What do they do?

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 known as:

Applied Behavior Science Specialist (ABSS), Case Manager, Clinical Counselor, Clinical Psychologist, Counseling Psychologist, Counselor, Developmental Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Psychologist, LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), Mental Health Clinician, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Therapist

Typical Wages

Wages$0$40K$80K$120K$160K$200KPercentiles10th25thMedian75th90th$48k$66k$96k$129k$168k

Projected Growth Rate

Slower than average

Employment of Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is projected to grow 4 percent from 2022 to 2032, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
Employment202220322,0102,100
  • 4.5%

    Change

    Ranks #60 in job growth rate
    110

    Job Openings

    Ranks #26 in net job growth

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (79%)
  • Master's degree  (11%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (10%)
  • Associate's degree  (<1%)
  • Some college, no degree  (<1%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (<1%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (<1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Select Type of Degree:

  • #1
    • Degrees Granted

      112,319
    • Female Students

      90,378
    • Male Students

      21,941
    • Median Starting Salary

      $38,300
  • #2
    • Degrees Granted

      523
    • Female Students

      459
    • Male Students

      64
    • Median Starting Salary

      $44,000
  • #3
    • Degrees Granted

      507
    • Female Students

      465
    • Male Students

      42
    • Median Starting Salary

      $40,033
  • #4
    • Degrees Granted

      374
    • Female Students

      301
    • Male Students

      73
    • Median Starting Salary

      $44,000
  • #5
    • Degrees Granted

      274
    • Female Students

      218
    • Male Students

      56
    • Median Starting Salary

      $44,000

People in this career often have these skills:

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Evaluate patient functioning, capabilities, or health.
  • Record research or operational data.
  • Diagnose neural or psychological disorders.
  • Prepare scientific or technical reports or presentations.
  • Counsel clients on mental health or personal achievement.
  • Collect information from people through observation, interviews, or surveys.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
  • Modify treatment plans to accommodate client needs.
  • Design psychological or educational treatment procedures or programs.
  • Direct medical science or healthcare programs.
  • Review professional literature to maintain professional knowledge.
  • Collect archival data.
  • Administer standardized physical or psychological tests.
  • Advise others on healthcare matters.
  • Supervise trainees.
  • Train staff members.
  • Supervise workers providing client or patient services.
  • Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
  • Develop educational programs.
  • Advise others on educational matters.
  • Write reports or evaluations.
  • Plan social sciences research.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 29.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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