Because of their medical training, psychiatrists are the only therapists who are qualified to prescribe medications. Therefore they often end up working with people with serious mental illnesses that require medications, such as psychosis, depression or other serious disorders. To become a psychiatrist, one must attend medical school, which remains highly competitive. Students interested in this field should take all the pre-med requirements and plan to be eligible, in terms of GPA, MCAT scores and research experience, for entrance into medical school. In terms of shaping your career, what matters at least as much as the degree you obtain is the client group with whom you choose to work.
Many programs train graduate students to work as generalists, with a variety of types of clients.
However, many therapists find that they enjoy working with certain types of individuals or in certain settings. While the list is extensive, some of the most common specialties are described below. Hospitals and Health Settings . The field of health psychology is growing rapidly. Health psychologists focus on the prevention of disease and maintenance of health.