How to hire a counseling psychologist

How to hire a counseling psychologist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step counseling 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 counseling psychologist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new counseling psychologist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your counseling psychologist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a counseling psychologist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A counseling psychologist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, counseling 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 shows salaries for various types of counseling psychologists.

   Type of Counseling Psychologist	Description	Hourly rate
   Counseling Psychologist	Psychologists study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior by observing, interpreting, and recording how people relate to one another and their environments.	$26-55
   Psychologist	Sales managers are responsible for leading the organization's sales team. They oversee the progress and performance of the whole team, set area assignments to team members, and set weekly or monthly quotas... Show more	$32-66
   School Psychologist	School psychologists are knowledgeable professionals whose responsibilities include identifying, addressing, and overcoming the educational and behavioral needs of school-aged children. They generally work in schools and focus their observations on children and youth who often face issues related to education, social relationships, decision-making, as well as managing emotions... Show more	$26-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Mental Health
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Behavioral Health
   • Social Work
   • Psychological Services
   • Rehabilitation
   • Individual Therapy
   • Clinical Supervision
   • Clinical Services
   • Patients
   • Eating Disorders
   • Consultation Services
   • Psychological Assessments
   • Anxiety Disorders

   Check all skills

   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.

   More counseling psychologist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your counseling psychologist job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A counseling psychologist salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a counseling psychologist in North Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level counseling psychologist usually earns less than a senior-level counseling psychologist. Additionally, a counseling psychologist with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average counseling psychologist salary

   $80,294yearly

   $38.60 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level counseling psychologist salary

   $55,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average counseling psychologist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$140,412	$68
   2	Nevada	$128,535	$62
   3	Utah	$106,264	$51
   4	Maryland	$100,654	$48
   5	District of Columbia	$100,485	$48
   6	Massachusetts	$100,123	$48
   7	Colorado	$96,433	$46
   8	North Dakota	$94,444	$45
   9	Missouri	$92,057	$44
   10	Oregon	$89,832	$43
   11	New York	$79,601	$38
   12	New Jersey	$79,580	$38
   13	Hawaii	$73,710	$35
   14	Michigan	$71,969	$35
   15	Arizona	$71,484	$34
   16	Idaho	$70,190	$34
   17	Pennsylvania	$69,720	$34
   18	Texas	$68,378	$33
   19	Minnesota	$65,247	$31
   20	Illinois	$64,933	$31

   Average counseling psychologist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$94,837	$45.59
   2	University of California-Berkeley	$89,862	$43.20
   3	UC Santa Barbara	$86,854	$41.76
   4	Pico de Gallo	$85,212	$40.97
   5	University of California	$85,166	$40.95	5
   6	Talkspace	$85,023	$40.88
   7	The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania	$85,023	$40.88
   8	Brightside Health	$85,000	$40.87
   9	UCI Health	$79,865	$38.40
   10	Universal Health Services	$75,331	$36.22	15
   11	St. Vincent's Services, Inc.	$74,811	$35.97
   12	The Institute for Family Health	$74,599	$35.86
   13	HealthTrust	$74,492	$35.81
   14	Wediko Children's Services	$73,540	$35.36
   15	University of Michigan	$73,188	$35.19
   16	Rutgers University	$72,859	$35.03	2
   17	UC Merced	$71,536	$34.39
   18	Northern Illinois University	$71,241	$34.25
   19	University of Houston	$69,315	$33.32
   20	University of Illinois Springfield	$68,661	$33.01

4. Writing a counseling psychologist job description

   A good counseling psychologist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a counseling psychologist job description:

   Counseling psychologist job description example

   External Applicant Instructions
   Please upload your resume/CV for automatic population of information to your Kean application.Your contact information, work experience and education will be automatically filled in. Please review all fields - you will need to verify that the data is accurate.In the “My Experience” section, you will find a resume/CV upload option where you can submit your cover letter and any other supporting documents you may wish to submit.
   
   Kean Wellness Center
   Counseling Center
   Psychologist
   
   Under the supervision of the Director of the Counseling Center, the Psychologist (Professional Services Specialist II) is responsible for the assessment, support and treatment of Kean University students with a specific focus on anxiety, depression, and other mood-related conditions. The Psychologist will also provide supervision and support for the center's master's and predoctoral externship programs.
   
   The Psychologist uses established policies, procedures and guidelines as stated by the State of New Jersey and Federal laws and regulations to provide essential support services to the University community. This position may require travel and night and weekend hours on an as-needed basis.
   
   Qualifications: Doctoral degree in Psychology or Counseling; license or eligibility for licensure in the State of New Jersey as a Psychologist; and a minimum of one year of clinical experience including work with high-risk individuals, as well as with complex and/or longstanding clinical problems is required. Familiarity with developmental issues of college students and demonstrated sensitivity and skill in working with diverse populations is also required. Experience working with counseling or clinical graduate trainees in an externship program; and providing oversight, supervision, guidance and support to masters and doctoral-level trainees is preferred.
   
   Candidacy review begins immediately and continues until appointment is made. Please submit your cover letter, resume/CV and contact information for three professional references. Official transcripts for all degrees are required prior to the starting date of employment.
   
   Attention current Kean University employees (including part-time Student Assistants, Graduate Assistants, Academic Specialists and Adjuncts): Please apply via the internal career site to ensure consideration as an internal candidate. To apply internally, please log into your Workday account and select the Career icon on your homepage to view available positions.
   
   Additional Information
   
   As a condition of employment, external candidates are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination prior to their start date. If you are unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for medical or religious reasons, you may submit a request for an exemption. All employees are expected to follow the University's current health and safety protocols for COVID-19 and any procedures/protocols created through additional correspondence.
   
   Kean University complies with the New Jersey First Act (Senate Bill No. 1730, P.L. 2011, Chapter 70). Any individual newly hired by Kean University will be required to abide by this law and establish a principal residence in New Jersey. New employees will have a full 365 days to establish such residence, from the effective date of hire.
   
   In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position, please refer to Section III.A. of our Reasonable Accommodations Policy & Procedures.
   
   Diversity & Non-Discrimination Statement
   
   Kean University is committed to establishing and maintaining a diverse campus community through inclusive excellence and equal opportunity. Kean's commitment to access and equity is designed to prepare each graduate to not only thrive, but climb higher in a diverse world. As an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution we work to support a campus-wide agenda to foster a community that both values and promotes the diversity and equity of all students, faculty, staff, administrators, and beyond.
   
   EEO/AA Statement
   
   Kean University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find counseling psychologists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any counseling psychologists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level counseling psychologists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your counseling psychologist job on Zippia to find and recruit counseling 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 counseling 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.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 counseling psychologist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the counseling psychologist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new counseling psychologist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

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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