Free child psychologist job description templates for private practices and clinics, with doctoral licensing, HIPAA, and credentialing onboarding built in.
6 templates for practices and clinics, with doctoral licensing, HIPAA, and credentialing onboarding built in. Download as DOCX.
The child psychologist job description is harder to get right than most, because the role is doctoral-level and licensed, and most templates online skip the parts that actually matter for hiring one: verifying the license, HIPAA training, and tracking continuing education. For a small practice, those gaps are real compliance risk.
At FirstHR, we build templates by setting with that credentialing built in, including a version no competitor offers: one written for the small private practice or clinic without HR. The six templates below cover standard, private practice, group practice, clinical child and adolescent, pediatric, and telehealth. Pick the one that fits, fill in the brackets, and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free templates by setting: Standard, Private Practice / Small Clinic, Group Practice, Clinical Child & Adolescent, Pediatric, and Telehealth. A child psychologist is a doctoral-level (PhD or PsyD), licensed role, and exempt (learned professional). Hiring one means verifying the license, delivering HIPAA training, and tracking continuing education. In federal data they fall under clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033); psychologists overall earn a median of $94,310 (May 2024).
What Does a Child Psychologist Do?
A child psychologist assesses, diagnoses, and treats mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions in children and adolescents, through psychological testing, diagnosis, and evidence-based therapy. The role works closely with parents, schools, and physicians, since a child's care involves several adults. It is a doctoral-level, licensed role, which sets it apart from a master's-level therapist or counselor.
In federal data, child psychologists fall under clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033) rather than a separate category. The setting shapes the rest: a private-practice psychologist carries their own caseload, a clinical specialist focuses on testing and complex cases, a pediatric psychologist works alongside physicians, and a telehealth psychologist delivers care remotely. The templates split along those lines.
Child Psychologist Duties and Responsibilities
A child psychologist's duties cluster into assessment and diagnosis, treatment, coordination, and records and compliance. The mix shifts by setting, but these areas hold across roles.
Assessment and diagnosis
Assess and diagnose children and adolescents
Conduct psychological and developmental testing
Write evaluation reports
Treatment
Provide evidence-based individual and family therapy
Develop and review treatment plans
Track progress and adjust care
Coordination
Collaborate with parents and caregivers
Coordinate with schools and physicians
Participate in case consultation
Records and compliance
Keep accurate, confidential records
Comply with HIPAA and state rules
Maintain license and continuing education
The records and compliance cluster is heavier than in most roles, because of licensing and HIPAA, and it is covered below. For a structured way to scope any role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by your setting. Each carries the duties and emphasis for that context, and the private practice and small clinic version is written for a small employer without HR. Use this guide to choose.
Standard
Most hirers
The universal base: assess, diagnose, and treat children and adolescents, with doctoral and licensing requirements built in. The starting point if no other version fits.
Private Practice / Small Clinic
Solo or group, no HR
The owned version no competitor offers: a child psychologist at a small private practice without HR, with the credentialing and onboarding steps planned up front.
Group Practice
Team of providers
For a group practice hiring into a team of clinicians, with shared administrative and credentialing support and peer consultation.
Clinical Child & Adolescent
Testing-heavy, complex cases
For specialized clinical work: psychological testing, diagnosis of complex disorders, and evidence-based treatment, often with ABPP board certification preferred.
Pediatric (Medical Setting)
Works with medical teams
For a medical setting: supporting children with medical conditions and partnering with pediatricians on the psychological side of health and illness.
Telehealth
Remote care
For remote delivery: secure HIPAA-compliant video care, with attention to telehealth rules and cross-state licensing such as PSYPACT.
Match the Template to Your Setting
Small private practice without HR: Private Practice / Small Clinic. A team of providers: Group Practice. Testing-heavy, complex cases: Clinical Child & Adolescent. A medical setting alongside physicians: Pediatric. Remote care: Telehealth. Anything else, or to start broad: Standard. Whichever you pick, build in license verification, HIPAA training, and continuing-education tracking.
