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The differences between school psychologists and child psychologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a school psychologist and a child psychologist. Additionally, a child psychologist has an average salary of $78,743, which is higher than the $78,431 average annual salary of a school psychologist.
The top three skills for a school psychologist include professional development, mental health and psychological services. The most important skills for a child psychologist are autism, mental health, and family therapy.
| School Psychologist | Child Psychologist | |
| Yearly salary | $78,431 | $78,743 |
| Hourly rate | $37.71 | $37.86 |
| Growth rate | 14% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 25,457 | 22,815 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
Child Psychologists evaluate and treat adolescents and children. They help children to cope with stresses such as school or family transitions, deaths, and divorces. Their clients may include children with different developmental issues, from learning disabilities to severe mental illness. A partial list of problems they treat has autism, obsessive-compulsive order, attention deficit disorder, adjustment disorder, and phobias. Their job is to endorse the best diagnosis to a complex set of symptoms presented. Moreover, a Clinical Child Psychologist is considered a health service provider.
School psychologists and child psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| School Psychologist | Child Psychologist | |
| Average salary | $78,431 | $78,743 |
| Salary range | Between $55,000 And $110,000 | Between $54,000 And $114,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | - |
| Highest paying state | California | - |
| Best paying company | CORA Services | - |
| Best paying industry | Education | - |
There are a few differences between a school psychologist and a child psychologist in terms of educational background:
| School Psychologist | Child Psychologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 48% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between school psychologists' and child psychologists' demographics:
| School Psychologist | Child Psychologist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5% |
| 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, 6.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 3.3% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |