Image of career: Clinical Psychologist

Clinical Psychologist

Overview

Clinical psychologists treat patients with mental illness through counselling and psychotherapy.

Description

  • Conduct psychological assessments and interpret results.
  • Create personalised treatment and management plans for patients.
  • Assess patients’ conditions, risks, and social needs.
  • Plan and execute psycho-educational programmes for mental health education.
  • Collect and analyse data to support research on psychological treatments.

Entry requirements

  • You’ll need a Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and a Master’s Degree in Applied Psychology.

Salary

$3,000 – 5,200

/mo

Salary ranges are estimated based on public information found on Singaporean job portals, including MyCareersFuture, MySkillsFuture. Updated as of 2026.

Trivia

Clinical psychologists aren’t mind readers, but they’re trained to observe small details like body language to understand their patients’ mental state.

What to expect

Self-care is crucial. Taking care of your own mental health helps you to better support and guide your patients through their healing journey.

Soft
skills

Communication

Able to discuss complex issues and treatment plans with patients clearly and effectively.

Collaboration

Able to work with other healthcare professionals to provide well-rounded treatment.

Problem-Solving

Ability to identify and meet patient’s needs with tailored treatment plans.

Professional Consultation

Expertise in psychological consultations, assessing mental health, and offering guidance.

Psychological Assessment

Skilled in psychological assessment methods and standardised techniques to diagnose mental health conditions.

Psychological Interventions

Skilled in applying therapeutic treatments to address various issues.

Hard
skills

Frequently asked questions

Clinical psychologists help patients through counselling and therapy, while psychiatrists are medical doctors that can diagnose mental illnesses and prescribe medication.

It's more than just listening. Psychologists observe patients’ speech and body language to understand what’s really going on.

It can be tough working with people experiencing mental health difficulties, so it’s important for psychologists to look after their own wellbeing.

They start with a thorough assessment to understand the individual’s problems, then use those findings to make a diagnosis.

They look at specific symptoms, identify problems, and evaluate how these issues affect the person's daily life and relationships.