Career outlook for PhD/PsyD's

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hs2013

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I was looking in multiple areas about this topic, and while a lot of the posts seemed older, it really made it seem like doing a PhD/PsyD was not worth that amount of work and effort. And I was surprised to see people saying that in the clinical realm you will only make about 40-60k starting off.

In the areas of clinical practice, teaching, and research, how would you describe the future job outlook, salary, and concerns of over saturation for PhD's and PsyD's?
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The APA publishes salary information if you’re looking for income data.

Most states publish data on the number of licensed psychologists in that state. If you look at each year, you’ll see if your state has an increasing number of psychologists or a decreasing number.

Those two data points should answer a significant portion of your question.

If you want to go further, google the incidence of mental illness, and multiply that by your areas population.
 
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You've asked a broad question. I've seen starting salaries for people straight out of postdoc range from $50K to $100K. (For what it's worth, I've also seen starting educational debt loans for people range from $0 to $200K+.)

Tenure-track faculty jobs in 4-year university and college settings have had an oversupply of applicants for a long time, and the outlook is unlikely to change. Research jobs exist outside of academic settings, and some are well compensated, but it can be tricky to break into industry. Clinical jobs are comparatively abundant, but the better compensated ones are competitive. Some people talk doom and gloom about private practice but, again, some folks are doing very well with this. As in most fields, the more appealing jobs are harder to get.

I would not dissuade someone from a career in this field if it's a great fit with their goals, but I would absolutely put the brakes on without clear goals and a realistic outlook on what's needed to achieve them.
 
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hs2013 said:
I was looking in multiple areas about this topic, and while a lot of the posts seemed older, it really made it seem like doing a PhD/PsyD was not worth that amount of work and effort. And I was surprised to see people saying that in the clinical realm you will only make about 40-60k starting off.
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If someone is accepting $40k-$60k as a licensed psychologist....they are doing something very very wrong. I made a bit over $40k during my first year of fellowship, which was nearly a decade ago. While many can successfully argue it is far from the best decision when looking at years invested v. average income, it is not nearly as barren as those figures.
 
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Therapist4Chnge said:
If someone is accepting $40k-$60k as a licensed psychologist....they are doing something very very wrong. I made a bit over $40k during my first year of fellowship, which was nearly a decade ago. While many can successfully argue it is far from the best decision when looking at years invested v. average income, it is not nearly as barren as those figures.
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MamaPhD said:
You've asked a broad question. I've seen starting salaries for people straight out of postdoc range from $50K to $100K. (For what it's worth, I've also seen starting educational debt loans for people range from $0 to $200K+.)

Tenure-track faculty jobs in 4-year university and college settings have had an oversupply of applicants for a long time, and the outlook is unlikely to change. Research jobs exist outside of academic settings, and some are well compensated, but it can be tricky to break into industry. Clinical jobs are comparatively abundant, but the better compensated ones are competitive. Some people talk doom and gloom about private practice but, again, some folks are doing very well with this. As in most fields, the more appealing jobs are harder to get.

I would not dissuade someone from a career in this field if it's a great fit with their goals, but I would absolutely put the brakes on without clear goals and a realistic outlook on what's needed to achieve them.
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Do you both have more insight into the bolded point above, regarding jobs in universities? And what it would take to get one (is it about being the best of the best and smartest in your field?)

It seems like all universities already have their psych positions filled, yet each year so many of those schools are producing more phds... so it only seems to be getting more saturated and competitive to get into teaching/research positions at 4 year unis.

Yet the gigs seem to be quite attractive if you are into teaching and research and the pay from salaries I have found can be nice as well and reaching into 150-175k for experienced folks.
 
hs2013 said:
Do you both have more insight into the bolded point above, regarding jobs in universities? And what it would take to get one (is it about being the best of the best and smartest in your field?)

It seems like all universities already have their psych positions filled, yet each year so many of those schools are producing more phds... so it only seems to be getting more saturated and competitive to get into teaching/research positions at 4 year unis.

