What is this guide all about?
 
You may have assumed that university will teach you everything you need to know about the transition from university to the workforce. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but get ready to be thrown in the deep end.
 
You learn a lot during your time at university. You learn how to write an assignment, how to memorise facts, and how to do statistics (well, I didn't absorb anything...but I'm sure some of you did). You learn about report writing, about confidentiality, about ethics, and about types of therapy.
 
But here's what you don't learn....
 
How to turn a 25 page report into a 3 page report.
How to actually, properly implement therapy.
How to work with specific presentations, such as children with autism.
How to choose your professional development courses to best suit the types of clients you want to see
How to work as part of a stakeholder team that includes parents, teachers, and other therapists.
How to appropriately work within the ethical boundaries while working with children who want to lie on the floor, hug you, and run around.
How to take care of your own mental health.
How to navigate the world of psychology and get a job that is right for you.
 
This guide won't cover everything in this checklist, otherwise it would be 700 pages long. But, using my own experiences, this guide will help you navigate work experience, choose the placements that are right for you, buy appropriate resources, choose a job, choose a salary package, psychology self-care, setting professional goals, manage imposter syndrome, boundary setting, teach you how to build your therapeutic 'tool kit' and so much more.
 
This guide is the a way to introduce you to a career in psychology with the hints and tips that everyone who came before you wished they had. But please note, this guide is not to replace any specific questions you may have. For specific questions, you can always book a time to see a guidance officer in the psychology department, or ask your supervisor.