Psychologist, private practice vs licensed professional counselor

The differences between psychologists, private practice and licensed professional counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a psychologist, private practice, becoming a licensed professional counselor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a licensed professional counselor has an average salary of $94,675, which is higher than the $81,680 average annual salary of a psychologist, private practice.

The top three skills for a psychologist, private practice include patients, primary care and private practice. The most important skills for a licensed professional counselor are patients, social work, and LPC.

Psychologist, private practice vs licensed professional counselor overview

	Psychologist, Private Practice	Licensed Professional Counselor
Yearly salary	$81,680	$94,675
Hourly rate	$39.27	$45.52
Growth rate	14%	6%
Number of jobs	38,463	153,612
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Master's Degree, 48%
Average age	43	41
Years of experience	6	4

Psychologist, private practice vs licensed professional counselor salary

Psychologists, private practice and licensed professional counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Psychologist, Private Practice	Licensed Professional Counselor
Average salary	$81,680	$94,675
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $116,000	Between $73,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Bloomberg
Best paying industry	-	Real Estate

Differences between psychologist, private practice and licensed professional counselor education

There are a few differences between a psychologist, private practice and a licensed professional counselor in terms of educational background:

	Psychologist, Private Practice	Licensed Professional Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Master's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Psychologist, private practice vs licensed professional counselor demographics

Here are the differences between psychologists, private practice' and licensed professional counselors' demographics:

	Psychologist, Private Practice	Licensed Professional Counselor
Average age	43	41
Gender ratio	Male, 40.7% Female, 59.3%	Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2%
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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	12%	15%

Differences between psychologist, private practice and licensed professional counselor duties and responsibilities

Psychologist, private practice example responsibilities.

Conduct psychological and psychoeducational evaluations including ADHD, learning disabilities, autism, emotional and behavioral issues.
Assist personnel in identifying triggers leading to relapse of PTSD, negative behaviors and thoughts.
Provision of psychological assessment, psycho-diagnostic evaluation and psychotherapy of patients using brief therapy models.
Provision of psychological assessment, psycho-diagnostic evaluation and psychotherapy of patients using mindfulness base psychotherapy techniques.
Develop training materials for alcohol abuse treatment & rehabilitation services, including prevention of domestic violence, child abuse and homelessness.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Licensed professional counselor example responsibilities.

Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
Provide clinical supervision to LPC candidates, contract clinicians and counseling psychology practicum/internship students.
Assign, direct, and provide supervision of screening assessment complete by LPC and LCSW.
Conduct intakes and assessments on new admissions and recommend placement into services base on ASAM criteria.
Coordinate with the patient's family, attending physician, other hospitals and agencies following HIPAA standards.
Specialize in OCD and animal assist psychotherapy.

Psychologist, private practice vs licensed professional counselor skills

Common psychologist, private practice skills

Patients, 23%
Primary Care, 14%
Private Practice, 8%
Family Therapy Sessions, 7%
Adolescents, 6%
Patient Care, 5%

Common licensed professional counselor skills

Patients, 13%
Social Work, 12%
LPC, 10%
Real Estate, 10%
Individual Therapy, 8%
Crisis Intervention, 6%

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Psychologist, Private Practice
Psychologist, Private Practice vs Licensed Professional Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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