Clinical psychologist
Help people with mental and emotional difficulties make positive changes in their thinking and behaviour.
About the job
What it's like
You would help people with mental and emotional difficulties to make positive changes in their thinking and behaviour.
Your clients may experience psychological difficulties such as anxiety, depression, phobias or eating disorders.
You’d listen to them and help them understand their thoughts and actions. You’d use therapy, counselling or advice to help them overcome their distress or learn how to live with it and manage it.
You would:
Assess people's needs through interviews, psychometric tests and observations
Decide on the most appropriate form of treatment
Plan a treatment programme and work with clients in groups or one-to-one
Write reports about your cases and explain your approach at case conferences with colleagues
You would work closely with other professionals, such as doctors and probation officers, to achieve specific goals for your clients. For example, you might help an ex-offender with rehabilitation so they can successfully join the community or provide specialised counselling and support for carers.
With experience, you could be involved in producing legal reports and acting as an expert witness in court. You could also go on to specialise in working with a particular group, such as children, young offenders or older adults.
You might also do research and publish your findings.
You could work for the National Health Service (NHS) or in the private sector. The NHS salary for this role is covered by the the NHS Agenda for Change pay rates. You can see information about the pay and conditions on the Clinical psychologist page on the NHS Careers website.
Hours
You would normally work from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may sometimes need to work an evening or weekend shift, and you could be part of an emergency out-of-hours rota system. Part-time work and job sharing may be possible.
Environment
You could see clients in hospitals and local health centres, within mental health and disability services, in schools, and within the judicial system. Sessions may take place at an office, treatment room or the client's own home.
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- clinical psychology
- psychology
- psychological evaluations
- applied psychology
- eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- neuropsychological assessments
- psychological intervention
- clinical neuropsychology
- play therapy
- therapeutic modalities
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- understanding
- making decisions
- time management
- developing a plan
- social conscience
- empathising
- observation
- written communication
- verbal communication
- listening
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Biology
Care
Chemistry
Childcare and Development
Human Biology
Psychology
Foundation Apprenticeship: Social Services Children and Young People
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You need to get Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership of the British Psychological Society (BPS). To get this you need to complete a psychology degree (SCQF level 10) which is BPS-accredited or do a conversion course (one to four years) and complete a BPS-accredited doctorate in clinical psychology (SCQF level 12).
For entry to a honours degree in psychology you usually need National 5 qualifications and three to five Highers. Some universities ask for qualifications to be gained in one sitting.
You can also enter a degree with a relevant Higher National Certificate (SCQF level 7) or Higher National Diploma (SCQF level 8). With Advanced Highers, HNC or HND qualification you may enter the second or third year of some degree courses.
You can study psychology combined with other subjects such as law, economics, languages or sport. For entry you may need a mix of qualifications refelcting both subjects.
With a suitable honours degree and relevant experience you can apply to a masters (SCQF level 11) and then a doctorate course (SCQF level 12).
Qualifications and experience that show understanding of counselling, care and health and wellbeing such as the Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services and Healthcare (SCQF level 6) or Social Services and Young People (SCQF level 6).
All practising psychologists must register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
You will need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland.
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