If you’re passionate about helping others overcome challenges and lead healthier, happier lives, a career in counseling psychology could be a perfect fit for you. This field offers the chance to make a real difference by supporting individuals through life’s toughest moments. Whether working in schools, private practice, or healthcare settings, counseling psychologists play a key role in improving emotional well-being. It’s a deeply rewarding career for those looking to help others thrive.
What Is Counseling Psychology?
Though this is a specialization in the field of psychology, counseling psychology offers professionals the ability to serve a wide range of communities, from workplaces to schools, institutions, hospitals, and community centers. Counseling psychologists are also able to work with groups, families, and individuals.
Because of the high training level of clinical psychologists, and the years of experience required to attain this title, these mental health care professionals can do much more than provide psychotherapy. While counseling psychologists are trained to offer psychotherapy, patients are more likely to work directly with counselors.
Instead, counseling psychologists work from the top down, collaborating with stakeholders to develop effective programs that will result in improved mental well-being for designated communities.
For one example, counseling psychologists are the professionals that design mental health diagnostic tests. These assessments are a crucial part of the treatment process, helping individuals identify their symptoms and, as a result, the most impactful course of treatment. Because of their experience, counseling psychologists are able to determine which techniques will be the most useful to identify various psychological disorders.
Alternatively, counseling psychologists may work with schools or workplaces to design educational curricula about fostering safe, supportive environments that prioritize mental well-being.
Finally, counseling psychologists may also be called in to handle psychiatric emergencies, responding to disasters, trauma, and other crises.
Counseling Psychologist vs. Counselor: What’s the Difference?
Crucially, a counseling psychologist is not the same as a counselor, though they may work in similar environments.
Ultimately, the biggest distinction between a counseling psychologist and a counselor comes down to their level of education and experience.
Generally speaking, a counseling psychologist has a doctorate, either in the form of a PhD or a PsyD. Conversely, counselors typically have a master’s degree and a professional license, but do not generally practice based on higher education in the field beyond this level.
Counselors are primarily focused on treating patients experiencing mental health issues through the use of talk therapy, a collaborative intrapersonal method of psychological treatment that involves close collaboration with a mental health professional. Though the approaches these professionals take may vary dramatically, the basic idea is that a patient or group of patients explores their emotional landscape through speech.
Counselors tend to be a more affordable option than counseling psychologists, who typically practice in clinical environments, which can be more costly. Counselors, by contrast, generally work in places like schools, private practices, social services, and even workplaces.
Counseling psychologists are trained to offer these services to patients, and some do. However, these professionals are more likely to work with patients with serious to severe mental health issues, and are trained to conduct assessments and diagnostic tests on these patients – a skill set that counselors are unlikely to have. Counseling psychologists don’t necessarily work with patients directly: some focus on research, while others may choose to focus on teaching.
Finally, counseling psychologists are trained clinical professionals, meaning that they’re most likely to work in clinical settings, like hospitals, mental health facilities, and clinics.
Getting a Master’s Degree in Psychology: Is It Worth It?
Many senior-level roles in psychology, regardless of the specialization, require applicants to have a doctorate, as they are positions that typically exist within clinical settings, such as hospitals, institutions, and clinics. Counseling psychologists, for example, need doctorate degrees in order to begin practicing.
However, some individuals may decide that – due to time, financial, personal, or other constraints – a master’s degree in psychology is more realistic. Master’s programs tend to take between two and three years to complete, while a PhD or PsyD program is likely to take between five and seven years.
A terminal master’s degree in psychology is a strong pathway to becoming a counselor, a rewarding field with a wide range of applications, including:
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- Security Clearance
- National Certified Counselor
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Senior Professional in Human Resources
- Professional in Human Resources
- Project Management Professional Certification
- Certified Nursing Assistant
Additional Qualifications May Be Necessary
It’s important to note that some roles will require or expect applicants to have additional qualifications or certifications, even if they already have terminal master’s degrees in psychology. In many cases, individuals will not be able to practice counseling with only a master’s degree: becoming licensed is crucial in the state of California.
According to data published by Northeastern University, pursuing licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) is by far and away the most common path to being able to begin practicing as a counselor. Other options include (in descending order of popularity):
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- Security Clearance
- National Certified Counselor
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Senior Professional in Human Resources
- Professional in Human Resources
- Project Management Professional Certification
- Certified Nursing Assistant
Are There Master’s Programs in Counseling Psychology in California?
Yes!
In fact, there are multiple master’s programs in counseling psychology within the California state public school system.
One example is California State University, Bakersfield. This public university, located in Southern California, is home to a total of around 9,000 psychology students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Here, students can pursue a Master of Science (MS) in Counseling Psychology, a program that typically takes three years. Over the course of 90 quarter credit hours, students will complete classes focused on topics in counseling psychology like domestic violence, theories of group counseling, and clinical ethics. Graduates will then be eligible to apply for licensure as Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists or Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors.
Another example is California State University, East Bay. This affordable school provides multiple potential pathways for aspiring graduate students in psychology, including an MS in Counseling, with the option to additionally – and simultaneously – specialize in Clinical Child or School Psychology.
Finally, California State University, Stanislaus also offers a counseling track as part of its MS in Psychology: Marriage and Family Therapy concentration. This track requires the completion of four courses: experimental psychology, abnormal psychology, counseling theory, and counseling techniques.
Outside of the Cal State system are still more opportunities for aspiring MA candidates in counseling psychology. California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt offers an MA in Counseling Psychology, a degree that sets graduates up to attain licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) in California.
What Are the Best Counseling Psychology Programs in California?
For individuals who are hoping to practice as counseling psychologists and not strictly counselors, PhD or PsyD programs will be the best pathway to getting there. However, the options for counseling psychology-specific PhDs based in California is pretty limited.
One option is the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) program at the University of the Pacific, a private university with campuses in Stockton, San Francisco, and Sacramento. This is a four-year, hybrid program – and one of the few counseling psychology-focused PhD programs in the state!
However, the cost of this program is considerable, which is important to keep in mind for applicants who may be concerned about taking out loans. This program costs $1,209 per unit, with a total of 89 required units – making the full cost of admission around $107,601 before fees. However, there are a few different types of student loans available to aspiring graduate students, including up to $20,500 annually – a loan for which most US citizens are eligible.
Average Salary for Counseling Psychologists in California
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, counseling psychologists in California earned, on average, $132,410 in 2023. There are a variety of industries in which these professionals have found employment, including physicians’ offices, the offices of other health practitioners, psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals, and outpatient care centers.
Psychologists in California earned more than their peers in almost every other state, except for New Jersey. Across disciplines, qualified mental health care professionals in the Golden State earned well over six figures across disciplines.
Nationwide, the industry in which counseling and clinical psychologists earned the most money in 2023 was within scientific research and development services, followed by specialty hospitals (not psychiatric or substance abuse hospitals).
Significantly, these practicing psychologists most likely have PhD or PsyD degrees, which is important to remember for prospective graduate school candidates. However, it’s quite possible that some practicing counseling psychologists completed master’s degrees in counseling psychology before enrolling in a PhD or PsyD program.
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed December 2024.