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Clinical Psychologist Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Last updated 20 February 2025
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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9 min read

Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Clinical Psychologist interview questions and answers.

  1. What level of psychology-related higher education degree do you have and what types of experiences did you gain there? See answer
  2. What is your favourite psychological theory and why? See answer
  3. Are you involved in any professional psychologist organisations or associations? See answer
  4. Do you have any areas of specialisation in the psychology field? See answer
  5. How many clients have you worked with one-on-one and how have you maintained professional boundaries? See answer
  6. How do you typically approach creating intervention plans or programmes for your clients? See answer
  7. How do you usually maintain client confidentiality while managing and processing client information? See answer
  8. What types of communication skill sets do you use when working with clients? See answer
  9. What other related skill sets do you have that may provide benefits in this role? See answer
  10. Have you published your own research and if so, have you presented it at conferences or other speaking engagements?
  11. How do you approach understanding, analyzing, and evaluating the priority of a client’s needs?
  12. What types of behavioural disorders have you worked with in the past, how did you approach them and what were the results?
  13. What types of emotional disorders have you worked with in the past, how did you approach them and what were the results?
  14. Tell us about a challenging case you had and how you addressed it with the client’s best interest in mind.
  15. What interested you in being a therapist at our hospital?
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15 Clinical Psychologist Interview Questions and Answers

What level of psychology-related higher education degree do you have and what types of experiences did you gain there?

This question can provide you with insightful information about each candidate's educational background, which may influence their official title or qualification depending on their location.  What to look for in an answer:

  • Level of psychology-related degree
  • Clinical or practical experience
  • Research and analysis experience
Example:

"I have a bachelor, master, and doctoral degree in psychology. Throughout my studies, I gained practical experience working with clients and engaged in research to discover new and innovative ways to meet client needs."

What is your favourite psychological theory and why?

This question might help provide you with an understanding of a candidate's potential area of interest or theoretical beliefs in relation to working with clients. What to look for in an answer:

  • Psychological theory
  • Reasons they favour the theory
  • Examples of how they have applied the theory
Example:

"Cognitive developmental theory is my favourite because I am passionate about helping adolescents intellectually develop into the best version of themselves. Personally, I have applied this theory during my practical experiences while in school and in my previous position working at an adolescent behavioural clinic."

Are you involved in any professional psychologist organisations or associations?

This question can help you understand any affiliations a candidate has within the psychology field. The information gathered might be especially useful if they hold certifications or board positions. What to look for in an answer:

  • Memberships to official psychologist organisations
  • Certifications or licensure for professional work or areas of expertise
  • Leadership positions in psychology-related organisations
Example:

"I have been an active member of the Canadian Psychological Association for three years and am still currently an active member. I have previously passed the Examination for Professional practise in Psychology (EPPP) and am a licenced psychologist. During my studies, I held a leadership position within our psychology department and worked to coordinate networking events, certifications, and examinations."

Have you published your own research and if so, have you presented it at psychological conferences or other speaking engagements?

This question is useful for potentially gaining information about a candidate's potential research-based contributions to the psychological field or their experience of orally communicating complex topics.  What to look for in an answer:

  • Published or recognised research
  • Familiar areas of research or specific topics 
  • Ability to communicate complex topics clearly
Example:

"Although I haven't published my research, I have assisted with other psychologist's research and received credit on their publications. The published publications I have assisted in all focus on adolescent psychological development, which can sometimes be an abstract concept. So, when I explain the research I have worked on or this topic to others, I try to use storytelling to communicate these complex topics in more universal ways."

Do you have any areas of specialisation in the psychology field?

This question can help you understand a candidate's area of specialisation within the psychology field. Their specialisation area may show whether they are a good fit for your position. What to look for in an answer:

  • Specific specialisation areas
  • Individual reasoning for gaining specialisations
  • Applications or experiences using specialisations
Example:

"My specialisations in the psychology field include behavioural studies and cognitive adolescent development. While I was studying, I specialised in these two areas because my nephew was born autistic and I wanted to do everything I could to help him or others dealing with similar developmental challenges. I have applied my expertise in these specialisation areas while working as a behavioural therapist at my last job."

How many clients have you worked with one-on-one and how have you maintained professional boundaries?

This question can provide information and insight about a candidate's professional experiences with clients and their professionalism while working in those settings.  What to look for in an answer:

  • Number of one-on-one clients worked with
  • Confidentiality of client information
  • Boundaries and awareness for healthy relationships with clients
Example:

"Throughout my time in the clinical psychology field, I have worked one-on-one with between 30 and 50 clients. While working with each of them, I made it a priority to maintain confidentiality with all of their information under doctor-patient privileges. I am also always conscious about setting and maintaining boundaries with all of my clients for the benefit of everyone. I try to be especially aware of this when working with groups like minors."

