A career in Psychology

COVER STORY

It was really fascinating to see how Psychology was part of every subject I studied at the university. While cramming Jean Piaget's learning theories or reading Wuthering Heights from a psychoanalytical perspective or studying psycholinguistics, I felt like psychology followed us everywhere. Do you feel the same way?

I always think Psychology’s interdisciplinary nature is its biggest strength which makes it one of the most exciting careers to pursue in the 21st Century. So, recently, visiting the Institute of Clinical Psychology (ICP), University of Karachi (UoK) was a dream come true for me. While studying Psychology as a subsidiary at UoK, I would watch ICP buses whiz past me. I would wonder what ICP was and if it was a place where clinical psychologists treat schizophrenia, phobias, bipolar disorder and all other kinds of psychological disorders.

On my visit, I met Prof. Dr. Uzma Ali, the Director of ICP, who after joining ICP has been working dedicatedly for the development of the field of Clinical Psychology in Pakistan. Dr. Uzma talks about her experience of studying Psychology, what ICP does, and why Psychology is a great career…

What motivated you to study Psychology?

My elder brother is a doctor and I always looked up to him for inspiration. So, like him, I also wanted to get into the medical field. But then, I didn’t get enough marks in Matric to study Science subjects which eventually led me to Fine Arts and Psychology as my subjects of interest. My first Psychology lecture in college was the turning point for me. After listening to my teacher talk about Psychology, I got so impressed that I told myself I would definitely become a psychologist. Since my teacher was training at ICP at that time, she would often talk about the institute and her experiences with the clients in class. Those conversations were a huge source of motivation for me. And I was also doing well in tests!

After college, I went on to study Psychology at UoK. Even teachers at UoK were gems! They inspired me so much that my interest in Psychology grew with time and all I wanted to do was keep exploring the subject.

After completing Masters, I joined ICP as a student of post-magistral diploma in Clinical Psychology. Then, I did my PhD here. After that I started teaching at ICP as a cooperative teacher; then I was promoted to assistant professor, and then associate professor, then professor and finally I joined ICP as a director in 2017.

Tell us about ICP.

Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi, a Higher Education Commission Institute, was established in 1983. Prof. Dr. Farrukh Z. Ahmad conceptualized the idea of establishing this institute and was appointed its first director.

At the time of its establishment, it was the only place in Pakistan that provided clinical facilities along with academic activities. So, ICP provides three types of facilities: teaching, training and research. ICP also organizes national and international training programmes, awareness seminars and workshops for students, professionals, and general public.

At our clinic facility, we cater to both children and adults; we conduct various psychological assessments, provide psychotherapy, counseling, diagnostic assessments for criminal court and forensic purposes. Since it’s a government institute, we charge a minimum of Rs 50 for a session.

The institute has its own Board of Governors, a Selection Board, and an Academic Committee.

What degrees and certifications are offered at ICP?

We offer post-graduation programmes that include MPhil and PhD in Clinical Psychology and Diploma in Clinical Psychology, Rehabilitation of Childhood Disorder and Hypnotherapy.

From 2020, we will offer an internationally certified Diploma in Addiction Sciences which is a huge development for us. Another great thing is that this diploma is not going to be restricted to psychology students only. Sociologists, social workers, educators, doctors and nurses can also apply and study addiction sciences! Addiction is one of the biggest issues our society faces and that’s why we want to reach out to professionals from different fields and work on this together.

What’s the scope of Psychology in Pakistan?

I think psychology is more popular than ever because now there is more awareness regarding mental health. Social media and internet have really helped create that awareness which has led to a greater demand for mental health services in schools, hospitals, corporate organizations and NGOs. If I just talk about ICP, there are 3000 new clients every month! People are now more willing to learn about their mental health and seek help.

So, qualified psychologists and clinical psychologists are needed in hospitals and clinics as mental health providers in, for example, oncology and diabetes units, because mental health is as important as physical health.

