School or Clinical for Testing and Assessment with Child/Adolescent Populations

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I've heard a couple of different opinions from personal connections and would like to pose this question to those with more experience in the psychology fields: Which would be the most and least beneficial doctoral level programs for working with children and adolescents: clinical, school, or combined?

What I would like to do, ideally, is to work doing some testing and assessment and some psychotherapy. I do love working directly with children, and I've always had great quantitative and math skills. I'd like to earn qualifications that will be portable because I'm not sure exactly which U.S. state I'll settle down in. I had originally looked at clinical programs with a child focus, then switched my search to school and combined programs because of a) demand for in-school mental health services and b) the potential ability to work doing mostly testing as a school psychologist and also psychotherapy in private practice.

Recently, I've heard from two acquaintances in two different states. One said that in MA a school psychology PhD will allow me to work as described above and that the career outlook and demand for services looks good. The other said that in CA, school psychologists only do low-level educational testing and that more rigorous psychodiagnostic tests are farmed out to private practitioners. Therefore, people working as school psychologists in that state might not even have master's degrees and are limited in both the work they do and the pay they receive, while PhD psychologists take jobs in private practice or with hospitals or medical groups and can focus on child psych testing and therapy.

Working for a school system does also seem appealing for the flexibility. I do like a lot of variety in my work and would be open to teaching at the college/university level as an adjunct, as well as private practice work on the side. Now I'm questioning whether school psychology programs are really the better option.

I am planning on applying this Fall for programs starting next year and hope to get a research position in developmental or educational psychology in the mean time. If I need to put off the applications for another year, I will, but as I am an older-than-typical applicant I would really like to apply for admission next Fall.

For those with child psych and testing experience: Any recommendations, both for types of programs and for specific programs?

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I've heard a couple of different opinions from personal connections and would like to pose this question to those with more experience in the psychology fields: Which would be the most and least beneficial doctoral level programs for working with children and adolescents: clinical, school, or combined?

What I would like to do, ideally, is to work doing some testing and assessment and some psychotherapy. I do love working directly with children, and I've always had great quantitative and math skills. I'd like to earn qualifications that will be portable because I'm not sure exactly which U.S. state I'll settle down in. I had originally looked at clinical programs with a child focus, then switched my search to school and combined programs because of a) demand for in-school mental health services and b) the potential ability to work doing mostly testing as a school psychologist and also psychotherapy in private practice.

Recently, I've heard from two acquaintances in two different states. One said that in MA a school psychology PhD will allow me to work as described above and that the career outlook and demand for services looks good. The other said that in CA, school psychologists only do low-level educational testing and that more rigorous psychodiagnostic tests are farmed out to private practitioners. Therefore, people working as school psychologists in that state might not even have master's degrees and are limited in both the work they do and the pay they receive, while PhD psychologists take jobs in private practice or with hospitals or medical groups and can focus on child psych testing and therapy.

Working for a school system does also seem appealing for the flexibility. I do like a lot of variety in my work and would be open to teaching at the college/university level as an adjunct, as well as private practice work on the side. Now I'm questioning whether school psychology programs are really the better option.

I am planning on applying this Fall for programs starting next year and hope to get a research position in developmental or educational psychology in the mean time. If I need to put off the applications for another year, I will, but as I am an older-than-typical applicant I would really like to apply for admission next Fall.

For those with child psych and testing experience: Any recommendations, both for types of programs and for specific programs?
What kind of testing and assessment is it that you would like to do? Psychoeducational? Neuropsychological? General psychopathology?

What kinds of problems are you interested in working with? LD? ADHD? TBI? ASD? ID/DD?

Edit: I looked at your post in the WAMC thread. I don't know how school psychology programs work, but if you only have two months of research experience, that's not nearly enough to get into a good, funded clinical PhD program. Even if you did get a research job immediately (which is a big "if"), applications are typically do in November through January. That's really not enough experience and quite unlikely to get a publication in time.
 
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What kind of testing and assessment is it that you would like to do? Psychoeducational? Neuropsychological? General psychopathology?

