{"id":1016,"date":"2019-07-09T13:18:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-09T17:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/?page_id=1016"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:10:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T21:10:01","slug":"exploring-psychology-specialties","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/online\/resources\/program-resources\/exploring-psychology-specialties\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring Psychology Specialties"},"content":{"rendered":"

While psychology may appear to be a homogenous field of study, this simply isn\u2019t the case. Psychologists actually work in a myriad of subfields and settings, studying human minds and behavior through different lenses. A few of the most common psychology specialties\u00a0are explained below.<\/p>\n

Psychology Specialties<\/h2>\n

Educational Psychology<\/h2>\n

Educational psychology is a subfield concerned with the way people learn and teach. Educational psychologists study concepts related to student motivation, abilities and how certain classroom settings impact those of different races, ethnicities and cultures. They ask questions such as \u201cHow does age affect our ability to learn new skills?\u201d or \u201cHow do media platforms influence learning outcomes?\u201d<\/p>\n

A significant part of their work involves understanding effective teaching methods. To explore this, educational psychologists may study learning styles, how students and teachers interact with each other and their environments, and how people learn in environments other than the classroom. Ultimately, the work of educational psychologists is meant to improve the quality of education for all.<\/p>\n

Clinical Psychology<\/h2>\n

Clinical psychologists treat a variety of mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. These conditions can range from short-term issues to chronic illnesses. No practice is the same; those who work in clinical psychology may be trained in a host of theories and techniques. Clinical psychologists have careers in a variety of disciplines including research, organizational program development and evaluation, professional practice, integrated healthcare, teaching and more. Some professionals focus on particular populations (such as children). Their work helps to improve the lives and well-being of their clients.<\/p>\n

Industrial\/Organizational (I\/O) Psychology<\/h2>\n

When conditions improve in the workplace, it is often due to the direct or indirect work of industrial\/organizational psychologists (also called I\/O psychologists). They seek to understand the quality of employee work life, worker health and productivity improvement. Companies often employ them as human resources specialists. I\/O psychologists may work as management consultants, helping companies with organizational change, strategic planning or quality management issues. I\/O psychologists improve elements of businesses such as productivity outcomes, communication and resolving workplace issues. Their work allows businesses to thrive from the inside out.<\/p>\n

Counseling Psychology<\/h2>\n

Counseling psychologists differ from clinical psychologists in the sense that their work is broader. They help people cope with everyday problems in addition to serious ones, and they often apply their training to research. Their work focuses on solving individual or collective problems related to work or behavior. Some examples include attempting to understand how behavior changes based on aging and how behavior varies in different groups based on race, religion or disability. They ultimately help others understand the nature and reasons for behavior.<\/p>\n

Health Psychology<\/h2>\n

Health psychologists<\/a>, according to the American Psychological Association, specialize in \u201chow biological, social and psychological factors influence the choices we make about our health.\u201d The work of health psychologists is often integrated into the work of comprehensive healthcare, where they study mental patterns and practices of patients to improve health outcomes. Examples include seeking to understand why some people don\u2019t follow medical advice, how to control pain most effectively or how to maximize physical well-being.<\/p>\n

Psychology is one of the most universally applicable areas of academic study. Programs like the on-campus<\/a> B.A. in Psychology at Rivier University provide students with the foundation to succeed in this widely relevant field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While psychology may appear to be a homogenous field of study, this simply isn\u2019t the case. Psychologists actually work in a myriad of subfields and settings, studying human minds and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":993,"menu_order":14,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1016","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nExploring Psychology Specialties - Rivier Academics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rivier.edu\/academics\/online\/resources\/program-resources\/exploring-psychology-specialties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exploring Psychology Specialties - Rivier Academics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While psychology may appear to be a homogenous field of study, this simply isn\u2019t the case. 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