How Do I get an SP certification if I want to go Counseling Psych Doctoral?

[OasisStudent]

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Hi, right now I am a junior at a university who eventually wants to get my PhD in Counseling Psychology for more options than a School Psychology degree doctoral would provide (so I've heard.) I also want to go straight through, non stop and get over with it, but I just have a few questions if some of you professionals don't mind answering:
1. Can a university allow a doctoral student to pick up an ed.S degree or school psych certification "on- the-way?"
2. Would a doctoral program accept someone with an ED.S in School Psychology and if so, would that STILL be an additional four-five years in school?
3. How easy is it to re-specialize in counseling psychology or school psychology?? How long does it take? a year? three years?
4. If I were to find a combined program in school psychology and counseling psychology is that "double the work" or does it work out to be a normal doctoral work load?


Just want to figure out how in the world Im going to do this.. 😎

Thanks.

 

[Pia Getty]

You might want to read up on APA and NASP approved Ph.D. programs in school psychology. Of course you end up as a licensed psychologist (you hold the same license as as a clinical or counseling psychologist and can work in many of the same settings), yet you're also ready to be licensed as a school psychologist which is a separate license. It's the two birds one stone thing.

 

[OasisStudent]

I have been considering that but am assuming that I will ONLY be able to work with children, I would like to be able to work with college level and even maybe the hospital population.. thats why I wanted to be certified in both....

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I have been considering that but am assuming that I will ONLY be able to work with children, I would like to be able to work with college level and even maybe the hospital population.. thats why I wanted to be certified in both....

The combined programs are the best way to go, though there aren't that many who do it, so it will be competitive.

 

[biogirl215]

Many people with School Psych PhDs (though not usually EdS or EdDs) work outside of school system in settings like hospitals. That's what one of my professors last semester did before moving into academia. It might be harder if you want to work with populations other tahn children, however. Whay are you considering School Psych and not just Counseling Psych? Do you want to work in a school system at some point as well?

Good luck!

 

[OasisStudent]

Many people with School Psych PhDs (though not usually EdS or EdDs) work outside of school system in settings like hospitals. That's what one of my professors last semester did before moving into academia. It might be harder if you want to work with populations other tahn children, however. Whay are you considering School Psych and not just Counseling Psych? Do you want to work in a school system at some point as well?

Good luck!

The reason why I want a school psych cert has to do with almost the "guaranteed employment" issue along with better pay in that field. I am worried sick that I will finish grad school with not enough to pay my school loans. I know sp's don't get paid all that much but I've been told by others to get my sp cert "just in case."

By the way.. how long are respecialization programs? Anyone know? If I were to go school psych all the way and then respecialize in counseling?

 

[deleted106747]

Hi, right now I am a junior at a university who eventually wants to get my PhD in Counseling Psychology for more options than a School Psychology degree doctoral would provide (so I've heard.) I also want to go straight through, non stop and get over with it, but I just have a few questions if some of you professionals don't mind answering:
1. Can a university allow a doctoral student to pick up an ed.S degree or school psych certification "on- the-way?"
2. Would a doctoral program accept someone with an ED.S in School Psychology and if so, would that STILL be an additional four-five years in school?
3. How easy is it to re-specialize in counseling psychology or school psychology?? How long does it take? a year? three years?
4. If I were to find a combined program in school psychology and counseling psychology is that "double the work" or does it work out to be a normal doctoral work load?


Just want to figure out how in the world Im going to do this.. 😎

Thanks.

I can't answer your first 2 questions, but I can answer your last 2 as I am in the counseling psychology side of a combined program. To get the PhD in counseling psych it's just like clinical - 4 years minimum of schoolwork plus 1 year internship. Some of the coursework in school psych and counseling psych overlap, but school psych is much more assessment and much less therapy. The combined program isn't double the work, you apply for either one or the other. You could probably pick up some of the assessment work as an elective if you wanted, and you could do practicum placements that are working with kids. I don't know that you could do a prac in a school, though, if you were counseling here. I've not seen anyone do it, but that doesn't mean I suppose that it can't be done. I have seen school psych people take college counseling center placements.

 

[OasisStudent]

How long are respecialization programs? Anyone know? If I were to go school psych doctoral and then respecialize in counseling?

 

[saurus]

I can't answer your question, but something you might want to look into a little further is that some school psych Ph.D programs will allow you to subspecialize in counseling, which would allow you to get additional training in counseling and would make you eligible for internships in counseling settings.

 

[SingleGirl]

Excuse me, but I just almost peed my pants when you mentioned "better pay in that field" for school psychologists.

In my state, there is no such argument to be made... ever. 🙂

The difference in pay between a MA school psych and a doctoral school psych is something ridiculous like $140/month. It's insanity.

However, at the risk of adding competition to one of my top choices... I'll share a program you might want to consider. There is an integrated clinical/school psyd available @ James Madison. From what I hear, it's decent, and they only take 5 kids a year.

It is one of my top choices b/c of location (rural health is my thing), small cohort & full funding (of course), and course of study (my undergrad consisted of 40 hrs of elem edu/emotional dis education and 69 hours of psychology w/emphasis on exceptional needs of children).

My outpatient supervisor @ my last job did JMU for her psych undergrad and spoke very fondly of it.

If you are only doing SP as a fall back, I wouldn't... Schools are too insane to put up with if you don't love it.

 

[OasisStudent]

Excuse me, but I just almost peed my pants when you mentioned "better pay in that field" for school psychologists.

In my state, there is no such argument to be made... ever. 🙂

The difference in pay between a MA school psych and a doctoral school psych is something ridiculous like $140/month. It's insanity.

However, at the risk of adding competition to one of my top choices... I'll share a program you might want to consider. There is an integrated clinical/school psyd available @ James Madison. From what I hear, it's decent, and they only take 5 kids a year.

It is one of my top choices b/c of location (rural health is my thing), small cohort & full funding (of course), and course of study (my undergrad consisted of 40 hrs of elem edu/emotional dis education and 69 hours of psychology w/emphasis on exceptional needs of children).

My outpatient supervisor @ my last job did JMU for her psych undergrad and spoke very fondly of it.

If you are only doing SP as a fall back, I wouldn't... Schools are too insane to put up with if you don't love it.

Hi Single Girl,

The reason I said that there was "better pay" for school psychologists than say counseling psychologists was not only through information by actual people in the field, but salary information online... They somehow fall around the same ball park, (dependent of state of course.) May I ask what state you're in? A Specialist level School Psychologist will make, "on average,"the same amount as a PhD Counseling Psych..(around $35K). A doctoral level School Psychologist can easily start at double that, around $60,000 for states like New York (which really isn't much here) and P.A... I've actually networked with and spoke with many people in the field who gave me the real deal, unless they were all lying to me. Plus, many of them do psychoeducational assessments privately... so maybe that's the reason..😕
Not only is the pay better (not high, just better), there seems to be much security in that field since by law students are to be evaluated in education for placement and assisted services purposes.
I am not too interested in PsyD programs, as it only ties me to the schools and does not provide me with much flexibility in terms of the type of work I can do..
I would like a to obtain my PhD, but believe a wise thing to do would be to pick up a school psychology certification on the way. I've met Counseling Psychs, Clinicals psych and full fledged SP's who told me this. About the schools being too insane, maybe when baby boomers start retiring in about 10 years or so, much of the more "cushy" jobs in the field will be more obtainable..