What kinds of problems are you interested in working with? LD? ADHD? TBI? ASD? ID/DD?

I'm most interested in studying and working with emotional dysregulation, resilience and mastery motivation, and also neurodevelopmental disorders.
 
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Edit: I looked at your post in the WAMC thread. I don't know how school psychology programs work, but if you only have two months of research experience, that's not nearly enough to get into a good, funded clinical PhD program. Even if you did get a research job immediately (which is a big "if"), applications are typically do in November through January. That's really not enough experience and quite unlikely to get a publication in time.

Yes, I've found that most applications are due in that time frame. What would you suggest? Would working for a year plus in a RA position significantly improve my chances? I do have other work experience, just am light on the research obviously. I'll have three quantitative methods classes between September and June next year for which I'll need to do research. Should I try to present my findings at a conference and/or get a study published? I posted my stats below for reference in this thread. I was surprised to score that low on the quantitative section of the GRE and would likely score at least as high as the verbal if I took it again. I'd likely also improve my subject test score, from 2 years ago.

Psychology undergrad (post-bac) GPA ~3.9
Master's program GPA ~3.9
GRE-V 163 92 percentile
GRE-Q 159 71 percentile
GRE-AW 5.0 93 percentile
GRE Psychology 650
 
I'm most interested in studying and working with emotional dysregulation, resilience and mastery motivation, and also neurodevelopmental disorders.
Ok, but that doesn't really help narrow things down very much, because you can work with those topics in multiple contexts. You mentioned your interest in testing and assessment, but you need to be more specific. If you're interested in doing psychoed assessments and developing plans for educational accommodations, then a school psych path might be best. They're typically done in school settings, as insurance won't cover it, because schools are required to provide it by the federal government.

If you're interested in neuropsych assessment and issues, a clinical psych program would be best for you. But again, the setting where you'd like to work matters, as neuropsychologists and clinical psychologists aren't typically employed by schools.

If you're interested in ASD assessment, ABA, and other ASD issues, you could either go down an ABA path or to a clinical psych program. I don't know if a school psych program would be good for this as well, it's not my area.
Yes, I've found that most applications are due in that time frame. What would you suggest? Would working for a year plus in a RA position significantly improve my chances? I do have other work experience, just am light on the research obviously. I'll have three quantitative methods classes between September and June next year for which I'll need to do research. Should I try to present my findings at a conference and/or get a study published? I posted my stats below for reference in this thread. I was surprised to score that low on the quantitative section of the GRE and would likely score at least as high as the verbal if I took it again. I'd likely also improve my subject test score, from 2 years ago.

Psychology undergrad (post-bac) GPA ~3.9
Master's program GPA ~3.9
GRE-V 163 92 percentile
GRE-Q 159 71 percentile
GRE-AW 5.0 93 percentile
GRE Psychology 650
As far as research goes, it would ideal to get some pubs and presentations in, but I can't really give you a hard and fast number of how long you need to do research to be competitive. It's more about quality than quantity. It's going to be about what you actually did in your labs and classes. It won't count for much if you're just doing scut work like data entry and coding. You need to be doing more advanced work, like doing lit reviews, developing the protocols, and composing the manuscript for publication.

Moreover, it's also going to come down to how you talk about this research experience in personal statements and interviews, not just that you did it. What did you learn from your research experience and what skills did you develop/hone? How do these apply to your prospective program, lab, and POI? How will you use what you've already done and learned in grad school and further develop yourself? Do you have a good understanding of where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and what have you done to utilize and compensate for them, respectively (I was specifically asked about this one in many of my interviews)?
 
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I think the two questions people considering doctoral programs in school psych need to answer well are 1) why a doctoral and not specialist degree in school psych? and then 2) if doctoral, why school and not clinical? Because there really is (or should be) a niche where school psych PhDs/PsyDs practice. It's not as general as clinical. If you're unsure about whether you'd like to focus on psychoed areas for your entire career, clinical is a better route. There are ways to segue away from school psych with a doctoral degree and licensure, but I don't think anyone should go into it with that in mind.

