Psychologist
Today, our featured career is ‘Psychologist’. Psychology as an academic subject is the study of the human mind and human behaviour. The brain remains one of the most mysterious and least understood parts of the human body, but understanding how we think and what can go wrong is crucial to solving many problems. Psychologists use their understanding of the brain to treat mental health conditions, to improve education, to help solve crimes and reduce criminality, to understand how we react to marketing, and much more. This means that a psychologist can work in a range of settings. Clinical psychologists work in healthcare in hospitals or primary care centres, whereas research psychologists might work in universities, forensic psychologists in the police, and marketing psychologists for private businesses.
Dr Reena Vohora
Current Role: Chartered Clinical Psychologist
Undergraduate Degree: Psychology BSc, University of Leicester
Brief Biography: Having studied psychology at the University of Leicester, Dr Reena Vohora then trained in chartered clinical psychology. An advocate of building diverse experience, she worked at a memory clinic and stroke inpatient ward prior to pursuing clinical training. Now a chartered clinical psychologist, Dr Reena Vohora holds several positions, demonstrating the flexibility available to qualified NHS staff. Alongside running her own private practice, Dr Reena Vohora tutors on the University of Oxford doctoral clinical psychology course. Here she mentors aspiring clinical psychologists, sharing her expertise in clinical skills, professional practice and cognitive impairment.
Aika Hui
Current Role: Trainee Clinical Psychologist
Undergraduate Degree: Psychological & Behavioural Sciences BA, University of Cambridge
Brief Biography: A psychological & behavioural sciences graduate from Cambridge University, Aika Hui is currently training to become a clinical psychologist. Now studying at the University of Oxford, her time is divided between placements, lectures and doctorate research. On placement she is exposed to various NHS services, working with diverse patient demographics while developing essential clinical skills. Furthermore, as part of the lecture component of her training Aika Hui collaborates with top academics and clinicians, learning about exciting new research and treatment plans. This informs the research aspect of her doctorate, providing an effective understanding of both clinical and research nuances.
In the video below Dr Reena Vohora and Aika Hui introduce themselves and their work as clinical psychologists:
The Human Brain
As a psychologist, your job is to understand how the brain contributes to someone’s personality and behaviour. To do this best, you need to have a strong grasp of the distinct functions of different parts of the brain. In today’s activities you will learn about the peculiar pseudoscientific origins of the study of the human brain and how scientists today study and understand its parts.
Want to know more?
To find out more about working as a psychologist, either in academic roles, helping treat people as a clinical psychologist or in forensic psychology, take a look at the following explore-a-career pages:
- Oxford University Careers Service: Psychology
- National Careers Service: Job group: Psychologists
- The British Psychological Society: Become a Psychologist
- PROSPECTS
To explore other career options that might interest you, there are lots of tool available! We recommend starting by exploring job sectors and occupations on the following websites:
Talking to people who are currently doing a role you are interested in, organising some work experience where you can shadow someone doing this role, or reading first-hand accounts from people working in the area you are interested in can all help you find out more about a particular job!
To find out more about studying a subject at University, you can also talk to current St John’s students using Inspire Chat by clicking here!