be a psychologist, the requirements vary depending on where you live.
In most parts of Canada (where I'm from), you need a bachelor's, a master's, and a PhD in psychology.
As for the specialization:
First off, you have to realize that OCD isn't an isolated condition (I should know... I have it!). It's what's termed as an anxiety disorder, which often goes hand in hand with other anxiety disorders. As such, you can't really specialize in just OCD. You would have to broaden your scope a little bit. It's like being a doctor who specializes in heart attacks. You need to be a cardiologist before you can really zone in.
In order to specialize, you would need to find a clinic that specializes in anxiety disorders. I know there's one in my city. You may need to move, to do time as a research assistant, or to work in areas that you aren't so interested in. But it is all worth it to do what you want to.
On behalf of all the OCDelicious people out there, thank you for wanting to help!
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When you go to college, you declare a major within a large field. Generally, you don't declare a specialty until postgraduate study, except in the field of engineering. You would probably major in psychology, then go on to grad school or other formal training.
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