Clinical Psychologists and Counsellors
Official O*NET title: Clinical and Counseling Psychologists (19-3033.00)
Also called: case manager, clinical psychologist, counseling psychologist, counselor, licensed clinical psychologist
Do you do this at work?
Answer each card — it takes about a minute.
Do you do this at work?
Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment
Swipe right for yes, left for not me. On a keyboard: → yes, ← not me, Z undo. +2 XP per answer.
How AI is changing clinical psychologists and counsellors work
10 of 24 measurable main tasks for this job show up in real AI-use data, so we rate it Amber (some AI use) — 42%. 3 newer tasks are not in the data yet and left out.
This shows where people already use AI, not whether the job will disappear. How we measure this.
Tasks in this job and recorded AI use
- Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment (main task) — a lot of recorded AI use
- Provide occupational, educational, or other information to individuals so that they can make educational or vocational plans (main task) — a lot of recorded AI use
- Advise clients on how they could be helped by counseling (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Consult reference material (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Identify psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues and diagnose disorders, using information obtained from interviews, tests, records, or reference materials (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Collect information about individuals or clients, using interviews, case histories, observational techniques, and other assessment methods (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Develop therapeutic and treatment plans based on clients' interests, abilities, or needs (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Consult with other professionals, agencies, or universities to discuss therapies, treatments, counseling resources or techniques, and to share occupational information (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Document patient information including session notes, progress notes, recommendations, and treatment plans (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Consult with or provide consultation to other doctors, therapists, or clinicians regarding patient care (main task) — some recorded AI use
- Conduct assessments of patients' risk for harm to self or others (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as necessary (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Use a variety of treatment methods (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Develop and put in place individual treatment plans, specifying type, frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Maintain current knowledge of relevant research (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Obtain and study medical, psychological, social, and family histories by interviewing individuals, couples, or families and by reviewing records (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Select, administer, score, and interpret psychological tests to obtain information on individuals' intelligence, achievements, interests, or personalities (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Direct, coordinate, and evaluate activities of staff and interns engaged in patient assessment and treatment (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Supervise and train interns, clinicians in training, and other counselors (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Refer clients to other specialists, institutions, or support services as necessary (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Develop, direct, and participate in training programs for staff and students (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Plan and develop accredited psychological service programs in psychiatric centers or hospitals, in collaboration with psychiatrists and other professional staff (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Provide consulting services (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Conduct research to develop or improve diagnostic or therapeutic counseling techniques (main task) — no recorded AI use
- Prepare written evaluations of individuals' psychological competence for court hearings (main task) — too new for the AI data
- Plan, supervise, and conduct psychological research and write papers describing research results — some recorded AI use
- Provide psychological or administrative services and advice to private firms or community agencies regarding mental health programs or individual cases — some recorded AI use
- Observe individuals at play, in group interactions, or in other contexts to detect indications of cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities — too new for the AI data
Tasks: O*NET 31.0. AI use: Anthropic Economic Index (exact or close text match).
Your first steps (guidance)
- Week 1: Open a free AI assistant and say hello. Follow our “Getting started with AI” guide. Ask it one simple question about your work.
- Week 2: Use AI on one task you do often. Try the prompt for: “Interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment”. Try the prompt for: “Provide occupational, educational, or other information to individuals so that they can make educational or vocational plans”.
Tick your own tasks above to get a plan based on what you really do. The first 2 weeks are free; Premium (coming soon) adds weeks 3–12. New to AI? Read our beginner’s guide.
Questions about AI and clinical psychologists and counsellors
Will AI replace clinical psychologists and counsellors?
Our data can’t predict job losses, and we don’t try to. What it does show: 10 of the 27 main tasks for this job match tasks people already use AI for (Anthropic Economic Index), giving a Amber rating (some AI use). Using AI on a task is not the same as AI doing the whole job, and 14 of the 30 listed tasks show no recorded AI use yet.
Which clinical psychologist tasks is AI used for most?
In the data, the most AI use among this job’s tasks is for: interact with clients to assist them in gaining insight, defining goals, and planning action to achieve effective personal, social, educational, or vocational development and adjustment; provide occupational, educational, or other information to individuals so that they can make educational or vocational plans; advise clients on how they could be helped by counseling.
Which clinical psychologist tasks show little or no AI use?
For example: write reports on clients and maintain required paperwork; counsel individuals, groups, or families to help them understand problems, deal with crisis situations, define goals, and develop realistic action plans; evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or treatments and the accuracy and completeness of diagnoses, modifying plans or diagnoses as necessary. These are good places to keep building your own skills.
How does this job compare to others?
In Microsoft Research’s “Working with AI” study, this job’s AI applicability score is equal to or higher than 72% of the occupations they scored. That measures overlap with AI chat use, not risk of job loss.
How can a clinical psychologist start learning AI?
Start small: open a free AI assistant, try it on one task you do often, and always check facts and numbers yourself. The plan on this page is guidance, not professional advice.
See how this job ranks
Clinical Psychologists and Counsellors ranks #175 of 572 jobs for the share of main tasks with AI use (#1 = most), and #22 of 45 in Science & Research.
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