San Jose is a particularly well-off area in California. Here, the average salary is a comfortable six figures, though housing prices are also higher than in many other parts of the state.
Across California, mental health care policy has been dramatically changing. One of the largest issues throughout the state has been a shortage of qualified mental health care professionals to meet the needs of people seeking psychological help.
As funding and mental health care facilities continue to evolve in San Jose, tremendous new opportunities are opening up for those thinking about pursuing this meaningful line of work.
Below, learn more about the various, deeply meaningful roles that psychologists are able to perform, offering life-saving services to patients, classrooms, and communities from all walks of life. Then, learn more about the path to becoming a psychologist, as well as local master’s programs, and the current landscape of mental health care in San Jose.
Welcome to San Jose, California
Sunny San Jose is a prosperous city in Northern California with a close connection to Silicon Valley. Today, major tech companies including eBay, Adobe Inc., Zoom, and PayPal have headquarters in this region, but the city’s relationship with the tech industry is far from new. In 1988, then-San Jose Mayor Tom McEnery suggested the area adopt the motto “Capital of Silicon Valley.”
Still, the tech industry is not the only power player in the local economy.
The public sector is also a major employer: as of June 2023, the county of Santa Clara – the broader region where San Jose is located – was the largest employer in the area, with some 20,000 employees. The city of San Jose followed close behind, with more than 8,000 public servants employed. San Jose State University also has a significant workforce, with close to 4,100 employees, as does the San Jose Unified School District (2,500+ workers).
Health care giant Kaiser Permanente is also a significant force in the region. This Oakland-based health care provider currently operates in eight states, with a significant presence in California.
Beyond the local economy, San Jose is also home to San José State University, the California State University (CSU)’s very first university campus.
A number of prestigious universities are located in the greater San Jose metropolitan area, including Stanford University and University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC). The Bay Area region, in which San Jose is located, is home to still more renowned institutions, including UC Berkeley.
The Mental Health Care Landscape in San Jose
Across California – and, in fact, across the United States – the mental health care sector has been in a state of overwhelm since even before the onset of the pandemic in 2020, which exacerbated mental health conditions for people around the world.
But while California’s mental health system has been strained over recent years, efforts are being made to address the needs of state residents.
For example, every county in California will be required to enact a policy making health care for incarcerated adults and young people accessible through Medi-Cal (California’s Medicaid program) in the months leading up to their release. In October 2024, officials in Santa Clara county, where San Jose is located, announced that the region would be the first in California to start a pilot of this program.
Additionally, the start of the school year saw the state of California awarding $28 million to San Jose State University’s College of Health and Human Sciences and the School of Social Work. The funding, a high-up administrator explained, would be focused on supporting students on their way to becoming “behavioral health” professionals – a phrase often used as a synonym for mental health and mental health care.
However, some in the state and in Santa Clara county argue that not enough is being done to meet residents’ needs. For example, a shift in Medi-Cal policy at the end of 2023 had a significant negative impact on nonprofits specializing in providing mental health facilities, with a number of such resources having to close after losing funding. Relatedly, a September 2024 investigation by a local publication found that there may be more than 100 “independent living homes” – unregulated, often unsafe group homes for people recently released from prison or treatment for substance abuse disorder.
Across the board, the issue of understaffing in psychiatric care in California is a key concern – one that can also be viewed as an opportunity for those considering a career in mental health care.
Specializations in Psychology: What Do They Mean?
Across the health care sector, workers from nurses to doctors and, yes, psychologists, have the opportunity to pursue specializations while in the process of completing their education and/or residencies after graduation.
This means that aspiring psychologists have found a particular side of the field that they are particularly interested in. Since this is such a broad landscape with so many different types of employment available, different working environments require different skill sets. As such, the process of pursuing a specialization could look like taking classes tailored to students seeking to become a specific kind of psychologist, or it could look like shadowing specific workers within a specific setting – as opposed to a more general residency placement.
Some examples of specializations in psychology include:
- Forensic psychology
- School psychology
- Educational psychology
- Neuropsychology
- Clinical psychology
- Counseling psychology
- Industrial-organizational psychology
- Environmental psychology
Learn more about some of the most popular specializations in psychology below.
Spotlight on a Professional at Work: Clinical Psychologist
When imagining a psychologist, it’s quite possible that a clinical psychologist is what comes to mind.
These highly-trained professionals are able to provide comprehensive mental health care for a wide variety of patients, from individuals to families, couples, and groups. Clinical psychologists also have the ability to serve as consultants, educators, supervisors, and researchers. In other words, think of a clinical psychologist as the “General Practitioner” (GP) of this field in mental health care – it’s a particularly apt comparison because clinical psychologists work in … well … clinics!
Significantly, it is not possible to become a clinical psychologist without pursuing a doctorate-level degree – that means that a simple Master’s in psychology would not suffice for professions with this title.