That said, it sounds like you might be in that niche. Someone with more experience in these fields could probably offer you more specific advice about qualifications needed for various levels of assessment, state-by-state opportunities, etc. But your interests and career objectives seem to align with school psychology.

I think you have a decent shot at getting into a school psych doctoral program for 2018 if you apply widely. Clinical psych will be more difficult without more research experience.

I'm confused about your statements about CA, though. I'm wondering if you and your colleague were talking about the same position? I don't think there are any states that allow bachelors-level "school psychologists." I am not from CA and don't know much about their regulations, but I found this on NASP:

California

Looks the same as most other states to me: minimum requirements for school psychologists are the 60+ credit specialist degree and certification.
 
I think the two questions people considering doctoral programs in school psych need to answer well are 1) why a doctoral and not specialist degree in school psych? and then 2) if doctoral, why school and not clinical? Because there really is (or should be) a niche where school psych PhDs/PsyDs practice. It's not as general as clinical. If you're unsure about whether you'd like to focus on psychoed areas for your entire career, clinical is a better route. There are ways to segue away from school psych with a doctoral degree and licensure, but I don't think anyone should go into it with that in mind.

That said, it sounds like you might be in that niche. Someone with more experience in these fields could probably offer you more specific advice about qualifications needed for various levels of assessment, state-by-state opportunities, etc. But your interests and career objectives seem to align with school psychology.

I think you have a decent shot at getting into a school psych doctoral program for 2018 if you apply widely. Clinical psych will be more difficult without more research experience.

I'm confused about your statements about CA, though. I'm wondering if you and your colleague were talking about the same position? I don't think there are any states that allow bachelors-level "school psychologists." I am not from CA and don't know much about their regulations, but I found this on NASP:

California

Looks the same as most other states to me: minimum requirements for school psychologists are the 60+ credit specialist degree and certification.
This is kind of what I was getting at with my questions for OP. It seems like they want to use school psychology to backdoor their way into being a clinical psychologist, because they didn't have luck getting in this past application cycle.
 
This is kind of what I was getting at with my questions for OP. It seems like they want to use school psychology to backdoor their way into being a clinical psychologist, because they didn't have luck getting in this past application cycle.

I didn't actually get that impression about the OP. It seemed sincere to me. *shrug*
 
This is kind of what I was getting at with my questions for OP. It seems like they want to use school psychology to backdoor their way into being a clinical psychologist, because they didn't have luck getting in this past application cycle.

I'm not sure why you would get that impression, as that's completely off base. I'm legitimately trying to figure out which degree would be most applicable to the work I want to do. I'm willing to take another year to apply if that time spent working as an RA would help my admissions.

Your previous post was helpful, so thanks for that. I have reached out to a couple of school psychologists and will attempt to make contact with some clinical psychologists who do child neuropsych assessments for some contrast. One thing that confused me was that research by some POIs in school psychology programs involved neurodevelopmental disorders (ADHD, ASD, learning disorders) and resilience, so it seems that there is some overlap or line blurring between doctoral level school psychologists and clinical psychologists.

I think the two questions people considering doctoral programs in school psych need to answer well are 1) why a doctoral and not specialist degree in school psych? and then 2) if doctoral, why school and not clinical? Because there really is (or should be) a niche where school psych PhDs/PsyDs practice. It's not as general as clinical. If you're unsure about whether you'd like to focus on psychoed areas for your entire career, clinical is a better route. There are ways to segue away from school psych with a doctoral degree and licensure, but I don't think anyone should go into it with that in mind.

Thanks for your response.

1) I'd like the opportunity to work in other settings aside from in schools. Perhaps private practice, perhaps as an adjunct faculty, perhaps doing research for a non-profit org. I have been told that for many school psychologists working in schools, there is a near 100% focus on testing. Private practice on the side might be a good avenue for psychotherapy.

