The Datum Report

Occupation 2226 · Professional occupations

Other psychologists

Half of other psychologists in the UK earn more than £34,250 a year, and half earn less.

Psychologists research, study and assess emotional, cognitive and behavioural processes and abnormalities in human beings and animals and how these are affected by genetic, physical and social factors.

How people enter it

Entrants require a degree in psychology recognised by the British Psychology Society. Postgraduate and professional qualifications relating to different areas of psychology are available and are required for certain posts.

What the work involves

• develops and administers tests to measure intelligence, abilities, aptitudes, etc. and assesses results
• develops treatment and guidance methods and gives treatment or guidance using a variety of therapy and counselling techniques
• observes and experiments on humans and animals to measure mental and physical characteristics
• analyses the effect of hereditary, social and physical factors on thought and behaviour
• studies psychological factors in the treatment and prevention of mental illness or emotional and personality disorders
• maintains required contacts with family members, education or other health professionals, as appropriate, and recommends possible solutions to problems presented
• applies professional knowledge and techniques within the workplace, addressing issues such as job design, work groups, motivation etc
• applies psychological treatment methods to help athletes achieve optimum mental health and enhance sporting performance

Also called

Educational psychologist · Forensic psychologist · Occupational psychologist · Psychologist · Psychometrist

What it pays

How pay has changed

Median gross annual pay for other psychologists, all employees, 2023 to 2025. Each point is that year's ASHE April snapshot as published — revisions are not backfilled into earlier years, and a year ONS withheld is a gap rather than a joined line.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Table

Year-on-year change

The change from each year to the next, in per cent, computed from the figures in the chart above — so the two cannot disagree.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Table

Pay by region

Median gross annual pay for all employees, ranked, against the UK figure. 3 of 11 regions are published: ONS withholds a cell where the survey sample cannot support it, and those are shown as gaps rather than dropped — an absent region is not a region without the work in it.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Period 2025. Table

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Common questions

Classified alongside this

Clinical psychologists · Occupational therapists · Physiotherapists · Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists · Speech and language therapists · Therapy professionals n.e.c.