School Psychology

[billybob2]

Hey! Any school psychologist here to share their insight into the career, lifestyle, compensation/anything they find noteworthy of sharing with someone looking into potentially pursuing it?

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[Therapist4Chnge]

My direct experience was quite a while ago, so I'll stick w. basic info and others can speak to their more recent experiences and knowledge. I've taught/lectured in a school psych program (specialist degree, which is more classwork than a masters, but not a doctoral program) and done research with school psychologists. Specialist degrees tend to be 60-70ish credits and Ph.D. programs tend to be 90 or more credits. Some school psychologists are at the MS level, but I believe these folks are grandfathered in; definitely check on any state requirements for the program(s) you are considering.

School psych is first and foremost very state (and school district) specific. NASP (National Assoc of School Psych) is a great resource for potential students. The link is to look-up various programs for more info. Like many training models, the devil is in the details. Depending on the state and a person's training background, school psychologists can be licensed in some places and "Credentialed" in other states. This comes into play when considering what type of setting you want to work in. Most people are in schools, but some may also do private practice, but it depends on your training, scope of practice, and state laws.

Okay, back to my report writing...hopefully that is a good start for ya.

 

[summerbabe]

Not a school psychologist but maybe a few things to consider, to add to what Therapist4Chng wrote:

- How well versed are you in general differences, like say between a child psychologist. an adult focused clinical psychologist, and a school psychologist? As well as the different roles a school counselor and school psychologist might play in the same school? If you're still working on info gathering, these might be a good starting point. Subspecialities in psychology tend to get really specific so getting a good lay of the land before determining specifics might be helpful.
- Do you want to work in a school setting or not? Any psychologist degree will allow for a lot of variety and variability. What my day as a clinical psychologist looks like is radically different than a neuropsychologist. And while many school psychologists work in a school, I know multiple in the private sector.
- Do you want to do assessment only, intervention only, or both? That might help determine whether you need a PhD or if a different degree might be more appropriate for your career goals (e.g., ABA intervention only)

 

[psycle708]

Are you thinking about masters/specialist level or doctoral level? At the masters/specialist level, I'd direct you to resources in your state. As it's been said above, the school psych roles in schools varies greatly between districts and states. In some (many) states, school psychs are very assessment-focused. In others, they have more balanced roles and focus more on intervention and prevention. That's true for salaries too. Many school districts post their salary ranges online, though they might not reflect things like stipends and incentive pay. In addition to NASP, your state (or states you are interested in) probably have a school psych professional organization that you can look into. In most states, you can't practice outside of schools at the masters/specialist level, but that's something to verify in your own state. I personally think being a school psychologist in a school district can be a great, fulfilling job, if you find the right position for you. There's a lot of opportunities for multidisciplinary work, systems-level work, and being able to build relationships with kids and teachers if you are present on campus a lot. But it's not for everyone. There's also a shortage of school psychs in schools in most areas, which means that your job options are plentiful and districts are increasing hiring incentives and pay - it also means that caseloads can be high. You have to either push for a reasonable caseload or have really good time management and boundaries.

If you're thinking doctoral level, that opens up tons of doors and it just depends on the setting and population you want to work with. The degree will overlap a great deal with clinical and counseling psych programs.

 

[Mojito_15]

I have a phd in school psych and I'm currently a postdoc working in a school based health center which is a primary care clinic inside of a school providing behavioral health services. I'm getting supervision from a licensed psychologist, don't work for the school district & I'm not practicing under my school psych license- the vast majority of my coworkers don't have school psych degrees & I'm the only one in the organization w/ a school psych license. It's a fairly versatile degree. I discovered somewhat late in the process that I'm not really sure I want to work exclusively with kids forever- and even though on my internship I worked with adults of all ages and now on my postdoc I work with young adults, it can be hard to convince many psychologists that you know how to work with adults. Which briefly on a soapbox I find to be annoying personally because plenty of people who don't have specialties with kids work with kids- so I don't know why the reverse cannot be true. But either way- that would be a limitation to consider if your ultimate goal is to get a doctorate and go the route to being a licensed psychologist. It's also harder to get APA accredited internships for similar reasons.

