How much does a Clinical Psychologist make in United States?

If you have completed your clinical psychology degree program or you want to choose the Clinical Psychologist profession. This article will help you to learn all about Clinical psychology degree, licensing, and the salary in the United States.

Clinical Psychologists provide counseling services to evaluate and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. They apply the scientific knowledge of psychology to treat complex human problems and encourage change. They also promote flexibility and help people to find their strengths.

Clinical psychology is one of the largest specialty areas within psychology. A career as a clinical or counseling psychologist may be for you if you are interested in understanding human behavior and enjoy working with people. In the next 10 years, it is expected the US will need 25,000 clinical psychologists. Clinical psychologists may be employed in several settings, including hospitals, outpatient centers, government agencies, and private practice offices.

Stages to become a Clinical psychologist

Determined clinical psychologists must complete several difficult and often expensive steps to enter this rewarding and profitable career. These steps involve:

How long does it take to become a Clinical Psychologist?

When considering a career in psychology, you will likely wonder how much time it will take to become licensed and what type of degrees you’ll need to achieve. The answer is not always so clear-cut. The time it takes to complete your college education depends mostly on your specialty area and career interests.

Educational Requirements to Become a Clinical Psychologist

To become a clinical psychologist, you need an undergraduate degree along with a four to seven years doctorate. , most people spend between eight to 12 years in higher education for specialty.

• Bachelor’s Degree

You might want to begin with having your undergraduate degree in psychology, but some people choose to continue a degree in a related social science field.

• Master’s Degree

A master’s degree can be a great way to explore more into a specific field of interest. However, a master’s degree is not always necessary. If you are interested in what is known as a terminal master’s degree in a field like social work, counseling,  or school psychology, you can enter the work immediately after earning your degree.

• Doctorate Degree

The duration of a doctoral program depends on many factors, including the specialty area you are pursuing as well as whether or not you have already earned a master’s degree. To become a licensed psychologist, you will need to earn either a Ph.D. or a Psy.D.

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologists are licensed professionals who are authorized to provide direct services to patients. Their work may include administering and interpreting cognitive and personality tests, conducting psychotherapy, diagnosing mental illness, and creating treatment plans.

If you are interested in working in the field of psychology becoming a licensed psychologist working in the field of mental health is surely not the only career option. Licensing requirements for psychologists vary by state and specialty. For example careers in forensic or sports psychology, have differing requirements.

General licensing requirements

Though each state has its specific requirements, there are some general points about licensure that everyone should think about to prepare for it:

• Do you need to get licensed?
• Meet education requirements by State licensing boards. It typically requires a minimum of a doctoral degree in psychology from a regionally accredited or government-chartered institution.
• Gather administrative materials like document the number of clients, types of problems they treated, and supervised experiences they had during their postdoc and internship.
• Prepare for tests. All U.S. states provinces whose boards are members of ASPPB – except Quebec and Prince Edward Island – require applicants to pass the EPPP, a 225-question multiple-choice test developed by ASPPB on core areas of psychology,
• Students should attend 2,000 hours during internship and 2,000 hours during a postdoc, on average, to meet state requirements,
• Prepare for the fees for licensure that can range from $500 to more than $1,000, including application and initial licensing fees and exam costs.

Clinical Psychologist Salary by State in the USA

Demand for clinical and counseling psychologists is increasing as people continue to turn to psychologists to help solve or manage their problems. The employment of clinical psychologists is expected to grow by 3%. increased demand for psychological services in schools, hospitals, mental health centers, and social services agencies should manage employment growth. After a clinical psychology degree program, salary options are as vast as the field itself.

According to the BLS, The national average annual wage of a psychologist is $85,340, about 64% higher than the average annual salary for all occupations, $51,960. However, psychologist salaries can differ from state to state.

The top 10 highest-paying states for psychologists are listed below:

1. California average psychologist salary: $108,350
2. Oregon average psychologist salary: $103,870
3. New Jersey average psychologist salary: $98,470
4. Hawaii average psychologist salary: $94,550
5. New York average psychologist salary: $94,140
6. Alaska average psychologist salary: $91,450
7. Connecticut average psychologist salary: $90,870
8. Georgia average psychologist salary: $89,190
9. North Dakota average psychologist salary: $87,090
10. Louisiana average psychologist salary: $86,630

Becoming a Licensed Clinical psychologist allows you to practice as a psychologist in all 50 states, as well as in the District of Columbia. Clinical psychology is about much more than the money, but it’s satisfying to know that in addition to meaningful social contributions this career offers good salary opportunities.

To learn more

Call @ +1 (224) 999-6997

Or

Get a free no-sting attached billing services quote from ZEE Medical Billing for your practice.