Start Your Career Journey: How to Become a Psychologist in Dubai
Here is a comprehensive guide to becoming a psychologist in Dubai. This guide is designed to help anyone who has an interest in becoming a clinical or counseling psychologist, with the ability to practice in Dubai, UAE.
Step 1. Study psychology at university or college.
The first step is to study psychology. Interested students can usually start during high school by taking one or more introductory psychology courses before registering for an undergraduate course in psychology. This is a great way to learn about the breadth and depth of the field of psychology. You will quickly see that psychology is about a lot more than understanding and treating mental health disorders. Specifically, there are many branches of psychology including developmental psychology, personality psychology, abnormal psychology, cross-cultural psychology, social psychology, neuroscience, sensation and perception, counseling psychology, and clinicial psychology (among many others). Studying psychology in high school will expose you to the field and help you decide whether it's something you'd like to pursue further.
Once you decide that you want to study psychology, you will need to register for an undergraduate degree whether in Dubai or abroad. A typical psychology program will give you a stronger foundation in the field. You will take a wide range of required and elective courses in different subfields of psychology. It is important to take elective courses that reflect your academic and career interests. For example, make sure to take abnormal psychology, counseling psychology, and/or clinical psychology if you are planning to become a clinical psychologist or counseling psychologist in Dubai. Similarly, make sure to take social psychology and family psychology if you are interested in doing couples and/or family therapy in Dubai.
University or college is a good opportunity to start building your network. Connect with your professors - meet with them during office hours and talk with them about their research and/or clinicial interests. Volunteer to work with them in their labs or on their projects. Reach out to the psychologists in the community to explore and pursue internship, job shadow, training, and other work/ clinical experience. All of these things will help you build up a strong CV to apply for graduate school.
Step 2. Pursue and obtain a higher degree in psychology.
The next step is to get a graduate degree in psychology. Currently, you are eligible for licensure in Dubai and the UAE if you have a Master's and/or Doctoral degree in Psychology. You will notice that different schools offer different programs - such as Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.Sc.), Doctor of Philisophy (Ph.D.), or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.). You will need to decide whether you want to pursue a Master's and/or Doctoral degree in Psychology. There are pros and cons to both. You will need to fulfill the requirements of your degree program, which will typically include course work, research projects, and work experience (internship and practicum placements).
It is standard practice for newly graduated psychologists to work under the supervision of more seasoned psychologists at the beginning of their career. We currently have an Early Career Professional (ECP) program available at Thrive where we are able to offer reduced-fee therapy from our newly-trained psychotherapists. It's important to note that all psychologists are expected to take part in regular case consultation and clinical supervision. It's a professional and ethical requirement in our field to ensure that we are doing the best work that we can.
Step 3. Get licensed to practice psychology in Dubai.
There are two primary licensing options in Dubai. The first is through the Dubai Health Authority and the second is through the Community Development Authority. You will need to have a look at their licensing categories and criteria to determine which one is the best fit fo your degree program.
Dubai Health Authority
The Dubai Health Authority has three licensing options: Psychologist, Psychometrist, and Assistant Psychologist.
Eligibility criteria for a psychologist include:
Option 1:
Bachelor's degree in Psychology
Doctoral degree in Psychology
Two years of post-qualification experience
Option 2:
Bachelor's degree in Psychology (minimum four years)
Master's degree in Psychology (minimum two yaears)
Two years of post-qualification experience
The Community Development Authority has three licensing options: Psychologist, Social Counselor, and Assistant Psychologist.
Eligibility criteria for a psychologist include:
Master's degree in Psychology
One year of post-qualification experience
Once you determine which licensing category to apply for, you will need to submit your application. This will involve a number of steps including:
Attesting and equalizing (CDA only) any degree certificates that were obtained outside the UAE through the Ministry of Education
Verifying all qualifications and work experience through DataFlow.
Completing application forms
Submitting CV, official transcripts, and other personal documents (e.g., passport, visa copy)
Sit for a professional exam
Wait for the committee's decision
Step 4. Start your journey as a licensed mental health professional.
A lot of time and effort will go into steps 1 through 3. Once you have your license, you are officially eligible to practice alongside other health professionals. It's a very exciting time! Now you need to find the right role for you.
Find the right career site.
There is a large demand for psychologists in Dubai, so you will have many career sites to choose from. Many private clinics, like Thrive, are always on the lookout for a licensed clinical psychologist or counseling psychologist from an accredited program. Take some time to research the different clinics before applying. You'll want to make sure that you work somewhere that has the same values that you do, that offers the structure you are looking for (fixed positions vs. flexible consultancies), that has in-house supervision and support for clinicians, and that works with the clients that you're interested in supporting. For example, a child psychologist will do well in a clinic that already services children and families. Similarly, a clinical psychologist will be able to build their caseload in a clinic that works with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and trauma.
