How to hire a child psychologist

How to hire a child psychologist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step child psychologist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a child psychologist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new child psychologist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a child psychologist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A child psychologist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, child psychologists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents child psychologist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Child Psychologist	Description	Hourly rate
   Child Psychologist	Psychologists study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and their environments.	$25-54
   Clinical Fellow	Clinical fellows are doctoral-level health professionals whose interest focuses on biomedical research. They take part in protocol-based clinical research and laboratory research... Show more	$25-43
   Clinical Psychology Internship	Clinical psychology interns are responsible for assisting the clinical psychology staff by utilizing their academic knowledge to practical applications. A clinical psychology intern observes the daily operations in a health care facility, shadows medical staff, and prepares reports for clinical psychology processes or psychological research... Show more	$12-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autism
   • Mental Health
   • Family Therapy
   • Substance Abuse
   • Psychological Tests
   • Group Therapy
   • DBT
   • Eating Disorders
   • Treatment Services
   • Psychological Services
   • ADHD
   • Child Development
   • Early Intervention
   • Individual Therapy

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
   • Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your child psychologist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A child psychologist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, child psychologists' average salary in alabama is 58% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level child psychologists 53% less than senior-level child psychologists.
   • Certifications. A child psychologist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a child psychologist's salary.

   Average child psychologist salary

   $78,743yearly

   $37.86 hourly rate

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   Entry-level child psychologist salary

   $54,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

4. Writing a child psychologist job description

   A job description for a child psychologist role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a child psychologist job description:

   Child psychologist job description example

   Outstanding Academic opportunity to join the faculty at the state's largest and oldest University at one of the Top 5 Public Universities in the nation and University in Florida! The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Florida is one of the largest multifaceted programs, centered within a major academic health center. They are seeking a child psychiatrist with demonstrated potential for developing a strong Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service to help grow the service line within UF Shands Children's Hospital and strong collaborative ties across pediatric medical and psychiatric services.

   
   

   You can look forward to:

   • Income potential up to $280,000 including sign on and relocation packages.
   • Comprehensive academic benefits including employer paid medical, supplement & life insurance, and retirement savings plans.
   • Work/Life balance: only 8 Call days yr and 43 days PTO
   • Eligible for Paid Family Leave on first day of employment!
   • Extensive opportunities for teaching, research and program development
   • Prominent Psychiatric Department with 45 residents and 8 Child Psychiatry Fellows
   • Eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
   • No State Income Tax!

   
   

   Gainesville is ranked "One of the Top 50 Cities to Live in the Nation and Top ranked city in Florida" by and offers big-city attractions with a small-town feel.

   • "Top 10 College Town", "Best Place to Live", and "Best Place to Retire" accolades with a world-class research institution, outstanding academic programs, and competitive Division 1 Athletics

   • Cost of living in Gainesville is 10% lower than the national average with no state income taxes!

   • Offers 30+ miles of biking and hiking trails and 1.5 hours away from some of Florida's best beaches!

   • An array of theatres, museums, sporting events, restaurants, and cultural events

   • Under two hours away from Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville FL!

   
   

   Reference: CPS 7889

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find child psychologists for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your child psychologist job on Zippia to find and recruit child psychologist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit child psychologists, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new child psychologist

   Once you've selected the best child psychologist candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new child psychologist. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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