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Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

SOC 19-3033.00Job Zone 5 · Extensive Preparation

Assess, diagnose, and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders using individual, child, family, and group therapies. May design and implement behavior modification programs.

Context coveredHospital and outpatient clinics, schools, VA medical centers, private practice, community mental-health agencies; assessment, evidence-based psychotherapy, supervision, and research.

Sources:O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.SkillsCrosswalkSkillsCrosswalk — O*NET enrichment + adjacency index. Opens in new tab.
Emerging
Entry / Apprentice
  1. Standard intakes and biopsychosocial assessments — conduct under licensed supervision in a community-mental-health clinic.
  2. Risk assessment (suicide, self-harm, abuse) — perform per the agency's safety protocol on every relevant encounter.
  3. Evidence-based psychotherapy manuals (CBT, IPT) — deliver to fidelity on routine adult cases.
  4. Psychological test administration (WAIS, PHQ-9, GAD-7) — administer and score per published manuals.
  5. Clinical documentation in the EHR — maintain to agency and payer standards.
  6. HIPAA and informed-consent practice — apply consistently across patient encounters.
  7. Treatment-planning collaboration with a clinical supervisor — contribute concrete goals and measures.
  8. Crisis-line and after-hours coverage — staff per agency rotation with appropriate consultation.
  9. Routine consultation with prescribers, schools, and families — conduct with consent and clear scope.
  10. Routine supervision sessions — prepare for with cases, recordings, and reflective questions.
Developing
Mid-level / Established
  1. Independent caseload of routine outpatient cases — manage with supervisor consultation on complex situations.
  2. Targeted evidence-based protocols (PE, CPT, DBT skills, EMDR) — deliver to fidelity on indicated cases.
  3. Psychological testing batteries (cognitive, personality, neuropsych screen) — administer, score, and interpret.
  4. Integrated reports for schools, courts, or workers' comp — author independently with appropriate caveats.
  5. Group therapy protocols — facilitate routinely (DBT skills, anxiety, substance use).
  6. Trainees and practicum students — supervise on clinical fundamentals under a licensed supervisor.
  7. Couples and family interventions in routine contexts — deliver evidence-based models.
  8. Outcomes monitoring (PHQ-9, BDI, ORS) — use to inform treatment decisions in each case.
  9. Consultation with PCPs, schools, and case managers — lead with concrete recommendations.
  10. Ethics and licensure scope — maintain across jurisdictions and payer environments.
Proficient
Senior / Expert IC
  1. Complex and high-risk caseloads — manage independently across diagnostic complexity (PTSD, severe mood, dissociation).
  2. Specialty programs (trauma clinic, eating disorder, OCD, perinatal) — deliver with mastery of the relevant protocols.
  3. Clinical supervision and consultation — provide to postdocs and licensed colleagues across complex cases.
  4. Program development and protocol fidelity — lead within a clinic or department.
  5. Forensic and disability evaluations — conduct independently with defensible methodology.
  6. Research and program evaluation — lead small to mid-size studies in the practice setting.
  7. Insurance audits and quality reviews — lead with documentation and outcomes data.
  8. Teaching and training contributions to graduate programs — maintain regularly.
  9. Cross-disciplinary teams (medicine, social work, education) — lead on complex care plans.
  10. Professional ethics and peer consultation — model and contribute through formal channels.
Advanced
Lead / Principal / Executive
  1. Clinical leadership of a department, program, or large practice — set direction across staff, training, and outcomes.
  2. Statewide or national program design — lead in collaboration with payers, agencies, and academia.
  3. Doctoral training pipelines — design and direct with APA-style accreditation requirements.
  4. Externally funded research on intervention science — lead as principal investigator across institutions.
  5. Public-mental-health policy — advise legislators, agencies, and trustees with evidence.
  6. Disciplinary norms (APA, licensure boards, ethics committees) — advance through formal leadership.
  7. Major awards, named lectureships, and editorial roles — hold consistent with sustained field shaping.
  8. Crisis-response programs and mass-casualty mental-health planning — lead at jurisdictional scale.
  9. Workforce development and supervision standards — institutionalize through training systems.
  10. Cross-disciplinary policy (justice, education, healthcare) — catalyze with evidence and coalitions.

AI-at-Work Competency Framework

Sources:Anthropic Economic IndexAnthropic Economic Index — release_2026_03_24. Opens in new tab.Jadhav & Danve, 2026Skill Automation Feasibility Index — Jadhav & Danve, 2026 (arXiv:2604.06906). Opens in new tab.WEF Skills TaxonomyWEF Skills Taxonomy 2021 — Building a Common Language for Skills at Work. Opens in new tab.

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  2. Developing
  3. Proficient
  4. Advanced
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Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework

Sources:Pathsmith™ Durable SkillsPathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework — America Succeeds + CompTIA. Opens in new tab.O*NET v30.2O*NET Resource Center — Occupational Information Network, v30.2 (Sept 2025). Opens in new tab.
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Show O*NET source anchors59 anchors · skillscrosswalk.com

O*NET enrichment · skillscrosswalk.com

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Source anchors that ground each statement

Related titles
Applied Behavior Science Specialist (ABSS) · Assessment Coordinator · Behavior Analyst · Behavior Specialist · Behavior Therapist · Behavioral Analyst · Behavioral Health Specialist · Behavioral Psychologist · Behavioral Specialist · Behavioral Therapist · Case Manager · Chemical Dependency Therapist
RAPIDS apprenticeships
—
O*NET skills
Reading ComprehensionSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningCritical ThinkingWritingSpeakingActive LearningMonitoringService OrientationComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingLearning StrategiesCoordinationPersuasionInstructingTime ManagementNegotiationSystems AnalysisSystems Evaluation
Knowledge domains
PsychologyTherapy and CounselingEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingCustomer and Personal ServiceSociology and Anthropology
Abilities
Oral ExpressionWritten ComprehensionOral ComprehensionProblem SensitivityWritten ExpressionInductive ReasoningDeductive ReasoningSpeech ClaritySpeech RecognitionFluency of Ideas
Work styles
EmpathySincerityIntegrityAttention to DetailCooperationSelf-Control
Technology
Medical softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareWord processing softwareVideo conferencing softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail softwarePresentation softwareProject management softwareBilling and invoicing software
Tasks · seed anchors for statements
  1. Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others.
  2. Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans.
  3. Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials.
  4. Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork.
  5. Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans.
  6. Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment.
  7. Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods.
  8. Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as necessary.
CIP education codes
42.010142.270342.280142.280342.280742.280942.281042.281142.281451.1507

Sources: O*NET v30.2 (CC BY 4.0), SkillsCrosswalk.com, LER.me®, Anthropic Economic Index, SAFI (Jadhav & Danve, 2026), WEF Skills Taxonomy 2021, Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework. © 2026 EBSCOed.