2) From what I've gathered, on this board and elsewhere, it is easier for a school psychologist to work in private practice than it is for a clinical psychologist to work in schools. I'm not sure why. I'm curious: what makes you say that it would be better to go the clinical route if I am unsure about psychoed areas for my entire career? And out of curiosity, is your experience in clinical or school psychology? Thanks!

I'm confused about your statements about CA, though. I'm wondering if you and your colleague were talking about the same position? I don't think there are any states that allow bachelors-level "school psychologists." I am not from CA and don't know much about their regulations, but I found this on NASP:

California

Looks the same as most other states to me: minimum requirements for school psychologists are the 60+ credit specialist degree and certification.

Yes, that is what I've found, too. I just didn't want to discount what I was told. My "colleague" is an experienced clinical psychologist, perhaps without much knowledge of the school psychology field. She may have been thinking more along the lines of a school counselor.
 
I've heard a couple of different opinions from personal connections and would like to pose this question to those with more experience in the psychology fields: Which would be the most and least beneficial doctoral level programs for working with children and adolescents: clinical, school, or combined?

What I would like to do, ideally, is to work doing some testing and assessment and some psychotherapy. I do love working directly with children, and I've always had great quantitative and math skills. I'd like to earn qualifications that will be portable because I'm not sure exactly which U.S. state I'll settle down in. I had originally looked at clinical programs with a child focus, then switched my search to school and combined programs because of a) demand for in-school mental health services and b) the potential ability to work doing mostly testing as a school psychologist and also psychotherapy in private practice.

Recently, I've heard from two acquaintances in two different states. One said that in MA a school psychology PhD will allow me to work as described above and that the career outlook and demand for services looks good. The other said that in CA, school psychologists only do low-level educational testing and that more rigorous psychodiagnostic tests are farmed out to private practitioners. Therefore, people working as school psychologists in that state might not even have master's degrees and are limited in both the work they do and the pay they receive, while PhD psychologists take jobs in private practice or with hospitals or medical groups and can focus on child psych testing and therapy.

Working for a school system does also seem appealing for the flexibility. I do like a lot of variety in my work and would be open to teaching at the college/university level as an adjunct, as well as private practice work on the side. Now I'm questioning whether school psychology programs are really the better option.

I am planning on applying this Fall for programs starting next year and hope to get a research position in developmental or educational psychology in the mean time. If I need to put off the applications for another year, I will, but as I am an older-than-typical applicant I would really like to apply for admission next Fall.

For those with child psych and testing experience: Any recommendations, both for types of programs and for specific programs?

I went through this thought process when I was thinking about applying for grad programs and shadowed a few school and clinical psychologists. I ended up choosing to pursue a clinical degree. I'm primarily in a research position now (clinical research with individuals with ASD), but some of my work involves working with school-age children doing LD/Autism/ADHD ax and some therapy within clinic/outpatient hospital settings. I also consult with school teams (i.e. attending IEP/educational planning team meetings when invited).

A few things to think about:
In some states/school districts, you need to be a school psychologist for your reports to be accepted (limiting the ability of clinical psychologists in private practice to provide psychoeducational evaluations).

In many states/school districts, parents can submit assessments/tx recommendations from a private provider- but school districts' decisions ultimately hinge on the determinations provided by their in-house teams. Additionally, many school districts have moved to a response to intervention model that seeks to defer/avoid referrals for assessment/special education eligibility, focusing on progress monitoring.

In my experience, most therapy providers within educational settings are masters level providers- and if psychologists provide therapy, their caseloads are astronomical, limiting frequency and duration of interventions.

Within the assessment and treatment domain- my interactions with school psychs have also given me the impression that in many cases their hands are tied by policy that dictates what they can do (e.g. assessments they can administer, how long they can see kids for, etc.), which is constantly changing. My impression was that clinical psych positions (in general- every setting is different!) have more autonomy and control. Also, the pay of clinical psych phds tends to be higher than psychologists in school settings.

Keep in mind these are my impressions and that things really vary depending on the state and school district.
 
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Thanks for your response.

