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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.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- 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.
The median salary rose by $18,600 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
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.
Related salaries
- Psychologist salary
- Rehabilitation Counsellor salary
- Play Therapist salary
- Family and Relationship Counsellor salary
- Clinical Psychologist salary
- Herbalist salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.