Starting Salary For A Clinical Psychologist

What does one need to know about starting salary for a clinical psychologist? Clinical psychologists have gone through rigorous schooling, focused mostly on classes that cover the human mind. Their field is quite complicated and requires a heavy amount of specialization. Clinical psychologists hold doctorates in psychology so they can practice independently and not be limited to only treating clients with severe mental disorders.

If you’re looking to get a job as a clinical psychologist, you’re probably wondering how much experience you will need, what type of training and education is necessary, and how much money you can make. The salary for psychologists varies dramatically depending on the level of education and experience that each psychologist has, but there are some general guidelines about what you can expect to earn when starting out in your career as a clinical psychologist.

A clinical psychologist earns a median annual salary of $69,890, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Starting salaries are often lower and generally fall in the $40,000 to $50,000 range. Most employers provide some degree of on-the-job training for new employees, but the length of this training varies depending on experience and educational background.

A clinical psychologist’s starting salary is quite high. In fact, when a clinical psychologist graduates from a master’s program, his or her average starting salary is $17 an hour. While this may seem low compared to other professions, the individual still earns over $34,000 per year on average. In this article we’ll examine how to become a clinical psychologist, what does a clinical psychologist do.

Starting Salary For A Clinical Psychologist

Overview

If you’re interested in becoming a clinical psychologist, you’re probably wondering how much you can expect to make when you first start out.

The good news is that the field of clinical psychology has shown impressive growth over the last few decades—and with this growth has come an increase in salary for new psychologists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, clinical psychologists earned $84,010 on average in 2018. This is nearly double what they made in 2002 (an increase of 96%).

This increase hasn’t been consistent across all states: while some states saw salaries rise by as much as 50% between 2002 and 2018, others saw an increase of just 10%. However, overall, it’s safe to say that if you want to become a clinical psychologist, now is a good time to do it!

In addition to high pay rates, another advantage of becoming a clinical psychologist is that there are many different types of positions available. You can work in hospitals or private practices; you can specialize in research or therapy; there are opportunities for administrative work as well as teaching positions at universities and colleges. And because there is such high demand for professionals who understand how to help people cope with mental illness and trauma-related issues (such as PTSD), there are plenty of opportunities for advancement.

If you’re interested in becoming a clinical psychologist, you’re probably wondering how much you can expect to make when you first start out.

The good news is that the field of clinical psychology has shown impressive growth over the last few decades—and with this growth has come an increase in salary for new psychologists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, clinical psychologists earned $84,010 on average in 2018. This is nearly double what they made in 2002 (an increase of 96%).

This increase hasn’t been consistent across all states: while some states saw salaries rise by as much as 50% between 2002 and 2018, others saw an increase of just 10%. However, overall, it’s safe to say that if you want to become a clinical psychologist, now is a good time to do it!

In addition to high pay rates, another advantage of becoming a clinical psychologist is that there are many different types of positions available. You can work in hospitals or private practices; you can specialize in research or therapy; there are opportunities for administrative work as well as teaching positions at universities and colleges. And because there is such high demand for professionals who understand how to help people cope with mental illness and trauma-related issues (such as PTSD), there are plenty of opportunities for advancement.

Entry Level Salary of a Clinical Psychologist

Clinical psychologists work in a variety of settings, including private clinics, community and mental health facilities and hospitals. The type of patient clinical psychologists work with depends largely on their work setting, but psychologists usually must complete a doctoral degree in psychology before obtaining a license to work in a clinical setting. As with many other disciplines, clinical psychologists tend to make more money as they gain experience.

Starting Salaries

As of 2009, the APA reported that the median salary paid to clinical psychologists with five years of experience or less was $69,950 per year. Half of all entry-level clinical psychologists surveyed reported annual salaries ranging from $56,762 to $84,000. The lowest-paid 10 percent of entry-level psychologists made $41,395 or less per year, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned $94,700 or more. The lowest salary reported to the APA by entry-level clinical psychologists surveyed that year was $34,000, and the highest was $125,000.

Location, Location

Expected entry-level pay for clinical psychologists varies by practice setting and type of employer. As of 2009, the APA found that clinical psychologists working in solo private practices earned an average of $54,000 per year during their first five years of work. By comparison, clinical psychologists working in group practices earned a significantly higher average pay of $77,722 during their first five years. Those employed by community mental health centers averaged $65,485 during their first five years in the field, while those working for federal government agencies averaged a relatively high entry-level salary of $89,495.

Clinical Psychology Salary

As with any career, salaries in a particular industry vary widely from place to place. In looking at the estimated clinical psychologist salary by state, remember that a number of factors affect it. Cost of living, industry demand, education and work experience all help determine salaries in a given location. Below are 2018 salary ranges in each state for clinical, counseling and school psychologists.4 This list of states (plus the District of Columbia) is ordered from highest to lowest median salary for those professionals:

