Psychologist Salary In India

Psychology as a career

Psychology is about grasping people's thinking from their behavior. Psychologists try to study the human mind and behavior and how it influences one's behavior. Yes, it is not 100% possible to grasp what a person is thinking.

But psychologists try to get as close as possible to that thinking by studying his behavior. They keep an eye on current situation and patient's mental condition. But psychology is not limited to human behavior study.

Psychologists also treat mental disorders, trauma or stress, and substance abuse problems. They try to treat them by working on their behavior and instilling confidence in the patient.

They usually use observation, assessment, and experimentation. These are the three pillars on which a psychologist treats his patient.

• Observation: A psychologist keeps an eye on patient's behaviour. He tries to understand what is going through one's mind while dealing with current situation.
  
  
• Assessment: A psychologist, when dealing with people, try to assess what options do they pick in different scenarios. What triggers them, if they act on a whim or if it is a result of past situation.
  
  Some patients get traumatised due to past events, some due to underconfidence and some due to laziness. These assessments further leads to experimentation pillar for psychologists to work on.
  
  
• Experimentation: Psychologists also give a person few scenarios to act on. They try to understand through the experiments what different kind of cure is available for people.
  
  It is not everytime sure that same kind of treatment will work on every person. If someone is dealing with anger issues, they enact different scenarios to guess what is the trigger point for a patient.

Eligibility Criteria for a Psychologist

To become a licensed psychologist; you need to have the following:

• Intermediate(10+2); if you have psychology as the additional subject, it will be a plus point. It will be preferable for many institutions.
  
  
• Must have a Bachelor's degree (BA or BSc) in Psychology
  
  
• Must have a Master's degree (MA or MSc) in Psychology or any other similar field, for example, Counseling.
  
  
• If you want to become better and be a doctorate-level psychologist, you can also aim for M.Phil.
  
  
• A doctorate is not mandatory, and you can still become a psychologist without it. A doctorate will give you a boost in knowledge and will be helpful in future. 

Psychologist Salaries:

The average salary of a psychologist is about 3 LPA. The actual numbers range from 1 LPA to 9 LPA. This salary range is dependent on the experience of a psychologist.

On average, a psychologist takes an estimated Rs 28000/month home. But this is just at the start of your career. As your experience will grow, you can expect more salary. It also varies from sub-domain to sub-domain.

Every subdomain of a psychologist takes home a different average salary. To get more insights, read on.

Top 10 Highest paying psychology jobs in India

Psychiatrist

Psychiatrists require a particular course during their education. A psychiatrist bears the burden of assigning people their cure based on their diagnosis and getting the proper and correct medications.

In most cases, a psychiatrist is never the first option. He usually comes when the patient has gone through all the other treatments available in the psychology infrastructure. An average salary for a psychiatrist is estimated to be Rs 4.80 LPA

He is always the last option for mental health treatment. To be a licensed psychiatrist, you have to finish an undergraduate degree from the medical school. After that, you need to complete an MPhil degree from an RCI-licensed college.

Industrial Psychologist

We all know about the workforce across different industries. In these industries, you can never find emotional support for the workers. Therefore it is a no-brainer that those psychologists who can fit this role are searched and hired.

Also, they are paid well for their efforts. It is important to note that these psychologists not work on individuals but also on the whole organization. They make sure that the infrastructure in which the workers are working is not a mess and that they operate efficiently.

To become an industrial psychologist, you need to have at least a Master's in organizational psychology. But a doctorate is optional. An average salary for an industrial psychologist is estimated to be Rs 4.80 LPA.

Neuropsychologist

As the name suggests, it is a field that goes deep into the psychology of the brain. A neuropsychologist takes a different approach than typical psychological indicators that the other psychologists look for their reference point.

They have a deep understanding of all the different parts of the brain and how they respond to various stimuli. They can guess which part of the brain is not functioning well when someone is in an emotional condition.

For example, they can tell which part of the brain produces the feeling of joy when one feels a sense of excitement or zeal. It is a high-paid job and also gives satisfaction. An average salary for a neuropsychologist is estimated to be Rs 5 LPA.

School Counselor/Psychologist

A school is a place where different people of different ages meet. Everyone has their ideals and principles. Therefore, it is easy for kids to be swayed and feel dejected. Sometimes, even adults or youth also feel conflicted.

The school counselor has an important role to play in a school. They burst the social tensions and battle for the students, faculty, and management.

Therefore, schools invest heavily in counselors as they are the key to forming a lasting relationships with everyone and enriching students' lives. An average salary for a school counselor/psychologist is Rs 3.0 LPA

Clinical Psychologist

Similar to a psychiatrist, a clinical psychologist also diagnoses conditions that come under mental breakdown.