How do you approach understanding, analyzing, and evaluating the priority of a client's needs?

This question can provide useful information about how a candidate determines the individual needs of each client and the process they might rely on to gain insight into client needs. What to look for in an answer:

  • Process for gathering information about client needs
  • Process for analyzing need-based information
  • Process for evaluating the priority of their needs
Example:

"When gathering information about client needs, I typically listen to their concerns and prompt them with unbiased guided questions to gain more information, while still allowing them to guide the conversation. I then analyse the insight they have provided me with to identify key points, which I can then use to evaluate the priority of their needs."

How do you typically approach creating intervention plans or programmes for your clients?

This question may add to the previous question and explain how they use information about client needs to create intervention plans or programmes.  What to look for in an answer:

  • Methods for creating intervention plans or programmes
  • Approaches for personalizing plans or programmes
  • Strategies for incorporating clients' needs
Example:

"I usually approach creating intervention plans or programmes for clients by referencing the information we have spoken about and the priorities of their needs. Then I might also reference psychology theories to determine the best course of action for each individual client and personalise their plan to their needs, life, or schedule."

What types of behavioural disorders have you worked with in the past, how did you approach them, and what were the results?

This question might help you better understand a candidate's previous areas of professional experience in psychology, as well as their results working in those areas.  What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience working with different behavioural disorders
  • Unique clinical approaches based on disorder
  • Results from working with different behavioural disorders
Example:

"I have worked with a variety of behavioural disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). For each of these, I used different approaches based on knowledge about each disorder. For example, for ADHD, I may focus on providing grounding techniques to help my clients focus on one task at a time. Overall, my results working with all three disorders have provided positive results to clients."

What types of emotional disorders have you worked with in the past, how did you approach them, and what were the results?

This question may add to the previous question and explain the different emotional disorders candidates have previous experience working with and the results they gained. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience with different emotional disorders
  • Example approaches for treating emotional disorders
  • Results from working with different emotional disorders
Example:

"I also have experience working with emotional disorders like anxiety and depression. Typically, I approach these by first understanding what might influence these feelings within an individual client's life or provide them with coping tools or resources. My results working with clients in this area have all been positive."

Tell us about a challenging situation you had and how you addressed it with the client's best interest in mind.

Prompting candidates with this statement might help reveal their ability to handle challenging situations, while still putting the needs and interests of their clients first. What to look for in an answer:

  • A challenging situation they dealt with
  • The handling of the situation
  • How they continued to put their clients first
Example:

"A challenging work experience that I had to handle was when a client shared information regarding their safety. I handled the situation by reporting the information regarding potential harm to their safety, but excluded any other confidential details."

How do you usually maintain client confidentiality while managing and processing client information?

Asking candidates this question might provide insight into their ethical professionalism regarding sensitive client information, whether they are managing or processing information. What to look for in an answer:

  • Process for managing client information
  • Procedure for processing client information
  • Focus on maintaining client confidentiality
Example:

" I usually maintain my client's confidentiality by keeping their information recorded in a file that only I have direct access to. This is where I manage and place all of their information while I work with them."

What types of communication skill sets do you use when working with clients?

This question may help highlight a candidate's professional communication skill sets, which might provide benefits when working with clients or their families to keep them informed. What to look for in an answer:

  • Communication skill sets
  • Applications of communication skill sets
  • Ability to adapt communication based on audiences
Example:

"When communicating with clients, I always try to communicate with empathy and friendly tones to ensure that they feel comfortable. I also try to break down complex concepts to be more easily digestible by using analogies or explaining them within the context of the individual client's experiences."

What other related skill sets do you have that may provide benefits in this role?

Prompting candidates with this question might help highlight any other skill sets they have that may apply to the position you are seeking to fill. What to look for in an answer:

  • Additional relevant skill sets
  • Applications and clinical uses of other skill sets
  • Value or benefits added by these skill sets
Example:

"I also have relevant skill sets in writing and in sociology. My writing skill set provides value because it allows me to clearly and concisely write reports or file meeting notes for client files. Meanwhile, my sociology skill set is beneficial when I am working with clients who experience social anxiety."

What interested you in working as a clinical psychologist at our hospital?

Asking candidates this question can help you determine their interest or investment in providing client services at your workplace. It might also show you what they know about your workplace regarding values or missions. What to look for in an answer:

  • The reasoning a candidate applied
  • The interest they have in the open position
  • Specific information about your values or missions
Example:

"I am interested in being a clinical psychologist at your hospital because I want to broaden my experiences by working in a new setting. I also believe that your hospital's values align with many of my personal values regarding patient or client care, specifically the value of prioritizing their needs and well-being."

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