Assistant clinical psychologist to psychotherapist
An assistant clinical psychologist already meets 20% of what the psychotherapist role asks for. The move turns on 56 required skills not yet in the profile.
87.6/ 100
1 How much of what a psychotherapist 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 psychotherapist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A psychotherapist role treats 17 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 context specific clinical competences
- comply with legislation related to health care
- comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
- counsel clients
What stands in the way is 56 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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A psychotherapist 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 decide upon a psychotherapeutic approach management skills
- already held prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment assisting and caring
- already held therapy in health care health and welfare
- already held psychological diagnostics social sciences, journalism and information
- already held formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy assisting and caring
- already held work with patterns of psychological behaviour assisting and caring
All 17 carried skills, including the 17 the psychotherapist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 86 missing skills fall into 11 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 discuss the end point of therapeutic intervention required
- still to learn advise on healthcare users' informed consent required
- still to learn encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring 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 with healthcare users under medication required
- still to learn communicate in healthcare required
- still to learn develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship required
- still to learn interact with healthcare users required
- still to learn listen actively required
- still to learn work in a multicultural environment in health care required
- optional, not held collaborate to discuss treatment plans in psychotherapy optional
- optional, not held help healthcare users develop social perceptiveness optional
- optional, not held work in multidisciplinary health teams optional
- optional, not held work with healthcare users' social network optional
- optional, not held apply systemic design thinking optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
- optional, not held provide health education 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 contribute to continuity of health care 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 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 follow clinical guidelines required
- optional, not held apply hypno-psychotherapy optional
- optional, not held apply psychoanalysis optional
- optional, not held apply systemic therapy optional
- optional, not held employ cognitive behaviour treatment techniques optional
- optional, not held work on the effects of abuse optional
- optional, not held deal with emergency care situations optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
- still to learn conditions for the professional practice of psychotherapy required
- still to learn historic development of psychotherapeutic schools required
- still to learn psycho-social forms of intervention required
- still to learn disorders affecting self-awareness required
- still to learn history of patient's psychotherapeutic problems required
- still to learn psychosomatics required
- still to learn personality development theories required
- still to learn psychological theories required
- still to learn theories of personality required
- optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
- still to learn conduct psychotherapy risk assessments required
- still to learn evaluate practice in psychotherapy required
- still to learn keep up with current trends in psychotherapy required
- still to learn conceptualise healthcare user’s needs required
- still to learn monitor therapeutic progress 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
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- optional, not held carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
- optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
- still to learn conclude the psychotherapeutic relationship required
- still to learn maintain personal development in psychotherapy required
- still to learn promote mental health required
- still to learn provide treatment strategies for challenges to human health required
- still to learn use techniques to increase patients' motivation required
- still to learn manage personal professional development required
- still to learn respond to changing situations in health care required
- optional, not held apply caseload management optional
- optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
- still to learn clinical social work required
- still to learn psychopathology required
- still to learn psychiatric disorders required
- optional, not held psychomotor therapy optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held rehabilitation optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a psychotherapist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 conclude the psychotherapeutic relationship practise this
- 02 conditions for the professional practice of psychotherapy study this
- 03 conduct psychotherapy risk assessments 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 17 skills that carry over
- already held accept own accountability skill
- already held adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- already held apply context specific clinical competences skill
- already held comply with legislation related to health care skill
- already held comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice skill
- already held counsel clients skill
- already held decide upon a psychotherapeutic approach skill
- already held diagnose psychiatric symptoms skill
- already held empathise with the healthcare user skill
- already held formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy skill
- already held identify mental health issues skill
- already held prescribe psychotherapeutic treatment skill
- already held psychiatry knowledge
- already held psychological diagnostics knowledge
- already held psychology knowledge
- already held therapy in health care knowledge
- already held work with patterns of psychological behaviour skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- still to learn supervision of persons required
- still to learn psychopharmacology required
- still to learn use e-health and mobile health technologies required
30 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held collaborate to discuss treatment plans in psychotherapy optional
- optional, not held address side effects of menopause optional
- 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 carry out psychiatric assessment of child optional
- optional, not held diagnose mental disorders optional
- optional, not held employ cognitive behaviour treatment techniques optional
- optional, not held help healthcare users develop social perceptiveness optional
- optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
- optional, not held psychomotor therapy optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held work in multidisciplinary health teams 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 organisational techniques optional
- optional, not held apply systemic design thinking optional
- optional, not held deal with emergency care situations optional
- optional, not held educate on the prevention of illness optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held inform policy makers on health-related challenges optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- optional, not held promote inclusion optional
- optional, not held provide health education optional
- optional, not held record healthcare users' billing information optional
- optional, not held rehabilitation optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages for health-related research optional
- optional, not held use foreign languages in patient care optional
35 held skills the psychotherapist role does not ask for
- 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 psychological intervention strategies skill
- not needed by the target role assess healthcare users' risk for harm 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 clinical psychological treatment knowledge
- not needed by the target role clinical reports knowledge
- not needed by the target role cognitive psychology knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct psychological assessement skill
- not needed by the target role conduct psychological research skill
- not needed by the target role consultation knowledge
- 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 first aid knowledge
- 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 interpret psychological tests skill
- 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 psychological interventions knowledge
24 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 conditions for the professional practice of psychotherapy required
- still to learn historic development of psychotherapeutic schools required
- still to learn psycho-social forms of intervention required
- still to learn clinical social work required
- still to learn disorders affecting self-awareness required
- still to learn history of patient's psychotherapeutic problems required
- still to learn psychopathology required
- still to learn psychopharmacology required
- still to learn psychosomatics required
- still to learn body language required
- still to learn health care occupation-specific ethics required
- still to learn personality development theories required
- still to learn psychiatric disorders required
- still to learn psychological theories required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn supervision of persons required
- still to learn theories of personality required
- optional, not held psychoanalysis optional
- optional, not held psychomotor therapy optional
- optional, not held sexual disorders optional
- optional, not held geriatrics optional
- optional, not held paediatrics optional
- optional, not held pedagogy optional
- optional, not held rehabilitation optional
Other moves recorded from assistant clinical psychologist
Common questions about this move
Can an assistant clinical psychologist become a psychotherapist?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An assistant clinical psychologist already covers 20% of what a psychotherapist is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 17 of which the psychotherapist role treats as required.
What skills does an assistant clinical psychologist need to become a psychotherapist?
56 required skills are missing, plus 30 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is conclude the psychotherapeutic relationship.
How hard is the move from assistant clinical psychologist to psychotherapist?
Its learning distance is 87.6 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.