Clinical Psychologist Jobs & Career Guide 2024

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Becoming a clinical psychologist will take between 9 and 12 years from starting your bachelor’s degree to earning your license.

The first step to becoming a clinical psychologist is to earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Ideally, you should major in psychology, but some other fields may give you the necessary background knowledge. These include sociology and social work.

In most cases, clinical psychologists also have their Master’s degree in one of the following:

• Clinical psychology
• Forensic psychology
• Experimental psychology
• Industrial-Organization psychology
• Counseling psychology

Depending on the program you complete, you might be able to earn your master’s as part of the doctoral program. Attaining your Master’s before your doctoral is a good way to gain experience in the practice of psychology.

Pursuing your doctoral in clinical psychology with just a bachelor’s degree adds four years to your time pursuing a career as a clinical psychologist. If you add a master’s to the mix, you must add another two.

While in school, you’ll need to complete a one-year practicum or internship. This field experience lets you apply what you’ve learned while supervised by a fully licensed practitioner. Your school should help place you. You will typically be required to complete at least 1500 hours of supervised clinical work. The number of hours varies by state.

Once you have attained your doctoral in clinical psychology, you can pursue your certification and license in the state where you will work. To practice clinical psychology, you must be licensed. Most states require the following:

• Doctorate in psychology. Learn more about a PhD in Clinical Psychology
• Closely supervised internship
• 1 – 2 years of supervised professional experience
• Receive a passing grade in the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology

In most states, the governing board for licenses and certifications, as well as the psychology licensing exam, is the official state Board of Psychologists.

Each state has an application packet and process. The application has several parts and is complex. At least, it will have components similar to the following:

• General application with your basic contact information
• Summary of Clinical Experience
• Essay questions (usually 5 to 10 questions pertaining to your experience and knowledge)

In addition, the application packet will have the following:

• Graduate program summary and course sheet
• Internship confirmation and evaluation
• Professional reference form
• Pre and postdoctoral clinical experience summary

In addition, there will be a fee you have to pay at the point of your submission. You will also have to provide a passport-style photo and a current resume or Curriculum Vitae.

You must pass an official license exam to be considered for a clinical psychology license. Most states require that you pass the EPPP, Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB.)

The ASPPB will review your application to take the exam and provide instructions to register to take the exam. The exam is a multiple-choice questionnaire with 225 total questions. To pass, you must score a minimum of 500, which works out to be 70% of the exam questions.

Your state psychology board will be sent your exam score. Your application will then be reviewed, and a determination of whether you meet the criteria to become licensed in your state will be made. Once accepted, you will receive your license in a week to two weeks.

For your license to be transferable to another state, that state must have a reciprocity agreement with the state you want to practice. In most cases, you will still have to fill out your desired state’s application package and pay a fee.

If your current license is current, you can give your new state the following instead of going through the entire licensing process and taking the EPPP.

• Certification by the American Board of Professional Psychology or ABPP
• Certificate of Professional Qualification or CPQ from the ASPPB
• Certification from the National Register of Health Services Psychologists or NRHSP

If you have these, submit your application package and fee, evidence of a license in good standing, a current resume, and a signed Verification of Certification/Licensure from another Jurisdiction form.

These documents and certifications will allow you to gain your license in your desired state without retaking the license examination.

This process does not include any state-specific exam requirements.

Once you’ve earned your degree, you’ll have to sit for licensing exams. The first is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology or the EPPP. Here’s everything you need to know about the EPPP and EPPP study materials.

The other requirements vary depending on where you live. In some states, there’s more than one test (e.g. California and the CPLEE). Sometimes, even after school, you must practice on a conditional license before your state fully certifies you.

Every state has a defined time your psychology license is valid. The length of time varies, but typically, your license is valid for 2 to 6 years. At the end of that term, you need to renew your license. Your license must be in good standing with the state, and you must meet certain criteria, which are usually continuing education requirements.

Continuing education requirements are required so that you continually build upon your skills as a psychologist. This requirement prevents people from becoming clinical psychologists and coasting for years solely based on their initial license. It also lets you build your resume to give you the best possible advantage if you decide to go for a promotion or change jobs.

States usually extend broad latitude in the type of continuing education programs you complete.

For example, while you must take some psychology-related training to maintain your standing as a licensed Clinical Psychologist, you can also take classes to improve your business or communication skills. The goal is to help you become a better psychologist.

Continuing education gets counted by credited units. It can include direct coursework from an approved list, the completion of seminars and workshops related to your field, and any publication of manuscripts pertaining to your field of work. In many states, you can also lead education events for credit.

Many states also have ethics training requirements. Ethics training can include classes or workshops in:

• Patient Privacy Laws and Application
• Patient-client interaction and relationships
• Financial ethics
• Roles and responsibilities pertaining to professional behavior

Clinical Psychologists must possess knowledge of psychological theory and practice and have an interest in how humans think and interact with one another. They must have strong research and teamworking skills but they must also be able to work on their own. Students who pursue Clinical Psychology should have strong critical-thinking skills and have the ability to quickly identify the effectiveness of a treatment plan and then make adjustments to better benefit their clients. They must possess strong communication skills and be able to empathize with a broad range of personalities.

Salaries for Clinical Psychologists vary widely based on many different factors. Recent U.S. Bureau of Statistics (BLS) indicate the average annual income for Clinical Psychologists is $91,677. Actual salaries vary based on location, specialization, and experience.

Field of specialty can greatly affect earnings, too. The average salary for Marriage and Family Psychologists is around $54,000 and for Psychology Teachers is approximately $84,000. A Forensic Psychologists averages $72,000 per year.

See our clinical psychology salary guide for more information.