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Psychotherapist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a psychotherapist is $88,400 per annum, before tax, up $18,600 since 2018.
How the work is set up changes pay more than anything else. Employed roles in community health, hospitals or employee assistance programs pay a set salary under an award or enterprise agreement, while private practice income depends on your session fee, your caseload and how many appointments actually go ahead. Sessions are generally not rebatable through Medicare unless they are delivered by a registered provider, so many clients pay privately, through the NDIS, a victims of crime scheme or an employer-funded program.
Roles that pay more than psychotherapist
The largest typical pay rise is $26,200 a year, moving into Psychologist.
- Psychologist+$26,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher psychotherapist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time psychotherapist salary is $88,400; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Psychotherapists are on the national skills shortage list, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Counselling and support work and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general psychotherapist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Psychologist pays a typical $26,200 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Psychotherapist salary questions
How much do psychotherapists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a psychotherapist is $88,400 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is psychotherapist pay rising or falling?
The median psychotherapist salary is up $18,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than psychotherapist?
Psychologist pays a typical $26,200 a year more and draws on similar skills to psychotherapist.