Counseling psychologists with Ph.Ds can work in a variety of settings and earn moderately high salaries.
Counseling psychologists advise their clients on cope with daily stress, problems with work, relationship trouble, and other personal issues. They encourage positive mental health and are often credited with preventing more serious mental and social disorders. Counseling psychologists who take the time to earn doctorate degrees earn moderately higher salaries and should benefit from increased future demand for their services.
Education
Admission to Ph.D. psychology programs is very competitive. Many universities require applicants to hold an undergraduate degree in psychology, while others will accept students with coursework in psychology, statistics, mathematics, biology, sociology and other relevant disciplines. Practical experience in an applied counseling setting will dramatically help a candidate's odds of acceptance.
Doctoral programs in psychology typically require approximately five years of full-time dedication. Most universities require their Ph.D. candidates to write and defend a dissertation based on original psychological research. In terms of coursework, doctoral students focus on quantitative and qualitative research methods and experimental design, in addition to their theory and skills curricula. For students focusing on counseling psychology, a year of post-doctoral supervised practice may be required.
Work Settings
Counseling psychologists work in a variety of environments, often based on the types of clients they work with. Many counseling psychologists work for universities or elementary and secondary schools, while others work for healthcare services, private industries, various government agencies (including the armed forces), or in their own private practices. Where a counseling psychologist chooses to work greatly affects his earnings.
Compensation
According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for counseling, clinical and school psychologists in 2008 was $64,140. The lowest 10 percent of these professionals earned less than $37,900 per year, and the highest 10 percent made more than $106,840. The middle 50 percent earned salaries between $48,700 and $82,800.
Education Portal lists the median salary for counseling psychologists with doctoral degrees as $63,335. By contrast, counselors with only master's degrees have an average salary range of $40,000 to $65,000, depending on their practice specialty, according to Masters in Counseling.
Outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for all psychologists is projected to grow 12 percent from 2008 to 2018, due to greater demand for their talents in social service agencies, hospitals, schools, mental health and substance abuse treatment centers, consulting firms and private entities. In particular, the rising number of senior citizens will create more demand for counseling psychologists with gerontological expertise. Psychologists with doctoral degrees will enjoy greater job prospects than those with only a master's, particularly in private practice, teaching and research positions.
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