Counselling Psychologist Salary In South Africa

Counseling psychologists help people with physical, emotional and mental health issues improve their sense of well‐being, alleviate feelings of distress and resolve crises. They also provide assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of more severe psychological symptoms.

Counselling Psychologist Salary In South Africa

A person working as a Counseling Psychologist in South Africa typically earns around 76,800 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 35,300 ZAR (lowest) to 122,000 ZAR (highest).

This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Counseling Psychologists salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.

Counseling Psychologist Salary Distribution in South Africa

The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range

Salary Range

Counseling Psychologist salaries in South Africa range from 35,300 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 122,000 ZAR per month (maximum salary).

Median Salary

The median salary is 83,000 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Counseling psychologists (s) are earning less than 83,000 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 83,000 ZAR. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

Percentiles

Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Counseling Psychologist(s) are earning less than 53,200 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 53,200 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Counseling Psychologist(s) are earning less than 111,000 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 111,000 ZAR.

Counseling Psychologist Salary Comparison by Years of Experience

How does experience and age affect your pay?

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Counseling Psychologist salaries by experience level and this is what we found.

A Counseling Psychologist with less than two years of experience makes approximately 40,100 ZAR per month.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 53,600 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year’s experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 79,200 ZAR per month, 48% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, Counseling Psychologist(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 96,600 ZAR per month, 22% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 105,000 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 114,000 ZAR per month, 8% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

Counseling Psychologist average salary change by experience in South Africa

0 – 2 Years40,100 ZAR
2 – 5 Years+34%53,600 ZAR
5 – 10 Years+48%79,200 ZAR
10 – 15 Years+22%96,600 ZAR
15 – 20 Years+9%105,000 ZAR
20+ Years+8%114,000 ZAR

Counseling Psychologist Salary Comparison By Gender

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Counseling Psychologist employees in South Africa earn 12% more than their female counterparts on average.

Male81,100 ZAR
Female-11%72,600 ZAR

Counseling Psychologist Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa

How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Counseling psychologists (s)?

How often do employees get salary raises?

Counseling Psychologist

Counseling Psychologist(s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 13% every 17 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Counseling Psychologist Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?

A Counseling Psychologist is considered to be a high bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement of indirect revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.

13% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 87% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 5% to 9% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
87%

No Bonus
13%

Counseling Psychologist Average Hourly Wage in South Africa

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 440 ZAR. This means that the average Counseling Psychologist in South Africa earns approximately 440 ZAR for every worked hour.

How much do counseling psychologist earn in South Africa?

The average psychologist salary in South Africa is R 3 240 000 per year or R 1 662 per hour. Entry-level positions start at R 384 000 per year, while most experienced workers make up to R 7 261 200 per year.

How do I become a Counselling psychologist in South Africa?

A four-year bachelor of psychology professional degree approved by the HPCSA. An approved six-month/720-hour face-to-face practicum, or an equivalent of not more than 12 months part-time practicum. Successful completion of the National Examination of the Professional Board for Psychology.

How long does it take to become a counseling psychologist in South Africa?

You will be looking at a minimum of five years’ full-time formal education in psychology. Before you can enter a directed Master’s degree programme, you will need a three-year Bachelor’s degree majoring in psychology (or the equivalent thereof), as well as an Honours degree in psychology.

How much does a psychologist charge per hour in South Africa?

“Psychologists fees do vary from province and different region, but they generally range from R600-R1200 per session,” says Da Costa. Some psychologist’s sessions, which can last between 60 to 70 minutes, can cost you R800 to R900 per session.

What does a Counselling psychologist do in South Africa?

Such professionals and para-professionals may provide a range of services such as screening, assessment, counselling, and evaluation of symptoms of common mental disorders and problems in living.