Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
What they do
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.
Expected pay range
Expected pay range
This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
About clinical and counseling psychologists
Other titles
Applied Behavior Science Specialist (ABSS), Clinical Counselor, Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Psychologist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Therapist
Tasks they perform
- Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment.
- Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
- Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
Skills they need
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Licenses and Certifications
How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- Both state and third-party exams required
- Education
- Degree required
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
Certifications
Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications (external link opens new tab)
Similar careers
View careers in the same field as clinical and counseling psychologists.
Psychiatrists
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors
Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses
Additional career information and resources
Learn more about clinical and counseling psychologists with these helpful sites.
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (external link opens new tab)
- American Board of Professional Psychology (external link opens new tab)
- American College Counseling Association (external link opens new tab)
- American College Personnel Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Correctional Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Counseling Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Mental Health Counselors Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Psychological Association (external link opens new tab)
- American Psychological Association Division 39: Psychoanalysis (external link opens new tab)
- American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (external link opens new tab)