Careers in Psychology

Laura Johnson, Ph.D.School Psychologist, Leon CountyAdjunct Instructor, Florida State University

Free association … 1st profession that comes to mind …

Psychology Overview

Definition of Counseling Psychology Definition of School Psychology Definition of Mental Health Counselor Definition of Career Counselor

Level of Education

Doctoral Level Psychologist

Master’s level Counselors, specialists, clinicians

Employment: Overview

Employment outlook for Psychology 2004-2005 OOH: faster than average growth Increased demand for services in:

Schools, hospitals, social service agencies, substance abuse centers, mental health centers, and private companies

Continued growth over the next decade Fastest sector – outpatient mental health and substance

abuse treatment clinics

Employment of Psychologists by Setting

Elementary and Secondary Schools, 4%

Business and Government 6%

Private Practice 34%

Hospitals and Clinics19%

Colleges and Universities, 28%

Other 9%

Employment: Doctorate Level

Doctorate opportunities best and highest paid Private practice Clinics and hospitals (Not for profit and for profit)

Clinical staff and administrators Educational Psychology Private Companies Government Universities and Colleges

Faculty/Staff Research

Employment: Specialist Level

School Psychology Curriculum design Counseling Teacher and Parent Consultation Interventions Testing/Assessment

Shortage in the state of FL Often 10 month contract

Fun with School Psychology ...

Employment: Masters Level

Mental Health Counselor (many specialty areas): Addictions and Substance abuse Adolescent Geriatric College Career Community/Mental health Marriage and Family Rehabilitation School

Psychology Careers Significant Points About 4 out of 10 psychologists are self-employed, compared

with less than 1 out of 10 among all professional workers.

Most specialists, including clinical and counseling psychologists, need a doctoral degree; school psychologists need an educational specialist degree, and mental health and career counselors need a master’s degree.

Competition for admission to graduate psychology programs is keen.

Overall employment of psychologists is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2014.

Counseling Careers Significant Points State and local governments employ about 4 in 10

counselors, and the health services industry employs most of the others.

Counselors must be licensed to practice in all but two States. A master’s degree generally is needed to become a licensed counselor.

Job opportunities for counselors should be very good because job openings are expected to exceed the number of graduates from counseling programs.

Median Salary … Psychologists

What they made:

Median annual earnings of clinical, counseling, and school psychologists in May 2004 were $54,950

The middle 50 percent earned

between $41,850 and $71,880 The lowest 10 percent earned

less than $32,280

The highest 10 percent earned more than $92,250

Where they made it:

Private and for profit practioners: $64,460

Elementary and secondary schools: $58,360

Outpatient care centers: 46,850

Individual and family services: 42,640

Median Salary … Counselors

What they made:

Median annual earnings of educational, vocational, and school counselors in May 2004 were $45,570

The middle 50 percent earned between $34,530 and $58,400

The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,260

The highest 10 percent earned more than $72,390

Where they made it:

Elementary and secondary schools: $51,160

Junior colleges: $45,730

Colleges, universities, and professional schools: $39,110

Individual and family services: $30,240

Vocational rehabilitation services: $27,800

How do I get there from here …

Graduate Programs at FSU

Mental Health Counseling (M.S./Ed.S.) 2 year including 1000 hour internship 2 year supervision prior to licensure

Career Counseling (M.S./Ed.S.) or (Ph.D. track) School Psychologist (Ed.S.) or (Ph.D. track)

3 year including 1 year in school internship automatic certification 3 years supervision prior to licensure

Combined Program, Counseling Psychology and School Psychology (Ph.D.) 5 year including 2000 hour internship 1 year supervision prior to licensure

References http://www.apa.org/about/division/div16.html http://www.apa.org/about/division/div17.html http://www.counseling.org/CareerCenter/ http://www.naspcareercenter.org/ http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos056.htm

http://www.epls.fsu.edu/psych_services/index.htm

Program Coordinator: Dr. Pfeiffer 644-8796

Presenter: Dr. Laura Johnson 488-2275; lej02d@fsu.edu