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Clinical psychologist
Hours
30-40 per week
Starting salary
£25,500 + per year
If you would enjoy helping people with psychological difficulties and want a challenging and fulfilling career, this could be an ideal job for you.
Clinical psychologists help people make positive changes to their thinking and behaviour. They aim to understand their clients' thoughts and actions so they can work with them to manage or overcome their psychological distress and improve their well-being.
To qualify you will need to complete a degree in psychology. You will also need to complete a full-time Doctorate.
As well as these qualifications you will need empathy and a friendly manner. You will need honesty and integrity. Excellent communication and listening skills are important. es
WorkDesc
The work
As a clinical psychologist, you would see people who have psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression, phobias or eating disorders. Your role would usually involve:
- assessing people's (clients) needs through interviews, psychometric tests and observations
- deciding on the most appropriate form of treatment, which could include therapy, counselling or advice
- planning a treatment programme and working with clients in groups or one-to-one
- writing reports and going to case conferences
- carrying out research
- providing counselling and support for carers.
You would work closely with other professionals, such as doctors and probation officers, to achieve specific goals for your clients. This could be, for example, rehabilitation to enable an offender to re-join the community.
With experience, you could be involved in producing legal reports and acting as an expert witness in court. You could also go on to specialise in working with a particular group, such as children, young offenders or older adults.
HoursDesc
Hours
You would normally work from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. You may sometimes need to work an evening or weekend shift, and you could be part of an emergency out-of-hours rota system. Part-time work and job sharing may be possible.
You could see clients in hospitals and local health centres, within mental health and disability services, in schools, and within the judicial system. Sessions may take place at an office, treatment room or the client’s own home.
IncomeDesc
Income
Trainee clinical psychologists in the NHS can earn between £25,500 and £34,200 a year. With experience, this can rise to around £40,200 a year.
Consultants can earn between £54,500 and £80,800 a year, and heads of service can earn up to around £97,500 a year.
Figures are intended as a guideline only.
EntryRequirementsDesc
Entry requirements
To qualify as a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and be eligible for registration with the Health Professions Council (HPC), you will need to complete:
- a degree in psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS), leading to Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership (GBC)
- a three-year full-time Doctorate in Clinical Psychology.
To do a degree, you will usually need five GCSEs (A-C), plus three A levels. You will need to check with universities for exact entry requirements. If you already have a degree in a subject other than psychology, you can achieve GBC by completing a BPS-approved conversion course. See the BPS website for a list of accredited courses.
Competition for places on the postgraduate training programme leading to a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology is strong. To be accepted you will generally need:
- a first or upper second (2:1) degree accredited by BPS (including GBC)
- evidence of your research skills
- relevant paid or voluntary work experience - this could be, for example, as a psychology assistant or research assistant, or in a caring role within the public, private or voluntary sectors.
For exact entry requirements, a list of training programmes and advice on relevant work and research experience, see the Clearing House for Postgraduate Training Courses in Clinical Psychology website.
All courses involve work with children and vulnerable adults, so you will need Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) clearance. See the CRB website for details.
Once you are accepted on a postgraduate training programme, you will work as a trainee clinical psychologist and be paid by the NHS. This will involve academic and practical training, plus a research project and clinical placements. See the BPS website for full details of qualifying in clinical psychology.
State Registration
The Health Professions Council (HPC) is the regulating and registering body for psychologists. For information on statutory regulations and state registration see the HPC website.
TrainingAndDevelopmentDesc
Training and development
Once you are qualified you could go on to specialise in clinical neuropsychology, which would involve completing a further two years' supervised practise plus an accredited course in neuropsychology. You could undertake a research project leading to a PhD qualification, which would be useful if you wanted a career in research or teaching.
Throughout your career you will be expected to take part in continuing professional development (CPD) activities in order to keep your knowledge and skills up to date. See the British Psychological Society website for details.
SkillsAndKnowledgeDesc
Skills and knowledge
To become a clinical psychologist, you will need to have:
- excellent communication and listening skills
- good problem-solving and decision-making skills
- a logical and methodical approach
- the ability to organise a complex workload to meet deadlines
- honesty and integrity
- resilience
- empathy and a friendly manner
- teamwork skills
- research skills, for gathering and using data
- IT skills.
MoreInformationDesc
More information
NHS Careers 
PO Box 2311
Bristol
BS2 2ZX
Tel: 0345 60 60 655
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk
Health Learning and Skills Advice Line
Tel: 08000 150850
British Psychological Society
St Andrew's House
48 Princess Road East
Leicester
LE1 7DR
Tel: 0116 254 9568
www.bps.org.uk
OpportunitiesDesc
Opportunities
Most opportunities are within the NHS, although you could also find work in social services, or as a teacher or researcher at a university.
Promotion prospects are good, and in organisations like the NHS there is a clearly defined career structure. As an experienced clinical psychologist, you could go on to set up in private practice or work as a freelance consultant, advising other professionals and clients.
You may find the following useful for assistant psychologist and clinical psychologist vacancies, and for general reading (links open new window):
Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.
We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.