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: practice summary, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications and licensing, FLSA status, an EEO statement, and pay, with onboarding notes built into the small-practice version. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
Standard, private practice, group practice, clinical child and adolescent, pediatric, and telehealth. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Standard Child Psychologist
The universal base: assess, diagnose, and treat children and adolescents, with doctoral and licensing requirements built in. The starting point if no other version fits.
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
ABOUT [PRACTICE NAME]
[One or two sentences: your practice, the families you serve, and the
setting this psychologist will work in.]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Practice Name] is hiring a licensed Child Psychologist to assess,
diagnose, and treat children and adolescents. The psychologist
provides evidence-based therapy and psychological testing, and
collaborates with families and other providers.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Assess, diagnose, and treat children and adolescents
•Conduct psychological and developmental testing
•Provide evidence-based individual and family therapy
•Develop and review treatment plans
•Collaborate with parents, schools, and providers
•Maintain accurate, confidential clinical records
•Comply with HIPAA and state clinical regulations
•Participate in case consultation as needed
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND LICENSING
•Doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in psychology
•Active state psychologist license [or license-eligible]
•Completed supervised hours and the EPPP for licensure
•Experience assessing and treating children and adolescents
•Knowledge of child development and evidence-based methods
•[Board certification (ABPP) a plus]
FLSA NOTE
A licensed psychologist is an exempt learned professional (advanced
knowledge in a field of science or learning, salaried above the
threshold). Confirm classification by duties and salary. This is not
legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ - $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __.
Template 2: Private Practice / Small Clinic Child Psychologist
The owned version no competitor offers: a child psychologist at a small private practice without HR, with the credentialing and onboarding steps planned up front.
Private Practice / Small Clinic Child Psychologist (No HR)
PRIVATE PRACTICE / SMALL CLINIC CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION
Practice: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: Practice Owner / Clinical Director
Employment type: Full-time or part-time, W-2 [or 1099 -- confirm]
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional, if W-2 salaried)
Compensation: $______ - $______ [salary, or fee-split %]
ABOUT US
[Practice Name] is a [solo / group] private practice in [City, State]
serving children, adolescents, and families. We are a small team
without a dedicated HR department, and we are hiring a Child
Psychologist to grow with us.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a licensed Child Psychologist to join a small private
practice. You will carry your own caseload, work directly with the
owner, and help shape how we care for families. We handle the
credentialing and onboarding so you can focus on clinical work.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
•Carry a caseload of child and adolescent clients
•Provide assessment, testing, and evidence-based therapy
•Develop treatment plans and coordinate care
•Keep accurate, HIPAA-compliant clinical records
•Communicate with parents, schools, and referrers
•Help improve practice workflows and culture
•Maintain your license and continuing education
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS
•Doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in psychology
•Active [state] psychologist license in good standing
•Comfortable in a small, collaborative practice
•Experience with children and adolescents
•[Insurance paneling / credentialing a plus]
ONBOARDING NOTE (small practice -- read before posting)
As a small practice without HR, plan the credentialing and onboarding
steps up front: verify the state license, store the license and
malpractice insurance on file, complete HIPAA privacy training before
access to records, and track continuing education for renewal. Confirm
your state's specifics; this is not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable
accommodations are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ - $______ [salary or fee-split]
To apply, email __.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
For specialized clinical work: psychological testing, diagnosis of complex disorders, and evidence-based treatment, often with ABPP board certification preferred.
Hiring a child psychologist is partly a credentialing process, because the role is licensed and the path to licensure is long. Knowing what to verify keeps your hire compliant from day one.
Requirement
What to know
Doctoral degree
PhD or PsyD in psychology is required
Supervised hours
Thousands of supervised clinical hours before licensure
EPPP
National licensing exam: 225 questions, 175 scored, 50 pretest
State license
Active psychologist license required to use the title
Continuing education
Required to renew the license; track credits and deadlines
Board certification
ABPP in clinical child is optional but a plus
For an employer, you generally do not assess the EPPP or supervised hours yourself. You verify that the candidate holds an active state license in good standing, which already reflects the degree, exam, and hours, then keep that documentation on file and track its renewal. The background check process fits alongside license verification.