Yet the gigs seem to be quite attractive if you are into teaching and research and the pay from salaries I have found can be nice as well and reaching into 150-175k for experienced folks.
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This really depends on the school, program, and region. A master’s program was offering $50k in my area for tenure-track position at a state school (this income is absurdly low for the cost of living where I am), and a junior college position was advertising about $80k+ or so to start for tenure-track depending on experience with no research expectations. But all highly competitive in my area and many applicants. As you can see, it varies widely. A friend of mine in the Midwest just got a tenure track position teaching 7-8 classes/year (heavy load, lots of new course preps) and was only earning about $50k. In that area, that is the going rate, though; even faculty in doc programs started around the 50s for young professors, or at least they did when I went there for grad school 4-5 years ago.

So it can range anywhere from $50s-100k+ depending on many factors, even within a region. I’d suggest looking into position salaries where you’re interested in ending up.

I can’t speak as much to how applicants are chosen for the positions, however, so other folks can chime in here. I just know that even for a junior college position, some folks were flying in from other parts of the country to interview and a bunch of longtime adjuncts for the school were hoping to move up and get the position, so intense competition.
 
NIH post-doc stipends for 2019 are over 50k: NOT-OD-19-036: Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2019

That is pretty much the floor anyone with solid training should accept, barring exceptional circumstances...for post-doc. I have no idea why anyone would take so little as a licensed psychologist unless it was part-time or they were heavily geographically restricted and it was literally all they could find.

I agree with Jon that AMCs likely have the highest ceiling except for entrepreneurial folks (i.e. running a large group practice) or certain narrow clinical sub-specialties (e.g. forensic). 150-200k is quite normal in an AMC and ~250k is far from unusual in my circle among full professors. It can also be a rough life and isn't for everyone. Few make it to that level. I'm a new assistant prof in that world right now and seriously contemplating getting out even if it means a pay cut. We don't discuss it much on these boards, but there is a pretty vast "research" world outside university settings. I know psychologists in tech startups, FAANG, CROs, insurance industry, foundations (ACS, AHA), CDC, FDA, and large contract research companies (RAND, RTI, etc.). If I make a leap, I'll probably be looking at one of those. I do not think I would have to take a pay cut at these places. If I move to a psychology department, especially a more teaching-focused institution...I likely would take a fairly sizable one.

Overall, I actually think the job outlook is great for folks with diverse skills who are willing to get a little creative. Behavioral health is getting greater recognition than before. We're in the process of rolling out an insurance model that should greatly enhance our value to the system (just medicare/medicaid for now but presumably private insurers will follow). We're in an exciting era for research. At the same time, I think graduating with few skills beyond "pretty good at therapy" and limited knowledge or desire to think big-picture is unlikely to lead to spectacular outcomes, though should certainly provide an okay living for the foreseeable future (depending on your definition).
 
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hs2013 said:
Do you both have more insight into the bolded point above, regarding jobs in universities? And what it would take to get one (is it about being the best of the best and smartest in your field?)

It seems like all universities already have their psych positions filled, yet each year so many of those schools are producing more phds... so it only seems to be getting more saturated and competitive to get into teaching/research positions at 4 year unis.
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Yes, far more PhDs are produced than there are tenure track faculty jobs to fill. Most PhDs, in fact, do not go on to hold a TT faculty job. This isn't a bad thing. The PhD is a versatile degree. Other PhD graduates work in various clinical and nonclinical settings (specialty mental health clinics, hospitals, government, private practice, industry, etc.).

The situation is no different in most other academic fields. Success in academia is not merely a function of being "best and smartest" but also strategy. Though few of us like to admit it, luck factors in to a degree also.
 
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Jon Snow said:
I think luck is huge. But, I think that's the case in lots of careers, certainly at the high end.

