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Hospitals and Health Systems
Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Kaiser Permanente
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
Clinical and counseling psychologists work with people who are dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, and other mental health concerns. The job is distinct because it mixes therapy with diagnosis, research-backed treatment planning, and coordination with doctors or other clinicians. The tradeoff is that the work can be deeply rewarding and well paid, but it takes years of training and a lot of emotional stamina.
Also known as Clinical PsychologistCounseling PsychologistLicensed PsychologistBehavioral Health PsychologistStaff Psychologist
Median Salary
$95,830
Mean $106,850
U.S. Workforce
~72K
4.8K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+11.2%
76.3K to 84.8K
Entry Education
Doctoral or professional degree
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Clinical and Counseling Psychologists sits in the Healthcare category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~72K workers, with a median annual pay of $95,830 and roughly 4.8K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to grow from 76.3 K in 2024 to 84.8K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Post-doctoral training, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Doctoral Psychology Intern and can progress toward Behavioral Health Director. High-value skills usually include Clinical Reading, Case Review & Diagnostic Research, Psychological Observation & Social Cue Analysis, and Intake Interviewing & Active Listening, paired with soft skills such as Empathy, Social Perceptiveness, and Active Listening.
Core Responsibilities
- Meet with clients one on one, in groups, or with family members to talk through problems and set realistic goals.
- Ask structured questions, review symptoms, and use clinical references to figure out what may be going on.
- Build and update treatment plans that spell out what kind of therapy will be used, how often it will happen, and what progress should look like.
- Coordinate with doctors, therapists, schools, and community agencies so clients get the right support and referrals.
Keep exploring: more Healthcare careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Meet with clients one on one, in groups, or with family members to talk through problems and set realistic goals.
02 Ask structured questions, review symptoms, and use clinical references to figure out what may be going on.
03 Build and update treatment plans that spell out what kind of therapy will be used, how often it will happen, and what progress should look like.
04 Coordinate with doctors, therapists, schools, and community agencies so clients get the right support and referrals.
05 Write detailed notes and reports that track progress, document decisions, and support insurance or care records.
06 Read current research and compare methods to improve counseling techniques or adjust care plans.
Industries That Hire
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Private Practice and Group Therapy
LifeStance Health, Thriveworks, Headway
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Universities and Academic Medical Centers
Harvard University, Stanford Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine
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Government and Veterans Services
Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense
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K-12 Schools and Student Services
NYC Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools
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Telehealth and Digital Mental Health
Talkspace, BetterHelp, Spring Health
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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The pay is strong for a care-focused job, with a mean annual wage of $106,850 and a median of $95,830.
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Demand is still growing, with employment projected to rise 11.2% and about 4.8K annual openings through 2034.
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The work is varied: you can do therapy, assessment, diagnosis, consultation, and treatment planning instead of repeating one task all day.
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BLS says no prior work experience is needed before entry, so the main barrier is training rather than years of unrelated job history.
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There are several work settings to choose from, including hospitals, schools, private practice, universities, and telehealth.
Challenges
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The training path is long and expensive: the usual entry point is a doctoral or professional degree plus internship or residency, and 48% of workers also have post-doctoral training.
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The job can be emotionally draining because you spend much of the day working with trauma, crisis, depression, and family conflict.
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Licensing rules are state-based, so moving can mean extra paperwork, extra exams, or delays before you can practice independently.
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A big part of the job is documentation and coordination, not just therapy sessions, so your day can get eaten up by notes, records, and referrals.
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The field is still tied to local demand and insurance reimbursement, so some areas have limited openings even though national growth is a solid 11.2%.
Career Progression
Doctoral Psychology Intern
0-2 years
$35K-$48K
You are still in supervised training, learning how to assess clients, document cases, and apply therapy methods safely.
Postdoctoral Fellow
2-4 years
$50K-$68K
You handle more client work under supervision and start narrowing toward an area like trauma, child psychology, or assessment.
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist THIS ROLE
4-10 years
$85K-$120K
You work independently with clients, build treatment plans, coordinate care, and may supervise interns or junior clinicians.
Senior Psychologist / Clinical Supervisor
10-15 years
$120K-$150K
You take on harder cases, mentor staff, review quality of care, and often split time between client work and leadership.
Behavioral Health Director
15+ years
$150K-$190K
You oversee teams, programs, budgets, and clinical standards more than day-to-day therapy sessions.
Education Paths
Post-doctoral training
The most common education path, held by 48% of workers in this role, usually comes after a doctorate and helps build supervised clinical experience.
Doctoral degree in psychology
A doctoral degree is the other major route, held by 44% of workers in this role, and it is usually paired with internship or residency training.
Master's degree in counseling or psychology
A smaller share of workers, 8%, report this education level, but it is usually more relevant to related counseling jobs than to this one.
Internship/residency and state licensure
This is a necessary supervised training step for many psychologists and is typically completed alongside doctoral study before independent practice.
Key Skills
Technical
Clinical Reading, Case Review & Diagnostic Research 95%
Psychological Observation & Social Cue Analysis 88%
Intake Interviewing & Active Listening 85%
Treatment Planning & Clinical Documentation 85%
Critical Thinking & Differential Diagnosis 85%
Consultation, Referral Coordination & Care Planning 82%
Evidence-Based Practice, Research Methods & SPSS 78%
Epic, Cerner, Telehealth Platforms & Psychological Testing Tools 75%
Soft Skills
EmpathySocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningEmotional ResilienceCommunicationDiscretion Job Outlook and Trends
+11.2%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
4.8K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 76.3K to 84.8 K over the next decade, representing 11.2% growth. Around 4.8 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.