His task is to diagnose, manage and treat patients. The patients usually suffer from depression, anxiety, or any kind of personality disorder. Currently, it is the most sought and popular career role in the field of psychology.

They work in different health centers, hospitals, or other places. They are required wherever the mental health of people are there. Some clinical psychologists also set up their own clinics to get some extra income. A clinical psychologist salary an average of Rs 3.5 LPA.

Forensic Psychologist

Forensic psychologists specialize in psychology as it overlaps in the field of criminality and all things related to it. They work with criminals and try to understand their mindset.

They usually try to find the reason for the crime. Then they work with them and try to rehabilitate them in psychological terms. It is an aspect of the psychological field. If the psychologist is able to clear the mind of criminals and stabilize their psychology.

He/she will be able to be free in the outside world. They also help in profiling of accused so as to make sure whether the accused can be a possible criminal or not. Forensic Psychologists are paid well and they earn about Rs 4.10 LPA.

Counseling Psychologist

Counseling Psychologists are the experts which help people overcome their shortcomings and their underconfidence. They offer them solutions about what steps they can take in order to get rid of the negative thoughts.

They provide the insights that psychiatrists can not provide. These insights are very useful in describing the situations and concerned areas of an individual. Due to these insights, counseling psychologists often work with psychiatrists for better diagnoses.

Sometimes, they also tend to open their own private clinic and work there. Usually, they practice both, combined and individually for better diagnoses of people. On an average, they earn about Rs 3.65 LPA.:

Sports Psychologists

Sports psychologists understand not only the human mind but also the human body with reference to how they interact with each other on and off the field.

A sports psychologist is someone who has already faced the experience of various sports training themselves and therefore understands the specific toll that it takes on both a sports person's mind and body.

With this experience, they guide others to their specific sports-related goals. With high expectations riding on them, they are a kind of two-edged sword. Their slight variations can make or break the sportsperson's career. Out of all the psychologists, they are the ones with the highest salary.

Starting as freshers, they earn Rs 5.89 LPA. But as their experience grows, they can earn up to 24 LPA in 5-10 years, depending on the impact they made on the career of the athlete.

Education Psychologist

An education psychologist fills any possible gaps that are left behind within the schooling system in so far as the education of a student is concerned.

We have earlier seen that there are school psychologists and counselors who serve to hold students’ anxieties as well as their fears, which may in part be triggered by the school. An education psychologist, however, makes sure that a child’s intellectual growth is taken care of.

Often, a school system doesn’t allow for certain minds to grow at the rate that they will grow the best – and this is where an educational psychologist will be far more helpful than a school psychologist or counselor. An education psychologist can earn up to Rs 7.72 LPA with the possibility of earning a salary of Rs 9.72 LPA.

Child Psychologists

A child psychologist does what you may imagine they do – they work with children. Children have to face a lot of challenges as they grow up, and parents may not always be in the best position to be able to deal with all of those issues.

However, there are a few instances where parents need to consult a child psychologist because they are not sure about how to deal with a specific problem that is troubling their child.

A child psychologist helps keep the parents stress-free while they focus solely on the child. Child psychologists too have their own private practice, and as word spreads about their services, they can stand to make a lot of money through this medium.

Typically, a child psychologist makes around Rs 4.80 LPA.

Conclusion

As mentioned above, there are multiple domains for a psychologist to work on. They earn a decent amount of money. You can either work with an organisation or open your own clinic. You also can open your clinic and still work with an organisation, when needed.

Every psychologist is important in their own way. Just on the basis of salary or money they make, you shouldn't decide your career. For example, if a school needs a child psychologist, it won't search for a psychiatrist. Same goes for other domains.

Therefore it is best to say that you select what you like. You not need to go for money, money will come with experience.  A psychologist is a good career option in India. Earlier, people did have mental issues or traumas, but they were hesitant.

They would think that people would call them mad or someone who is unstable. But now people are becoming more aware about their health issues and less about what society thinks.

So, it will not be an exaggeration to say that in coming days, psychologists will be sought four-five times than they are today.

For any more queries regarding psychologist salary in india, you can reply to us with a question in the comment box. We would get back to you with an answer to your query.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q> How much does a psychologist earn in India?

A> The average salary of a psychologist is about 3 LPA. The actual numbers range from 1 LPA to 9 LPA. It is a good starting earning and will shoot up as you gain experience.

Q> Do psychologists get paid well in India?

A> Yes, they do get well paid. The salary depends on the experience of every psychologist. It will range from 1 LPA for freshers to 9 LPA for experienced candidates. If some make an impact, they get different perks and bonuses.

Q> What is the maximum salary of a psychologist in India?

A> Maximum salary a psychologist gets is 9 LPA. There are some exceptions like sports psychologists who earn more than 15 LPA due to their high-risk job.