Unsure of a career path? Desperate for some direction? Read ID Your Career this and every Sunday for information on some career options. We look this week at psychology, which appears to be attracting the interest of many young Jamaicans.

MAYBE it’s the increased level of crime and violence on the island, or the stress involved with providing for themselves and or their families. Whatever the reason, more Jamaicans appear to be having mental health problems – whether it’s sleeping disorders, depression or some other, more serious form of mental decay.

It is against this background that an increased number of young Jamaicans are showing an interest in psychology – which caters to treating mental problems. At the same time, an increasing number of schools begin to offer training in the area and at more advanced levels.

Up until a few years ago, the University of the West Indies (UWI), for example, only offered psychology at the level of a first degree. Now, that institution offers training in the subject up to the

Phd level.

Psychologist Dr Pearnel Bell, who has her own private practice along Jarret Street in Montego Bay, sheds light on the career.

How do you feel about psychology?

I think it’s a very, very wonderful profession in that you are helping people in terms of their psychological and mental wellness. Basically, the society that we are a part of today has become so very difficult to live in that there is also now such a greater need for psychologists- not only in terms of remediation, but more so in terms of a positive psychology, which is really teaching people how NOT to become mentally unwelcome.

How important is psychology in the Jamaican setting?

It becomes very important as the society itself faces decay. You are going to find more individuals who are going to become mentally ill. The crime, the violence – all of those factors are going to predispose people to become mentally unwelcome.

How can the psychologists promote wellness?

The work of the psychologists should really be educating people in how to become mentally well, despite all that is happening in the society. So it is really a positive psychology that we want to promote so people become conscious of the fact that the mind can be diseased too so we need to be looking at not only the physical, but also the mental being.

Why did you choose psychology as a profession?

I remember I went to teachers’ college; I am a teacher too by profession. For the first time, I heard the word psychology when I went to college and it was there that I fell in love with psychology. I could now understand myself, especially the mind and how it works. And I thought, ‘wow, this is something that I would want everyone in the world to understand too’, hence my move toward becoming a psychologist.

NOTE: After leaving Moneague Teachers’ College, where she earned her diploma in teaching secondary education, Bell taught for 17 years. She also worked as social worker for a time. She subsequently left for the United States in 1999 to attend Capella University in Minnesota. There she earned her Phd in Clinical Psychology. Now at 47 years old, Bell is a practising psychologist and has been since 2003.

Employment options?

In Jamaica, you have psychologists mostly in private practice and some work in not-for-profit organisations. But most of them are in private practice, and some of them are lecturers at university.

Is psychology lucrative in private practice?

I would think so. Once you have that skill, it is a very lucrative endeavour – especially if you have the clientele. You can earn to about $500,000 PER MONTH.

What is involved in making private practice a success?

I established my practice, but I also volunteered my services at the Committee for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI) in Montego Bay. And when I did that, based on the fact that I was intervening with clients at that level, I was becoming known and establishing myself as a very good psychologist. People began making referrals, and it is through those referrals that I really began to build my practice.

You establish a practice, but you also want to build your reputation. So you give talks, speeches – whether paid or free – so that people get to know you and know your expertise. And you network with other psychologists so they can get you referrals. You make sure that you know what you are about and just do it.

Educational requirements?

You can practise at the master’s level or at the Phd level. (In addition to CXCs and CAPE subjects -including Biology/Human and Social Biology to give you an edge – you will need to have an advanced degree in the field, as Bell noted. The advanced degree may be in clinical or applied psychology as is offered at the UWI, Mona).

Diagnosis: There is personal satisfaction to be derived from pursuing a career in psychology as one is put in a position to help others. There is also, and perhaps more importantly for some people, money to be made in the field. However, there are several years of study and a lot of hard work that will have to be endured before satisfaction and ‘big bucks’ are realised.