 

[billybob2]

This is all great information, thank you everyone for commenting! My ultimate goal is to be a licensed psychologist, I recently was talking to a connection at a school near me and found out there is a EdS program right next to me so was curious about people's experiences. My original goal was a Counseling Psychology PhD, but I was COVID 2020 senior and the research experience I was banking on was canceled. Then I had to get a normal job for normal life reasons, but I am weighing my options of careers and degrees. I was also accepted into a Psychology masters program, but I am afraid that is a waste of time and income when I could potentially volunteer while working to get research or go down a different degree path.

 

[WisNeuro]

This is all great information, thank you everyone for commenting! My ultimate goal is to be a licensed psychologist, I recently was talking to a connection at a school near me and found out there is a EdS program right next to me so was curious about people's experiences. My original goal was a Counseling Psychology PhD, but I was COVID 2020 senior and the research experience I was banking on was canceled. Then I had to get a normal job for normal life reasons, but I am weighing my options of careers and degrees. I was also accepted into a Psychology masters program, but I am afraid that is a waste of time and income when I could potentially volunteer while working to get research or go down a different degree path.

What do you want to be doing day-to-day in your career? That may dictate whether or not the school psych path is right for you or not.

 

[billybob2]

What do you want to be doing day-to-day in your career? That may dictate whether or not the school psych path is right for you or not.

I would like to do psychotherapy on a day-to-day basis... But being unsure whether I can make Counseling Psychology work with the financial sacrifices I would have to make just to get into school, I have started to broaden my search as Psychology is the thing I am interested in at the end of the day!

 

[WisNeuro]

I would like to do psychotherapy on a day-to-day basis... But being unsure whether I can make Counseling Psychology work with the financial sacrifices I would have to make just to get into school, I have started to broaden my search as Psychology is the thing I am interested in at the end of the day!

Consider the LCSW route then. I would not do the school psych route if therapy is your career goal.

 

[Mojito_15]

Consider the LCSW route then. I would not do the school psych route if therapy is your career goal.

My internship & postdoc ended up being in health psychology and so you can get to therapy with a school psych degree. But agreed that it's really not the most direct route. You should also know that as a school psych your choices for internship if you want it to be accredited are much more narrow and only a few states- so if your goal is not to move from your area- unless you're located in texas or Illinois or 1 or 2 other states, you're probably eventually moving to finish the degree.

 

[WisNeuro]

My internship & postdoc ended up being in health psychology and so you can get to therapy with a school psych degree. But agreed that it's really not the most direct route. You should also know that as a school psych your choices for internship if you want it to be accredited are much more narrow and only a few states- so if your goal is not to move from your area- unless you're located in texas or Illinois or 1 or 2 other states, you're probably eventually moving to finish the degree.

Possible yes, but by far not the modal outcome. If OP is worried about financial constraints and possibly moving, LCSW would probably be the most direct route with lowest chance of relo.

 

[billybob2]

Possible yes, but by far not the modal outcome. If OP is worried about financial constraints and possibly moving, LCSW would probably be the most direct route with lowest chance of relo.

Financial restraints and possibly moving are for sure my biggest blockades....I am married and my husband is pursuing PT (so does not make much yet while in school, lol!) My concern with LCSW, and even master's level counseling, is for sure the salary. When you google salaries for those positions they are quite moderate. Maybe I have a young and naive point of view on life but I have a major fear of not making enough to provide for myself and my family. I often have people older than me telling me to follow my dreams/passions but they all make good corporate salaries and did not follow theirs.....but live in comfort and support their loved ones....just hard to decide what is worth it I suppose. I also have quite a few PhDs in my family so feel a bit of pressure to prove I can do it too. Bit of a tangent there, sorry!

 

[summerbabe]

My concern with LCSW, and even master's level counseling, is for sure the salary. When you google salaries for those positions they are quite moderate.

Super valid concern and it’s also important to take into account what goes into average salary.

I live in a poor Southern state where entry level licensed MS therapists can make as little as $30,000 for really hard full-time community mental health work. There are also private practice MS license holders who run successful businesses and probably make huge amounts more than me (I am a VA staff psychologist earning a shade under six figure salary annually).

So average salaries are not necessarily 100% reflective as specifics will really matter (working for self versus for others, establishing a specialty/niche, building up good referral sources, how many hours you’d like to work, etc).

