What does a clinical psychologist do?
A clinical psychologist is a healthcare professional who treats patients with various mental disorders through one-on-one or group settings. Clinical psychologists assist their patients in identifying their psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues so that a plan of action is created to help patients achieve personal and social development. To create a patient treatment plan, clinical psychologists must interview their patients who have different mental problems. They also collaborate with professionals such as social workers, nurses, and occupational therapists to provide the right treatment to their patients.
Clinical psychologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real clinical psychologist resumes:
- Manage high-utilizing patients with chronic health and behavioral health concerns to reduce inappropriate medical utilization and to promote better functional outcomes.
- Supervise by Amanda Quayle, PsyD.
- Utilize CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing techniques.
- Provide CBT, DBT and psychodynamic-orient psychotherapy to adolescent and adult clients.
- Intern with Dr. Ann-Marie Tripp-Pendelton, PsyD, in a therapeutic capacity.
- Collaborate with a team of social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists to develop individualize treatment plans for war veterans.
- Facilitate therapy process group for veterans with interpersonal and emotional problems.
- Conduct intake evaluations for the outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry department.
- Assessed/Test and diagnose young children with suspect developmental delays, often autism.
- Develop program initiatives focuse on organizing clinical rotations and ensuring compliance with APA standards.
- Supervise APA pre-doctoral psychology students and post-doctoral residents in both clinical and assessment cases.
- Deliver training and education of facility's doctors for further advancement in psychiatry and psychology.
- Diagnose, assess, and provide intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities.
- Collaborate daily with an interdisciplinary team of clinicians such as psychiatrists, social workers, rehabilitation therapists and nursing staff.
- Monitor patients' responses to their prescriptions throughout the course of psychotherapy and collaborate with their physician regarding any recommend modifications.
Clinical psychologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Clinical Psychologists are proficient in Patients, Rehabilitation, and Clinical Psychology. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Integrity, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Clinical Psychologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 16%
Monitored patients' responses to their prescriptions throughout the course of psychotherapy and collaborated with their physician regarding any recommended modifications.
- Rehabilitation, 7%
Provided individual and group therapy to individuals age 18-95 in inpatient nursing and rehabilitation centers around Chicago.
- Clinical Psychology, 6%
Directed clinical psychology internship program and supervised all non-licensed psychologists and interns within assigned unit.
- Group Therapy, 5%
Work comprised of assessment/screenings/diagnosis/treatment planning for co-occurring disorders, conducting individual and group therapy, within the active duty military community.
- Veterans, 5%
Created comprehensive treatment plans for Veterans and explained the purpose and process of therapeutic and psychiatric recommendations during feedback sessions.
- Patient Care, 5%
Collaborate with providers from different mental and physical health fields to provide multidisciplinary patient care.
"patients," "rehabilitation," and "clinical psychology" are among the most common skills that clinical psychologists use at work. You can find even more clinical psychologist responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a clinical psychologist to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "psychologists must examine the information they collect and draw logical conclusions." Additionally, a clinical psychologist resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "organized and executed various tests to analyze mental and psychological state of patients. "
Integrity. Many clinical psychologist duties rely on integrity. "psychologists must keep patients’ problems in confidence, and patients must be able to trust psychologists’ expertise in treating sensitive problems.," so a clinical psychologist will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways clinical psychologist responsibilities rely on integrity: "provide all requested clinical psychological services within an ethical domain. "
Patience. This is an important skill for clinical psychologists to perform their duties. For an example of how clinical psychologist responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "psychologists must demonstrate patience, because conducting research or treating patients may take a long time." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a clinical psychologist: "provided individual, child and adolescent counseling and psycho-educational services for patience with -exposure to domestic violence. ".