Another broad area is education psychology. It’s a sub-field and universities also offer specialization in educational psychology. You can, especially, work in special schools or work as counsellors in schools. We all know how much kids need support in our times when bullying, peer pressure and academic stress are so common. Our diploma in Rehabilitation of Childhood Disorder is all about learning to diagnose children with mental health problems, and carry out appropriate therapies and rehabilitate them. Speech therapy is another area to explore.

A great news we just had is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly has adopted a resolution to have psychologists included as faculty in schools and colleges to cater to the students’ emotional, behavioural, and educational needs.

Along with this, recently the National Assembly has also passed a bill to establish Pakistan Psychological Council. The council will register psychologists and recognize institutions. We hope this council will also address our issues regarding policy making and funding.

We are glad government is making an effort to prioritize mental health in Pakistan. Other institutes in Pakistan, like Centre of Clinical Psychology in Lahore, have also been contributing to this field. I can positively say that we will see huge developments in the future.

What does ICP offer to students in terms of placement and career counselling?

We have produced more than 100 PhDs since it’s established. And majority of them are now leading Psychology departments in various universities across Pakistan. They always reach out to us when they need faculty and we assist them in hiring the right people.

We have been collaborating with various health and educational organizations and whenever they are ready to hire psychologists we are asked for recommendations. We also help them decide salaries, and assist them in the selection process.

What’s the most rewarding and challenging thing about the field of Psychology?

One of the rewarding things is to see people feel better after all your hard work. You feel like you have found purpose in life. Then, comes personal growth. When you are on a mission to improve others, you end up working on yourself. You learn to be more positive and empathetic. And most importantly, you learn to take better care of yourself and others.

Now, the challenging thing is lack of funds for research. Students really have to struggle and manage things on their own. You can’t imagine psychology without research and research is costly! For example, standardized psychological assessment scales are quite expensive and you have to purchase them from other parts of the world in order to conduct your research. I remember a PhD student had to stop in the middle of her research to take a job to save money for her research work.

We really want government to invest in this area so that some quality research work could be done here in our academic institutes.

What makes a good psychologist?

First thing is empathy because you are dealing with human beings. You need to be patient with your clients and listen to them with genuine concern. If you’re not able to do that, you will find it really hard to succeed in this profession.

In the beginning, you might find it difficult to be calm and composed while dealing with clients, but eventually you will learn to empathize with them. I remember my first client told me she would slap me during the session and I got terrified. But then I overcame my fear and remained patient with her!

Another thing is you must have complete knowledge of the ethical concerns involved in this profession.

Tell us about research work done at ICP and share some of your notable research with Us.

With regards to research work at ICP, we have developed our own personality tests, and various scales related to CBT, anxiety and childhood disorder. One of the most popular one is “Reliability assessment of ICP cognitive distortions scale”.

We publish two journals, Clinical Psychology and Pakistan Journal of Clinical Psychology, regularly.

One of my major collaborative researches include Child Abuse and Neglect: living with or without parents for which we worked with Edhi Foundation on how the absence of parents lead to behavioural problems in children living in orphanages. Another one is Permissive Parenting Style of Parents Predicting Psychopathology in their Children.

How would your students describe you?

They say I am very polite and kind-hearted. Some of my students say, “Madam, as soon as we come and discuss things with you, our stress just melts away!”

Best compliment you have ever received?

Doing a course in hypnotherapy really changed my life. When the master trainer of the course gave me the title of “Transformation Tiger”, I felt really motivated. It was like a compliment and I can never forget that!

Any advice for students who want to pursue a career in psychology?

1- Get into the habit of reading. You will be reading a lot of stuff other than just your main course books.

2- Work on your basic concepts in the initial stage of your studies. A strong foundation will help you with understanding complex ideas later on.

3- Do internships to explore your interests. Work in hospitals, clinics or special schools to see how theory is put into practice. And also build connections on the go!