What Can You Do with a Clinical Psychology Degree?

“What can you do with a clinical psychology degree?” Ambiguity about career options, salaries, and their growth map can lead many potential students to ask this question. With so many programs and career paths, the journey can get a little tricky. We wanted to answer this question for future students like you, so we put together all our findings in this article.

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What can you do with a clinical psychology degree?

Once you’ve earned a clinical psychology degree, you have the options to become a child psychologist, neurologist, marriage therapist, clinical social worker, and substance abuse counselor. You can also tap into the fields of learning disabilities, organizational psychology, and even teaching.  

According to ZipRecruiter, the median annual salary for clinical psychologists is $109,894 a year. This means that a clinical psychology degree might be well worth your time and effort to earn it. However, it boils down to where you live, your experience, and the area you specialize in.

Here’s a list of the top career picks you may opt for with a degree in clinical psychology, along with their annual wages and growth predictions to help you decide better:

Child Psychologist

As the name suggests, child psychologists specialize in understanding and treating mental health conditions among children and adolescents. These psychologists join hands with young patients and their parents to walk them through emotional challenges in life. This includes diagnosing, creating personalized treatment plans, and providing ongoing support to children.

With more parents recognizing the importance of addressing mental health concerns in their children early on, the field is growing faster than ever today. Typically, clinical psychologists serve in different settings, such as schools, hospitals, clinics, private practices, and even juvenile detention centers.

• Annual median salary: $98,633 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028

Clinical Social Worker

If you’re into welfare and wish to serve people within your community, then a career as a clinical social worker can be the best fit for you. As a clinical social worker, you’ll connect people with the right resources and opportunities they need to live a better life, such as jobs or government aid programs.

With a solid grasp of different psychological issues, these social workers also help folks manage conditions like depression and anxiety. Often, they serve at treatment centers, hospitals, residential facilities, or even privately. While you may start serving as a social worker with only a bachelor’s degree, you’ll need a master’s degree to become a licensed clinical social worker.

• Annual median salary: $94,158 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 9% from 2018 to 2028

Neuropsychologist

With a doctorate in clinical psychology under your belt, you may enter more complex yet high-paying fields such as neuropsychology. Typically, neuropsychologists deal with how the human brain works and influences behavior. When serving as one, your primary role will be to assess the extent of brain injuries or damage by evaluating your patient’s cognitive abilities.

If you choose to pursue neuropsychology, you’ll often work in trauma centers that specialize in caring for individuals with brain injuries or stroke survivors. Hospitals, especially in their trauma departments, and research laboratories are also common places for neuropsychologists to lend their services.

• Annual median salary: $122,928 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 6% from 2018 to 2028

Marriage and Family Therapist

With a degree in clinical psychology, you may also serve as a marriage and family therapist to step into family dynamics that hit a rough patch. Your ultimate goal with the career will be to build healthier communication so that issues between family members can be resolved in a safe and constructive manner.

As a marriage and family therapist, you may help couples, siblings, or whole families identify toxic behavioral patterns and get past them with personalized treatment plans. This career path often requires you to work in hospitals, where you may join hands with psychiatrists and social workers to promote a family’s well-being.

Alternatively, you can also open your own private practice to help families seeking emotional and mental support.

• Annual median salary: $85,006 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 15% from 2022 to 2032

Learning Disabilities Specialist

Primary and secondary schools often rely on mental health specialists to support students with learning disabilities. This is where learning disabilities specialists step in, offering personalized attention to such students to help them explore their full potential. The most common learning disabilities students deal with include Attention Deficit Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Generally, learning disabilities specialists work closely with parents, teachers, and students, to help students manage and overcome learning impairments and thrive in classrooms. Additionally, these professionals monitor educational programs designed for such students. They also help students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.

• Annual median salary: $77,341 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 3% from 2018 to 2028

Substance Abuse Counselor

You can also go into substance abuse counseling after advancing in the clinical psychology field. In this role, you’re responsible for counseling individuals struggling with addiction to substances like alcohol, drugs, gambling, or even food. You may even be required to design community programs raising awareness about substance abuse and its risks.

You may offer your services within group settings or one-on-one in private offices. Plus, you may find employment opportunities in treatment centers, hospitals, clinics, or even private settings. Some states may even allow you to enter the field with a bachelor’s degree, so it’s best to check your state’s regulations beforehand.

• Annual median salary: $52,978 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 18% from 2022 to 2032

Forensic Psychologist

If you’re into both psychology and law, a career in forensic psychology might be just right for you. Forensic psychologists work around legal and criminal justice systems. They often employ their expertise from a clinical psychology degree to evaluate offenders and provide the right information required for court proceedings.

While forensic psychology may be a challenging career path, the high average salary indicates it’s worth tapping into. As a forensic psychologist, your main task is to psychologically assess whether an individual is mentally competent to stand trial. Plus, you’ll be required to offer expert testimony in court and help attorneys with relevant documentation to conclude a case.

• Annual median salary: $116,698 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 6% from 2018-2028

Organizational Psychologist

If you find working in organizational settings more fascinating, pursuing a career as an organizational psychologist after earning a clinical psychology degree can turn out to be your dream job. Organizational psychologists serve as catalysts for change within the organizations, conducting screening tests, facilitating performance reviews, and making sure the operations stay on track.

