Clinical Psychologist Salary Range

Clinical psychology applies the principles of psychological assessment and psychotherapy to understand and treat mental illness or dysfunction. Clinical psychologists also engage in research, consultation and teaching. They work with almost all age groups, right from infants to adults who suffer from mental depressions or any other psychological problems. Before knowing the clinical psychologist salary range, let us understand the job profile of a clinical psychologist.

Job Description of Clinical Psychologist
To become a clinical psychologist one must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology) in clinical psychology. A five to seven year degree course along with dissertation and internship is required. A clinical psychologist analyzes, assesses the mental condition, diagnoses the problems and treats the psychological problem. They interview patients and help them overcome the trauma of injury or illness. Some of them work with rehabilitation centers that help patients overcome mental depression due to chronic diseases or injuries.

Clinical psychologist can even work independently. For this a license and certificate from the government are the basic requirements. Depending upon the psychological problem, the clinical psychologist designs the treatment program that has to be implemented. They also play a very important role in schools where they solve psychological problems of school going children.

A clinical psychologist usually is not allowed to prescribe any medicine to the patient, he/she can consult other specialists for the same. He/she can work in different fields and solve psychological problems of the affected people. These sectors can include,

• Community Health Centers
• Hospitals
• Health Centers
• Mental Health Services
• Community Mental Health Teams
• Teaching
• School Counseling
• Private Practice

Read more on:

• Career Information on Psychology
• Careers in Clinical Psychology

Clinical Psychologist Salary Range
The salary of a clinical psychologist depends on whether he/she is practicing individually or working in a multidisciplinary field. The clinical psychologist salary range also depends on the education degree. A research conducted states that clinical psychologist average salary earned was around $63,935 in the year 2008. The salary of a clinical psychologist also depends on the years of experience. As discussed earlier, the workplace also determines the salary of a clinical psychologist. The tables given below will give you an idea about the salary ranges for different workplaces and work experiences.

Workplace	Average Salary
Federal Government	$81,840
Private Practice	$74,323
Hospital	$64,611
Company	$60,196
School or School District	$57,644
Non-Profit Organization	$55,844
College or University	$52,319

According to a survey made by the American Psychological Association, it has been observed that more than 50% clinical psychologists who worked independently earned an average salary of $82,000. One more survey states that the average clinical psychologist pay in the year 2009 lies between $38,000 and $62,000. If a clinical psychologist has good work experience and is working in a private sector, he/she can earn more than $125,000 annually.

Work Experience	Average Salary
0 - 1 year	$51,309
0 - 4 years	$53,087
5 - 9 years	$63,935
10 - 19 years	$71,739
20 - 24 years	$75,727
25 - 29 years	$82,076
30+ years	$92,582

Thus, we can conclude that the clinical psychologist salary range largely depends on several factors like education, the state he/she is working in, the workplace and the work experience gained. The above given figures of clinical psychologist salary range are approximate and may vary from country to country.