 

[WisNeuro]

Financial restraints and possibly moving are for sure my biggest blockades....I am married and my husband is pursuing PT (so does not make much yet while in school, lol!) My concern with LCSW, and even master's level counseling, is for sure the salary. When you google salaries for those positions they are quite moderate. Maybe I have a young and naive point of view on life but I have a major fear of not making enough to provide for myself and my family. I often have people older than me telling me to follow my dreams/passions but they all make good corporate salaries and did not follow theirs.....but live in comfort and support their loved ones....just hard to decide what is worth it I suppose. I also have quite a few PhDs in my family so feel a bit of pressure to prove I can do it too. Bit of a tangent there, sorry!

What you can charge in private practice for therapy is essentially the same whether or not you have a school psych degree or a LCSW. As far as positions within hospital organizations for therapy, these spots are largely filled by masters level and LCSWs in many regions.

 

[Mojito_15]

If what you want to do is test kids for Autism, then you can do it w/ a school psych Ph.D. as a licensed psychologist and likely make more than a LCSW. But yeah if what you want to do is therapy- you're not going to make that much more and it's a much faster route to degree w/out having to move.

 

[borne_before]

Your question is quite broad. So I will just shoot out some random thoughts as a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in school psychology:

• There are tremendous differences between a psychologist with a doctor it in school psychology and someone with a masters+cert/EdS. If the goal is to become licensed then you will need the doctorate.
• The school psychology route is probably one of the most obscure ways to become a licensed psychologist -I think we graduate something, and I am probably wrong, like less than 100 doctoral students a year nationwide.
• The school psychology route is not a good fit for what I like to call the "clinical psych rejects." In many ways, you need to be called to school psychology because you really care about education, neurodevelopmental disorders, measurement, etc. it just simply is not a good fit for someone who is not competitive to make it into other programs. By neurodevelopmental disorders I mean working with people who have intellectual disability and autism. Specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia and ADHD also fall under this domain. If you just want a work with depressed and anxious kids, you will find yourself woefully unprepared and unhappy.
• Personally, I feel like the public would be better served if the term "school psychologist" was retired because it is confusing. People with masters degrees and educational specialists should be called "school behavior and learning assessment specialists." Whereas, those with PhD's should be re-branded "neurodevelopmental psychologists" because our training largely focuses on the very first section of the DSM–5.
• Like any degrees, it is not the degree that confers the right to practice. Rather, it is one's educational background and training experiences that determine once competencies. That means, if you want to be a well-rounded and "good psychologist" you have to do more than just the bare minimum. As an example, I constantly volunteered for various training experiences and externships that would give me the most career options. I worked as a psychiatrist in a neuropsych testing outfit testing mostly adults and old people, to working on studies where I tested tons of kids, various fellowships focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders, to therapy settings from community mental health to hospital outpatient clinics, etc. it was exhausting because all of that was in addition to the bare minimum–which is a lot. However, those experiences allowed me a very flexible and sought after set of skills that the market is currently valuing pretty darn good.
• School psychologists do have pretty good gig when they work in the schools. Many have 180-day contracts, summers off to spend with the family, all the federal holidays, Christmas, and spring breaks. They also get pretty good state pensions and many have unions. It is not a bad gig -but schools are a **** show. These people are the boots on the ground for mental health in our society. Schools are expected, often, to cure society's' ills and for better or worse, school psychs are there doing miracles every day. They're stressed, swamped, and exhausted, but they're doing it.
• Many school psychologists branch out into "pediatric psychology" which is a nebulous term for kids and medical settings and with medical conditions. Presently, I could call myself or pediatric psychologist (I rarely do) and I work on teams that focus on cochlear implantation, cystic fibrosis, plastic surgery, etc.
• The other half of my job focuses on assessment and treatment of the neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, intellectual disability, ADHD, and specific learning disabilities, etc. I carry a small therapy load. I do a ton of parent mediated interventions because I find that talk therapy with most kids under the age of 13 a huge waste of time–depending on the referral and abilities of that kids.
• A lot of this job, and this is not specific to psychology, is how much we have to document. We have to write reports, document every session, every telephone, etc. Had a known about documentation requirements, I honestly doubt I would have pursued this.
• The school psychology route is not glamorous and there is some prejudice against us in the field–mostly because clinical psychologist's do not know we can do or about her training experiences very well. So in many ways, it can be an uphill battle.
• However, can also be one of the most wonderful and fulfilling experiences to help young people and their families succeed in academic settings and behaviorally. Currently some of the most satisfying things I get from my job are identifying kids with autism early–I just really love doing that because early intervention really does make a difference. I really love helping a kid with ADHD understand that they are more than just "lazy or dumb." Some of the saddest conversations can be some of the best where I explained to parents that their kid has an intellectual disability-giving words to what those parents already know- I can help parents understand that it is not their fault. Every day, I get to watch kids grow and develop and show us how resilient they are. I love helping parents get tools to manage problematic behaviors and to help kids thrive. I love seeing conflict reduce in families after we addressed misconceptions about ADHD medication and actually provided psychoeducation about conditions that the kid has been diagnosed with. That is the kind of stuff I love.
• Never forget the purpose of school psychology (and all psychology, and science for that matter): to describe, to explain, to predict, and above all, to influence outcomes. How you go about doing that is all good - whether youre an EdS or an LCSW.

