Data tool: Work settings

The following is an interactive data tool on the work settings of health service psychologists based on data collected from APA’s 2021 Survey of Health Service Psychologists. Users can explore the demographic, educational, and practice characteristics of the health service psychologist workforce across different work settings.

Unless otherwise noted, all data are from the APA’s 2021 Survey of Health Service Psychologists (April 2021, N = 842). The survey included doctoral-level licensed psychologists in the United States who provide direct client or patient care.

Work setting were based on psychologists’ reported primary job (job spent the most hours during a typical work week). Hospital settings include public or private general hospital, city or county or state psychiatric hospital, and for-profit or not-for-profit private psychiatric hospital. Organized human service settings include rehabilitation facility; counseling or guidance center not in university or college; outpatient mental health clinic —free-standing; community mental health center or clinic (CMHC); community health center (CHC) or clinic; long-term care residence; specialized health service; Preferred Provider Organization (PPO); Independent Practice Association (IPA); Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), excluding IPA; Accountable Care Organization (ACO); and other managed care setting. Business settings include self-employed (not private practice), consulting firm, private research organization or lab, independent consultant, union, business or industry (excluding consulting firm or research organization), other non-profit organization, and other non-educational or non-service settings not listed above. Government settings include government research organization or lab, criminal justice system, military service (not military hospital), federal government agency (other than above settings), state government agency (other than above settings), and local government agency (other than above settings). University and four-year college include psychology, education, business, or other academic department or unit, management or administrative office; student counseling or services center; research center or institute; professional school of psychology —university-based; and other university or four-year college settings. Other educational settings include two-year college, medical school, independent professional school of psychology, professional schools not listed above, elementary or secondary school, school system district office, and other educational settings. Other settings include social services settings (e.g., day program, homeless program), in home—provider in home setting, in home —via telehealth settings.

People of color included the following racial/ethnic groups: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African American, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and other racial/ethnic groups not listed. Due to small sample sizes, these population groups were combined to reflect the total percentage of people of color in the psychologist workforce within a given specialty area. Racial/ethnic categories could be improved by adding a response option for Arab, Middle Eastern, or North African. This addition would better reflect demographic diversity in the health service psychologist workforce.

Visit APA’s 2021 Survey of Health Service Psychologists webpage for more information about the survey.