Assistant clinical psychologist to psychologist
An assistant clinical psychologist already meets 19% of what the psychologist role asks for. The move turns on 52 required skills not yet in the profile.
87.7/ 100
1 How much of what a 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 psychologist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A psychologist role treats 12 of its required skills as things an assistant clinical psychologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with legislation related to health care
- conduct psychological assessement
- consultation
- counsel clients
- diagnose psychiatric symptoms
- identify mental health issues
What stands in the way is 52 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A 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 psychological interventions social sciences, journalism and information
- already held assess healthcare users' risk for harm information skills
- already held clinical psychological treatment social sciences, journalism and information
- already held conduct psychological assessement information skills
- already held prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment assisting and caring
- already held interpret psychological tests assisting and caring
All 18 carried skills, including the 12 the psychologist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 74 missing skills fall into 9 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 conduct forensic evaluations required
- still to learn manage intellectual property rights required
- still to learn use psychoeducation required
- still to learn build trust required
- still to learn communicate with a non-scientific audience required
- still to learn develop professional network with researchers and scientists required
- still to learn disseminate results to the scientific community required
- still to learn draft scientific or academic papers and technical documentation required
- still to learn evaluate research activities required
- still to learn increase the impact of science on policy and society required
- still to learn interact professionally in research and professional environments required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn mentor individuals required
- still to learn promote the transfer of knowledge required
- still to learn publish academic research required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- still to learn think abstractly required
- still to learn work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- still to learn write scientific publications required
- optional, not held support patients to understand their conditions optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held provide health education optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
- still to learn monitor therapeutic progress required
- still to learn use clinical assessment techniques required
- still to learn apply for research funding required
- still to learn apply research ethics and scientific integrity principles in research activities required
- still to learn conduct research across disciplines required
- still to learn demonstrate disciplinary expertise required
- still to learn integrate gender dimension in research required
- still to learn manage findable accessible interoperable and reusable data required
- still to learn manage research data required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn promote open innovation in research required
- still to learn promote the participation of citizens in scientific and research activities required
- still to learn synthesise information required
- still to learn test for behavioural patterns required
- still to learn test for emotional patterns required
- optional, not held carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
- optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
- still to learn ensure safety of healthcare users required
- still to learn prescribe medication required
- still to learn refer healthcare users required
- still to learn respond to healthcare users' extreme emotions required
- still to learn follow clinical guidelines required
- optional, not held apply systemic therapy optional
- optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
- still to learn client-centred counselling required
- still to learn counselling methods required
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held forensic psychiatry optional
- optional, not held psychiatric diagnostics optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held neurology optional
- optional, not held psychiatric disorders optional
- still to learn behavioural disorders required
- still to learn psychological counselling methods required
- optional, not held experimental psychology optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
- optional, not held sport psychology optional
- optional, not held personal reflection techniques based on feedback optional
- still to learn manage personal professional development required
- still to learn perform project management required
- optional, not held apply caseload management optional
- optional, not held promote mental health optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a psychologist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 client-centred counselling study this
- 02 conduct forensic evaluations practise this
- 03 ensure safety of healthcare users 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held conduct psychological assessement skill
- already held consultation knowledge
- already held counsel clients skill
- already held diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
- already held identify mental health issues skill
- already held interpret psychological tests skill
- already held prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment skill
- already held psychological diagnostics knowledge
- already held psychological interventions knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held work with patterns of psychological behaviour skill
- already held assess healthcare users' risk for harm skill
- already held clinical psychological treatment knowledge
- already held clinical reports knowledge
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held first aid knowledge
- already held psychiatry knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn research design required
- still to learn scientific literature required
- still to learn operate open source software required
- still to learn manage open publications required
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply caseload management optional
- optional, not held apply systemic therapy optional
- optional, not held carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
- optional, not held clinical social work optional
- optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
- optional, not held experimental psychology optional
- optional, not held forensic psychiatry optional
- optional, not held promote mental health optional
- optional, not held psychiatric diagnostics optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held sport psychology optional
- optional, not held support patients to understand their conditions optional
- optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
- optional, not held apply blended learning optional
- optional, not held crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held neurology optional
- optional, not held personal reflection techniques based on feedback optional
- optional, not held provide health education optional
- optional, not held psychiatric disorders optional
- optional, not held teach in academic or vocational contexts optional
34 held skills the psychologist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role analyse psychological aspects of illness skill
- not needed by the target role apply clinical psychological treatment skill
- not needed by the target role apply context specific clinical competences skill
- not needed by the target role apply psychological intervention strategies 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 comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- not needed by the target role conduct psychological research skill
- not needed by the target role decide upon a psychotherapeutic approach skill
- not needed by the target role developmental psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role diagnosis of mental health issues knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate clinical psychological measures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate psychological health measures skill
- not needed by the target role evaluation of psychological performance knowledge
- not needed by the target role formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy skill
- not needed by the target role health psychology knowledge
- 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 clinical psychological assessment skill
- not needed by the target role provide clinical psychological counselling skill
- not needed by the target role provide clinical psychological expert opinions skill
- not needed by the target role provide clinical psychological support in crisis situations skill
- 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
- not needed by the target role therapy in health care knowledge
19 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 client-centred counselling required
- still to learn behavioural disorders required
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn counselling methods required
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn psychological counselling methods required
- still to learn research design 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 psychiatric diagnostics optional
- optional, not held psycholinguistics optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held sport psychology optional
- optional, not held crisis intervention optional
- optional, not held neurology optional
- optional, not held personal reflection techniques based on feedback optional
- optional, not held psychiatric disorders optional
Other moves recorded from assistant clinical psychologist
Common questions about this move
Can an assistant clinical psychologist become a psychologist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An assistant clinical psychologist already covers 19% of what a psychologist is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 12 of which the psychologist role treats as required.
What skills does an assistant clinical psychologist need to become a psychologist?
52 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is client-centred counselling.
How hard is the move from assistant clinical psychologist to psychologist?
Its learning distance is 87.7 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.