Index IntroductionRole DescriptionPersonal SkillPersonal AttributeWorks CitedIntroductionFinding the "right" career is extremely crucial. A recent study by McCrindle Research (2018) showed that after leaving school, the average Australian will have 17 employers from age 18 until retirement. “Looking for work no longer means just a job, but rather looking for a calling,” as stated by Berg, Grant, and Johnson (2010). Additionally, people seek careers that provide meaning and fulfillment of core personal values. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay So, the purpose of this essay is to find out whether choosing Educational and Developmental Psychology is the “right” profession based on my skills and attributes and values. Finding the specialty that resonates with one in choosing a career is important for the reasons mentioned above. A brief overview of the EDP will be provided, following the self-assessment of how my skills, attributes and values ​​align with my chosen profession. To practice as a psychologist in any Australian state or territory, you must be registered with the Psychology Board of Australia (PsyBA), which is the national council for psychologists. PsyBA is supported by the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Agency (AHPRA). AHPRA implements the national registration and accreditation system. Additionally, AHPRA registration requires psychologists to (a) hold accredited qualifications, (b) follow the Australian Psychological Society (APS) code of ethics and guidelines, (c) engage in regular continuing professional development (CPD), (d) go through a formal audit process of their professional practice and continuing professional development (APS, 2018a). It is also important to be aware that school psychologists must also take into account federal, state, and local laws that govern their practice and advocacy practices. Role Description Educational and Developmental Psychologists (EDPs) work with individuals/groups across the lifespan and are particularly concerned with the development and learning of individuals. Areas of activity include: early childhood, school years, adolescence, adulthood, late adulthood. Similar to other psychologists, EDPs identify, assess, report and diagnose psychological problems. Their role in particular involves; program and intervention design and evaluation, consultancy, research, curriculum development and consultation with individuals and groups. They also design training and professional development programs. Specializing as an educational and developmental psychologist, I want to become a school psychologist. Therefore, the job description provided below covers the location of the profession, as well as what the roles, duties, and purpose of school psychologists are. School psychologists work as professionals, researchers, or administrators. Most school psychologists are found in educational settings. Other locations include clinics, community organizations, hospitals and universities. School psychologists provide "direct" support such as psychological treatment and counseling (e.g. addressing emotional and social problems), psychological assessments (administering and interpreting tests, such as cognitive functioning), behavioral assessments (e.g. observing the student in a school setting ), psychological or educational assessment (e.g. assessing the child's learning progress based on the school curriculum). A significant role of school psychologists involves “service“indirect” which provides support indirectly through consultation with teachers, parents, guardians or other stakeholders. School psychologists also engage in the design of school-wide preventative programs, for those students who do not require direct or indirect support. This includes, but is not limited to, information sessions for teachers and parents, implementation of anti-bullying programs or crisis intervention strategies. The duties and roles of a psychologist are intended to promote the creation and maintenance of a learning environment supportive, friendly and helpful. As indicated above, this is done by encouraging learning, socialization and good mental health. In cases where a psychologist is unable to meet the child's needs, he or she refers the child to external resources or agencies, that will help both the student and the school reach their full potential. Personal Skills Having effective communication skills as a psychologist is one of the most important aspects of the psychologist-client relationship. School psychologists interact not only with students but also with teachers, school authorities and parents. Therefore, it is necessary to work in a context that involves communicating with a large audience to negotiate problems/conflicts, discuss shared decisions and facilitate change. To meet this requirement, you need to understand what applying effective communication skills entails. Active listening, concentration, self-disclosure, paraphrasing and synthesis, questioning, observation, participation, empathy and understanding non-verbal communication (i.e. body language) are all components of effective communication skills. In other words, it is about how you respond to what the client says, shows, and suggests, which requires careful observation, keen listening, and accurate interpretation of the client's feelings. Additionally, research has shown that clinicians with adequate communication skills have a better impact on mental health outcomes; how to decrease emotional distress in their patients. Below is a personal example, which indicates how effective communication plays a crucial role in a counseling/psychology session with clients. In my role as a school counselor, one of the students sought help due to personal and family issues. She was determined to start working, but was distressed by the work's possible effect on her studies and her parents' reaction to her decision. In the context of counseling, he briefly mentioned why he wanted to work; however, he indicated that he did not want to cause emotional conflict for his parents. In that context, she needed assistance/guidance to find a solution that would allow her to tell her parents, without causing potential arguments or emotional pain. As a counselor, I validated his feelings. So, together with the student, we explored all available options, and at the end of the counseling session, she was still emotionally affected by her decision and its possible outcomes. At that time, self-disclosure was used as a strategy to help the student get into a more positive state of mind. I recounted a recognizable personal incident, in which I had felt equally distressed about the outcome of my decision. The personal example I gave was as follows: I wanted to volunteer for the first time in year 12 and my guardian accepted the idea of ​​volunteering on the condition that I start only after completion of year 12. It required patience and effort, but my guardian understood my decision and we agreed on a win-win situation. As discussed with my guardian, I started tovolunteering when I started college. At the end of the counseling session, the student felt comfortable with the personal experience I had provided her and was able to move forward with her decision without any visible form of discomfort. Having shared a personal experience, the student felt she was not alone and it had an impact on reducing her stress. This was one of the examples that demonstrated the effectiveness of communication skills (such as listening, concentration and self-disclosure (also used as a way to establish rapport and trust)). Personal Attribute Flexibility is another important factor in meeting customer needs. For example, using only client-centered therapy with all clients cannot meet all of their needs as discussed by Parker (1987), but rather, as a psychologist, you need to make your approach more flexible. This has also been observed by me, in my role as a school counselor, as noted below. During my role as a counselor, I was approached by a student who wanted to seek help with some personal issues. This was an interesting case, because she came looking for help but wasn't willing to share what the problem was. In the first session I spoke mostly because she didn't share any information. Furthermore, to every question I asked, he responded "I don't feel comfortable talking about it." After having a couple of sessions with the student, I realized that she had a very “introverted and reserved” personality which was an obstacle for her to express her needs. She was very calm but was willing to get help. Knowing that the student had that type of personality, I used a different approach to help him. I started talking about more general topics to provide her with a comfortable environment. Worksheets were used to find out the problem, as students were more responsive to worksheets than verbal communication. This was a way for me to adapt and change how I responded to my client's needs. This is important because sticking to a predetermined approach or strategy is not effective when different clients require a different counseling or therapeutic approach. According to Ramarajan and Thomas (2010), due to the increase in diversity in recent decades, members of minority or disadvantaged groups are less stigmatized and achieve more equitable outcomes within organizations. For example, Kalev and his colleagues (2006) found that the percentage of White women, Black women, and Black men has increased dramatically over the past two decades as industries have changed. This has been observed in organizations, which in particular, have structured their work around promoting diversity. In another study by Beckman and Phillips (2005), which focuses on women partners in the legal sector, found that the percentage of women partners in the legal sector is growing, due to gender diversity. Furthermore, Ramarajan and Thomas (2011) stated that increased diversity in organizations is a result of increasing members of disadvantaged and stigmatized groups. This is a vicious cycle in which increasing diversity potentially increases the chances of racial and gender equality and vice versa. These articles point to the importance of diversity, both inside and outside organizations. Furthermore, they show how diversity creates a positive impact on increasing members of stigmatized and disadvantaged groups in the workplace. In the next paragraphs, I will discuss my personal experience of how I was exposed to diversity and the importance of promoting diversity. In 2013, during my first, 16(4), 36-40.