1) I'd like the opportunity to work in other settings aside from in schools. Perhaps private practice, perhaps as an adjunct faculty, perhaps doing research for a non-profit org. I have been told that for many school psychologists working in schools, there is a near 100% focus on testing. Private practice on the side might be a good avenue for psychotherapy.

2) From what I've gathered, on this board and elsewhere, it is easier for a school psychologist to work in private practice than it is for a clinical psychologist to work in schools. I'm not sure why. I'm curious: what makes you say that it would be better to go the clinical route if I am unsure about psychoed areas for my entire career? And out of curiosity, is your experience in clinical or school psychology? Thanks!

Yes, that is what I've found, too. I just didn't want to discount what I was told. My "colleague" is an experienced clinical psychologist, perhaps without much knowledge of the school psychology field. She may have been thinking more along the lines of a school counselor.

I'm starting a school psych doctoral program in september. I commented here because I asked myself a lot of the same questions and gave it about two years of thought before I decided school psych was my jam. I finally realized that the only reason I was even considering clinical programs was to give myself more latitude in the future.... but the fact was (is) that all of my interests lie in the realm of learning sciences / psychoed assessment / tests and measures and I have little interest in a career outside of that. Low interest in private practice, psychotherapy, etc.

Also, having just been through the interview process, I got the impression that faculty members were trying to suss out the same things. Does this applicant know what school psychology is? Is this what they really want and why? This must happen in interviews for all types of grad programs, but I felt like there was a particular interest in why school and not clinical. Just be prepared to have a good answer to that question, which will probably be asked indirectly.

I think you can do most, maybe all, of the things you'd like to do with a doctoral degree in school psych (helga's response above is a really helpful perspective- good things to consider as you weigh the options and outcomes). I should have been more specific when I said that you should go clinical if you don't think you want to stick with psychoed for your entire career. What I should have said was that you should go clinical if you think you might want to work in areas outside of child/family/education. There's still a pretty wide range there.
 
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I'm starting a school psych doctoral program in september. I commented here because I asked myself a lot of the same questions and gave it about two years of thought before I decided school psych was my jam. I finally realized that the only reason I was even considering clinical programs was to give myself more latitude in the future.... but the fact was (is) that all of my interests lie in the realm of learning sciences / psychoed assessment / tests and measures and I have little interest in a career outside of that. Low interest in private practice, psychotherapy, etc.

Also, having just been through the interview process, I got the impression that faculty members were trying to suss out the same things. Does this applicant know what school psychology is? Is this what they really want and why? This must happen in interviews for all types of grad programs, but I felt like there was a particular interest in why school and not clinical. Just be prepared to have a good answer to that question, which will probably be asked indirectly.

I think you can do most, maybe all, of the things you'd like to do with a doctoral degree in school psych (helga's response above is a really helpful perspective- good things to consider as you weigh the options and outcomes). I should have been more specific when I said that you should go clinical if you don't think you want to stick with psychoed for your entire career. What I should have said was that you should go clinical if you think you might want to work in areas outside of child/family/education. There's still a pretty wide range there.

That's helpful, thanks. If you have low interest in psychotherapy and private practice, why go for the doctorate and not the Ed.S degree? Also, what program did you decide upon and what factored into your decision?
 
I have a call today with a friend of a friend who is a school psychologist and will be reaching out to other school and clinical psychologists in the near future. Will update the thread with any new information or thoughts.

I went through this thought process when I was thinking about applying for grad programs and shadowed a few school and clinical psychologists. I ended up choosing to pursue a clinical degree. I'm primarily in a research position now (clinical research with individuals with ASD), but some of my work involves working with school-age children doing LD/Autism/ADHD ax and some therapy within clinic/outpatient hospital settings. I also consult with school teams (i.e. attending IEP/educational planning team meetings when invited).

A few things to think about:
In some states/school districts, you need to be a school psychologist for your reports to be accepted (limiting the ability of clinical psychologists in private practice to provide psychoeducational evaluations).

In many states/school districts, parents can submit assessments/tx recommendations from a private provider- but school districts' decisions ultimately hinge on the determinations provided by their in-house teams. Additionally, many school districts have moved to a response to intervention model that seeks to defer/avoid referrals for assessment/special education eligibility, focusing on progress monitoring.

