Psychologists are important professionals in the health service field that plays a major role in providing mental health care to patients in hospitals, clinics or private settings. They use scientific methods to study the human mind and work mainly with people who are mentally ill. They help people find ways of functioning better, for example- guide and train people to handle stress in the workplace. Psychologists work in many different settings. The primary employment settings are academic (university and college), educational (elementary and secondary schools, business and industry, and other human service settings. There many psychologists who work individually with clients, while other treats patients with a team of professionals.

Nevertheless, over the past few years, specialty areas in psychology have increased drastically, which in turn resulted in offering a wide range of career options. While some fields concentrate on research, there are many others that primarily focus on practical applications of psychological principles. In fact, it won't be wrong to say that today there are many possible career options for psychology professionals. It is one of the most versatile degrees you can earn.

Today there are several areas of specialization in psychology; and within each area, one may select sub-specialties in which to teach, conduct research, be a practitioner, or some combination of these three activities. So, if you have decided to do a major in psychology, but finding difficult to select the specialization, below are a few of the professions in psychology that have a very strong job prospects. Here are some of the top psychology career options or programs you may consider when you start to plan your career:

Clinical Psychology- Itis one of the single largest employment areas within the field of psychology. Working as a clinical psychologist, your responsibility may generally revolve around reviewing, diagnosing and treating patients suffering from psychological disorders. As a clinical psychologist, you may work in mental health clinics, hospital settings or private practice. So, to become a clinical psychologist, you must have a doctoral-level degree in clinical psychology and these days many states require a minimum of a one-year internship.

Child Psychology- This is one of the many branches of psychology and the most frequently studied specialty areas. This particular branch primarily focuses on the behavior and mind of children from prenatal development through teenage years. It is unique, complex, and differs in terms of the unique perspective a child psychologist take when approaching development. This is one of the few branches of psychology that encompasses a wide range of topics, starting right from the genetic influences on the child behavior to the social pressures on child's mental development.

Industrial & Organizational Psychology- This is yet another important subfield of psychology that basically focuses on workplace behavior and frequently uses different principles of psychology to improve employee productivity and select employees that are best-suited for particular jobs. The most interesting aspect of this psychology is it deeply roots in experimental and differential psychology, and has a number of different sub-areas like personnel psychology, human-computer interaction and human factors. These days, many companies are hiring industrial and organizational psychologists to help refurbish certain aspects of their company.

Forensic Psychology- In the last few years, this has emerged as one of the most preferred psychology careers. As a forensic psychologist, you may require performing duties like scrutinizing insurance claims, investigate child custody disputes, perform child custody evaluations or even investigate suspected child abuse. The career may be filled with extreme challenges, but yet it is an interesting choice providing numerous prospects for career growth.

Today, certainly making career in psychology is gaining more popularity and many students are enrolling in different psychology programs. While salaries can vary from state to state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a faster than average growth for psychologists. Apart from this, the employment of psychologists is also expected to grow at 15 percent from 2006 to 2016, which is faster than the average for all occupations.