While you may secure entry-level positions in organizational psychology with a bachelor’s degree, you’ll need a master’s degree to scale up in the field. As an organizational psychologist, you may work within different public and private settings, such as healthcare, manufacturing, law enforcement, and business.

• Annual median salary: $136,989 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 6% from 2018 to 2028

Clinical Psychology College Professor

If you’re passionate about psychology and teaching, a clinical psychology college professor might be a good pick for you. With years of clinical work and research experience, clinical psychology professors help students build and grasp psychological concepts more effectively.

Although you might start as a junior professor with a master’s degree, advancing to a higher position usually requires a doctorate in clinical psychology. Once you have clocked in enough experience, you can mentor and guide future psychologists while expanding your expertise. Choosing a career as a professor can also pay you incredibly well in the long run.

• Annual median salary: $101,568 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 12% from 2018 to 2028

Rehabilitation Psychologist

Another lucrative career path after a clinical psychology degree is rehabilitation psychology. As a rehabilitation psychologist, you can support clients facing mental issues, behavioral challenges, disabilities, or roadblocks holding them back from day-to-day functions. For instance, you might deal with cases like anxiety stemming from the loss of a family member.

Rehabilitation psychologists offer counseling sessions that help clients recover from their disabilities. These psychologists typically work in acute hospitals where they support patients during critical stages of recovery. They also work in rehabilitation centers and veteran administration hospitals, bringing about a positive impact on their patient’s well-being.

• Annual median salary: $95,844 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 6% from 2018 to 2028

Private Psychologist

If you prefer self-employment, opting for private practice after a clinical psychology degree is the way to go. As a private psychologist, you have the freedom to concentrate on your preferred area of psychology. For instance, you could specialize in working with children, people dealing with anxiety, or those with mood disorders.

However, to serve as a private psychologist, you’ll need at least a master’s degree in psychology. Opting for a doctorate will open you to more specialized psychology career paths with higher salaries. Whether you’re passionate about offering therapy, conducting assessments, or providing specialized services, private practice will give you the freedom to follow and focus on your passion.

• Annual median salary: $154,056 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 14% from 2018 to 2028

School Psychologist

A degree in clinical psychology may also gear you up to become a school psychologist. As a school psychologist, your core aim is to help students excel academically, improve their behavior, and walk students through their emotional challenges. The field requires you to serve as a supportive guide in letting students reach their full potential in classrooms.

With in-depth knowledge of clinical psychology, school psychologists join hands with teachers to design lesson plans that cater to unique learning styles and needs. However, serving as a school psychologist requires at least a master’s degree along with experience that proves you’re capable enough to shape the future of hundreds of students.

• Annual median salary: $92,813 per year
• Growth: Projected to grow 1.3% between 2022 and 2032

Skills Required for a Career in Clinical Psychology

Let’s be honest, simply holding a degree in clinical psychology won’t suffice. The next step is to possess the right skills required to step into the professional field. While you may have learned some of these skills in school, you will need to acquire others to thrive in a psychology career.

Here are four critical skills you need to develop for a successful career in clinical psychology:

Critical Thinking

Clinical psychologists need sharp critical thinking skills to deal with various emotional and behavioral issues. This helps them diagnose and treat conditions with logic and empathy.

Attention to Detail

Strict attention to detail is a highly sought-after skill in clinical psychologists. Attention to detail helps you manage schedules, take notes, and maintain files flawlessly even if you have a high number of clients.

Active Listening

Practicing active listening is key for clinical psychologists to fully understand their clients’ experiences and challenges. It also helps enhance communication and builds rapport.

Ethical Responsibility

Given the nature of their work, it’s important for psychologists to handle confidential information and prioritize patient safety. This needs a high amount of ethical responsibility that every psychologist must practice in order to gain their patient’s trust and be exceptional at their job.

How to Become a Clinical Psychologist

Typically, becoming a clinical psychologist will take around 9 to 12 years, depending on your academic journey. For instance, you may or may not opt for an advanced degree in the field, so the timeframe entirely depends on you. Nonetheless, here are the three general steps involved in becoming a clinical psychologist:

• Earn your clinical psychology degree
• Complete a one-year practicum or internship (1500 hours of clinical work)
• Apply for licensure

Related Questions

What field of clinical psychology makes the most money?

In clinical psychology, private psychologists, neuropsychologists, and industrial-organizational psychologists typically make the most money. However, your income with the degree is also largely influenced by other factors such as your experience, degree level, and location.

Where do most clinical psychologists work?

Most individuals with a degree in clinical psychology serve in a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, counseling centers, group or private practices, and often at rehabilitation centers. Additionally, they may join healthcare systems to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams in upscaling their services.

What are the top three industries that employ clinical psychologists?

According to the BLS data on clinical psychologists’ industry profiles, the top three industries employing clinical psychologists include psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, outpatient care centers, and other residential care facilities.

Conclusion

A degree in clinical psychology can open doors to a range of career possibilities. It can be a little overwhelming to pick the right option, but the key is to choose a psychology program that aligns with your interests, passion, career, and financial goals. Once you’ve figured out what it is you like about this field, making an informed choice can get simpler.