 

[Mojito_15]

• The school psychology route is probably one of the most obscure ways to become a licensed psychologist -I think we graduate something, and I am probably wrong, like less than 100 doctoral students a year nationwide.
• The school psychology route is not glamorous and there is some prejudice against us in the field–mostly because clinical psychologist's do not know we can do or about her training experiences very well. So in many ways, it can be an uphill battle.

Cosign all of this- it's excellent advice. I tried to explain to someone recently that in most places I go I'm the most qualified to do the job I'm doing at the whole organization. That's lonely and frustrating as an early career person and usually leads to me doing more work than I should for not enough pay. The last 3 times I've been on the job market I've ended up in jobs I didn't apply for that have been open for months because they cannot find someone qualified to do it. School psych is versatile- but it's a really obscure way to get where you're wanting to go and definitely not the most direct path.

 

[psycle708]

You should also know that as a school psych your choices for internship if you want it to be accredited are much more narrow and only a few states- so if your goal is not to move from your area- unless you're located in texas or Illinois or 1 or 2 other states, you're probably eventually moving to finish the degree.

Can you clarify this? Do you mean that accredited internships in school districts are only in a few states? I think it's important to be clear that people in school psychology doc programs can also end up in non-school district, accredited internships, across the country. (points made about some internship sites' preferences for clinical/counseling still hold of course)

 

[Mojito_15]

Can you clarify this? Do you mean that accredited internships in school districts are only in a few states? I think it's important to be clear that people in school psychology doc programs can also end up in non-school district, accredited internships, across the country. (points made about some internship sites' preferences for clinical/counseling still hold of course)

I don't mean accredited internships in school districts, I mean all internships accredited. That being said- your point is valid- you can apply to more, and yes there are some in many states, and yes, sometimes interns do match to other places. That being said- my observation and experience based both on my own internship experience and the experience of others I know, is that the vast majority of internship sites that regularly take a large number of school psychs are based out of only a few states. While certainly, some applicants can and do apply to other places, and some match, school psychs seem to be infrequently ranked when compared to other applicants except at an exceedingly few number of accredited sites. If there's data to show I'm wrong about this observation- I'd be interested to see it.

 

[billybob2]

Your question is quite broad. So I will just shoot out some random thoughts as a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in school psychology:

