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Psychologist vs forensic psychologist

The differences between psychologists and forensic psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a psychologist has an average salary of $97,803, which is higher than the $83,065 average annual salary of a forensic psychologist.

The top three skills for a psychologist include patients, crisis intervention and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a forensic psychologist are psychological evaluations, mental illness, and risk assessments.

Psychologist vs forensic psychologist overview

PsychologistForensic Psychologist
Yearly salary$97,803$83,065
Hourly rate$47.02$39.94
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs12,51611,802
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age4747
Years of experience--

What does a psychologist do?

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. Sales managers oversee training team members during onboarding and providing further coaching to help them achieve their goals. They manage the challenges that team members may meet and help mitigate any problems that come along the way. Sales managers also set the strategic direction of the sales team and follow through by ensuring that the team's activities are in line with the goals.

What does a forensic psychologist do?

Forensic Psychologists are responsible for evaluating and treating criminal behavior. Their duties include conducting forensic assessments, developing rehabilitation programs, reviewing offender treatments, carrying out research projects, and carrying out forensic statistical analysis. They are responsible for undertaking expert witness testimonies, assisting in policy development, and creating forensic staff training programs. Forensic Psychologists also facilitate crisis negotiation, interpret psychological tests, and help in the supervision of psychology trainees. They use their expertise in helping improve organizational outcomes.

Psychologist vs forensic psychologist salary

Psychologists and forensic psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

PsychologistForensic Psychologist
Average salary$97,803$83,065
Salary rangeBetween $68,000 And $139,000Between $56,000 And $121,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySierra CorporationWellpath
Best paying industryHealth CareManufacturing

Differences between psychologist and forensic psychologist education

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

PsychologistForensic Psychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common majorPsychologyClinical Psychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Psychologist vs forensic psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between psychologists' and forensic psychologists' demographics:

PsychologistForensic Psychologist
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 35.2% Female, 64.8%Male, 36.7% Female, 63.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.2% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 76.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage20%20%

Differences between psychologist and forensic psychologist duties and responsibilities

Psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Supervise mental health staff, including the overseeing of the provision of mental health services in a correctional facility.
  • Provide EMDR therapy for clients with trauma and anxiety.
  • Perform tests to diagnose autism in children or tests for the detection of autism at an early age.
  • Provide supervision and mentoring for APA Pre-Doctoral interns.
  • Supervise clinical activities of doctoral level psychology interns in APA accredit internship program.
  • Evaluate veterans for psychological disorders that may have resulted secondary to their military service for compensation purposes.
  • Show more

Forensic psychologist example responsibilities.

  • Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.
  • Develop cognitive behaviorally-base educational module for post-surgery patients.

Psychologist vs forensic psychologist skills

Common psychologist skills
  • Patients, 18%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Rehabilitation, 6%
  • Mental Illness, 5%
  • Clinical Supervision, 5%
  • APA, 4%
Common forensic psychologist skills
  • Psychological Evaluations, 12%
  • Mental Illness, 11%
  • Risk Assessments, 11%
  • Forensic Evaluations, 10%
  • Mental Health, 8%
  • Psychological Tests, 8%

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