Child Psychologist vs Therapist vs School Psychologist
These roles get confused, and hiring the wrong credential wastes everyone's time. The key difference is the degree and license.
Role
Typical credential
Focus
Child psychologist
Doctoral (PhD/PsyD), psychologist license
Testing, diagnosis, and therapy
Pediatric psychologist
Doctoral, psychologist license
Same, in a medical setting
Child therapist / counselor
Master's (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)
Therapy, not formal testing
School psychologist
Specialist (EdS) plus certification
Learning and behavior in schools
The practical rule: if you need psychological testing and diagnosis, you need a doctoral-level child psychologist; if you need therapy, a master's-level therapist may fit at a different pay level. Match the title and template to the credential you actually need.
Pay and FLSA Classification
Child psychologists are paid in a professional band that varies by setting and arrangement, and the role is exempt.
Psychologist Pay Benchmark (BLS, May 2024)
Federal data does not break out child psychologists separately. Psychologists overall had a median annual wage of $94,310 as of May 2024, and clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033), the category child psychologists fall under, run slightly higher. Employment of psychologists is projected to grow about 6% from 2024 to 2034, faster than average (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
A salaried licensed psychologist is an exempt learned professional, so the role is not overtime-eligible. The main thing to settle is the arrangement: many psychologists work on a fee-split or contractor basis rather than as salaried employees, which is a separate worker-classification question. The guide to exempt versus non-exempt and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview cover how the tests work.
Hiring a Child Psychologist for a Small Practice
The real small-business hirer here is a private practice, usually without HR, that still carries the full weight of licensing and HIPAA. Here are the three realities to get right.
The real small-business hirer is a private practice, and no competitor writes a template for it
A large share of psychologists work in private practice, much of it small group practices of a handful of providers, which is exactly the kind of small business that hires a child psychologist and often has no dedicated HR department. The generic templates online are written for a faceless employer and skip what a small practice actually has to handle: licensing verification, credentialing, and HIPAA. The private practice and small clinic template on this page is written for that hirer, the owner or clinical director who is also the office manager and the compliance lead. Larger employers like school districts, children's hospitals, and community mental health centers also hire this role, but they have their own HR and systems; this page is built for the small practice that does not.
Hiring a licensed psychologist is a credentialing project, not just a job posting
Bringing on a child psychologist is heavier than a typical hire because the role is licensed and clinical. A psychologist holds a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD), has passed the national licensing exam and completed thousands of supervised hours, and carries a state license that must be verified and kept current. On top of that, a private practice is a HIPAA covered entity, so a new clinician needs privacy training before touching records, and their license requires continuing education to renew. For a small practice without HR, missing any of these steps is a real compliance and liability risk. A clear, credentialing-aware job description sets expectations, and a simple system to verify the license, store the documents, deliver HIPAA training, and track continuing education turns a risky scramble into a repeatable process.
A small practice needs to onboard a clinician cleanly without enterprise HR software
Once you hire, the onboarding is documentation-heavy: the signed offer, license verification, malpractice insurance, HIPAA privacy training before record access, and a place to track continuing education and renewal dates. For a small practice this is exactly what slips through the cracks without a system. FirstHR is built for the small practice without HR: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management to store the license, insurance, and training certificates, training modules to deliver and document HIPAA training consistently, employee profiles to hold license number and renewal dates, and onboarding workflows that can gate record access on completed steps. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a growing group practice pays one rate as it adds clinicians. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, provide a clinical EHR, or give legal advice, so pair it with your billing, payroll, and legal resources. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Licensed Psychologist
Onboarding a child psychologist is credentialing-heavy, so it needs more than standard paperwork. Send the offer with the compensation and classification stated, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then handle the clinical and compliance steps, which are the core of this hire.
Verify the license
Confirm the psychologist holds an active state license in good standing before they see clients, and re-verify at each renewal. License lookup is done through the state psychology board.