Professionals might be particularly well-suited to work as clinical psychologists if they are interested in professional versatility and flexibility, and if they are interested in working within clinical settings, such as hospitals, private practices, and rehabilitation centers. Like many kinds of psychologists, these professionals typically rely extensively on interpersonal communication and care, so empathetic, social people are likely the best fits for this specialty.
Spotlight on a Professional at Work: Child and Adolescent Psychologist
Between the ages of infancy and adolescence, young people grow a tremendous amount – physically, of course, but also mentally and emotionally.
For some young people, mental health conditions, such as anxiety or a mood disorder, may have already begun to manifest at a young age, which can lead to behavioral and emotional issues. For others, other diagnoses or cognitive conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder or learning differences, can become painful obstacles for young people, leading to academic or social challenges that may be frustrating, alienating, or confusing. In these cases, the early intervention of a psychologist can be a balm to young people, providing them from a young age with tools they need to thrive in academic, interpersonal, familial, and professional situations throughout their life.
Clinical child and adolescent psychologists are also key lifelines for young people who have experienced trauma and loss. When terrible things happen at an early age, these can have formative effects on a person’s life. Child and adolescent psychologists can help young people cope with life’s challenges, creating a space to process feelings like grief, depression, anxiety, and experiences of trauma.
Some child psychologists prefer to put their skills to use in a research setting. In these environments, trained experts have the ability to research critical topics about human development, mental illness, and much more. Because this is a subset of clinical psychology, professionals in this field are also required to have a doctorate degree.
Spotlight on a Professional at Work: Educational Psychologist
Not to be confused with “school psychologists,” who are usually directly employed by a school and regularly interface with its students, educational psychologists are focused on the big picture. These mental health professionals are experts interested in how people learn, using their research to improve the education of people of all ages.
One way in which educational psychologists are particularly useful is in developing meaningful teaching and learning methods for students with learning differences, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Educational psychologists are also consulted as experts when it comes to developing curricula, learning materials, and exams for students.
Educational psychologists are often researchers, investigating the answers to questions like: What is the measurable difference between remote and in-person learning? Do mindfulness techniques used at the beginning of a class help students retain information better? Would students retain more information if they were able to come into school two hours later – meaning that they had more time to sleep?
The Path To Becoming a Psychologist
Psychology is an incredibly meaningful, and potentially lucrative, career path.
In virtually all cases, aspiring psychologists will need to complete a Bachelor’s degree.
Graduate school is the next required step of the process. While it is beneficial to have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology in the pursuit of graduate-level education, it is also possible to pursue advanced degrees without this qualification – particularly if the prospective student can demonstrate that they’ve completed relevant coursework along the way, like sociology.
At this step, students can choose between pursuing a Master’s in psychology (an MA or MS degree) or a doctorate in psychology (Ph.D or Psy.D). In many – if not most – psychological professions, applicants will be expected to have a doctorate in psychology. For example, this level of qualification is necessary for all of the specializations listed above (clinical; child and adolescent; and educational).
Why Get a Master’s in Psychology?
If a doctorate degree is necessary to pursue many specialties in psychology, what’s the point of getting a Master’s?
In fact, there are a number of reasons why a terminal Master’s degree program in psychology may be the perfect fit for aspiring mental health professionals.
First, some psychology roles – such as a school psychologist or, in some cases, a forensic psychologist – do not require a doctoral degree. As such, aspiring psychologists who know that they want to go into a field like school or industrial-organizational psychology may choose to pursue this expedited field of study.
Additionally, some ambitious future mental health professionals may have limitations when it comes to the time and financial resources they have available to commit to graduate school. Because doctoral programs are typically between five and seven years long, they are often also more expensive. By contrast, master’s programs typically last between two and three years, meaning that they are a fraction of the price.
Finally, master’s degrees in psychology may be an appealing option for future psychologists who are planning to get a doctorate, but do not have extensive qualifications based on their undergraduate work. Doctoral programs in psychology are highly competitive to get into, while master’s programs are much less so. As such, prospective students without a bachelor’s degree in psychology – or demonstrable experience in related fields – may find that pursuing a master’s degree first is a strong way to improve their chances of getting in to top-ranking doctoral programs down the line.
Are There MA and MS Programs in San Jose?
Yes! San Jose State University (SJSU) offers both a Master’s of Science (MS) degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and a Master’s of Arts (MA) in Research & Experimental Psychology. Another great local option is Santa Clara University, which offers an MA in Counseling Psychology.
How Much Do Psychologists in San Jose Earn?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker in San Jose earns tens of thousands of dollars a year more than the average working person in San Francisco or Los Angeles.
In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metropolitan area, the average working person earned an annual salary of $113,730 in 2023.
Even the lowest earning psychologists, on average, earn over that amount, with school psychologists generally making $121,910 per year. On the high end, clinical and counseling psychologists earn a mean income of $153,040 annually.
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 October 2024.