• There are tremendous differences between a psychologist with a doctor it in school psychology and someone with a masters+cert/EdS. If the goal is to become licensed then you will need the doctorate.
• The school psychology route is probably one of the most obscure ways to become a licensed psychologist -I think we graduate something, and I am probably wrong, like less than 100 doctoral students a year nationwide.
• The school psychology route is not a good fit for what I like to call the "clinical psych rejects." In many ways, you need to be called to school psychology because you really care about education, neurodevelopmental disorders, measurement, etc. it just simply is not a good fit for someone who is not competitive to make it into other programs. By neurodevelopmental disorders I mean working with people who have intellectual disability and autism. Specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia and dysgraphia and ADHD also fall under this domain. If you just want a work with depressed and anxious kids, you will find yourself woefully unprepared and unhappy.
• Personally, I feel like the public would be better served if the term "school psychologist" was retired because it is confusing. People with masters degrees and educational specialists should be called "school behavior and learning assessment specialists." Whereas, those with PhD's should be re-branded "neurodevelopmental psychologists" because our training largely focuses on the very first section of the DSM–5.
• Like any degrees, it is not the degree that confers the right to practice. Rather, it is one's educational background and training experiences that determine once competencies. That means, if you want to be a well-rounded and "good psychologist" you have to do more than just the bare minimum. As an example, I constantly volunteered for various training experiences and externships that would give me the most career options. I worked as a psychiatrist in a neuropsych testing outfit testing mostly adults and old people, to working on studies where I tested tons of kids, various fellowships focusing on neurodevelopmental disorders, to therapy settings from community mental health to hospital outpatient clinics, etc. it was exhausting because all of that was in addition to the bare minimum–which is a lot. However, those experiences allowed me a very flexible and sought after set of skills that the market is currently valuing pretty darn good.
• School psychologists do have pretty good gig when they work in the schools. Many have 180-day contracts, summers off to spend with the family, all the federal holidays, Christmas, and spring breaks. They also get pretty good state pensions and many have unions. It is not a bad gig -but schools are a **** show. These people are the boots on the ground for mental health in our society. Schools are expected, often, to cure society's' ills and for better or worse, school psychs are there doing miracles every day. They're stressed, swamped, and exhausted, but they're doing it.
• Many school psychologists branch out into "pediatric psychology" which is a nebulous term for kids and medical settings and with medical conditions. Presently, I could call myself or pediatric psychologist (I rarely do) and I work on teams that focus on cochlear implantation, cystic fibrosis, plastic surgery, etc.
• The other half of my job focuses on assessment and treatment of the neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, intellectual disability, ADHD, and specific learning disabilities, etc. I carry a small therapy load. I do a ton of parent mediated interventions because I find that talk therapy with most kids under the age of 13 a huge waste of time–depending on the referral and abilities of that kids.
• A lot of this job, and this is not specific to psychology, is how much we have to document. We have to write reports, document every session, every telephone, etc. Had a known about documentation requirements, I honestly doubt I would have pursued this.
• The school psychology route is not glamorous and there is some prejudice against us in the field–mostly because clinical psychologist's do not know we can do or about her training experiences very well. So in many ways, it can be an uphill battle.
• However, can also be one of the most wonderful and fulfilling experiences to help young people and their families succeed in academic settings and behaviorally. Currently some of the most satisfying things I get from my job are identifying kids with autism early–I just really love doing that because early intervention really does make a difference. I really love helping a kid with ADHD understand that they are more than just "lazy or dumb." Some of the saddest conversations can be some of the best where I explained to parents that their kid has an intellectual disability-giving words to what those parents already know- I can help parents understand that it is not their fault. Every day, I get to watch kids grow and develop and show us how resilient they are. I love helping parents get tools to manage problematic behaviors and to help kids thrive. I love seeing conflict reduce in families after we addressed misconceptions about ADHD medication and actually provided psychoeducation about conditions that the kid has been diagnosed with. That is the kind of stuff I love.
• Never forget the purpose of school psychology (and all psychology, and science for that matter): to describe, to explain, to predict, and above all, to influence outcomes. How you go about doing that is all good - whether youre an EdS or an LCSW.

This is so much great information, seriously thank you for taking the time to share this! That gives me a lot to think about, I really appreciate it. I am very passionate about education, I come from a family of teachers, principals, and superintendents...I honestly just never thought about joining the education field due to not wanting to be a teacher (I have seen the way my mom is treated as a teacher lol). Probably due to my own tunnel vision on clinical or counseling psychology, and a lack of a School Psychology program at my undergraduate university, I have never *really* looked into this route until now. I do think this is work that I could find some real meaning and purpose in, something I am severely lacking in my corporate desk job post-grad. This gives a lot of great groundwork to work with, thank you so much for taking the time. I love that so many professionals are so willing to help in this online community!

I am planning on reaching out to some professors at the university I live next to....would you also suggest trying to shadow a School Psychologist?

