Psychology Major Meets Career
Psychology graduates have sharpened their intellect, deepened intuition, nourished compassion, and embodied confidence. This is essential ground for career success. Graduates with these abilities are able to open fully to themselves, as well as be effective in the world. Having acquired this skill set, our graduates can be found in careers across numerous sectors, including counseling, education, alternative healthcare, case management at county agencies, not-for-profit and social justice agencies, business administration and organizational leadership, human resources, and entrepreneurial enterprises.
Discover Career Pathways for Psychology Graduates
Career Options
Human Services
- Mentorship
- Coaching
- Elderly Care
- Crisis Work
- Rehabilitation Services
- Advocacy
- Grant Writing
- Policy Reform
- Nonprofit Fundraising
- Testing / Assessment
- Case Management
- Physical Health / Wellness
- Residential Treatment
- Hospice
- Homeless Shelter
- Prisons
Research
- Neuroscience
- Social Research
- Market Research
- Data Analysis
Education
- Teaching Assistant
- Tutoring
- ESL—Teaching English as a Second Language
- Higher Education: Admissions, Advising, Alumni, Study Abroad, Financial Aid
- Summer Camp Counselor
Somatic/Dance Therapy
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Mentorship
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Coaching
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Working in schools
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Collaborating with nonprofits
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Supporting underserved populations and human service programs
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Graduate degree is advisable
Human Resources
- Coordination / Recruitment
- Training and Development
- Benefits and Compensation
- On-boarding/Training
- Diversity and Inclusion
Technology
- User-Experience
- Client Management
- Product Design
Art Therapy
- Mentorship
- Coaching
- Collaborating with nonprofits
- Working in schools
- Supporting underserved populations and human service programs
- Graduate degree is advisable
Business
- Strategy/Audience Profiles / Personas
- Market and Behavioral Research
- Client Management
- Sales
- Public Relations
- Product Design
- Advertising, Marketing
Potential Employers
Human Services
- Federal / State / Local Governments: Health and Human Services, Veteran/Justice Services, State hospitals
- Nursing / Retirement Homes
- Outpatient Clinics
- Rehabilitation clinics
- Testing Centers
- Mentorship Organizations
- Start Your Own Coaching Business
Research
- Market Research Firms
- Federal / State / Local Government
- Consulting Firms
- Universities and Colleges
- Nonprofits
Business
- Marketing Agencies
- Advertising Agencies
- Consulting Firms
- Retail stores
- Real Estate companies
- Sales Firms
Human Resources
- Any organization you are interested in that has a human resources department
- Government
- Nonprofits
- Hospitals
- Higher Education
Education
- Public, Private, Charter & Waldorf schools
- Colleges and Universities
- Nonprofits re: College Prep
- Tutoring agencies
- ESL programs
Career Path Preparedness
Strategies for Success
- Sign up for the Internship class and complete an internship related to the psychology/counseling field. See the Career & Life Development office on MyNaropa for the full internship site list and for a variety of different organizations to get involved in.
- Get involved in school leadership groups & resources i.e. SUN, the Naropa Community & Student Counseling Centers, residence halls, CARE team, CReST, conflict/mediation support, leadership groups, etc.
- Complete a service learning project aligned with your career goals/path. See your COR professors & advisors for details.
- Align your classes, curriculum, research projects and thesis/capstone projects with your career goals/path.
- Volunteer at community organizations that align with your career goals & provide the opportunity for hands-on training: crisis hotlines, youth support, homeless population services, LGBTQIA+ organizations, eating disorder foundations, elderly care, mentorship, tutoring, etc.
- Earn a minor in a specialized field of interest.
- Participate in community training opportunities offered by various organizations i.e. Trauma Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, ASSIST suicide training, Crisis Training, Right Use of Power, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, among others.
- Become fluent in a foreign language to serve a variety of populations.
- Familiarize yourself with partner organizations/community resources that can best serve those populations that you want to work with.
- Get started in an entry-level position in clinical counseling setting, private counseling and/or agency environment.
- Pursue a graduate degree in psychology, counseling, or social work. See Continuing Education section for more information.
Continuing Education
If you plan on continuing your education in counseling/psychology in terms of a graduate degree, there are several things you will want to keep in mind while in your undergraduate studies:
- Academic work, and the way you show up is VERY important. Put in your best effort academically and aim for a high grade point average.
- Relationships matter. REALLY matter. Build positive connections while in the Naropa community with faculty, staff, colleagues, etc. These relationships will continue to support you, and you can ask those same people to provide recommendation letters for your graduate degree applications!
- Get experience! A lot of it. Either through academic, internship, volunteer, or work opportunities. This will bolster your application and CV immensely!
Alumnx Spotlight
Getting connected with Naropa Alumnx is a great way to build your professional network and resources. Some ways to get involved are:
- Connect with Naropa’s Office of Development and the Alumnx Relations Officer at 303-546-3594 or nualumni@naropa.edu.
- Join Naropa University’s Facebook page
- Visit the Alumnx & Resources page.
- Reach out to Naropa Alumnx on Linkedln
- Attend Career & Life Development events and Alumnx panels
