Starting Salary For Counseling Psychologist

A career in counseling psychology can be very rewarding. The average starting salary for a counseling psychologist is $46,913 per year. This number is based upon 473 salaries collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in the U.S. and Canada. A large percentage of the data comes from large companies, however there are many other factors to consider when looking at your earning potential..

Psychology career: Starting salary for counseling psychologist. The starting salary for a counseling psychologist is $63,000 for those with Bachelors degrees and $70,000 for those who hold a master’s degree in psychology.

Starting Salary For Counseling Psychologist Overview

The average annual salary for a counseling psychologist is $86,040, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s based on a survey of over 90,000 workers, and includes all degrees, including those with advanced degrees.

The starting salary for a counseling psychologist can vary significantly depending on your education level and experience level. The median annual income for someone who has just graduated with a master’s degree in counseling psychology is $45,000 per year. However, this number may vary significantly based upon location and other factors.

The starting salary for a counselor psychologist who has graduated with their doctorate is typically higher than someone who has graduated with only a master’s degree; however the exact amount will depend on where the person lives and what type of agency they work for. It is not uncommon for people who have completed their PhDs to earn between $48-$50 per hour once they start working in this field full-time (this does not include benefits).

What Does a Counseling Psychologist Do?

Counseling psychologists work with individuals, couples, groups and families to help them develop healthy relationships. They practice several talk therapy techniques to get to the root of the distress and offer solutions to help patients overcome obstacles. They listen to patients and offer advice as needed.

Here is more information about the work environments and day-to-day duties of counseling psychologists:
● Counseling psychologists can choose to specialize in certain areas, like grief counseling or vocational stress.
● The number of patients that a counseling psychologist works with at one time can vary. Some only work with their patients on a one-on-one situation, while others may work with small groups of people.
● Most counseling psychologists interact with their patients every day. They are often presented with a wide range of mental and emotional concerns.
Many counseling psychologists specialize in person-centered therapy, which is a type of therapy that is based on patients’ individual life experiences. In person-centered therapy, the psychologist listens to their patients and can help steer them toward changing themselves for the better.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is another common type of treatment used by counseling psychologists. This type of therapy focuses on clients identifying and understanding their negative beliefs. Since these negative beliefs often affect a person’s mood and emotions, the client and the psychologist then work towards changing them.

Is Counseling Psychology a Good Career?

Whether pursuing a career as a counseling psychologist is a good career is a personal decision and depends on both your experience and natural personality and interests.

Great counseling psychologists create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere for patients. They’re understanding and non-judgmental so that patients will open up to them. Cognitive psychologists encourage their patients to talk about their feelings and behaviors and ask questions to understand their unique concerns. By getting to know their patients, cognitive psychologists can work to help them deal with and remedy their obstacles.

With this in mind, a career in counseling psychology is good for people who care about others and want to help them solve the problems they are facing. Psychologists are kind, understanding, patient, and non-judgmental.

Becoming a Counseling Psychologist

Let’s look at how to become a counseling psychologist, including education requirements and information on the many places where counseling psychologists can work.

Counseling Psychology Education Requirements

Those interested in counseling psychology careers will usually start by earning a four-year Bachelor’s degree in psychology. Advanced degrees are usually necessary. Several universities offer master’s and Doctoral degrees in counseling psychology. Choosing a psychology school will depend on where you want to work and if you want to specialize in a specific niche when working as a counseling psychologist.
The curriculum requirements to become a counseling psychologist are typically similar from one university to the next. In addition to learning the fundamentals of psychology and research methods, future counseling psychologists will also often learn about different therapy and counseling techniques.
People wonder if it’s hard to become a counseling psychologist and the answer depends on how much schooling you want to pursue. Generally, you will need at least four years of undergrad study as well as two to eight years of graduate schooling.
How long it takes to become a counseling psychologist depends on your education requirements and where you work.

Where Do Counseling Psychologists Work?

A counseling psychology career can often lead a person in several different directions. In general, counseling psychologists should have no trouble finding work. For example, they can often find employment in places like mental health clinics, hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and schools.

For those looking for a little more control over their counseling psychology careers, opening their own practice is another option.

How Much do Counseling Psychologists Make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for counseling psychologists was $78,200 as of May 2019.

Of course, average salaries for counseling psychologists vary according to where they work. Here are a few examples:

● Child daycare services: $120,130
● Home healthcare services: $105,440
● Offices of other healthcare practitioners: $100,300
● Outpatient care centers: $99,870
● Offices of physicians: $95,960

What Type of Positions Can a Counseling Psychologist Hold?

In addition to assuming positions at community mental health centers, family service agencies, psychiatric hospitals, counseling centers and medical schools, about 21% of counseling psychologists work in private practices while 34% of counseling psychologists work in academia. Many counseling psychologists provide psychotherapy services with numerous available career paths that one may follow, such as:

  • Administering career testing and offering vocational counseling to help clients choose a profession, cope with workplace conflict, or adjust to a new job environment.
  • Working with specific discussion and therapy groups related to grief, pregnancy, parenting, divorce, and/or long-term illness.
  • Administering personality tests for large corporations and businesses seeking new employees.
  • Establishing a private practice to provide relationship counseling to newlyweds, couples experiencing communication issues, and same-sex couples.
  • Treating patients in a clinic that deals with addiction, such as overeating, smoking, and/or drugs.

Stacey Glaesmann, M.A. says that undergraduate degrees in any type of psychology field are limiting; however, adds that it is not impossible to find a position in the field. A common job position for someone with a Bachelor’s degree is in research as an assistant (RA). Glaesmann suggests that those with an interest in pursuing graduate school should get involved in a couple of studies as an RA while still an undergrad. Learn more about how to become a counseling psychologist.

Ways for a Counseling Psychologist to Increase His/ Her Salary

Private practice is one of the primary ways that a counseling psychologist can increase his or her yearly income. Psychologists may establish a part-time private practice, opting to see clients on evenings and weekends as a way to earn extra money. Glaesmann says word-of-mouth advertisement can eventually lead to a psychologist transitioning into a full-time private practice environment.

According to Glaesmann, an increasing trend regarding today’s counseling psychologists is choosing not to accept insurance (or only accept one or two options), and instead, concentrate on treating private-pay clients. She says this approach can become quite lucrative. By eliminating direct contact with insurance companies, paperwork and billing is handled by the psychologist. Clients are given a receipt for services, and are then told to file insurance claims for reimbursement on their own.

Another way to increase a salary is by offering to take on more responsibility without a raise for a period of time, which can prove to an employer that a professional is worthy of advancement within the workplace. Education also helps professionals command a higher salary.

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