Licensed psychologist vs psychiatrist

The differences between licensed psychologists and psychiatrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a licensed psychologist, becoming a psychiatrist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a psychiatrist has an average salary of $229,034, which is higher than the $97,852 average annual salary of a licensed psychologist.

The top three skills for a licensed psychologist include patients, crisis intervention and psychological services. The most important skills for a psychiatrist are patients, diagnosis, and patient care.

Licensed psychologist vs psychiatrist overview

	Licensed Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Yearly salary	$97,852	$229,034
Hourly rate	$47.04	$110.11
Growth rate	14%	7%
Number of jobs	24,645	29,979
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Average age	43	48
Years of experience	2	6

What does a licensed psychologist do?

A licensed psychologist specializes in diagnosing and treating psychological and behavioral issues. They may work in medical facilities with in-patient or out-patient services, collaborating with other medical experts as needed. Their responsibilities include studying a patient's medical history, conducting initial assessments and examinations, facilitating interviews and therapy sessions, developing care and intervention procedures, and monitoring patients' progress. Furthermore, as a licensed psychologist, it is essential to coordinate with families and guardians, helping them understand and deal with the effects of mental illness in a family.

What does a psychiatrist do?

A Psychiatrist is a medical practitioner specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. They treat patients utilizing psychotherapeutic methods and medications.

Licensed psychologist vs psychiatrist salary

Licensed psychologists and psychiatrists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Licensed Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average salary	$97,852	$229,034
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $137,000	Between $133,000 And $393,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Fargo, ND
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Acadia Healthcare	Yuma Regional Medical Center
Best paying industry	Health Care	Health Care

Differences between licensed psychologist and psychiatrist education

There are a few differences between a licensed psychologist and a psychiatrist in terms of educational background:

	Licensed Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Doctoral Degree, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Medicine
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Licensed psychologist vs psychiatrist demographics

Here are the differences between licensed psychologists' and psychiatrists' demographics:

	Licensed Psychologist	Psychiatrist
Average age	43	48
Gender ratio	Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0%	Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
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, 5.3% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.0% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between licensed psychologist and psychiatrist duties and responsibilities

Licensed psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide crisis intervention, cognitive-behavioral base individual and group therapy to patients.
Assist staff in restructuring APA accredit internship program.
Practice according to ethical guidelines and codes establish by APA.
Conduct individual, couple, family, and DBT group psychotherapy.
Engage in multidisciplinary team to assist in IEP development and review.
Assist in teaching staff members basic DBT and implementing DBT on unit.

Psychiatrist example responsibilities.

Provide psychiatric evaluations, diagnosis and treatment, including prescribing and administering psychotropic medications, conduct individual and group psychotherapy.
Case load includes children, adolescents and adults.
Provide accurate, timely and complete documentation in the EMR.
Conduct full neurological evaluation, including lab, MRI & /or EEG.
Work closely with Medicaid in areas of compliance needs and information of the clients.
Create multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, marriage family therapist) to spear head new veterans parenting class.

Licensed psychologist vs psychiatrist skills

Common licensed psychologist skills

Patients, 15%
Crisis Intervention, 12%
Psychological Services, 9%
Family Therapy, 7%
Individual Therapy, 6%
Developmental Disabilities, 6%

Common psychiatrist skills

Patients, 32%
Diagnosis, 11%
Patient Care, 5%
Mental Illness, 5%
Psychiatric Services, 5%
EMR, 4%

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Licensed Psychologist vs Psychiatrist

Updated January 8, 2025

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