It starts immediately. Research lab fits, who is recruiting when you apply, etc. . .Failure to launch is often a mentorship failure as much as anything.

Strategy, planning, and ability put you in place to take advantage of luck.
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Luck is unquestionably a huge factor. Persistence is too.

It is certainly important to build a base skill level. Not everyone is "good" at research. Even some extremely productive graduate students do so on their mentors coattails and are unlikely to succeed independently. It is a lot easier to write papers you are told to from someone else's data that a team of people heavily edit than to generate that independently. Once that happens, I think it becomes about "how to play the game." That is the strategizing/planning piece, but is also a skill unto itself. Sure, you can come up with interesting ideas, do good research and write good papers. Do you know how to sell it to a study section? I review grants now. Many are terrible. Even from good people in good places. I believe their science will be good, but their grants are frikkin terrible. I try to read between the lines in those cases, but this undoubtedly holds them back. Same thing with strategizing...how do you turn that small pilot study you did for 20k into a larger foundation grant, into an R21 and then into an R01? What other preliminary data do you need to be thinking about for that R01? Do you need to get it yourself? Can you get it yourself? Can you pull in a Co-I with "close enough" prelim data?

Once these are in place, I think its mostly persistence and luck. These are related - persistence is necessary in part because of the large luck component. I know folks who went through 20+ undiscussed grant applications before getting a bite and I know do good work. Luck relates touches many areas. Who you get assigned as reviewer matters a TON on papers and grants. Heck, whether your grant gets discussed before or after lunch matters more than it probably should. Luck plays a role in whether your experiments turn out significant results (as much as we'd like to pretend this is skill or vision...plenty of great ideas don't pan out and I don't think that is because anything besides luck). Failed experiments certainly impact whether it is easy to apply for follow-up funding. Luck plays a role in whether your work gets picked up by the press and gets you some national visibility. Luck helps when the topic you study suddenly becomes the "hot topic" - again, we like to pretend this is about an academic being a visionary or convincing the world that what they do is the most important thing in the world. Occasionally that is true, but many extremely successful folks I know were usually just bumbling along as best they could and then the stars aligned and the thing they were working on because <insert random irrelevant reason here> became the topic of the day.

That said, I agree with Jon again that luck and persistence matter more the higher you are shooting. It is very possible to have a comfortable life as a psychologist without the chips falling your way. You may not land that TT gig, but with the other elements in place you can still do good work and earn a comfortable living.
 
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You can make more in other fields that require less time/energy devoted to formal education and formal training. So for some, the degree in this field isn’t “worth it”.

I feel extremely fortunate to have found something I enjoy and can make reasonably good money doing. You spend a great deal of your life at work, pick something you are personally well-suited to and you like to do for 40+ hours a week. Or else you’ll be miserable no matter how much $$$ you bring in.

Past that, I don’t think success in this field is due to luck. I prefer to think of planned happenstance factors as driving forces in my career.
 
I agree with Ollie about being creative. I found an untouched, niche area and created my current position. Much like writing a grant, you can also write a proposal for a position. Presenting a strong argument for downstream benefits is key.

A colleague is currently writing a proposal for a behavioral health position at a location we always assumed had psychologists, but it was not the case.

The VA always has new positions, although this can ebb and flow with regard to more desirable locations. If you are flexible with location and take any available position, you set yourself up for having priority to apply when positions at more desirable locations come about. Also, if you have student loan debt, some less desirable locations have special student loan repayment programs in place. I see the benefit of the consistency of working at the VA with regard to pay, hours, benefits, etc.

I can see how job boards can make the outlook on our field seem bleak, but with some creativity, luck, and persistence, there are wonderful (and well-paying) opportunities.
 
