Psychology is a very broad science, and precisely for this reason, those who dedicate themselves to it cannot afford to try to cover everything: to offer a quality service, you have to specialize.
Now… What are the functions of each of these branches of Psychology? In many cases, the tasks of those who dedicate themselves to one of them differ greatly from the day-to-day work of other specialized psychologists. In this case, we are going to focus on explaining what child psychologists do by putting your knowledge and experience to use to help people.
Child Psychology is the study of the psychological processes of children and intervention on them wherever problems exist, to improve the quality of life of minors and their caregivers and family members. Although it may seem otherwise due to its name, in practice this branch of Psychology also encompasses the experiences of adolescents, which is why this discipline is often called “Child and Adolescent Psychology.”
Thus, we could say that in general Child Psychology investigates and intervenes on the behavior patterns of minors, on their way of managing their emotions and thoughts and also offers support to caregivers and families so that, from home, they are able to generate an adequate context in which the boy or girl can develop appropriately, taking into account their characteristics and needs.
It is also important to know that although this definition is very broad, in practice, most child psychologists orient their work towards the clinical and/or health field, whether providing therapy, providing support to families with children with developmental disorders, etc. . Now, it is relatively common for them to collaborate with schools and institutes, to be part of the perinatal psychology services of a health center, to intervene in the field of social work, etc.
On the other hand, although both disciplines partly overlap, We must not fall into the mistake of believing that Child Psychology and Educational Psychology are the same ; On the one hand, the educational context goes far beyond the childhood stage, and on the other, child psychologists work with situations and experiences that are not directly related to the way in which a minor experiences educational processes. (formal education or informal education) in which you are involved.
What are the functions of the child psychologist?
Going more specifically, the tasks that define the day-to-day life of child psychologists are, in general, the following (although not every professional has to dedicate themselves to all of them).
1. Provide assistance to fathers and mothers
Some of the most common work of child psychologists has to do with inform and provide psychological assistance to parents with doubts about the well-being of their son or daughter, or about the most effective and appropriate parenting methods. This type of task can be carried out either in private sessions by requesting an appointment at the consultation, or through general training and awareness programs, such as courses, talks and workshops.
2. Establish child welfare programs and protocols in schools
This includes apply bullying prevention and management models, assist in communication tasks with parents detect signs of neurodevelopmental disorder or learning disorders, ensure that schools meet the standards of inclusion and psychosocial support for functional diversity, etc.
3. Facilitate the diagnosis of disorders in childhood and youth
The training of child psychologists allows them quickly detect signs and symptoms of possible mental, developmental or neurological disorders that may affect the psychological growth process of the little ones, thus leading to an early diagnosis.
4. Intervene in child and adolescent therapy
Psychological disorders that affect children and adolescents have a series of characteristics that require the attention of psychologists specialized in these age groups
