Psychologist: Career Information

Job Description of Psychologists: Psychologists study the human mind and human behavior. The most popular area of specialization is clinical psychology. Other areas of specialization are counseling psychology, school psychology, industrial and organizational psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology and experimental or research psychology.

Employment Facts for Psychologists: Psychologists held about 179,000 jobs in 2004. About 25% of these psychologists worked in counseling, testing, research, and administration at educational institutions. Almost 20% worked in health care. Forty percent of all psychologists were self-employed.

Educational Requirements for Psychologists: To work as a clinical or counseling psychologist one must have a doctoral degree -- either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D. With a Ph.D. one can teach, do research or have a clinical and counseling position. Those with a Psy.D. can work in a clinical or counseling setting. Earning a Ph.D. or Psy.D. usually requires five to seven years of study, which includes completing a dissertation. School psychologists often are required to have a specialists degree in school psychology which takes three years of full time graduate study and a one year internship. There is a lot of competition for admission into graduate psychology programs.

Other Requirements for Psychologists: Psychologists who deliver patient care must meet certification or licensing requirements in all States and the District of Columbia.

Job Outlook: Overall employment of psychologists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.^*

Earnings of Psychologists:

Median Annual Earnings in the Industries Employing the Largest Numbers of Clinical, Counseling and School Psychologists (U.S., 2004^*)

• Offices of other health practitioners: $64,460
• Elementary and secondary schools: $58,360
• Offices of physicians: $58,360
• Individual and family services: $42,640
• Individual and family services: $37,490

Use the Salary Wizard at Salary.com to find out how much psychologists currently earn in your city.

A Day in a Psychologist's Life:

A Day in a Psychologist's Life

Clinical psychologists

• help mentally and emotionally disturbed clients adjust to life;
• help medical and surgical patients deal with illnesses or injuries;
• help people deal with times of personal crisis, such as divorce or the death of a loved one;
• interview patients and give diagnostic tests;
• provide individual, family, or group psychotherapy;
• may collaborate with physicians and other specialists to develop and implement treatment and intervention programs patients can understand and comply with;
• may design and implement behavior modification programs
• sometimes train graduate students in the delivery of mental health and behavioral medicine services in universities and medical schools

Counseling psychologists advise people on how to deal with problems of everyday living.

School psychologists work in elementary and secondary schools or district offices to resolve students’ learning and behavior problems.

Industrial-organizational psychologists apply psychological principles and research methods to the workplace in the interest of improving productivity and the quality of worklife.

Developmental psychologists study the physiological, cognitive, and social development that takes place throughout life.

Social psychologists examine people’s interactions with others and with the social environment.

Experimental or research psychologists study behavior processes using human beings and animals.

*This is the most recent year for which this information is available.

Information courtesy of Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Psychologists, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm (visited February 21, 2007).