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Aggregate data for "psychologist pay" always seems low to me compared to what I and people I actually know personally make. I have to wonder if in many cases they are counting parting time providers, school psychologists, etc. I cannot imagine why a full time licensed clinical psychologist would ever make less than 80k. If you have access to payer information, check what the reimbursement for the service lines you would actually be performing (testing, therapy, diagnostic assessments) actually pay. Last year I billed about $380,000 worth of services. HMO's being what they are, we received about half of that, and I personally received about 60% of that half after subtracting overhead, benefits, etc. I don't work a ridiculous schedule by any means. If you make less than 80k either you are a part of a poorly run organization, or you need to work on your negotiation/assertiveness skills.
 
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CWard12213 said:
Aggregate data for "psychologist pay" always seems low to me compared to what I and people I actually know personally make. I have to wonder if in many cases they are counting parting time providers, school psychologists, etc. I cannot imagine why a full time licensed clinical psychologist would ever make less than 80k. .
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It's probably accurate. As for why some people would accept this pay, likely because they cannot find other jobs. There are a few institutions in town that are paying 70-80k for full-time doctoral level psychologists. They have no problem getting people to work there, most likely because we have an Argosy in our back yard. If it's the only job you can find in a saturated market, you'll take it.
 
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WisNeuro said:
It's probably accurate. As for why some people would accept this pay, likely because they cannot find other jobs. There are a few institutions in town that are paying 70-80k for full-time doctoral level psychologists. They have no problem getting people to work there, most likely because we have an Argosy in our back yard. If it's the only job you can find in a saturated market, you'll take it.
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That could be, I do live and work in an extremely under served yet relatively urban area, so demand for psychologists is very high here. I just don't understand how you could justify getting paid less than half of what you bring in.
 
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CWard12213 said:
That could be, I do live and work in an extremely under served yet relatively urban area, so demand for psychologists is very high here. I just don't understand how you could justify getting paid less than half of what you bring in.
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My take is that there are a large number of providers who aren't aware of, or able to calculate what they bring in. And to further complicate things, institutions aren't always necessarily forthcoming with this information. Take me, for example. I'm not able to directly pull my own productivity information as it's recorded. I can attempt to request it, but I'd peg the likelihood of actually receiving it without a substantial amount of follow-up as 50/50. Thus, I'm certainly under-informed in this area, even though I attempt to track it on my own.

This is something I wish everyone would get more exposure to in grad school, though.

Also, <50% of something can often be seen as better than 100% of nothing. So there's that.
 
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Ollie123 said:
Luck is unquestionably a huge factor. Persistence is too... ...That said, I agree with Jon again that luck and persistence matter more the higher you are shooting. It is very possible to have a comfortable life as a psychologist without the chips falling your way. You may not land that TT gig, but with the other elements in place you can still do good work and earn a comfortable living.
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I'd add that the higher you aim, the more reputation is a factor. Always be very good, consistent, and predictable with your clinical work. Also, almost as important, be a good employee and colleague. Do your job- show up on time, get things done on time. Be nice to most people and respectful to all. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK. Your goal should be for hiring/recruitment people to know who you are before you even apply. It's a small community with a lot of personal connections and overlapping histories, so don't burn bridges. Do this well and you should get to a point where people are contacting you with very good job offers. Do this poorly, and you may be that person who is hired to the mediocre job because all the good candidates had better options. There is some luck involved in being in the right place at the right time, but there is skill involved in consistently being in the right places at the right times.
 
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AcronymAllergy said:
My take is that there are a large number of providers who aren't aware of, or able to calculate what they bring in. And to further complicate things, institutions aren't always necessarily forthcoming with this information.
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This. If a person doesn’t know the money they bring in nor their cost, how can they reasonably assess if their pay is fair?

The vast majority of employers want to pay the least amount bc why would they want to give away money for nothing? Every dollar I pay out to an employee is a dollar I can’t put towards my overhead/retirement/income....so it is in my best interest to negotiate to maximize what I keep instead of pay to a clinician.
 
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hs2013 said:
I was looking in multiple areas about this topic, and while a lot of the posts seemed older, it really made it seem like doing a PhD/PsyD was not worth that amount of work and effort. And I was surprised to see people saying that in the clinical realm you will only make about 40-60k starting off.