LocationLow salaryMedian salaryHigh salary
California $55,040$100,850$158,280
Oregon$55,470$89,150$151,320
Connecticut$56,670$88,890$129,740
New York$52,590$88,710$133,580
Rhode Island$37,090$86,370$127,020
New Jersey$56,120$85,160$150,000
District of Columbia$54,270$84,780$167,950
Alaska$37,110$84,740$180,120
Minnesota$47,670$84,630$129,230
Colorado$42,150$84,410$128,870
North Dakota$43,490$83,730$128,520
Massachusetts$48,710$79,810$131,350
Maryland$42,830$78,980$118,300
Iowa$52,020$78,810$132,300
Hawaii$47,210$78,440$164,620
Nevada$53,670$77,200$112,440
Wisconsin$50,480$77,090$125,130
Michigan$46,590$75,340$127,360
Pennsylvania$48,320$74,930$116,370
Delaware$47,450$74,390$101,800
Wyoming$43,970$74,350$103,800
Virginia$36,570$73,930$124,240
New Hampshire$49,120$73,840$123,970
Ohio$38,630$72,930$106,650
Maine$49,870$72,200$105,950
Washington$45,440$71,670$101,960
Illinois$36,400$71,340$112,820
Georgia$32,500$71,200$151,140
Utah$37,370$70,740$132,630
Florida$39,440$69,650$123,580
South Dakota$54,080$68,780$102,080
Nebraska$32,700$67,060$103,250
New Mexico$43,690$66,810$114,720
Idaho$27,510$66,140$93,940
Texas$43,210$66,070$100,000
Missouri$37,600$65,890$125,910
Tennessee$40,490$64,330$98,130
Indiana$38,910$63,540$126,890
Louisiana$41,150$63,540$141,670
North Carolina$44,900$62,470$119,960
Arkansas$41,530$62,200$94,050
Arizona$35,730$61,500$98,560
South Carolina$29,530$61,030$96,640
Vermont$40,000$60,590$126,030
Montana$38,310$60,540$100,300
Alabama$41,930$60,370$97,010
Kentucky$29,830$59,300$99,250
Kansas$30,430$58,900$97,110
Mississippi$40,560$57,780$127,990
West Virginia$27,350$50,890$108,790
Oklahoma$33,950$49,830$110,960

Clinical Psychology Salary by Experience

As the state-by-state salary chart shows, how much you earn working in the field of psychology can vary widely even within a single state. Part of this variance is based on how many years of experience you’ve had as a licensed clinical psychologist. Payscale reports the following average clinical psychology salaries according to work experience5:

  • Less than 1 year: $68,000
  • 1 to 4 years: $73,000
  • 5 to 9 years: $81,000
  • 10 to 19 years: $90,000
  • 20+ years: $92,000

Whether you are looking to get your master’s degree or a doctorate degree, Alliant University offers a number of different programs for any future psychologist. Alliant International University can provide you the education and experience you need for licensure as a licensed clinical psychologist. Alliant’s California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) offers APA-approved clinical psychology programs for both PhD and PsyD degrees. 

how to become a clinical psychologist

To be a professional in the field of clinical psychology, there are some clear steps you need to follow.

Step 1: Complete a doctoral degree in clinical psychology

The first step in becoming a clinical psychologist is to complete a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. This level of education—either Ph.D. or Psy.D.—is often a necessary requirement to becoming certified.

It is vital to research which schools are offering this course of study as well as other necessary program and application information. Then you can apply for the program that is best suited to your needs and interests. This could mean choosing a program based on location, length of the program, or offered specialties.

It’s important to note that you must have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree prior to pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology. While these precursor degree programs do not necessarily need to be in psychology-specific fields, there should be demonstrated interest in the field before applying for a doctorate.

Some doctorate programs in clinical psychology will accept students with a bachelor’s degree; others may require a master’s degree in psychology or a related field.

Some schools offer master’s in clinical psychology programs; however, these may not necessarily qualify you to become a practicing clinical psychologist upon graduation. For licensure, a doctorate is required.

Step 2: Complete clinical fieldwork and training

Practicums, internships, and other field training is an integral part of becoming a certified clinical psychologist. State licensures are usually dependent on the number of hours of field experience you have as a clinical psychologist.

To achieve this, you’ll work closely with a clinical psychology professional, learn how they work directly with counseling patients, and create appropriate treatment plans. You’ll also collaborate with physicians and other health care professionals.

Before you graduate from your master’s program, you may have already been required to complete some hours of clinical fieldwork. But depending on your area, these hours may or may not be counted toward a person’s requirement for practicum hours in your state.

Step 3: Apply for clinical psychology licensure in your practicing state

A degree does not qualify you as an official clinical psychologist. In order to practice, you must first achieve licensure and certifications depending on the requirements of the state in which you wish to practice.

Research the requirements to become certified in the state you live in and get the necessary documents in order. The requirements for most states include:

  • Completion of a doctoral program (Ph.D. or Psy.D.)
  • Complete a state-approved field internship and given number of fieldwork experience hours
  • Pass a licensure exam

A state certification acts as proof that you have gone through the training and fieldwork required to practice counseling in your state. Be sure to check any local requirements, as they may vary.

Step 4: Pursue continuing education and maintain licensure

After obtaining licensure, it is a necessary requirement for psychologists in most states to complete Continuing Education (CE) courses to maintain their license.

Apart from maintaining certification, continuing education courses also expand clinical psychologists’ knowledge base and offers increased awareness of current trends in the field.

Continuing education can also help advance a clinical psychologist’s career or lead them to pursue a different concentration.

what does a clinical psychologist do

Psychologists who provide clinical or counseling services assess and treat mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. They use the science of psychology to treat complex human problems and promote change. They also promote resilience and help people discover their strengths.

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