Counseling Psychology

Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.

• Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, interpreting and administering contracts and helping resolve work-related problems.
• Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
• Perform difficult staffing duties, including dealing with understaffing, refereeing disputes, firing employees, and administering disciplinary procedures.

Plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization.

• Analyze training needs to develop new training programs or modify and improve existing programs.
• Evaluate instructor performance and the effectiveness of training programs, providing recommendations for improvement.
• Plan, develop, and provide training and staff development programs, using knowledge of the effectiveness of methods such as classroom training, demonstrations, on-the-job training, meetings, conferences, and workshops.

Conduct organizational studies and evaluations, design systems and procedures, conduct work simplification and measurement studies, and prepare operations and procedures manuals to assist management in operating more efficiently and effectively. Includes program analysts and management consultants.

• Gather and organize information on problems or procedures.
• Confer with personnel concerned to ensure successful functioning of newly implemented systems or procedures.
• Analyze data gathered and develop solutions or alternative methods of proceeding.

Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.

• Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
• Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
• Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.

Diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school. May address student learning and behavioral problems and counsel students or families. May design and implement performance plans, and evaluate performance. May consult with other school-based personnel.

• Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
• Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
• Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.

Teach courses in psychology, such as child, clinical, and developmental psychology, and psychological counseling. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as abnormal psychology, cognitive processes, and work motivation.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, laboratory work, assignments, and papers.

Recruit, screen, interview, or place individuals within an organization. May perform other activities in multiple human resources areas.

• Interpret and explain human resources policies, procedures, laws, standards, or regulations.
• Hire employees and process hiring-related paperwork.
• Maintain current knowledge of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and affirmative action guidelines and laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Design or conduct work-related training and development programs to improve individual skills or organizational performance. May analyze organizational training needs or evaluate training effectiveness.

• Present information with a variety of instructional techniques or formats, such as role playing, simulations, team exercises, group discussions, videos, or lectures.
• Obtain, organize, or develop training procedure manuals, guides, or course materials, such as handouts or visual materials.
• Evaluate modes of training delivery, such as in-person or virtual, to optimize training effectiveness, training costs, or environmental impacts.