Psychologist Salary
Perhaps you are at the point of deciding what career path you should take that could help you succeed in life. For many, a career can be attractive because of the salary that goes with it. For sure, a psychologist salary is one of the factors that you need to consider in order to make up your mind if this is the right path for you.
What Do Psychologists Do
Psychologists study human behavior by observing and interpreting the dynamics of human relationships. They conduct studies using scientific methods in order to define patterns of behavior. Their research may involve controlled laboratory experiments, clinical studies, social surveys and other methods that can explain the behavior of an individual.
Psychologists may work within a school setting as a counselor or in a hospital environment as a clinical psychologist. They may be hired as private consultants by companies to make programs to treat alcoholism or substance abuse among employees. They may also have their own practice and conduct therapy sessions for patients. Generally speaking, their main task is to assist an individual function better and have a more harmonious relationship with family, friends and co-workers.
An increasing number of psychologists are into clinical practice. They assess, diagnose and treat mental disorders such as schizophrenia, anxiety attacks and depression. Clinical psychologists are trained to do intervention techniques for people who suffer from substance abuse or those who have been victims of abuse at home, school or at the workplace.
Clinical psychology is a more complex field and touches on various sub-fields such as neuropsychology, child psychology, geriatric psychology and health psychology. Each of these areas require special training and practice. Although most clinical psychologists are well-trained, they are still not allowed to prescribe medications to patients. If a patient needs to be medicated, clinical psychologists would still have to bring in a qualified psychiatrist who is licensed to issue medications.
Psychologist Salary Details
Because the field of psychology is huge, and has several sub-categories, salaries also depend on the type of specialization that a psychologist focuses on. As indicated on the Occupational Employment Statistics report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2010, the mean annual wage of psychologists was $86,510. The upper 90% earned $119,940 while the lowest 10% earned $41,200. The states with the highest employment level were Maryland, Florida, California, New York and Texas.
Arizona is the state where the highest paid psychologists can be found, with annual earnings of $102,310. New York is the metropolitan city with the highest employment level, while Jacksonville, Florida is the top paying metropolitan city where psychologists could earn $172,580 annually.
Top paying states specifically for industrial/organizational psychologists is Minnesota, where one can earn an annual mean wage of $117,850.00
Career Trends
There are at least 5,000 new doctorate graduates in psychology every year, according to the American Psychological Society. However, many of today’s psychologists are putting off retirement, which in effect, is not making that much room for new graduates. Growth is foreseen in the specialized areas of neuropsychology, geropsychology, and industrial/organizational psychology.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that there are at least 2 million Americans who suffer from brain injury every year. As people become more aware that the brain does affect a person’s learning and behavior patterns, the need for neuropsychologists would also increase.
Another area of specialization that is seeing a lot of growth is industrial/organizational psychology. This is the branch of psychology that applies principles of human behavior into the business setting. An industrial/organization psychologist can help in planning corporate policies related to human resources, may conduct personnel testing, training an development as well as work with management to increase productivity of employees.
Geropsychology, that branch of psychology that deals with brain functions and personality changes of the aged will also expand as the aged population increases. As this field is relatively new, it would also open opportunities for psychologists who specialize in research.
The job of a psychologist is multi-faceted and the tasks that they handle dictate the amount of salary and other benefits that they receive. However, it is not just the psychologist salary that makes this field interesting, but also the vast opportunities to help people who are in need of treatment for their mental disorders.