A child psychologist is a special type of psychologist who deals with chidren exclusively. They may work on a private basis, or be employed by various institutions where children are commonly found, such as kindergartens, schools and hospitals. A child psychologist acts as an advisor for children, which doesn’t only include dealing with problematic children but also answering to pleas for help by troubled ones and helping them cope with their burdens. A child psychologist usually aims to help children improve their personality traits and develop into adults in a better manner.
Becoming a child psychologist will require some form of certification in the field of psychology, though the specific requirements aren’t that strict – possession of at least one certification related to a branch of psychology will usually be enough to find employment as a child psychologist. Additionally, the candidate must have a very friendly and trustworthy personality, as working with children requires the psychologist to be much more delicate in their actions than working with adults.
A child psychologist can earn between $55,000 and $70,000 a year, mostly depending on where they’re employed at – those working at hospitals tend to receive higher salaries than child psychologists working at schools and kindergartens. Some prestigious schools compensate their child psychologists highly, as they do with the rest of their staff members, and a child psychologist can earn up to $90,000 in such cases – though of course, the qualifications required for obtaining employment in a school of this type usually far exceed the standard ones.