Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

What Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Skills for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Majors

psychoanalysis and psychotherapy majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Majors

As a psychoanalysis and psychotherapy major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

How Much Do Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy is $85,340. This median refers to all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

Some degrees associated with psychoanalysis and psychotherapy may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Master’s Degree	26.7%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	8.2%
Doctoral Degree	24.7%
Post-Doctoral Training	40.4%

Online Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	1	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Worth It?

The median salary for a psychoanalysis and psychotherapy grad is $85,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 114% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $908,800 after 20 years!

Trades Related to Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.

Major	Number of Grads
Mental Health Counseling/Counselor	8,344
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling	5,915
Other Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	3,697
Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling	3,683
Clinical/Medical Social Work	2,864
Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician	2,762
Community Health Services/Liaison/Counseling	2,419
Genetic Counseling/Counselor	299
Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling	217
Trauma Counseling	104
Medical Family Therapy/Therapist	12
Hospice and Palliative Care	3

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.