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Staff psychologist vs psychology associate

The differences between staff psychologists and psychology associates 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 psychology associate. Additionally, a staff psychologist has an average salary of $77,671, which is higher than the $73,152 average annual salary of a psychology associate.

The top three skills for a staff psychologist include patients, group therapy and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a psychology associate are social work, group therapy, and patients.

Staff psychologist vs psychology associate overview

Staff PsychologistPsychology Associate
Yearly salary$77,671$73,152
Hourly rate$37.34$35.17
Growth rate14%14%
Number of jobs85,2216,332
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 psychology associate do?

Provosts have a hefty set of educational requirements, including a master's degree in an educational field, tenure as a college or university academic professor, and, in some cases, the prerequisite of a doctorate: all necessary for the $151K yearly salary. Those who choose this career path will be called upon as the university's chief academic officer under the president to create and implement academic priorities as well as allocate resources that will support those priorities.

Staff psychologist vs psychology associate salary

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

Staff PsychologistPsychology Associate
Average salary$77,671$73,152
Salary rangeBetween $54,000 And $110,000Between $49,000 And $107,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASanta Rosa, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyKaiser PermanenteCommonwealth
Best paying industry-Health Care

Differences between staff psychologist and psychology associate education

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

Staff PsychologistPsychology Associate
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Staff psychologist vs psychology associate demographics

Here are the differences between staff psychologists' and psychology associates' demographics:

Staff PsychologistPsychology Associate
Average age4343
Gender ratioMale, 43.7% Female, 56.3%Male, 27.7% Female, 72.3%
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 psychology associate 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.

Psychology associate example responsibilities.

  • Provide comprehensive clinical psychological services in the form of provision of evidence based psychotherapy for mental health patients.
  • Provide psychological services at the largest AF clinic in the busiest DoD community in the command.
  • Administer psychological testing including ADHD, cognitive functioning, and psychoeducational batteries.
  • Connect with community service boards in reviewing rehabilitation reports for developmentally challenge individuals.
  • Develop person-centered, collaborative treatment plans with patients and document specific and measurable progress.
  • Work with a diverse array of clients including severely mentally ill, physically/learning disable, mentally impaired/handicap, and prisoner rehabilitation populations
  • Show more

Staff psychologist vs psychology associate skills

Common staff psychologist skills
  • Patients, 14%
  • Group Therapy, 8%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Veterans, 6%
  • Treatment Planning, 5%
  • Social Work, 5%
Common psychology associate skills
  • Social Work, 16%
  • Group Therapy, 13%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Crisis Intervention, 11%
  • Mental Illness, 8%
  • Mental Health, 7%

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