Key takeaways
- Clinical psychologists are trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders
- A doctoral degree is mandatory to become a licensed clinical psychologist
- To become a clinical psychologist, make sure you have explored the licensure requirements of the specific state you reside or work in
- You need a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, and relevant work experience to complete your doctoral degree
- Clinical psychologists are not medical doctors; they focus on psychotherapy and assessment rather than prescribing medication
- A PsyD or PhD is necessary, but a medical degree is not necessary
Overview of the most important requirements for becoming a clinical psychologist
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Steps to becoming a clinical psychologist |
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| Step number |
Details |
| Step 1 | Get an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in psychology |
| Step 2 | Complete a masters degree in MA or MS psychology |
| Step 3 | Complete a doctorate degree – either a PsyD or a PhD |
| Step 4 | Gain and record your supervised field work hours, including pre and post doctoral work |
| Step 5 | Prepare and appear for the EPPP exam to become eligible for licensure |
| Step 6 | Apply for the state-specific licensure after ensuring fulfillment of licensure requirements |
What does a clinical psychologist do?
Various kinds of job roles and titles are linked to managing mental disorders, behavioral issues, and developmental disorders. However, there are very prominent differences between the various kinds of mental health services. One of the most popular, competitive, and significantly challenging mental health service roles is that of a clinical psychologist.
So, before you can dive into what kind of education and licensure you need to become a clinical psychologist, you should know exactly what they do and what is required of them.
Firstly, a clinical psychologist is responsible for working with different types of people, individually or in small groups, such as families and couples. The goal of any clinical psychologist is to improve their mental well-being, providing them the support and foundation to reduce mental distress and other types of challenges that may exist due to various factors.
Here is a general list of responsibilities and tasks that clinical psychologists are meant to fulfil:
- Utilize different tools and techniques to gather information regarding the patient’s mental health condition
- Use tools like interviews as well as telehealth methods to assess and analyze mental health issues
- Diagnose psychological disorders like autism, schizophrenia, and other types of conditions that hamper day-to-day functionality
- Work closely with patients and work on personalized plans and treatments for mental health improvement
- Provide crisis prevention and management to patients with acute psychological issues
- Provide psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, or groups
- Record and monitor client mental health progress
Where do clinical psychologists work?
Clinical psychologists work in many healthcare, academic, and community-based settings. However, their work environment, employer, and work setting depend on their area of specialization and prior experience. Some places or work settings commonly available for clinical psychologists include:
- Hospitals, including general and psychiatric wards
- Mental health clinics
- Counseling practices and centers
- Rehab centers for drug abuse and other issues, like PTSD
- Veteran affairs care centers
- Private practices
- Online teletherapy mental health centers
- Research institutes
- college/university research departments
- Student counseling in schools
- Nonprofit organizations
- Public health departments
Types of disorders and conditions that clinical psychologists treat
Clinical psychologists work with a wide range of disorders and mental conditions. This gives you an excellent chance to explore a variety of psychology career paths. Some of the most common types of disorders and conditions clinical psychologists treat are:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD
- Autism spectrum disorders
- Obsessive compulsion disorder or OCD
- Eating disorders
What do you need to become a clinical psychologist?
Here is a detailed look at what you need to do to become a clinical psychologist:
Getting an accredited bachelor’s degree
For clinical psychology, the most straightforward bachelor’s degree you can get is an accredited bachelor’s degree in psychology. These programs are designed to teach you about human behaviors and mental processes. Moreover, most of the psychology programs offer specializations, concentration tracks, or emphasis areas that include clinical psychology as well. Therefore, a go-to option is a bachelor’s degree in psychology. However, there are also other bachelor’s majors you can choose, such as:
- BA/BS in behavior therapy
- BA/BS in sociology
- BS in cognitive science
However, keep in mind that to become a licensed clinical psychologist, a doctorate is a necessity. Therefore, even if you choose a math, science, or engineering undergrad major and opt for a psychology minor, you can still pursue a career in clinical psychology. This is because practical training and higher education make up for any type of academic learning required.
