Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
SOC 19-3033 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $119,247per year
- Projected openings
- 9,800
- Projected change
- +24%
- Usually needs
- Doctoral or professional degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $171,322 | 990 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $155,634 | 500 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $147,914 | 130 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $147,266 | 130 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $143,230 | 30 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $137,457 | 70 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $128,818 | 20 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $126,815 | 200 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $122,748 | 30 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $122,008 | 490 |
| Salinas MSA (Monterey County) | $122,008 | 50 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $122,008 | 60 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $121,320 | 170 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $118,721 | 20 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $118,721 | 20 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $113,308 | 120 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $110,791 | 40 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $108,624 | 160 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $104,290 | 1,970 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $104,279 | 440 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $102,707 | 1,120 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $102,079 | 580 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $99,225 | 540 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $98,404 | 30 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $96,616 | 20 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $96,010 | 170 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $85,256 | 80 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $81,835 | 80 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marriage and Family Therapists | $69,184 | 46,570 | +30.7% |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers | $81,211 | 22,620 | +20.1% |
| Psychiatrists | $363,395 | 2,100 | +10.5% |
| Psychologists, All Other | $161,950 | 4,090 | +14.3% |
| Healthcare Social Workers | $92,170 | 19,610 | +19.4% |
| School Psychologists | $131,357 | 4,920 | +2.4% |
Leads to — 2
Cert. of Accomplishment Health & Human Services: Dual Diagnosis Screening
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $1,146
Cert. of Achievement Health & Human Services: Dual Diagnosis Specialization
Contra Costa College · San Pablo · $3,205