How to Become a Geropsychologist

A geropsychologist is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the mental health of older adults. Geropsychology applies psychological science to help people in later life, and their families, stay well, work through problems, and get the most out of aging. It became a recognized specialty in professional psychology in 2010.

The specialty is built on four core competency areas: adult development and aging, behavioral and mental health in late life, geropsychological assessment, and consultation with interdisciplinary teams. In practice, a geropsychologist treats late-life depression and anxiety, evaluates decision-making capacity, and supports families navigating dementia and caregiving.

This is where people confuse geropsychology with neuropsychology. A neuropsychologist focuses on cognitive testing and diagnosis across the whole lifespan, with dementia as one focus area. A geropsychologist does ongoing psychotherapy, capacity assessment, and family consultation embedded in aging-services systems: VA units, long-term care, and memory clinics. Assessment is one tool, not the whole job.

Becoming a geropsychologist means training as a clinical or counseling psychologist first, then building specialized expertise in aging on top of that foundation. There is no separate geropsychologist license. You earn a general psychology license, then specialize through coursework, supervised training, and, if you want it, board certification.

Plan for 10 to 12 years after high school. It is a long road, but you will be working with older adults under supervision years before you finish. Here is the typical path.

There is no APA-accredited geropsychology doctorate. The APA accredits doctorates in clinical, counseling, and school psychology. What you want is an APA-accredited clinical psychology program that lets you concentrate in aging through coursework, practicum placements in geriatric settings, and faculty mentorship.

Be realistic about a master’s degree. On its own, a master’s will not qualify you to practice independently as a geropsychologist or bill insurance as a licensed psychologist in most states. It can open doors to roles like care coordinator, geriatric case manager, or research analyst, and it can be a smart way to test the field before a doctorate.

The PhD versus PsyD choice matters. A PhD suits you if you want to research aging, dementia, or late-life depression while also practicing. A PsyD fits if you would rather spend your time on clinical work, capacity evaluations, and therapy with older adults, usually at higher tuition.

Geropsychology has no dedicated BLS code, so geropsychologists are counted under Clinical and Counseling Psychologists. That group reports a mean of $112,750 and a median of $100,580 as of May 2025. The lowest 10% earn about $55,170 and the top 10% earn about $180,960.

Where you work moves that number a lot. Oregon ($134,350), New Jersey ($127,090), and Arizona ($119,010) post the highest medians, and California pays around $116,000 while employing by far the most psychologists. High demand does not always mean high pay: Florida has a huge retiree population, yet its median ($85,610) sits below the national figure.

For the full state-by-state breakdown, see our psychologist salary guide. As a geropsychologist, VA and hospital roles come with federal or health-system pay scales, while long-term care consulting income rises and falls with your caseload and Medicare Part B billing.

For pay by state, setting, and board certification, see our geropsychologist salary page.