In my experience, most therapy providers within educational settings are masters level providers- and if psychologists provide therapy, their caseloads are astronomical, limiting frequency and duration of interventions.

Within the assessment and treatment domain- my interactions with school psychs have also given me the impression that in many cases their hands are tied by policy that dictates what they can do (e.g. assessments they can administer, how long they can see kids for, etc.), which is constantly changing. My impression was that clinical psych positions (in general- every setting is different!) have more autonomy and control. Also, the pay of clinical psych phds tends to be higher than psychologists in school settings.

Keep in mind these are my impressions and that things really vary depending on the state and school district.

Thanks so much for the info. It is helpful to know, but I don't know if it pushes me either way at this point. When you say that in some districts you need to be a school psychologist for your reports to be accepted, do you mean having a degree from a school psychology program or employed by that particular school district? Have you found that it significantly reduces the opportunity for you to consult or provide services for schools? About how many average hours per week each are you working on research, doing therapy, and consulting? Do you think that there is enough work for recently licensed clinical psychologists to work with kids doing assessments and therapy, solely in private practice and in consulting for school districts, or would they need a steady base salary along with PP and consulting? I really appreciate the insight!
 
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That's helpful, thanks. If you have low interest in psychotherapy and private practice, why go for the doctorate and not the Ed.S degree? Also, what program did you decide upon and what factored into your decision?

I chose the doctoral degree because I'd like the opportunity for consultation and research. Possibly teaching. Also, when I say that I'm interested in assessment and tests/measures, I'm interested in their research and development in addition to administration. I'd also like to pursue licensure as a psychologist so that I can perform assessments outside of a school setting. So, similar to you, I'd like a varied career. The specialist degree is very limiting.

The program I will be attending is an APA-accredited, fully funded PsyD program in school psychology (don't feel comfortable saying the name here). I applied to the program because of research interests, curriculum, practicum/externship opportunities... Incidentally, I was accepted to one PhD program and one PsyD program (both APA-accred, both school psych) and chose the PsyD because it offered much more funding than the PhD. So, that is a thing that can happen.

Best of luck!
 
I have a call today with a friend of a friend who is a school psychologist and will be reaching out to other school and clinical psychologists in the near future. Will update the thread with any new information or thoughts.



Thanks so much for the info. It is helpful to know, but I don't know if it pushes me either way at this point. When you say that in some districts you need to be a school psychologist for your reports to be accepted, do you mean having a degree from a school psychology program or employed by that particular school district? Have you found that it significantly reduces the opportunity for you to consult or provide services for schools? About how many average hours per week each are you working on research, doing therapy, and consulting? Do you think that there is enough work for recently licensed clinical psychologists to work with kids doing assessments and therapy, solely in private practice and in consulting for school districts, or would they need a steady base salary along with PP and consulting? I really appreciate the insight!


When you say that in some districts you need to be a school psychologist for your reports to be accepted, do you mean having a degree from a school psychology program or employed by that particular school district?

I was referring to assessments from private practice needing to come from credentialed school psychologists to be considered (e.g. gifted evals)

Have you found that it significantly reduces the opportunity for you to consult or provide services for schools?

Within my clinical practice, my interactions with school teams are in relation to specific clients (assessment or therapy) that I have seen individually- I do not provide services for schools in general. My work has led me to get to know learning support specialists in a few schools and they have referred students who have concerns within my specific area of expertise- mostly for evaluation.

One of my mentors (clinical PhD) contracts with a few local school districts to provide consultation and support for their students with ASD. I think these opportunities arise from a need for expert consultants.


About how many average hours per week each are you working on research, doing therapy, and consulting?

My current position is mostly research- I do diagnostic evaluations with families; facilitate a weekly group tx and supervise trainees' evaluations. I'm not currently doing much consulting with schools.

Do you think that there is enough work for recently licensed clinical psychologists to work with kids doing assessments and therapy, solely in private practice and in consulting for school districts, or would they need a steady base salary along with PP and consulting?

