Life, Physical, and Social Science · Holland code SIC

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

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.

Also called: Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Case Manager, Counselor, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist.

O*NET 19-3033.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $100,580; Middle half earn $73,210 to $135,200. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Doctoral Training; 48% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 5 of 5; Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.
Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork.
Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
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.
Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as necessary.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.8 / 5
Active Listening4.3 / 5
Writing4.3 / 5
Critical Thinking4.3 / 5
Speaking4.1 / 5
Active Learning3.9 / 5

Knowledge areas

Psychology5.0 / 5
Therapy and Counseling5.0 / 5
English Language4.1 / 5
Education and Training3.9 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
Sociology and Anthropology3.6 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic1
Investigative76
Artistic34
Social93
Enterprising27
Conventional42

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

psychologist · DE Psychologe/Psychologin · FR psychologue
clinical psychologist · DE Klinischer Psychologe/Klinische Psychologin · FR psychologue clinicien/psychologue clinicienne
educational psychologist · DE Erziehungspsychologe/Erziehungspsychologin · FR psychologue scolaire
health psychologist · DE Gesundheitspsychologe/Gesundheitspsychologin · FR psychologue de la santé
psychotherapist · DE Psychotherapeut/Psychotherapeutin · FR psychothérapeute
social counsellor · DE Sozialberater/Sozialberaterin · FR assistant de service social/assistante de service social

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Clinical psychologists (2225)23,900 employed
Other psychologists (2226)39,000 employed
Social workers (2461)139,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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