Assistant clinical psychologist to clinical psychologist
An assistant clinical psychologist already meets 34% of what the clinical psychologist role asks for. The move turns on 63 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.5/ 100
1 How much of what a clinical psychologist is expected to do is already part of an assistant clinical psychologist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the clinical psychologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A clinical psychologist role treats 36 of its required skills as things an assistant clinical psychologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- accept own accountability
- adhere to organisational guidelines
- apply clinical psychological treatment
- apply context specific clinical competences
- apply psychological intervention strategies
- assess healthcare users' risk for harm
What stands in the way is 63 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 36 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A clinical psychologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an assistant clinical psychologist background worth leading with.
- already held apply psychological intervention strategies assisting and caring
- already held evaluate clinical psychological measures information skills
- already held provide clinical psychological assessment communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide clinical psychological expert opinions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held provide clinical psychological support in crisis situations assisting and caring
- already held apply clinical psychological treatment assisting and caring
All 36 carried skills, including the 36 the clinical psychologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 84 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
- still to learn help healthcare users develop social perceptiveness required
- still to learn manage psychotherapeutic relationships required
- still to learn promote psycho-social education required
- still to learn support patients to understand their conditions required
- still to learn use psychoeducation required
- still to learn work in multidisciplinary health teams required
- still to learn develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- still to learn educate on the prevention of illness required
- still to learn inform policy makers on health-related challenges required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn provide health education required
- still to learn provide testimony in court hearings required
- still to learn work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- optional, not held conduct forensic evaluations optional
- optional, not held provide clinical advice to team members optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users under medication optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional
- still to learn provide psychological interventions to chronically ill persons required
- still to learn contribute to continuity of health care required
- still to learn employ cognitive behaviour treatment techniques required
- still to learn ensure safety of healthcare users required
- still to learn handle patient trauma required
- still to learn organise relapse prevention required
- still to learn perform therapy sessions required
- still to learn provide a psychotherapeutic environment required
- still to learn refer healthcare users required
- still to learn respond to healthcare users' extreme emotions required
- still to learn use psychotherapeutic interventions required
- still to learn work on psychosomatic issues required
- still to learn deal with emergency care situations required
- still to learn follow clinical guidelines required
- still to learn promote inclusion required
- optional, not held apply hypno-psychotherapy optional
- optional, not held apply psychoanalysis optional
- optional, not held apply systemic therapy optional
- optional, not held prescribe medication optional
- optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
- still to learn provide strategies of differential diagnosis required
- still to learn carry out psychiatric assessment of child required
- still to learn diagnose mental disorders required
- still to learn monitor therapeutic progress required
- still to learn record healthcare users' progress related to treatment required
- still to learn record the outcome of psychotherapy required
- still to learn use clinical assessment techniques required
- still to learn manage healthcare users' data required
- still to learn test for behavioural patterns required
- still to learn test for emotional patterns required
- still to learn methods of differential diagnosis required
- still to learn multi-professional cooperation in health care required
- still to learn psychopathology required
- still to learn counselling methods required
- still to learn crisis intervention required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn primary care required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held forensic psychiatry optional
- optional, not held neuroscience optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- still to learn expert services in clinical psychology required
- still to learn conditions for professional practice of clinical psychology required
- still to learn creation of clinical psychological opinions required
- still to learn emergency psychology required
- still to learn history of patient's psychotherapeutic problems required
- still to learn psychological healthcare services required
- still to learn psychological treatment measures required
- optional, not held experimental psychology optional
- optional, not held psychosomatics optional
- still to learn promote mental health required
- still to learn use techniques to increase patients' motivation required
- still to learn apply organisational techniques required
- still to learn respond to changing situations in health care required
- optional, not held apply caseload management optional
- optional, not held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health optional
6 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a clinical psychologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 expert services in clinical psychology study this
- 02 methods of differential diagnosis study this
- 03 provide psychological interventions to chronically ill persons practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 36 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held apply clinical psychological treatment skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held apply psychological intervention strategies skill
- already held assess healthcare users' risk for harm skill
- already held clinical psychological treatment knowledge
- already held clinical reports knowledge
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held conduct psychological assessement skill
- already held conduct psychological research skill
- already held consultation knowledge
- already held counsel clients skill
- already held decide upon a psychotherapeutic approach skill
- already held diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
- already held diagnosis of mental health issues knowledge
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held evaluate clinical psychological measures skill
- already held evaluation of psychological performance knowledge
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy skill
- already held health psychology knowledge
- already held identify mental health issues skill
- already held interpret psychological tests skill
- already held prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment skill
- already held provide clinical psychological assessment skill
- already held provide clinical psychological counselling skill
- already held provide clinical psychological expert opinions skill
- already held provide clinical psychological support in crisis situations skill
- already held psychiatry knowledge
- already held psychological diagnostics knowledge
- already held psychological interventions knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held therapy in health care knowledge
- already held work with patterns of psychological behaviour skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held research design optional
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn drug interaction management required
- still to learn psychopharmacology required
- still to learn use e-health and mobile health technologies required
- optional, not held occupational health optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply caseload management optional
- optional, not held apply hypno-psychotherapy optional
- optional, not held apply psychoanalysis optional
- optional, not held apply systemic therapy optional
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held conduct forensic evaluations optional
- optional, not held experimental psychology optional
- optional, not held forensic psychiatry optional
- optional, not held neuroscience optional
- optional, not held occupational health optional
- optional, not held prescribe medication optional
- optional, not held provide clinical advice to team members optional
- optional, not held provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health optional
- optional, not held psychosomatics optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users under medication optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
- optional, not held research design optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional
16 held skills the clinical psychologist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse psychological aspects of illness skill
- not needed by the target role assess the patient's therapeutic needs skill
- not needed by the target role assist psychologist skill
- not needed by the target role carry out neuropsychological testing skill
- not needed by the target role cognitive psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role developmental psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate psychological health measures skill
- not needed by the target role human psychological development knowledge
- not needed by the target role paediatric psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role provide health psychological advice skill
- not needed by the target role provide health psychological analysis skill
- not needed by the target role provide health psychological concepts skill
- not needed by the target role provide health psychological diagnosis skill
- not needed by the target role provide health psychological treatment advice skill
- not needed by the target role psychological concepts knowledge
26 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn expert services in clinical psychology required
- still to learn methods of differential diagnosis required
- still to learn conditions for professional practice of clinical psychology required
- still to learn creation of clinical psychological opinions required
- still to learn drug interaction management required
- still to learn emergency psychology required
- still to learn history of patient's psychotherapeutic problems required
- still to learn multi-professional cooperation in health care required
- still to learn psychological healthcare services required
- still to learn psychopathology required
- still to learn psychopharmacology required
- still to learn counselling methods required
- still to learn crisis intervention required
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn neurology required
- still to learn primary care required
- still to learn psychological treatment measures required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held experimental psychology optional
- optional, not held forensic psychiatry optional
- optional, not held neuroscience optional
- optional, not held occupational health optional
- optional, not held psychosomatics optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held research design optional
Other moves recorded from assistant clinical psychologist
Common questions about this move
Can an assistant clinical psychologist become a clinical psychologist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An assistant clinical psychologist already covers 34% of what a clinical psychologist is expected to do: 36 skills carry over, 36 of which the clinical psychologist role treats as required.
What skills does an assistant clinical psychologist need to become a clinical psychologist?
63 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is expert services in clinical psychology.
How hard is the move from assistant clinical psychologist to clinical psychologist?
Its learning distance is 79.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.