My impression is that you need to have an established reputation within the community before you get school district consulting contracts. No idea about private practice!
 
Hey, I'm in a School Psych PhD program, so I think I can help clear up some questions about how School Psychs are trained, what we can do, how we're different from clinical Psych, and what kind of jobs we are qualified for.

If you're primary goal is to conduct evaluations (whether they are Psychoeducational, psychodiagnostic, Neuro, etc.), you can receive this training in a school psych program. My first 3 years were very heavy in assessment training, both in a school setting and outside of schools. We were trained both in conducting assessments in schools are part of the Special Education evaluation process and in a clinic setting. In the clinic setting the focus of assessment typically goes beyond determining whether a child qualifies for SpEd services and the focus is on understanding the pattern of strengths and challenges of a particular child regarding cognitive, academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
We also have an intervention training component, but compared to clinical Psych programs this is often not as heavily emphasized(though this probably varies school to school). Many of the students in my program have pursued additional Practica experiences to build up their intervention training.

Career wise there are a lot of different routes you can take. As a traditional School Psych in a public school system your role will vary based on where you're at and the resources available. Your primary role will often be to conduct evaluations for determining eligibility for Special education services. However school psychs are often also involved in consultation with teachers and intervention teams. Depending on the district you're in you may also be involved in intervention or counseling in the school. They are often also heavily involved in system level work, such as developing and implementing school wide programs. In some districts there is no differentiation between PhD school psychs and specialist level school psychs(aside from pay). In others, they employ PhD school psychs to provide support for more complex cases.

Outside of a school setting, school psychs can be qualified to also work in clinics and private practice settings doing assessment, therapy, and consultation. I know school psychs who are also in hospital settings, research settings, and academia.
What you can do with a school psych degree really depends on what you pursue during your training. Most programs will have a general school psych training, with opportunities to specialize with specific populations (I focus on school based interventions with young children with behavior challenges, someone else I know focuses on children with ASD).

Most PhD school psych programs are heavy research programs, so you will need significant research experience to be considered. In addition, I know our faculty are pretty serious about not accepting students who are using school psych as a short cut to being a clinical Psych. At interviews we're often looking for red flags that indicate this (e.g.. students who apply to both clinical and school, students who aren't interested in working in school settings). While there is overlap between the training for school and clinical psychs in some areas, often students who apply to school psych programs because they think they are easier to get in to end up being pretty unhappy with their training in school psych. Not because it's poor training, but because it's different.
 
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This is kind of what I was getting at with my questions for OP. It seems like they want to use school psychology to backdoor their way into being a clinical psychologist, because they didn't have luck getting in this past application cycle.
There is a combined School/Clinical PhD career track option, but I think OP is asking - if I do a School Psych PhD, will I still be able to do independent clinical work? And the answer is yes, in many states. That doesn't mean that a school PhD is the best possible training for clinical work. But in terms of licensure, once you're licensed, you can work with any population in most states.
 
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My current job is similar to what you want to do, and I have a clinical Ph.D. I have had colleagues with identical positions who have Ph.D.'s in School Psychology. Big thing is, at least in my State (MA), being licensed as a "Psychologist" vs. "School Psychologist." "Psychologist" is a doctoral level license with, overall, greater flexibility in regards to what you can do and where you can do it. "School Psychologist" is a Master's level credential, and they generally do not work outside of school settings. My observation is that licensed school psychologists primarily do psycho-educational testing, primarily related to special education eligibility and follow-up. Many are also involved in treatment, with a a focus on things that will improve abilities to access educational services (e.g. social skills groups), and, to a lesser extent, focusing on emotional dysregulation and diagnosable psychopathology. Many also get involve in ABA services (though most districts in my area have an on staff BCBA). While some also get involved with ASD diagnosis (primarily at the pre-school level), this can be problematic in that a diagnosis from a physician or licensed psychologist is required to be eligible for state and insurance funded ASD services. The school psychologist credential alone would not likely permit you to work in most non-school settings. Every district I've been involved in has a licensed school psychologist (or is looking for one- demand is high and supply is low). I don't know if I'd be eligible for such jobs with my psychology licensure, but it is typically paid on a masters level scale, with maybe some additional pay for having a doctorate, but not at doctorate levels.
 
