Clinical Psychologist

Clinical Psychologist Job Description

From the mid 1970s to today, the field of psychology has expanded tremendously as the importance of applying psychology in numerous environments has proven to help so many. Clinical psychology is the most popular specialization of all psychologist positions. Primarily, psychologists study the mental processes by observing and then interpreting human behavior. There are prescribed procedures to test predicted behaviors through the use of scientific methods and principles. Researching and recoding such studies has helped in understanding individuals and organizations; groups and institutions; and whole cultures and nations.

Clinical Psychologist Salary Statistics as of 2015

Average annual salary for a Clinical Psychologist is $70640 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $118872. The lowest salary reported was $41576. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Median hourly wage for a Clinical Psychologist is $39.27 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $67.5. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $11.04. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Bonuses for a Clinical Psychologist are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $150 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $500 from people with under 1 year of experience.

These are the highest paying states for a Clinical Psychologist. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
California – $41,318 – $120,150
Florida – $48,645 – $98,098
Illinois – $34,686 – $93,540
New York – $45,958 – $100,708
North Carolina – $40,243 – $102,129
Pennsylvania – $46,052 – $123,070
Texas – $39,305 – $122,084

These are the highest paying cities for a Clinical Psychologist. These numbers are based off the median annual salary as of 2015.
Chicago, Illinois –
New York, New York –
Los Angeles, California –
Boston, Massachusetts –
San Francisco, California –
Seattle, Washington –
Minneapolis, Minnesota –

This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Clinical Psychologist from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $70640 while in 2007 it was just $65510.29

Specialized Fields

• Health Psychology – studying the effects of physiological, biological and social factors on health and illness. Counseling is used to promote a healthy life and prevent disease by focusing on treatment and quality of life.
• Child Psychology – studying the social and mental development of children.
• Geropsychology – helping the elderly cope with the stresses that are commonly faced late in life.
• Neuropsychology – studying behavior and its relationship to the brain, which often includes patients who have sustained a head injury or suffered a stroke.

Work Enviornment

Clinical Psychologist typically works in hospital or clinic settings but also may have their own private practices. They focus on the evaluation and diagnosis of mental and abnormal behavioral disorders. They spend one on one time with their patients and perform psychological tests as well as observe and interview them. They can then come to a conclusion of what type of treatment will be best for the patient. They work closely with medical doctors to help develop a good method of treatment for their patients.

How To Become a Clinical Psychologist

Psychology is an extremely competitive profession and many students that want to break into the medical field find this degree and line of work very appealing. The undergraduate degree is the first step towards this goal and students major in many areas including psychology, business, science, marketing and many others. However, the graduate programs are very competitive and difficult to get accepted to. Once accepted to a graduate program you will complete about five more years of school. After graduation most clinical psychologists hold a PhD which focuses more on training in research procedures. Other psychologists tend to lean towards a PsyD which is a doctor of psychology and they possess a higher level of supervised clinical work. New graduates must undergo supervised training and also be licensed by their state before practicing psychology.