In the areas of clinical practice, teaching, and research, how would you describe the future job outlook, salary, and concerns of over saturation for PhD's and PsyD's?
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as far as I know, all of the folks in my cohort and immediately surrounding (so graduated in the past 4 years) got jobs that started at at least 60k after postdoc, generally more than that.
 
singasongofjoy said:
as far as I know, all of the folks in my cohort and immediately surrounding (so graduated in the past 4 years) got jobs that started at at least 60k after postdoc, generally more than that.
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One of the good things about being VA eligible and competitive. Way back when I started, you started out around 90k. Get a few years in and leverage that position for a sizable raise and a new job and you're in 6 figures pretty easily. Just depends on how competitive you are and how saturated your market is. It's a good market for neuro where I am, but general psych is a different picture, with most of the hospital systems staffing almost all of the therapy positions with midlevels.
 
CWard12213 said:
That could be, I do live and work in an extremely under served yet relatively urban area, so demand for psychologists is very high here. I just don't understand how you could justify getting paid less than half of what you bring in.
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More than half of my caseload is Medicaid, so if I was depending entirely on caseload, I'd be making a lot less than I do; I think they reimburse at about 1/3 of what is charged.
 
WisNeuro said:
One of the good things about being VA eligible and competitive. Way back when I started, you started out around 90k. Get a few years in and leverage that position for a sizable raise and a new job and you're in 6 figures pretty easily. Just depends on how competitive you are and how saturated your market is. It's a good market for neuro where I am, but general psych is a different picture, with most of the hospital systems staffing almost all of the therapy positions with midlevels.
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Good point. The folks I know who are in the VA are sitting quite nicely. Most of the folks I know of are developmental disabilities or child psych and the market is a bit different depending on where they are, especially for general child psych. Still, the lowest starting salary for full-time that I know of is 70k.
 
123EW said:
I agree with Ollie about being creative. I found an untouched, niche area and created my current position. Much like writing a grant, you can also write a proposal for a position. Presenting a strong argument for downstream benefits is key.

A colleague is currently writing a proposal for a behavioral health position at a location we always assumed had psychologists, but it was not the case.
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I've never heard about doing this, this is extremely interesting to me. I'd like to hear more about what that looked like for you if you felt comfortable sharing - in here or privately.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
My take is that there are a large number of providers who aren't aware of, or able to calculate what they bring in. And to further complicate things, institutions aren't always necessarily forthcoming with this information. Take me, for example. I'm not able to directly pull my own productivity information as it's recorded. I can attempt to request it, but I'd peg the likelihood of actually receiving it without a substantial amount of follow-up as 50/50. Thus, I'm certainly under-informed in this area, even though I attempt to track it on my own.

This is something I wish everyone would get more exposure to in grad school, though.
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Agreed, but it is more than that. I can tell you that most of the licensed psychologists/ therapists I know had little training in billing or general business concepts. They also had little interest in knowing the information. Many were happy to have as little to do with it as possible. I was the only one in my grad school cohort that could knew the average salary a psychologist made and the most profitable sectors. I am still one for the most knowledgeable about procedure codes and billing at my local VA. As mentioned, how can you know what to ask for if you don't know what to bring in and what you can bill for?

Having a business mindset changes your outlook and the likelihood that you will succeed. Before I graduated grad school I had training and exposure to at 4 higher paying areas of the field. Even now, the minute I got started at my current job was the day I started planning for my next position.
 
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MamaPhD said:
You've asked a broad question. I've seen starting salaries for people straight out of postdoc range from $50K to $100K. (For what it's worth, I've also seen starting educational debt loans for people range from $0 to $200K+.)

