A professional who diagnoses or evaluates mental and emotional disorders of individuals, and administers programs of treatment. Responsibilities include:

• Interviews patients in clinics, hospitals, prisons, and other institutions, and studies medical and social case histories.
• Observes patients in play or other situations, and selects, administers, and interprets intelligence, achievement, interest, personality, and other psychological tests to diagnose disorders and formulate plans of treatment.
• Treats psychological disorders to effect improved adjustments utilizing various psychological techniques, such as milieu therapy, psychodrama, play therapy and hypnosis.
• Selects approach to use in individual therapy, such as directive, nondirective, and supportive therapy, and plans frequency, intensity, and duration of therapy.
• May collaborate with psychiatrist , and other specialists in developing treatment programs for patients.
• May instruct and direct students serving psychological internships in hospitals and clinics.
• May develop experimental designs and conduct research in fields of personality development and adjustment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders.
• May serve as consultant to industrial, social, educational, welfare, and other agencies on individual cases or in evaluation, planning, and development of mental health programs.
• May specialize in behavior problems and therapy, crime and delinquency, group therapy, individual diagnosis and therapy, mental deficiency, objective tests, projective techniques, or speech pathology.