Careers / Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$100,580

United States, 2025

Employment

75,990

United States, 2025

Typical education

Post-Doctoral Training

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

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.

O*NET code
19-3033.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years

Typical tasks

  • 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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$55,170
10th
$73,210
25th
$100,580
Median
$135,200
75th
$180,960
90th

10th percentile

$55,170

25th percentile

$73,210

75th percentile

$135,200

90th percentile

$180,960

Most important skills

  • Reading Comprehension4.8
  • Social Perceptiveness4.4
  • Active Listening4.3
  • Writing4.3
  • Critical Thinking4.3
  • Speaking4.1
  • Active Learning3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.8
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Service Orientation3.8
  • Complex Problem Solving3.8
  • Learning Strategies3.6

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 19 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

19

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Social Perceptiveness4.45.0Not selected5.0
Reading Comprehension4.84.4Not selected4.4
Active Listening4.34.9Not selected4.9
Critical Thinking4.34.4Not selected4.4
Writing4.34.3Not selected4.3
Speaking4.14.3Not selected4.3
Active Learning3.93.9Not selected3.9
Monitoring3.83.9Not selected3.9
Service Orientation3.83.9Not selected3.9
Judgment and Decision Making3.83.8Not selected3.8
Complex Problem Solving3.83.8Not selected3.8
Persuasion3.53.8Not selected3.8
Learning Strategies3.63.5Not selected3.5
Instructing3.33.8Not selected3.8
Coordination3.53.1Not selected3.1
Time Management3.33.3Not selected3.3
Systems Evaluation3.03.3Not selected3.3
Negotiation3.13.1Not selected3.1
Systems Analysis3.03.1Not selected3.1

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
San Francisco, CA$166,4001,5402025
San Luis Obispo, CA$155,960902025
Sacramento, CA$153,0506302025
Hanford, CA$147,210402025
Salem, OR$143,9801302025
Vallejo, CA$143,6001802025
OR$134,3505402025
Santa Fe, NM$131,470602025
Oshkosh, WI$130,870502025
Green Bay, WI$130,360502025
Stockton, CA$129,8601602025
Provo, UT$129,3302802025
Fresno, CA$129,1202802025
Trenton, NJ$128,8501202025
NJ$127,0902,7002025
La Crosse, WI$126,960502025
Pittsfield, MA$125,030602025
Bend, OR$124,970302025
Albuquerque, NM$124,8002025
NM$124,8002025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Clinical and Counseling Psychologists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.