Tenure-track faculty jobs in 4-year university and college settings have had an oversupply of applicants for a long time, and the outlook is unlikely to change. Research jobs exist outside of academic settings, and some are well compensated, but it can be tricky to break into industry. Clinical jobs are comparatively abundant, but the better compensated ones are competitive. Some people talk doom and gloom about private practice but, again, some folks are doing very well with this. As in most fields, the more appealing jobs are harder to get.

I would not dissuade someone from a career in this field if it's a great fit with their goals, but I would absolutely put the brakes on without clear goals and a realistic outlook on what's needed to achieve them.
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Out of curiosity, what makes one competitive for the more clinically-oriented jobs?
 
Prior to the new testing codes, Medicaid would only approve 6 units of testing. Now it's a bit different. Just submitted my billing with the new cpt testing codes earlier this week. We shall see how much they pay. I billed units amounting to around $600.
singasongofjoy said:
I'm doing primarily (though not entirely) assessment. I'm not sure of the reimbursement for therapy but now I am curious. Thanks for sharing.
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Meteora said:
Out of curiosity, what makes one competitive for the more clinically-oriented jobs?
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In my area, being bilingual is highly desirable, or having a sought-after specialty (trauma, eating disorders, work with older adults or children/adolescents, etc.). Being a "generalist" is not viewed necessarily positively in saturated areas.

Is that Robyn in your icon photo?
 
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foreverbull said:
In my area, being bilingual is highly desirable, or having a sought-after specialty (trauma, eating disorders, work with older adults or children/adolescents, etc.). Being a "generalist" is not viewed necessarily positively in saturated areas.

Is that Robyn in your icon photo?
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Very much agreed on this. A specialist can always opt for generalist work, but a generalist cannot opt for a specialist work. Find a niche even if it is not a specialty.
 
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Sanman said:
Very much agreed on this. A specialist can always opt for generalist work, but a generalist cannot opt for a specialist work. Find a niche even if it is not a specialty.
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Would you say some specialties are more lucrative than others? I'm assuming neuro would be at the top of the list if so. I am particularly interested in specializing (or "niche-ing") in children/adolescents with ASD.
 
Sanman said:
Very much agreed on this. A specialist can always opt for generalist work, but a generalist cannot opt for a specialist work. Find a niche even if it is not a specialty.
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I agree and would specifically suggest that anything involving integration of behavioral health into primary care is A). very in demand and B). likely to land a job that pays well. I have a portion of my schedule reserved for pre-surgical evaluations from a local bariatric surgeon, they are usually pretty straightforward and pay well.
 
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CWard12213 said:
I agree and would specifically suggest that anything involving integration of behavioral health into primary care is A). very in demand and B). likely to land a job that pays well. I have a portion of my schedule reserved for pre-surgical evaluations from a local bariatric surgeon, they are usually pretty straightforward and pay well.
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The pre-surgical evals I've done are really interesting work. The chronic pain ones in particular have some really cool research behind them.
 
Forensic assessment (w. expert testimony work) can pay very well. Child custody can pay well. Neither are easy and require specialized training. They can also be high stress, but compensation can be solid.
 
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Therapist4Chnge said:
Forensic assessment (w. expert testimony work) can pay very well. Child custody can pay well. Neither are easy and require specialized training. They can also be high stress, but compensation can be solid.
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I think it might have been PSYDR who said something to the effect that the only time they seriously worried about a patient attacking them was in child custody cases.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
Forensic assessment (w. expert testimony work) can pay very well. Child custody can pay well. Neither are easy and require specialized training. They can also be high stress, but compensation can be solid.
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I had a professor tell us child custody is the worst specialty and the one you’re most likely to be sued in. That was enough for me.
 
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s.trelawney said:
Would you say some specialties are more lucrative than others? I'm assuming neuro would be at the top of the list if so. I am particularly interested in specializing (or "niche-ing") in children/adolescents with ASD.
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Big need (at least in my area) for psychologists diagnosing ASD. Is it lucrative? That kinda depends. I do this and am a good deal above the mid-career median salary wise, and augment with adjuncting. I don’t live extravagantly and will have to scrimp a little to pay for my kids college next 6 years, but I really can’t complain. Ealrlier carreer salary will be less, but you should expect to be fairly compensated.

