Sports psychologist vs clinical psychologist

The differences between sports psychologists and clinical 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 sports psychologist and a clinical psychologist. Additionally, a clinical psychologist has an average salary of $97,659, which is higher than the $79,617 average annual salary of a sports psychologist.

The top three skills for a sports psychologist include crisis intervention, clinical psychology and performance enhancement. The most important skills for a clinical psychologist are patients, rehabilitation, and clinical psychology.

Sports psychologist vs clinical psychologist overview

	Sports Psychologist	Clinical Psychologist
Yearly salary	$79,617	$97,659
Hourly rate	$38.28	$46.95
Growth rate	14%	14%
Number of jobs	12,683	69,762
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Sports psychologist vs clinical psychologist salary

Sports psychologists and clinical psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Sports Psychologist	Clinical Psychologist
Average salary	$79,617	$97,659
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $115,000	Between $72,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Kaiser Permanente
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between sports psychologist and clinical psychologist education

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

	Sports Psychologist	Clinical Psychologist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Psychology	Clinical Psychology
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Sports psychologist vs clinical psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between sports psychologists' and clinical psychologists' demographics:

	Sports Psychologist	Clinical Psychologist
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0%	Male, 37.0% Female, 63.0%
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%

Differences between sports psychologist and clinical psychologist duties and responsibilities

Sports psychologist example responsibilities.

Provide psychological therapy for children with autism spectrum disorder, deficit/hyperactive disorder, specific learning disorder and others mental diagnosis.
Provide consultation regarding appropriate placement/treatment of juveniles in the DJJ system.

Clinical psychologist example responsibilities.

Manage high-utilizing patients with chronic health and behavioral health concerns to reduce inappropriate medical utilization and to promote better functional outcomes.
Supervise by Amanda Quayle, PsyD.
Utilize CBT, DBT, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing techniques.
Provide CBT, DBT and psychodynamic-orient psychotherapy to adolescent and adult clients.
Intern with Dr. Ann-Marie Tripp-Pendelton, PsyD, in a therapeutic capacity.
Collaborate with a team of social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists to develop individualize treatment plans for war veterans.

Sports psychologist vs clinical psychologist skills

Common sports psychologist skills

Crisis Intervention, 56%
Clinical Psychology, 18%
Performance Enhancement, 14%
Professional Athletes, 8%
Player Performance, 2%
Competitive Performance, 1%

Common clinical psychologist skills

Patients, 16%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Clinical Psychology, 6%
Group Therapy, 5%
Veterans, 5%
Patient Care, 5%

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Sports Psychologist vs Clinical Psychologist

Updated January 8, 2025

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