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Staff psychologist vs child psychologist

The differences between staff 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 staff psychologist and a child psychologist. Additionally, a child psychologist has an average salary of $78,743, which is higher than the $77,671 average annual salary of a staff psychologist.

The top three skills for a staff psychologist include patients, group therapy and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a child psychologist are autism, mental health, and family therapy.

Staff psychologist vs child psychologist overview

Staff PsychologistChild Psychologist
Yearly salary$77,671$78,743
Hourly rate$37.34$37.86
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs85,22122,815
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age4343
Years of experience22

What does a staff psychologist do?

A staff psychologist is responsible for monitoring patients with mental health conditions and conducting counseling services to observe their behaviors and diagnose their developmental disorders. Staff psychologists develop treatment plans and administer medications for the patients and may also facilitate referrals to other institutions and medical professionals for further examinations. They utilize necessary resources, especially therapy programs, to manage the patients' conditions and document their progress during each session. A staff psychologist seeks advice from other mental health experts to identify case management concepts and assessments.

What does a child psychologist do?

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.

Staff psychologist vs child psychologist salary

Staff psychologists and child psychologists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Staff PsychologistChild Psychologist
Average salary$77,671$78,743
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $110,000Between $54,000 And $114,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyKaiser Permanente-
Best paying industry--

Differences between staff psychologist and child psychologist education

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

Staff PsychologistChild Psychologist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Staff psychologist vs child psychologist demographics

Here are the differences between staff psychologists' and child psychologists' demographics:

Staff PsychologistChild Psychologist
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 43.7% Female, 56.3%Male, 29.5% Female, 70.5%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage12%12%

Differences between staff psychologist and child psychologist duties and responsibilities

Staff 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.

Child 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.

Staff psychologist vs child psychologist skills

Common staff psychologist skills
  • Patients, 14%
  • Group Therapy, 8%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Veterans, 6%
  • Treatment Planning, 5%
  • Social Work, 5%
Common child psychologist skills
  • Autism, 30%
  • Mental Health, 11%
  • Family Therapy, 9%
  • Substance Abuse, 8%
  • Psychological Tests, 8%
  • Group Therapy, 7%

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