I think both paths, School Psychology or something with more psychotherapy, would give me more purpose in my job which at the end of the day is what I am looking for in a career, to make a difference outside of emailing lol. From a logistical standpoint, there are some serious advantages to working for the public school system with the schedule (if I have kids one day) and retirement as I have seen with my family members who had various public education roles. But there are also advantages to controlling your day more with psychotherapy/appointments with a family. A lot of thinking to do! Decisions are hard!

 

[borne_before]

This is so much great information, seriously thank you for taking the time to share this! That gives me a lot to think about, I really appreciate it. I am very passionate about education, I come from a family of teachers, principals, and superintendents...I honestly just never thought about joining the education field due to not wanting to be a teacher (I have seen the way my mom is treated as a teacher lol). Probably due to my own tunnel vision on clinical or counseling psychology, and a lack of a School Psychology program at my undergraduate university, I have never *really* looked into this route until now. I do think this is work that I could find some real meaning and purpose in, something I am severely lacking in my corporate desk job post-grad. This gives a lot of great groundwork to work with, thank you so much for taking the time. I love that so many professionals are so willing to help in this online community!

I am planning on reaching out to some professors at the university I live next to....would you also suggest trying to shadow a School Psychologist?

I think both paths, School Psychology or something with more psychotherapy, would give me more purpose in my job which at the end of the day is what I am looking for in a career, to make a difference outside of emailing lol. From a logistical standpoint, there are some serious advantages to working for the public school system with the schedule (if I have kids one day) and retirement as I have seen with my family members who had various public education roles. But there are also advantages to controlling your day more with psychotherapy/appointments with a family. A lot of thinking to do! Decisions are hard!

Absolutely reach out. PM where you live, and maybe I can have some connections.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you do shadow/interview a school psych (SP), definitely ask about daily duties and their typical day at their current job and prior jobs (if applicable). There can definitely be variance by school district. SP are usually in high demand....though that can often mean the SP is spread over more schools because there is high demand and not enough SP. Traveling between schools can be pretty common, especially if there is a lot of testing that needs to be done.

 

[ccool]

This is so much great information, seriously thank you for taking the time to share this! That gives me a lot to think about, I really appreciate it. I am very passionate about education, I come from a family of teachers, principals, and superintendents...I honestly just never thought about joining the education field due to not wanting to be a teacher (I have seen the way my mom is treated as a teacher lol). Probably due to my own tunnel vision on clinical or counseling psychology, and a lack of a School Psychology program at my undergraduate university, I have never *really* looked into this route until now. I do think this is work that I could find some real meaning and purpose in, something I am severely lacking in my corporate desk job post-grad. This gives a lot of great groundwork to work with, thank you so much for taking the time. I love that so many professionals are so willing to help in this online community!

I am planning on reaching out to some professors at the university I live next to....would you also suggest trying to shadow a School Psychologist?

I think both paths, School Psychology or something with more psychotherapy, would give me more purpose in my job which at the end of the day is what I am looking for in a career, to make a difference outside of emailing lol. From a logistical standpoint, there are some serious advantages to working for the public school system with the schedule (if I have kids one day) and retirement as I have seen with my family members who had various public education roles. But there are also advantages to controlling your day more with psychotherapy/appointments with a family. A lot of thinking to do! Decisions are hard!

Don’t forget about Clinical Child psychology! There are clinical and counseling psych programs with child/adolescent concentrations/tracks/minors. You will learn the general curriculum but the courses of your choosing, practica, and research will be focused on child development/developmental psychopathology.

The extent to which you may choose to specialize in specific populations e.g., early childhood, adolescents; specific pathology e.g., smi, anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, trauma; or specific settings e.g., hospitals/pediatric psych, community mental health, schools, juvenile justice will likely depend on your specific advisor, practica opportunities available, and whatever additional experiences you seek on your own.

As borne_before highlighted, if you’re willing to be intentional and do some extra work, it’s very feasible to shape a path that works for you.

If helpful, a student membership to APA division 53, Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology is free and does not require APA membership.

 

[ashleemuffins]

I don't mean accredited internships in school districts, I mean all internships accredited. That being said- your point is valid- you can apply to more, and yes there are some in many states, and yes, sometimes interns do match to other places. That being said- my observation and experience based both on my own internship experience and the experience of others I know, is that the vast majority of internship sites that regularly take a large number of school psychs are based out of only a few states. While certainly, some applicants can and do apply to other places, and some match, school psychs seem to be infrequently ranked when compared to other applicants except at an exceedingly few number of accredited sites. If there's data to show I'm wrong about this observation- I'd be interested to see it.

