Career Path

Psychologist

Overview

In this career, your responsibilities may include:

Assessing clients’ mental, emotional, and behavioral health through observation, interviews, and testing
Diagnosing and treating mental, emotional, and behavioral health disorders
Providing mental health counseling
Conducting and publishing scientific studies or research to learn more about various aspects of human thought, emotion, and behavior

Job Titles

In your job search, you may find listings for this career under different titles. You can find some examples of these, as well as more information about this career, at CareerOneStop.

Academic Requirements

Typically requires a doctorate, although with a master’s degree you can find work as an industrial-organizational psychologist.

School psychologists may obtain an education specialist degree (Ed.S.), an advanced post-master’s degree, that is less intensive than a doctorate.

Certification
Certification is not required, but could make employers more likely to hire you or offer you a higher salary.

School psychologists may be eligible for Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) certification from the National Association of School Psychologists.
- As of 2022, 34 states recognized NCSP certification as meeting the requirements for school psychologist licensure, either in full or in part.
Psychology board certifications require that you have already obtained licensure. Voluntary post-licensure certifications are a way to show that you have a high level of expertise in a specific field.

You may be eligible for board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology from the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, or for one of 15 specialty certifications from the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Licensure

Licensure is required to work as a Psychologist. School psychologists may need to obtain a separate license specific to working in public schools.