How to Hire a Psychologist

Why hire a psychologist?

Adding a new psychologist to the staff can help you:

• Take on more patients
• Free up the patient workload so more time can be allotted for existing patients
• Add a new therapeutic focus or expand the patient population to include a particular specialty, e.g., autism, BCBA, etc.

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance psychologist

There are psychologists available for hire in both freelance and full-time capacities. The type of psychologist you should consider hiring depends on the type of business you own. Hospitals, mental health facilities, prisons and schools can benefit from the services of a full-time psychologist. 

Other businesses, however, may only require the services of a psychologist on an as-needed basis. They may hire a psychologist to help resolve disputes between employees or guide an employee through the process of grief. Freelance psychologists can also be hired to gauge the satisfaction and loyalty of corporate employees. 

What are the types of psychologists?

Psychologist is a broad term for a profession that has a lot of specialties and subspecialties. Some of the positions within this umbrella include: 

• Clinical psychologists: Clinical psychologists are responsible for examining the behavior of clients, diagnosing mental illnesses and prescribing treatment plans for their patients. They can have subspecialties, including child, adult and geriatric mental health.
• Consumer psychologists (also known as marketing psychologists): Consumer psychologists assess the behavior of consumers to create marketing strategies for specific companies. They utilize general observation skills, experiments and surveys to gather data from the community. 
• Counseling psychologists: Counseling psychologists specialize in helping individuals suffering from stress, emotional issues and behavioral problems. 
• Forensic psychologists: Forensic psychologists use their training and knowledge to help law enforcement officials with specific cases. They can also offer psychotherapy services for victims and children. 
• Industrial-organizational psychologists: Also referred to as I-O psychologists, these professionals study behaviors in the workplace to suggest employees for promotions and improve productivity. 

Where to find psychologists

To find the right psychologist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Ask local colleges and universities. Ask colleges and universities in the area for suggestions regarding promising students who’ve recently graduated with degrees in psychology. Set up and conduct interviews with these individuals to see if they fit the position. 
• Hang help wanted flyers. Putting up flyers advertising the job can raise community awareness and encourage candidates to fill out applications. 
• Network. Maintaining relationships with psychologists and other professionals in the industry can generate leads regarding quality candidates who are looking for employment. Reach out to interested individuals to arrange a meeting. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your psychologist job on Indeed to find and attract quality psychologist candidates.

What are the types of psychologists?

Psychologist is a broad term for a profession that has a lot of specialties and subspecialties. Some of the positions within this umbrella include: 

• Clinical psychologists: Clinical psychologists are responsible for examining the behavior of clients, diagnosing mental illnesses and prescribing treatment plans for their patients. They can have subspecialties, including child, adult and geriatric mental health.
• Consumer psychologists (also known as marketing psychologists): Consumer psychologists assess the behavior of consumers to create marketing strategies for specific companies. They utilize general observation skills, experiments and surveys to gather data from the community. 
• Counseling psychologists: Counseling psychologists specialize in helping individuals suffering from stress, emotional issues and behavioral problems. 
• Forensic psychologists: Forensic psychologists use their training and knowledge to help law enforcement officials with specific cases. They can also offer psychotherapy services for victims and children. 
• Industrial-organizational psychologists: Also referred to as I-O psychologists, these professionals study behaviors in the workplace to suggest employees for promotions and improve productivity. 

Writing a psychologist job description

A thoughtful description is important to finding quality psychologist candidates. A psychologist job description includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position.

When writing your psychologist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on psychologist jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Psychologist
• Clinical psychologist
• Psychology
• Mental health
• Forensic psychologist
• Neuropsychologist
• Industrial organizational psychologist
• Forensic psychology
• Psychology internship
• Counselor

Interviewing psychologist candidates

The best candidates for psychologist positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• The therapeutic approach they use, e.g., CBT, DBT, etc.
• The clinical relevance of their academic research
• Why they chose this career path

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of psychologist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).