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Related industry information
Industry summary
The health sector is represented by Skills for Health Sector Skills Council, which comprises three sub‐sectors:
- National Health Service (NHS)
- Independent Healthcare Sector (such as private and charitable healthcare providers)
- Third Sector (healthcare) (such as small local community and voluntary groups, registered charities, foundations, trusts, social enterprises and co‐operatives)
The health sector is made up of hospitals, doctors’ surgeries, dental practices, the ambulance service, nursing homes, residential care homes, complementary medicine and a huge range of other health related activities, from sight tests in opticians to research in medical laboratories. Most people in the health sector work in the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS), which includes:
- primary care (organisations which the public goes to first) – Doctors/General Practitioners (GPs), NHS Walk in Centres, NHS Direct, Out of Hours Emergency Care
- secondary care (organisations which the public are referred onto) – Ambulance Trusts, NHS Trusts/hospitals, NHS Foundation Trusts/hospitals, Mental Health Trusts, Care Trusts (provide joint health and social care activities)
NHS policy in England is directed from the centre by the Department of Health. Local organisations, known as Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), are in charge of providing and commissioning services, controlling the majority of the budget. PCTs are overseen by 10 regional organisations called Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs).
The independent sector includes companies and charities that offer hospital and specialist services usually after referral from a doctor. Operations and other work are carried out in private hospitals, independent treatment centres, mental health units and hospices.
Key facts:
- The health sector is the largest employer in the UK, representing 5.5% of the working age population of the UK and 7.3% of the working age population that are currently in employment.
- It is estimated that the sector employs over 2 million people, including:
- over 1.5 million people in the NHS (72%)
- over 0.5 million people in the Independent Healthcare sector (26%)
- almost 40,000 in the voluntary sector (2%)
- 56% of the workforce has a higher education qualification (or equivalent).
- The age profile for the sector shows an older than average workforce, which is due in part to the fact that it takes some professions a long time to train and can mean that people enter the sector later.
There is a varied list of jobs in the sector ranging from a diverse number of clinical roles, to support and infrastructure staff, for instance: Allied Health Professionals (AHPs); Ambulance Staff; Dental Staff; Doctors/Medical staff; Nursing staff; Midwifery Staff; Healthcare Scientists; Health Informatics Staff; Management; Wider Healthcare Team; Complementary Therapists.
National and regional data
High proportions of the health sector workforce are located in:
- London
- South East
- North West
East Midlands - The health sector employs 131,515 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East Midlands employs 8% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 29% of all employment across the sector or 41,200 employees.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
East of England - The health sector employs 164,720 people, which accounts for 7% of all employment in the region.
- The East of England employs 9.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 52,300 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 14% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 103,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
London - The health sector employs over 249,524 people, which accounts for 6% of all the employment in the region.
- London employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 33% of all employment across the sector or 78,500 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 146,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North East - The health sector employs 89,201 people, which accounts for 8.7% of all employment in the region.
- The North East employs 5.3 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 23,800 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be almost 46,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
North West - The health sector employs 251,960 people, which accounts for 8% of all employment in the region.
- The North West employs 15% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 133,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South East - The health sector employs 264,071 people, which accounts for 7.1% of all employment in the region.
- The South East employs 15.7% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 23.5% of all employment across the sector or 59,200 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 164,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
South West - The health sector employs 182,187 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- The South West employs 10.8 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 30% of all employment across the sector or 60,700 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 12% of all Industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 105,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
West Midlands - The health sector employs 168,746 people, which accounts for 7.2% of all employment in the region.
- The West Midlands employs 10% of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 25% of all employment across the sector or 43,000 employees.
- Vacancies in the health and social work sector account for 9% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 108,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Yorkshire and the Humber - The health sector employs 182,848 people, which accounts for 8.2% of all employment in the region.
- Yorkshire and the Humber employ 10.9 % of the total health sector workforce for England.
- The private sector accounts for 24% of the total health care workforce or 42,000 employees.
- Vacancies in health and social work account for 11% of all industry vacancies.
- Between 2007 and 2017, the total requirement for workforce will be approximately 97,000 people. This is the total of the predicted expansion plus replacement demand.
Northern Ireland - The health sector employs 61,300 people.
- Northern Ireland employs 3% of the total health sector workforce.
- 81% of the workforce is female.
- 26% of the workforce is aged 35‐44 years.
- 96% of the workforce is white.
- 10% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 48% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Scotland - The health sector employs 201,500 people.
- Scotland employs 10% of the total health sector workforce.
- 78% of the workforce is female.
- 30% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 95% of the workforce is white.
- 14% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 39% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 23% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
Wales - The health sector employs 114,900 people.
- Wales employs 6% of the total health sector workforce.
- 74% of the workforce is female.
- 34% of the workforce is aged 45‐54 years.
- 94% of the workforce is white.
- 18% of the workforce reports a disability.
- 40% of the workforce is in Associate Professional and Technical occupations.
- 27% of organisations in the health and social work sector report vacancies.
[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2008‐2009, Annual Business Inquiry, 2007, and Northern Ireland Census of Employment, 2007]
Career paths
Further sources
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