Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
Assess, diagnose, and treat mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observation, interview, and psychological tests. Help individuals with distress or maladjustment understand their problems through their knowledge of case history, interviews with patients, and theory. Provide individual or group counseling services to assist individuals in achieving more effective personal, social, educational, and vocational development and adjustment. May design behavior modification programs and consult with medical personnel regarding the best treatment for patients.
75,990 people do this job in the US. $100,580 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 67%
- 30%
- 3%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 34%. Today's estimate: 39%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 30 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan, supervise, and conduct psychological research and write papers describing research results.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 14% | 3.5 work weeks4.2 work days to 2.4 work months | Stays with people | |
| Plan and develop accredited psychological service programs in psychiatric centers or hospitals, in collaboration with psychiatrists and other professional staff.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 13% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.Done several times a day by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 1.7 h38 min to 3.3 h | 80%Half by now | |
| Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 1.7 h50 min to 3.3 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Conduct research to develop or improve diagnostic or therapeutic counseling techniques.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 1%Half by Apr 2028 | |
| Develop, direct, and participate in training programs for staff and students.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 5 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | Stays with people | |
| Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 5 h | 63%Half by now | |
| Use a variety of treatment methods, such as psychotherapy, hypnosis, behavior modification, stress reduction therapy, psychodrama, or play therapy.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min38 min to 1.7 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 50 min38 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare written evaluations of individuals' psychological competence for court hearings.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 work days3.3 h to 3.1 work days | 3%Half by Oct 2027 | |
| Select, administer, score, and interpret psychological tests to obtain information on individuals' intelligence, achievements, interests, or personalities.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 h50 min to 6.7 h | 46%Half by Oct 2026 | |
| Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients' interests, abilities, or needs.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h38 min to 2.5 h | 97%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).