Be aware that with ASD, treatment is dominated by behavior analysts, with their own national board certification and state licensure requirements that will typically not be met through clinical psych doctoral training. You can make make more if you are also a BCBA. Training and experience with admin and program management will also make you more marketable.
 
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ExploringOptions said:
I had a professor tell us child custody is the worst specialty and the one you’re most likely to be sued in. That was enough for me.
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Yep, there are definitely risks. One of the reasons it tends to pay well. You also don't have to bother with insurance. So there are pros as well. Not enough for me to consider doing it, but I'm lower on the whole professional risk tolerance scale.
 
ClinicalABA said:
Big need (at least in my area) for psychologists diagnosing ASD. Is it lucrative? That kinda depends. I do this and am a good deal above the mid-career median salary wise, and augment with adjuncting. I don’t live extravagantly and will have to scrimp a little to pay for my kids college next 6 years, but I really can’t complain. Ealrlier carreer salary will be less, but you should expect to be fairly compensated.

Be aware that with ASD, treatment is dominated by behavior analysts, with their own national board certification and state licensure requirements that will typically not be met through clinical psych doctoral training. You can make make more if you are also a BCBA. Training and experience with admin and program management will also make you more marketable.
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This is my target field. I’d like to do a mixture of ASD and IDD evals, as well as still be involved with treatment planning/supervision for ABA. Any word on what one can expect for starting salary doing both?
 
2017-09-salary_tcm7-222843_w1024_n.jpg
 
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BehaviorPsychIsCool said:
This is my target field. I’d like to do a mixture of ASD and IDD evals, as well as still be involved with treatment planning/supervision for ABA. Any word on what one can expect for starting salary doing both?
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I’m no expert in these matters, and there are a lot factors to consider (geographic area, specific experience/expertise, other stuff you might being to table such as pubs and research). If you look at the distribution in the first graph in Lotus143’s post above, I’d say that- as a newly licensed psych in this area of practice- it’s reasonable to think you’d fall somewhere between the median and mode.

Note that almost all ABA clinical work is max-reimbursed at a master’ credential level. If you plan on that being a big portion of your caseload, you should expect less. I have an ABA caseload of only a few hours per week, max, that I keep just to maintain my skills and, literally, for the fun of it. In my position, I have expectations regarding minimal billable hours and minimum billed revenue, with incentives related to both, so I need to be mindful of performing too much lower paid services. ABA is also “harder hours” in that services are typically non-clinic based. You might need to drive an hour round trip to do two hours of services, so margins are pretty poor for higher paid clinicians.
 
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foreverbull said:
In my area, being bilingual is highly desirable, or having a sought-after specialty (trauma, eating disorders, work with older adults or children/adolescents, etc.). Being a "generalist" is not viewed necessarily positively in saturated areas.

Is that Robyn in your icon photo?
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I've got at least one of those covered. I'm not sure if it's a "sought-after" specialty, but I'm going to have extensive training in exposure-based treatment for anxiety disorders.

Yep! It's one of the covers from her EP with Röyksopp.
 
Meteora said:
That's good to know. I've got at least one of those covered. I'm not sure if it's a "sought-after" specialty, but I'm going to have extensive training in exposure-based treatment for anxiety disorders.

Yep! It's one of the covers from her EP with Röyksopp.
Click to expand...
Hell yeah, she's got a sick mullet during that era.
 
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Meteora said:
That's good to know. I've got at least one of those covered. I'm not sure if it's a "sought-after" specialty, but I'm going to have extensive training in exposure-based treatment for anxiety disorders.

Yep! It's one of the covers from her EP with Röyksopp.
Click to expand...

That’s a good start.

I’m seeing Robyn live in concert this week, coincidentally!
 
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