Clinical Psychology Jobs

Clinical psychologists are becoming more in demand in almost every field. As more and more people realize that the environmental and social factors around them are affecting the health of their mind, they reach out to psychologists. Academic institutes feel that they have a duty to provide counseling services to their students to promote a healthy state of mind, as do employers for their employees. The taboo that previously prevented many people from visiting psychologists has now become less of an issue.
Clinical psychologists provide counseling and self-help treatments to their clients. They may work with individuals for one-on-one counseling, or groups and even whole families.  While they also deal with people with serious mental conditions such as schizophrenia or clinical depression, they are not licensed to prescribe drugs for treatment and have to refer their client to a psychiatrist for that. They are, however, allowed to recommend some over-the-counter drugs in controlled quantities.

Salaries vary considerably based on where a clinical psychologist chooses to work. Providing counseling services in a school, while being a very emotionally rewarding experience, may not pay very highly. On the other hand, psychologists who run their private practices may charge, and therefore, earn relatively higher wages. The income also varies by years of experience and choice of work setting. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median annual salary of psychologists was $69,280 in May 2012. However, the BLS also reports that industrial-organizational psychologists were able to earn a median annual wage of $83,580 in May 2012, while the top ten percent of all psychologists earned in excess of $110,880. These salaries however represent income from one source only, and many psychologists prefer to work in many places at the same time.

Clinical psychologists may work with many individuals or narrow down their area of expertise. Some common fields of clinical psychology are:

• Child mental health
• Learning Disabilities
• Adult mental health
• Substance Abuse
• Psychological disorders
• Geropsychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Military Psychology
• Neuropsychology

The main employers for clinical psychologists are enlisted below:

• Hospitals
• Non-profit organizations
• College/ University
• Schools
• Private company
• Self (private practice)

A bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology does not make a person eligible to work as a counselor but it may lead to careers as research associates, assistants to other practicing psychologists or careers in Human Resources in many companies. It is thus recommended to continue studies to improve your prospects of start practice. A master’s degree is considered to be sufficient for counseling in some cases. Further diplomas and postgraduate studies will allow clinical psychologists to specialize. Each state may have its own licensing requirements and exams which have to be addressed in order to acquire a license before starting a career in clinical psychology.

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