Store credentials
Keep the license, malpractice insurance, doctoral verification, and any board certification (ABPP) on file, with renewal dates tracked so nothing lapses.
HIPAA training
A private practice is a HIPAA covered entity, so each new workforce member must complete privacy training on your policies before accessing protected health information, and you must document it.
Track continuing education
State licenses require continuing education to renew. Track CE credits and deadlines from the start so the clinician stays current and licensed.
FirstHR fits this hire directly: e-signature for the offer and policy acknowledgments, document management to store the license, malpractice insurance, and training certificates, training modules to deliver and document HIPAA training before record access, employee profiles to hold license number and renewal dates, and onboarding workflows to track it all. Because small practices run lean and pricing is flat rather than per seat, you pay one rate as the practice grows. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, provide a clinical EHR, or give legal advice, so pair it with your billing, payroll, and legal resources. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A child psychologist assesses, diagnoses, and treats children and adolescents through testing and evidence-based therapy.
Match the template to your setting: standard, private practice, group practice, clinical, pediatric, or telehealth.
The role is doctoral-level (PhD or PsyD) and licensed, which is what separates it from a master's-level therapist or counselor.
Child psychologists are exempt learned professionals; fee-split or contractor arrangements raise a separate classification question.
Hiring one is a credentialing project: verify the license, deliver and document HIPAA training, and track continuing education.
Federal data does not break out child psychologists; psychologists overall earn a median of $94,310 (May 2024), 19-3033 slightly higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a child psychologist do?
A child psychologist assesses, diagnoses, and treats mental, emotional, and behavioral conditions in children and adolescents. The core work includes psychological and developmental testing, diagnosis, and evidence-based therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy, along with writing evaluation reports and treatment plans. A child psychologist collaborates closely with parents and caregivers, and coordinates with schools and physicians, since a child's care usually involves several adults. The setting shapes the rest: a private-practice psychologist carries their own caseload and works closely with the practice owner; a clinical child and adolescent psychologist focuses on testing and complex cases; a pediatric psychologist works in a medical setting alongside physicians; and a telehealth psychologist delivers care remotely. Child psychologist is a doctoral-level role, so it differs from a child therapist or counselor, who are usually master's-level. In federal data, child psychologists fall under clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033) rather than a separate category.
What qualifications and license does a child psychologist need?
A child psychologist needs a doctoral degree and a state license, which makes this one of the more demanding roles to hire for. The path is a doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) in psychology, a substantial number of supervised clinical hours, and passing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (the EPPP), followed by a state psychologist license that must be kept current through continuing education. Many child psychologists also pursue specialized training in child and adolescent psychology, and some hold board certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). In most states, using the title psychologist legally requires licensure. For an employer, the practical implication is that hiring is partly a credentialing process: you verify the license, confirm it is in good standing, keep the documentation on file, and track continuing education and renewal dates. The title child psychologist is a specialization rather than a separate license, so the requirements are those of a licensed psychologist with child and adolescent focus. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a child psychologist exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A child psychologist is almost always exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, classified under the learned professional exemption. The Department of Labor specifically lists psychologists among the learned professionals who generally meet the exemption's duties test, because the role requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, customarily acquired through a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction, which a doctoral degree in psychology clearly satisfies. A licensed psychologist's salary is also well above the federal salary threshold that exempt classification requires. Exempt employees are not entitled to overtime pay. The main place to look carefully is the employment arrangement itself: many psychologists in private practice work on a fee-split or contractor basis rather than as salaried employees, which raises separate worker-classification questions about whether the person is truly an independent contractor or an employee. As always, base classification on the actual duties, pay, and arrangement rather than the title, and document it. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment attorney.
How much does a child psychologist make?
