Counseling psychologist vs school psychologist

The differences between counseling psychologists and school psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a counseling psychologist, becoming a school psychologist takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a counseling psychologist has an average salary of $80,294, which is higher than the $78,431 average annual salary of a school psychologist.

The top three skills for a counseling psychologist include mental health, crisis intervention and behavioral health. The most important skills for a school psychologist are professional development, mental health, and psychological services.

Counseling psychologist vs school psychologist overview

	Counseling Psychologist	School Psychologist
Yearly salary	$80,294	$78,431
Hourly rate	$38.60	$37.71
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	12,337	25,457
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	2

Counseling psychologist vs school psychologist salary

Counseling psychologists and school psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Counseling Psychologist	School Psychologist
Average salary	$80,294	$78,431
Salary range	Between $55,000 And $116,000	Between $55,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City	Berkeley, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	CORA Services
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between counseling psychologist and school psychologist education

There are a few differences between a counseling psychologist and a school psychologist in terms of educational background:

	Counseling Psychologist	School Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Counseling psychologist vs school psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between counseling psychologists' and school psychologists' demographics:

	Counseling Psychologist	School Psychologist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 35.0% Female, 65.0%	Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between counseling psychologist and school psychologist duties and responsibilities

Counseling psychologist example responsibilities.

Conduct and write triennial and initial assessments, participate and lead IEP meetings, functional behavioral assessments, behavior support plans.
Advance training in DBT and EMDR.
Establish a join ADHD clinic with one of the local pediatricians.
Provide psycho-diagnostic and psycho therapeutic services to cancer patients.
Develop a team orient treatment plan for patients producing quantitative measurable results.
Develop training materials for alcohol abuse treatment & rehabilitation services, including prevention of domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness.

School psychologist example responsibilities.

Work alongside grade-level teachers and lead small math groups for both remedial and advance students.
Lead small student groups addressing social skills, friendship-making, divorce, ADHD, organizational skills and homework completion.
Provide brief evidence-base individual, couple, and group psychotherapy to veterans refer for mental health treatment.
Provide individual and family interventions to geriatric patients in nursing home facilities for long term care and rehabilitation treatment.
Participate on the weekly DBT consultation team.
Motivate kids to stay in school and improve their social skills.

Counseling psychologist vs school psychologist skills

Common counseling psychologist skills

Mental Health, 27%
Crisis Intervention, 18%
Behavioral Health, 9%
Social Work, 7%
Psychological Services, 7%
Rehabilitation, 5%

Common school psychologist skills

Professional Development, 18%
Mental Health, 13%
Psychological Services, 7%
K-12, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Autism, 3%

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Counseling Psychologist vs School Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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