Communication skills. For certain clinical psychologist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "communication skills." The day-to-day duties of a clinical psychologist rely on this skill, as "psychologists must have strong communication skills because they spend much of their time listening to and speaking with patients or describing their research." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what clinical psychologists do: "conduct 2x/weekly group therapy with emphasis on social skills training, building communication skills, conflict resolution and independent living skills. "
Interpersonal skills. Another common skill required for clinical psychologist responsibilities is "interpersonal skills." This skill comes up in the duties of clinical psychologists all the time, as "psychologists study and help individuals, so they must be able to work well with clients, patients, and other professionals." An excerpt from a real clinical psychologist resume shows how this skill is central to what a clinical psychologist does: "facilitated therapy process group for veterans with interpersonal and emotional problems. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to clinical psychologist responsibilities. Much of what a clinical psychologist does relies on this skill, seeing as "psychologists need problem-solving skills to collect information, design research, evaluate programs, and find treatments or solutions to mental and behavioral problems." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of clinical psychologists: "facilitated psychotherapy using cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, mindfulness, solution-focused, motivational interviewing and supportive psychotherapy models. "
The three companies that hire the most clinical psychologists are:
- FSR157 clinical psychologists jobs
- Senior Care Centers69 clinical psychologists jobs
- Medical Resources Inc.
63 clinical psychologists jobs
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Compare different clinical psychologists
Clinical psychologist vs. Marriage and family therapist
Marriage and family therapists are health professionals who are licensed to diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders of married couples and families. These therapists are required to treat patients with issues such as child and adolescent behavioral problems, depression and anxiety, and marital conflicts. They must observe the interaction of people within units while evaluating and resolving their issues with relationships. Marriage and family therapists must also guide their clients to go through transitional crises such as divorce or death.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, clinical psychologist responsibilities require skills like "rehabilitation," "clinical psychology," "group therapy," and "veterans." Meanwhile a typical marriage and family therapist has skills in areas such as "mft," "group therapy sessions," "child abuse," and "therapeutic services." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Marriage and family therapists earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $60,978. On the other hand, clinical psychologists are paid more in the government industry with an average salary of $95,054.marriage and family therapists tend to reach higher levels of education than clinical psychologists. In fact, marriage and family therapists are 16.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 32.7% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Clinical psychologist vs. Licensed professional counselor
A licensed professional counselor is a healthcare professional who specializes in providing therapy and counseling to patients with emotional and mental health issues. They listen to their patients and utilize various techniques to address concerns and help through the healing procedures. Their duties entail conducting interviews and evaluations, performing research and assessments, studying the patients' medical histories, providing consultations, and developing treatment plans that suit every patients' needs. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor monitors and records their patients' progress, adjusting treatments and medications as necessary.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, clinical psychologist responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "clinical psychology," "group therapy," "veterans," and "patient care." Meanwhile, a licensed professional counselor has duties that require skills in areas such as "lpc," "real estate," "community resources," and "hipaa." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Licensed professional counselors may earn a lower salary than clinical psychologists, but licensed professional counselors earn the most pay in the real estate industry with an average salary of $99,425. On the other hand, clinical psychologists receive higher pay in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $95,054.In general, licensed professional counselors achieve higher levels of education than clinical psychologists. They're 27.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 32.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for clinical psychologists in the next 3-5 years?
Terry Pettijohn Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology, Gupta College of Science
Clinical psychologist vs. Eating disorder specialist
A Psychotherapist's responsibility is to help clients who suffer from symptoms like depression, anxiety, and other behavioral problems. They work with individuals, couples, and families.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, clinical psychologists are more likely to have skills like "patients," "clinical psychology," "group therapy," and "veterans." But a eating disorder specialist is more likely to have skills like "community organizations," "community resources," "substance abuse treatment," and "health professionals."
When it comes to education, eating disorder specialists tend to earn higher degree levels compared to clinical psychologists. In fact, they're 7.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 32.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Clinical psychologist vs. Psychotherapist
Even though a few skill sets overlap between clinical psychologists and psychotherapists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a clinical psychologist might have more use for skills like "clinical psychology," "group therapy," "veterans," and "patient care." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of psychotherapists require skills like "diagnostic assessments," "community resources," "home health," and "substance abuse disorders. "
In general, psychotherapists earn the most working in the professional industry, with an average salary of $67,081. The highest-paying industry for a clinical psychologist is the government industry.In general, psychotherapists hold higher degree levels compared to clinical psychologists. Psychotherapists are 34.9% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 30.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of clinical psychologist
Updated January 8, 2025