It doesn’t work like that in California and it is my understanding that whatever district they do their internship at the school needs to have a memorandum of understanding (MOU). That's why it's important to do a program that is within the community so you can utilize their connections.

 

[ashleemuffins]

This is so much great information, seriously thank you for taking the time to share this! That gives me a lot to think about, I really appreciate it. I am very passionate about education, I come from a family of teachers, principals, and superintendents...I honestly just never thought about joining the education field due to not wanting to be a teacher (I have seen the way my mom is treated as a teacher lol). Probably due to my own tunnel vision on clinical or counseling psychology, and a lack of a School Psychology program at my undergraduate university, I have never *really* looked into this route until now. I do think this is work that I could find some real meaning and purpose in, something I am severely lacking in my corporate desk job post-grad. This gives a lot of great groundwork to work with, thank you so much for taking the time. I love that so many professionals are so willing to help in this online community!

I am planning on reaching out to some professors at the university I live next to....would you also suggest trying to shadow a School Psychologist?

I think both paths, School Psychology or something with more psychotherapy, would give me more purpose in my job which at the end of the day is what I am looking for in a career, to make a difference outside of emailing lol. From a logistical standpoint, there are some serious advantages to working for the public school system with the schedule (if I have kids one day) and retirement as I have seen with my family members who had various public education roles. But there are also advantages to controlling your day more with psychotherapy/appointments with a family. A lot of thinking to do! Decisions are hard!

I also would like to say that school psychologists are the gatekeepers of special ed, there is a trend where a lot of clinical psychologists are trying to do evaluations at the school level. But a lot of times their data does not translate appropriately to the school setting and the reports are kinda useless. As well as seen as a way to get money out of unsuspecting parents that don't know public and private schools provide evaluation for free; because of this, you'll see reports done by clinical psychs that are requesting accommodations that are not cohesive with curriculum or graduation requirements. Being a School Psychologist is a great and lucrative field and there are so many opportunities both in and out of the school system.

Also, I would recommend shadowing a School Psychologist at both a public and charter school, as well as watching some YouTube videos that give you insight into programs and the ends and out of the career.

 

[borne_before]

I also would like to say that school psychologists are the gatekeepers of special ed, there is a trend where a lot of clinical psychologists are trying to do evaluations at the school level. But a lot of times their data does not translate appropriately to the school setting and the reports are kinda useless. As well as seen as a way to get money out of unsuspecting parents that don't know public and private schools provide evaluation for free; because of this, you'll see reports done by clinical psychs that are requesting accommodations that are not cohesive with curriculum or graduation requirements. Being a School Psychologist is a great and lucrative field and there are so many opportunities both in and out of the school system.

This a million times.

 

[psycle708]

I don't mean accredited internships in school districts, I mean all internships accredited. That being said- your point is valid- you can apply to more, and yes there are some in many states, and yes, sometimes interns do match to other places. That being said- my observation and experience based both on my own internship experience and the experience of others I know, is that the vast majority of internship sites that regularly take a large number of school psychs are based out of only a few states. While certainly, some applicants can and do apply to other places, and some match, school psychs seem to be infrequently ranked when compared to other applicants except at an exceedingly few number of accredited sites. If there's data to show I'm wrong about this observation- I'd be interested to see it.

Fair enough! I wasn't able to find data on this either, but it would be interesting to see.

 

[billybob2]

Absolutely reach out. PM where you live, and maybe I can have some connections.

Thank you! I will reach out!

 

[billybob2]

I also would like to say that school psychologists are the gatekeepers of special ed, there is a trend where a lot of clinical psychologists are trying to do evaluations at the school level. But a lot of times their data does not translate appropriately to the school setting and the reports are kinda useless. As well as seen as a way to get money out of unsuspecting parents that don't know public and private schools provide evaluation for free; because of this, you'll see reports done by clinical psychs that are requesting accommodations that are not cohesive with curriculum or graduation requirements. Being a School Psychologist is a great and lucrative field and there are so many opportunities both in and out of the school system.

