There are few steps involved for one to become a psychologist in Kenya. Psychology was not a hot cake profession few year ago, but after the emergency of many depression and mental related cases, several institutions started recruiting psychologists.
To become a psychologist, here are the steps to follow:
Step 1
Enroll for a psychology related course. You won’t become a psychologist without undergraduate, masters or PhD course. There are many universities offering psychology courses, they include:
- The university of Nairobi
- Moi University
- Egerton University
- Kenyatta University
- JKUAT
- Mount Kenya University
Undergraduate course takes 4 years, Masters 2 years and PhD 4 years.
Step2
Register with Kenya Psychological Association
Kenya Psychological association is the organization formed to certify psychologists in Kenya. It’s a requirement for all Psychologists to register with the organization so as to become more competitive in the market.
Here are the requirements for registration:
You hold a Doctoral degree in a specialized field in Psychology from an accredited academic institution.
You hold a Masters degree in a specialized field in Psychology from an accredited academic institution
You are from another country and hold a Doctoral or Masters degree in a specialized field of Psychology and are licensed, chartered or registered/ entitled to practice as a professional psychologist in your own country of origin.
You hold a BA degree in Psychology from an accredited academic institution.
You are a student currently pursuing Psychology at PhD, MA or BA level in an accredited academic institution.
Step 3
Acquire professional experience
There is no way you can call yourself a psychologist without acquiring professional experience. This is necessary for any professional job. With undergraduate course and more than 3 years of professional experience, one will be ripe enough to deal with clients with serious conditions.
The competition for jobs in Kenya is stiff. The best thing to do as a psychologist is to study up to PhD level. By doing so, you will be at the best position to secure a well-paying job.
Psychologists work in hospitals, colleges, mental hospitals, VCT centers, county governments, government parastatals and NGOs.The salary of a PhD holder ranges between Ksh200,000 and Ksh 500,000 per month. If you are employed with a Master’s degree, you must earn more than Ksh 120,000.
You also have the option of starting your own firm where you do counselling for patients and people with mental and psychological cases.