Child psychologist pay generally falls in the mid-to-upper five figures into six figures, depending on setting, experience, and region. Because federal data does not break out child psychologists separately, the closest benchmark is psychologists overall, who had a median annual wage of $94,310 as of May 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and clinical and counseling psychologists (SOC 19-3033), the category child psychologists fall under, which runs slightly higher. Pay varies meaningfully by setting: hospital and medical settings and established group practices often pay more, while early-career and smaller-practice roles may be lower, and private-practice income depends heavily on caseload and fee structure. Employment of psychologists is projected to grow about 6% from 2024 to 2034, faster than average, with strong demand for child and adolescent services in particular. For your posting, anchor the range to your specific setting, your local market, and whether the role is salaried or a fee-split arrangement rather than to a single national figure.
What is the difference between a child psychologist and a child therapist or school psychologist?
These are related but distinct roles with different training, licensure, and settings, and mixing them up in a job posting leads to the wrong applicants. A child psychologist is doctoral-level (PhD or PsyD) and licensed as a psychologist, able to conduct psychological testing and diagnosis as well as therapy. A child therapist or child counselor is usually master's-level, licensed as a clinical social worker (LCSW), professional counselor (LPC), or marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and focuses on therapy rather than formal psychological testing. A school psychologist is a separate occupation (SOC 19-3034), typically requiring a specialist-level degree (EdS) plus certification, and works within school districts on learning, behavior, and educational assessment. A pediatric psychologist is essentially a child psychologist working in a medical setting. For hiring, the key decision is the credential you actually need: if you need psychological testing and diagnosis, you need a doctoral-level child psychologist; if you need therapy, a master's-level therapist may fit, at a different pay level. Use the title and template that match the credential you are hiring for.
Does a private psychology practice have to follow HIPAA?
Yes. A private psychology practice that transmits health information electronically in connection with billing or claims is a HIPAA covered entity, which the large majority of practices are. That means the practice must comply with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, including a specific training requirement: under 45 CFR 164.530(b), a covered entity must train every member of its workforce on its privacy policies and procedures, and new workforce members must be trained within a reasonable time after joining, before they handle protected health information. The training must be documented, and records kept. For a small practice without HR, this is one of the most commonly overlooked obligations when bringing on a new clinician, and the Office for Civil Rights can audit and penalize practices that cannot show they trained and documented. Beyond training, HIPAA shapes how clinical records are stored, accessed, and shared. Building HIPAA training and documentation into your onboarding from day one is the practical way to stay compliant. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your obligations with counsel.
What is the EPPP and why does it matter for hiring?
The EPPP, or Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology, is the national licensing examination that psychologists must pass to become licensed in the United States and Canada. It matters for hiring because passing it is a prerequisite for the state license that legally allows someone to practice as a psychologist, so confirming a candidate is licensed means confirming they have already passed it. The exam's knowledge portion contains 225 multiple-choice questions, of which 175 are scored and 50 are unscored pretest items, and licensing boards set a passing scaled score for independent practice. Candidates also complete a doctoral degree and a large number of supervised hours before and around licensure. For an employer, you generally do not assess the EPPP yourself; you verify that the candidate holds an active state license, which already reflects passing the exam and meeting the supervised-hour and degree requirements. The takeaway is that a licensed psychologist has cleared a long, rigorous path, and your job at hiring is to verify and document that license. This is general information, not licensing advice.
What happens after I hire a child psychologist?
Run a structured onboarding that handles standard employment paperwork plus the credentialing and compliance steps this licensed clinical role requires. Start with the basics: send the offer with the compensation and the classification (employee or contractor) clearly stated, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9, and gather tax forms. Then handle the clinical-specific items, which are the heart of it: verify the state psychologist license is active and in good standing before the clinician sees clients, store the license, malpractice insurance, doctoral verification, and any board certification with renewal dates, complete and document HIPAA privacy training before the clinician accesses records, and set up tracking for continuing education. If you bill insurance, factor in credentialing and paneling, which takes time. For a small practice without HR, this whole sequence is exactly what needs a system rather than a folder of paper. FirstHR handles the onboarding layer: e-signature for the offer and acknowledgments, document management for the license and certificates, training modules to deliver and document HIPAA training, and employee profiles to track license and CE renewals. FirstHR does not run payroll, provide a clinical EHR, or give legal advice, so pair it with your billing and legal resources. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