A bachelor’s degree – regardless of what majors you choose – takes approximately 4 years on average, including over 120 credit hours. In addition to this, bachelor’s degrees have other requirements such as:
- Completing required coursework
- Participating in classrooms
- Exams and quizzes
- Capstone or thesis projects
- Completing relevant internships or getting supervised work experience
- Working on research projects
- Completing required lab work
Completing a master’s degree
A bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field alone is not enough to get your career as a clinical psychologist started. In most states, you become eligible for a clinical psychologist licensure only with a doctorate. Therefore, following and completing the prerequisite steps is crucial – one of which is completing a masters degree.
A master’s degree is any of the following subjects is good for your clinical psychology career:
- MA/MS in Psychology
- Masters of Clinical Psychology
- MS in Clinical Psychology
- MA in Counseling Psychology
Also read: Pre-Clinical Psychology Track – Preparing for Grad School Timeline
While it is a necessary step to get a masters degree so you can become a clinical psychologist, don’t forget that a masters degree offers much more than that. Firstly, it is a highly professional and specialized program that focuses on rigorously training you for a successful career.
Moreover, it is taught and led by some of the most seasoned and highly qualified individuals, giving you the chance to learn from them first-hand. In addition to this, while a bachelor’s degree focuses more on theoretical knowledge and skills, a master’s degree is so much more practical and in-depth. So, it prepares you not only for a doctorate degree, but also for the work challenges ahead.
If you plan on pursuing a masters degree in psychology, expect the duration of the degree to be around 2 years. However, you will need some time to prepare for the admission tests and other admission requirements, such as a minimum time of work experience. These requirements can vary from college to college.
Related: GRE/Test-Optional Grad Schools for Psychology — Explanation and Guide
Getting a clinical psychology doctorate
This is the most crucial part of it all. Becoming a clinical psychologist literally depends on whether or not you have a clinical psychology doctorate. Let’s explain it better!
Firstly, understand why a doctorate is necessary. The reasons are:
- A legal requirement for attaining licensure
- Extensive training is necessary for the complex and high-risk job
- Doctoral degree acts as evidence or validation
- Protects the rights of the public/patients/clients to get safe and professional care
Next, a doctoral degree includes many things. For example, it has advanced coursework that includes subjects and focus areas like behavior assessment, psychotherapy, psychopathology, and ethics in psychology.
Additionally, just like a bachelor’s or master’s degree, a doctoral degree also requires internships, field work, and practicums. This involves working hands-on with patients and clients, learning through observations, day-to-day tasks, and working in numerous settings such as schools and hospitals.
Followed by practical work experience is an intense and thorough research project. Depending on what program you are enrolled in, you will either be required to complete a research project or a clinical case study. Which of these two you will get depends on the type of degree you are, namely:
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Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) |
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) |
Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) |
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Finally, keep in mind that a doctorate degree is needed for state licensure and legal status of a clinical psychologist. However, a degree alone does not guarantee you a license. You will have to dig deeper into the state-specific requirements of the licensure.
Also read: Exploring the best forensic psychology doctoral programs online
Get supervised training and field experience
There are very specific fieldwork and supervised training requirements to achieve a license. More importantly, the work experience has to be aligned and accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Here is a quick breakdown of general guidelines for a license:
- Pre-doctoral work: 1 or 2 years, approximately 2,000 hours of APA-accredited work experience
- Post-doctoral work: 1 or 2 years, approximately 3,000 hours of APA-accredited work experience, only after your doctoral degree is received
- Total work hours required vary by state, but generally, a range of 3,000 to 6,000 total work hours are required by most states
In these total work hours and beyond, any other form of on-the-job training, supervision, or internships will also be counted and used to your benefit. All the hours that you work have to be strictly documented and organized. While clinical psychology licensure and supervision methodology may be different, you can also learn about ABA therapists and their licensure by state.
