Psychologist
Psychologist Job Description
Psychologists work with people who may require therapy and counseling for a variety of reasons. Psychologists are familiar with human emotions and mental processes of the human mind, making it easier to interpret others’ emotions and feelings. Working as a psychologist requires you to be caring, understanding and an active listener when working together with clients who are in need of emotional clarity or even guidance with a particular situation in their lives. Psychologists are capable of understanding the processes of grieving, anger and even depression to help with better treating patients while allowing them to feel better and free from negative emotions as well.
Working as a psychologist requires the professional to have critical thinking skills while also being capable of analyzing patients and showing compassion and empathy. A psychologist must be able to easily analyze situations while also communicating effectively, regardless of the patient’s own worries and struggles with their lives. Being trustworthy and putting problem-solving skills to use are additional characteristics that should be part of being a psychologist, especially if you are planning to work with individuals or with groups.
Psychologist Salary Statistics as of 2015
Average annual salary for a Psychologist is $68421 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $135588. The lowest salary reported was $38979. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.
Median hourly wage for a Psychologist is $34.02 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $67.42. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $19.38. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.
Bonuses for a Psychologist are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $1024 from people with under 1 year of experience.
These are the highest paying states for a Psychologist. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
California – $45,875 – $130,910
Florida – $30,410 – $98,633
Maryland – $40,134 – $103,042
Michigan – $33,535 – $128,737
New York – $30,410 – $123,944
Pennsylvania – $50,335 – $91,967
Texas – $27,000 – $96,570
These are the highest paying cities for a Psychologist. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
New York, New York –
Los Angeles, California –
San Diego, California –
Baltimore, Maryland –
Dallas, Texas –
Boston, Massachusetts –
Chicago, Illinois –
This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Psychologist from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $68421 while in 2007 it was just $63452.44
Specialized Fields in Psychology
Clinical Psychology: Clinical psychology is one of the most popular fields in psychology that involves providing therapy to patients while also recommending specific medications on a case to case basis.
School Psychology: School psychology is a way to work with students and children in some cases working in educational surroundings. A school psychologist’s job is to ensure the students are surrounding by a positive environment and capable of dealing with the stress of any educational path they may be on themselves.
Counseling Psychology: Psychologists who specialize in counseling psychology work with patients who are stressed or worried. Helping with emotional and mental issues with patients is another responsibility of a counseling psychologist.
Work Environment
Working as a psychologist is possible in one’s own clinical office, an educational setting or a help center based on the location you prefer to work and the type of psychology and positions you are interested in yourself. Many times, psychologists spend time researching new treatments, exercises and even more information about the mind.
When you work as a psychologist, choosing the right position for you also depends on your qualifications and whether or not you enjoy working with patients on an individual basis or if you prefer to work in a group session, such as with group therapy.
How to Become a Psychologist
Becoming a psychologist often requires a doctoral degree is psychology along with a 1-year internship whether you are interested in counseling, school or clinical psychology yourself.
For those who are actively seeking positions working in school psychology, a doctoral degree in psychology is often required or a master’s specialist degree with a minimum of 60 graduate hours.
Those who have worked towards a master’s degree in psychology are capable of obtaining positions as industrial-organizational psychologists.
Working towards a master’s degree in psychology can be quite competitive, but it is often necessary to obtain any job working as a psychologist in a school or individually with those who are in need of advice and in some cases, even medications.
Licensing is also required for those who are looking to work full-time as a certified psychologist. Licensing laws vary from each state, but working as a psychologist also requires you to dedicate one to two years with an internship or with on-the-job training, depending on the positions you are interested in once you have become certified. Supervised pre-doctoral and postdoctoral experience, a residency program or an internship for at least one to two years is highly recommended and often required for those who are actively seeking to work as a professional psychologist.
Job Outlook
By 2020, it is predicted that the need for psychologists will grow by more than 22 percent overall. The most popular area of psychology that is predicted to grow is industrial-organizational psychologist, with a 35% increase in employment by 2020.
Gender Statistics |
Related Jobs |
||
|
36%
64%
|
Based on our stats gathered across the U.S. 36% of Psychologists were males while 64% were females. These numbers are based on averages across all states combined. Some individual states may have a much different ratio however.
|
Past Jobs Mental Health Counselor |
Future Jobs Clinical Psychologist |
Twitter
Facebook
RSS
Google +
Contact Us
Youtube
Linkedin