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Health psychologist vs school psychologist

The differences between health psychologists and school psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a health psychologist has an average salary of $81,412, which is higher than the $78,431 average annual salary of a school psychologist.

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

Health psychologist vs school psychologist overview

Health PsychologistSchool Psychologist
Yearly salary$81,412$78,431
Hourly rate$39.14$37.71
Growth rate6%14%
Number of jobs58,74125,457
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age4743
Years of experience-2

What does a health psychologist do?

A health psychologist deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of health and illness. They lend support to those who are chronically ill. One of their foremost responsibilities is to find ways to encourage patients to improve their health. They conduct clinical interviews, complete behavioral assessments on patients, study patients' responses to ailments, and develop ways to incentivize patients to follow medical advice.

What does a school psychologist do?

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. They help families, counselors, and members of the community understand and solve these issues the children may encounter. Additionally, they provide comprehensive psychological services to help students achieve academic, behavioral, social, and emotional success.

Health psychologist vs school psychologist salary

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

Health PsychologistSchool Psychologist
Average salary$81,412$78,431
Salary rangeBetween $55,000 And $118,000Between $55,000 And $110,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-CORA Services
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between health psychologist and school psychologist education

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

Health PsychologistSchool Psychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Health psychologist vs school psychologist demographics

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

Health PsychologistSchool Psychologist
Average age4743
Gender ratioMale, 41.7% Female, 58.3%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 4.2% White, 76.6% 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 Percentage20%12%

Differences between health psychologist and school psychologist duties and responsibilities

Health psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Provide a broad array of psychological services for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families.
  • Administer and interpret psychological tests, provide crisis intervention and orientation for new patients.
  • Utilize CBT, EMDR, client centered & humanitarian approaches.
  • Utilize biofeedback, CBT therapy, behavioral-change exercises, etc.
  • Work directly with physiatrists in developing patient's treatment plan for rehabilitation.
  • Support clients with psychiatry referral, aide in medication understanding and management.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Health psychologist vs school psychologist skills

Common health psychologist skills
  • Patients, 28%
  • Behavioral Health, 13%
  • APA, 9%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 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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