Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.
Explore this career interactively, with full detail →
Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists is licensed or registered in 51 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 29 professional certifications to Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. 2 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Certification in Cognitive Therapy, Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.1 hours and sit about 6.5 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 2.0 pounds. For 96.1% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (over 99.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (80.4%), cannot pause their work (under 50%), and are exposed to the outdoors (under 10%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of clinical and counseling psychologists work in Health Care and Social Assistance (86%), Public Administration (7%) and Educational Services (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most clinical and counseling psychologists are Offices of Other Health Practitioners (44% of the jobs counted, median pay $98,820), Outpatient Care Centers (10% of the jobs counted, median pay $108,210), Individual and Family Services (9% of the jobs counted, median pay $89,120), Offices of Physicians (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $102,530) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($126,650), State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($109,530), Outpatient Care Centers ($108,210). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among clinical and counseling psychologists with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Psychology (61%), Clinical Psychology (5%) and Biology (5%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Psychologists", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 35.2 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 7 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Life, physical, and social science", which includes this career, 10.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,736 for union members and $1,533 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to clinical and counseling psychologists.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For clinical and counseling psychologists, employers filed 143 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 150 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $96,400 (the middle half ran from $77,000 to $113,800) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to clinical and counseling psychologists, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for clinical and counseling psychologists are: spend time sitting (100%), contact with others (96%), freedom to make decisions (96%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (96%), e-mail (92%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (92%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (40% of 25 respondents) was "over 2 years, up to and including 4 years". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to clinical and counseling psychologists in the work done and the skills used: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, Mental Health Counselors, Psychiatrists, Healthcare Social Workers, School Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, Clinical Neuropsychologists (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what clinical and counseling psychologists earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare clinical and counseling psychologists with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Psychology, General
CIP 42.0101
Developmental and Child Psychology
CIP 42.2703
Clinical Psychology
CIP 42.2801
Counseling Psychology
CIP 42.2803
Clinical Child Psychology
CIP 42.2807
Geropsychology
CIP 42.2809
Health/Medical Psychology
CIP 42.2810
Family Psychology
CIP 42.2811
Applied Behavior Analysis
CIP 42.2814
Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
CIP 51.1507