Pass the examination for professional psychology practice
There have been countless efforts dedicated to streamlining and regulating the psychology field of work. Therefore, hundreds of rules, policies, and additional specifications govern this line of work. It is very serious and involves a huge responsibility of impacting human lives for the better. Therefore, rigorous training, field work, as well as academic qualifications are only the bare minimum.
Hence, on top of your professional degrees, you also have to take an exam to officially call yourself a professional clinical psychologist. This is the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP), developed and managed by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB).
The exam is divided into two parts. The first part is related to your theoretical and practical knowledge, while the second part assesses your practical skills and application. Moreover, this exam is accepted and used as a certification of your profession in all states of America and some areas in Canada. It is a 4-hour and 15-minutes long exam.
If you are interested in becoming a behavioral analyst or therapist, then the certifications and examinations for that are different. You can find more about ABA therapists and certifications here: Levels of Applied Behavior Analysis — RBT vs. BCaBA vs. BCBA | Complete Comparison.
Get state-specific licensure
There are certain fields that are not as regulated and require strict licensure. However, for psychology, all US states have strict licensure requirements that must be met. So, you must look into the specific requirements of the state you reside or wish to work in. The general steps to follow for a state licensure as a clinical psychology are:
- Getting an undergraduate bachelor’s degree is psychology or related field
- Complete internships are necessary to graduate
- Most on to getting a master’s degree of 1 or 2 years with a focus in psychology
- Complete research work and internships required by the degree
- Get a doctorate degree, either PsyD or PhD
- Complete supervised field work hours as required by state licensure
- Pass the EPPP exam
- Bank your credentials such as work hours and qualification using National Psychologist Trainee Register or ASPPB’s Credentials Bank
- Apply for the license. Application fee can be between $500 to $1000
- Get licensure approval from the state-specific board
To find details related to the state-specific board, licensure requirements, and other information, use this guide by the APA.
Bottom line
Becoming a clinical psychologist has some strict and tough requirements. Moreover, it is a time consuming journey, and therefore trains you rigorously for a challenging yet meaningful career ahead. So, if you are planning on pursuing a clinical psychology career path, make sure you factor in the various levels of academic qualifications and timeline that is necessary.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a psychologist and a clinical psychologist?
Psychologist is a broad term used for various types of professionals who work in the mental health services industry. A psychologist can work across various fronts including healthcare and education, focusing on different areas of specialization. On the other hand, a clinical psychologist is someone who specializes in and is trained to assess, diagnose, and treat mental health disorders.
Clinical psychologists work directly with clients and patients, providing psychotherapy, psychological testing, and clinical evaluations. Generally speaking, a psychologist may work in research, scientific study, clinics, or have varying levels of academic qualification. A clinical psychologist must have a doctorate degree and work in a balance of scientific research as well as direct therapy for clients.
Do you need a PhD to be a clinical psychologist?
Yes, you do need a doctoral degree to become a licensed clinical psychologist. You can qualify through:
- PhD in Clinical Psychology (research-focused)
- PsyD (Doctor of Psychology) (practice-focused)
However, both of these degrees must be followed by a state-specific licensure for you to professionally practice as a clinical psychologist.
How many years does it take to become a clinical psychologist?
There are some steps you must complete to become a clinical psychologist. Based on these steps, you can determine an approximate time it can take to become a clinical psychologist. These steps are:
- Getting a bachelor’s degree – 4 years on average
- Getting a masters and doctorate degree – 4 to 7 years
- Gaining relevant and required field work experience 3 to 4 years (overlaps with academic degrees)
- Exam and license approval few months to a year
In total, 8 to 12 years may be needed to become a licensed clinical psychologist in the USA. The timeline can vary based on factors like:
- Full-time vs part-time study
- State licensing requirements
- Research or specialization focus
Can you be a clinical psychologist without going to med school?
Yes, absolutely. You do not need to attend med school to become a clinical psychologist. Here is why you can become a clinical psychologist without a medical degree:
- You need a PhD or PsyD not a MS
- Focus on psychological treatment, not physical treatment
- Generally do not prescribe medication
By contrast, you might need to go to med school if you wish to become a psychiatrist.