Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Counseling Psychologists
Counseling Psychologists assess and evaluate individuals' problems through the use of case history, interview, and observation and provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment.
Table of contents
What they do
Counseling Psychologists assess and evaluate individuals' problems through the use of case history, interview, and observation and provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment.
- Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
- Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
- Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
- Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients’ interests, abilities, or needs.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Counseling Psychologists counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans. They document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
A typical day for a Counseling Psychologist will also include:
- Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
- Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients’ interests, abilities, or needs.
- Advise clients on how they could be helped by counseling.
- Analyze data, such as interview notes, test results, or reference manuals, to identify symptoms or to diagnose the nature of clients’ problems.
- Supervise interns, clinicians in training, and other counselors.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Counseling Psychologists also refer clients to specialists or to other institutions for non counseling treatment of problems. They may also supervise interns, clinicians in training, and other counselors.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Counseling Psychologists consult with other professionals, agencies, or universities to discuss therapies, treatments, counseling resources or techniques, and to share occupational information. They might also evaluate the results of counseling methods to determine the reliability and validity of treatments.
In addition, they advise clients on how they could be helped by counseling.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them analyze data, such as interview notes, test results, or reference manuals, to identify symptoms or to diagnose the nature of clients’ problems.
To some Counseling Psychologists, it is also their responsibility to provide consulting services, including educational programs, outreach programs, or prevention talks to schools, social service agencies, businesses, or the general public.
Freedom to make decisions
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Structured vs unstructured work
To what extent is this job structured for you versus allowing you to determine your own tasks, priorities, and goals?
Featured Schools
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
78% said they were satisfied with their job and 88% said they found their job meaningful.
I work as a psychologist at a community health clinic in San Diego. My typical day involves doing mental health screenings, administering psychological assessments, and providing psychotherapy to a wide diversity of mental health patients (whom I prefer to regard as mental health athletes).
For nearly a year, our sessions have been conducted via telehealth and involve making phone calls, all due to the pandemic.
My day is never typical because I never know whether I will be managing a mental health crisis; helping a patient to maintain stability; or encounter an atypical mental health issue, that does not fit neatly into any particular diagnostic category.
In addition to doing typical psychologist things, as a singer/songwriter, and a mental health provider that has previously worked as a music therapist, I continuously seek out ways of intervening to alleviate mental health suffering through the avenue of music. That could involve helping musically-inclined patients use their musical skills as a way of exploring unresolved issues and as an avenue of self-expression and catharsis (letting out all that is bottled up inside).
For those patients that love music, but lack the interest and skills to express themselves directly through music, intervention via music could involve helping patients create musical playlists consisting of songs they find to meaningfully address their issues and songs they find therapeutic.
Pros
The biggest pro is the opportunity to play an active role in alleviating human suffering, and to enhance the quality of life for my patients, by guiding them to discover the vast array of internal and external resources that offer a path to healing.
Cons
The biggest con is that, if I don’t take care of myself, and if I take too much responsibility for the mental health of my patients, is that I could end up with burnout, and then, not only will my own mental health suffer, but I could become considerably less effective in working with individuals on my caseload.
One of the ways music prevents me from getting burned out is by helping me to bring a healthy perspective to my role, and not to take myself too seriously. That’s what I tried to accomplish in writing and recording this original song: Psychological Cowboy (Original song by Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT © 1990, 2020) and this one as well… Shrink Rapped (Original song by Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT © 1990, 2020).
In short, I love my profession, and I love what music does to make my work even more interesting and beneficial to both my patients and to my own sense of personal well-being.
Pros
Suitable for people who like to help and teach others.
Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Very good salary.
Normal working hours (40 hours per week).
Cons
Not suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.
It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skills, knowledge, and experience are required for this career.
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Counseling Psychologists with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $46,410 to $60,750 per year or $22 to $29 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $138,550 | $67 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $104,860 | $50 |
| Median | $79,820 | $38 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $60,750 | $29 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $46,410 | $22 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Counseling Psychologists based on their average annual salary.
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Outpatient Care Centers | $109100 | $52.45 |
| Child Day Care Services | $105670 | $50.80 |
| Home Health Care Services | $103520 | $49.77 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | $101860 | $48.97 |
| Junior Colleges | $100470 | $48.31 |
| Offices of Physicians | $99590 | $47.88 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $96930 | $46.60 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $96860 | $46.57 |
| Local Government | $94790 | $45.57 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | $93640 | $45.02 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Counseling Psychologists work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Counseling Psychologists including the average salary in that industry.
| Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary and Secondary Schools | 44970 | $80960 | $38.93 |
| Offices of Other Health Practitioners | 20060 | $101860 | $48.97 |
| Offices of Physicians | 6400 | $99590 | $47.88 |
| Individual and Family Services | 6070 | $84000 | $40.39 |
| Outpatient Care Centers | 5430 | $109100 | $52.45 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 4540 | $96930 | $46.60 |
| State Government | 3990 | $90290 | $43.41 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 3970 | $75750 | $36.42 |
| Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals | 3950 | $90130 | $43.33 |
| Local Government | 3640 | $94790 | $45.57 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
Work with group or team
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Deal with external customers
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Manage or lead others
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Telephone
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Group discussions
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Public speaking
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Frequency of conflict situations
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Dealing with angry people
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Dealing with physically aggressive people
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Level of competition
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Repetition in this job
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Impact of decisions on co-workers or company results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the reputation or financial resources of your employer?
Frequency of decision making
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Responsibility for others’ health and safety
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Responsibility for outcomes and results
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What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
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Relevant work experience
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On The Job Training
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Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.
They also like working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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