Also, I would recommend shadowing a School Psychologist at both a public and charter school, as well as watching some YouTube videos that give you insight into programs and the ends and out of the career.

This is a great insight, thank you! I have dived down the youtube rabbit hole, but I will be sure to continue to do so and reach out to shadow some professionals.

The university near me has an EdS program and a Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. (CACRED) and a PsyD program, I think I will reach out to people in both programs to discuss the options. I really do not see a doctoral program being realistic right now until my husband gets through his program, so from a facts and figures point of view, I think I need to cut the PsyD out. At the end of the day, I just want a fulfilling career, that pays decent, I need to take my undergraduate tunnel vision goggles off. Between School Psyc and being a therapist both sound like equally fulfilling careers and the pros and cons seem rather even from a logistical point of view. The option to have more autonomy over your schedule as a therapist sounds very beneficial (especially with how career-driven my husband is someone has to give a little slack even for simple things like taking the dog out lol) but the salary makes me a little nervous...I know some of that is just googling is not quite accurate...but still makes me a bit nervous. But then School Psychology gives you an in-demand job, government benefits, and school holidays which I am sure are very nice and money saver if you have kids. But, being in demand means likely huge case loads and very busy days. Additionally, both have the option to continue on to a Ph.D. eventually, opening doors to teaching, etc. Just typing out my thoughts, there are certainly a lot of pros and cons to both.

 

[Mojito_15]

It doesn’t work like that in California and it is my understanding that whatever district they do their internship at the school needs to have a memorandum of understanding (MOU). That's why it's important to do a program that is within the community so you can utilize their connections.

I mean APA accredited internships through APPIC for a doctorate. What you're describing is typically how it works for school-located internships for Ed.S. students.

 

[Lutine]

Consider the LCSW route then. I would not do the school psych route if therapy is your career goal.

Deinitely agree WisNeuro. School psych is a lot about testing for special ed placement and services. In addition, you will have administrative supervision from a school authority who knows nothing about psychology in addition to clinical supervision (but by someone who is also supervised by administrative personnel). On the upside, the benefits and job security are outstanding. Your choice.

 

[ashleemuffins]

This is a great insight, thank you! I have dived down the youtube rabbit hole, but I will be sure to continue to do so and reach out to shadow some professionals.

The university near me has an EdS program and a Clinical Mental Health Counseling M.Ed. (CACRED) and a PsyD program, I think I will reach out to people in both programs to discuss the options. I really do not see a doctoral program being realistic right now until my husband gets through his program, so from a facts and figures point of view, I think I need to cut the PsyD out. At the end of the day, I just want a fulfilling career, that pays decent, I need to take my undergraduate tunnel vision goggles off. Between School Psyc and being a therapist both sound like equally fulfilling careers and the pros and cons seem rather even from a logistical point of view. The option to have more autonomy over your schedule as a therapist sounds very beneficial (especially with how career-driven my husband is someone has to give a little slack even for simple things like taking the dog out lol) but the salary makes me a little nervous...I know some of that is just googling is not quite accurate...but still makes me a bit nervous. But then School Psychology gives you an in-demand job, government benefits, and school holidays which I am sure are very nice and money saver if you have kids. But, being in demand means likely huge case loads and very busy days. Additionally, both have the option to continue on to a Ph.D. eventually, opening doors to teaching, etc. Just typing out my thoughts, there are certainly a lot of pros and cons to both.

FYI in California LMFT, LPCC, LSW and etc are going through a renaissance of sorts and we're seeing an increase in job placement within schools, treatment facilities and etc. I know in California, we have schools that now have LMFTs that do counseling and therapy. So look and see if your state is using ERMHS (educated related mental health services) if they are and you want to do therapy, you may be able to make good money as an LMFT and get a PsyD as well if you find the right program and scholarship.

 

[ashleemuffins]

Deinitely agree WisNeuro. School psych is a lot about testing for special ed placement and services. In addition, you will have administrative supervision from a school authority who knows nothing about psychology in addition to clinical supervision (but by someone who is also supervised by administrative personnel). On the upside, the benefits and job security are outstanding. Your choice.

It's also helpful to remember that your job is dependent on your site's needs, so when it comes to job duties it really depends on the school your working at because each site is different.