There are no two closer specialties in terms of content spillover than School Psychology and Neuropsych. Not many people know that. I'm not surprised that you're having issues deciding between the two. I agree with the others that a Phd in School Psychology (licensed school psychologist), would not likely prevent you from doing the type of work you wanted to do.
 
There are no two closer specialties in terms of content spillover than School Psychology and Neuropsych. Not many people know that. I'm not surprised that you're having issues deciding between the two. I agree with the others that a Phd in School Psychology (licensed school psychologist), would not likely prevent you from doing the type of work you wanted to do.
Oh, so we're doing this again?
 
They are vastly different.

I've taught in both a school psych program and clinical program (neuro topics) and the content is very different, as is the breadth and depth of the required knowledge.
 
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They are vastly different.

I've taught in both a school psych program and clinical program (neuro topics) and the content is very different, as is the breadth and depth of the required knowledge.
C'mon, tides come in, tides come out, it's all the same.
 
They are vastly different.

I've taught in both a school psych program and clinical program (neuro topics) and the content is very different, as is the breadth and depth of the required knowledge.
There is no doubt that the depth is different but good School Psychology programs focus a great deal on cognitive assessment. I'm simply saying that the two specialties are the closest out of all the specialties...not that School Psychology = NeuroPsych. I don't know if you use the WISC but it's gone through fairly substantial changes, and it's application has expanded.
 
Hey, I'm in a School Psych PhD program, so I think I can help clear up some questions about how School Psychs are trained, what we can do, how we're different from clinical Psych, and what kind of jobs we are qualified for.

If you're primary goal is to conduct evaluations (whether they are Psychoeducational, psychodiagnostic, Neuro, etc.), you can receive this training in a school psych program. My first 3 years were very heavy in assessment training, both in a school setting and outside of schools. We were trained both in conducting assessments in schools are part of the Special Education evaluation process and in a clinic setting. In the clinic setting the focus of assessment typically goes beyond determining whether a child qualifies for SpEd services and the focus is on understanding the pattern of strengths and challenges of a particular child regarding cognitive, academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
We also have an intervention training component, but compared to clinical Psych programs this is often not as heavily emphasized(though this probably varies school to school). Many of the students in my program have pursued additional Practica experiences to build up their intervention training.

Career wise there are a lot of different routes you can take. As a traditional School Psych in a public school system your role will vary based on where you're at and the resources available. Your primary role will often be to conduct evaluations for determining eligibility for Special education services. However school psychs are often also involved in consultation with teachers and intervention teams. Depending on the district you're in you may also be involved in intervention or counseling in the school. They are often also heavily involved in system level work, such as developing and implementing school wide programs. In some districts there is no differentiation between PhD school psychs and specialist level school psychs(aside from pay). In others, they employ PhD school psychs to provide support for more complex cases.

Outside of a school setting, school psychs can be qualified to also work in clinics and private practice settings doing assessment, therapy, and consultation. I know school psychs who are also in hospital settings, research settings, and academia.
What you can do with a school psych degree really depends on what you pursue during your training. Most programs will have a general school psych training, with opportunities to specialize with specific populations (I focus on school based interventions with young children with behavior challenges, someone else I know focuses on children with ASD).

Most PhD school psych programs are heavy research programs, so you will need significant research experience to be considered. In addition, I know our faculty are pretty serious about not accepting students who are using school psych as a short cut to being a clinical Psych. At interviews we're often looking for red flags that indicate this (e.g.. students who apply to both clinical and school, students who aren't interested in working in school settings). While there is overlap between the training for school and clinical psychs in some areas, often students who apply to school psych programs because they think they are easier to get in to end up being pretty unhappy with their training in school psych. Not because it's poor training, but because it's different.

Your post covers everything really well.
 
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