Questions about School Psychology

[BrownRain]

To become a School Psychologist, a Masters in Psychology is required? Is it easy to get a job in this area of Psychology and will it be a full-time, secured position? I'm worried about the security because I once read and heard a few years ago that the government usually cuts back on Psychologists (well, in Canada) so I'm wondering if it's a guaranteed, steady, monday-friday (or extra hours if required) career? But I heard on the news a few days ago that the government will be hiring more School Psychologists. Can someone pls. shed some light on this and the security of the job in the future? I had a School Psychologist working at my high school and went to speak to her about the nature of the job, education required, etc, and one of the things she told me was that School Psychologists make about $77,000 a year. I believed her, but that was about 2 years ago so I'm wondering if this is still true today. School Psychologists work in high schools, middle schools, and where else? What else can I do with a Masters in Psychology? Thanks in advance for your replies.

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[Therapist4Chnge]

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*Mod Note-

Please do not cross post the same thread in multiple forums. Since this forum gets more traffic, I kept this thread here and closed your duplicate in the MA/BA/etc forum*
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[Therapist4Chnge]

I think we have a few school psychs around here, hopefully they pop in. From what I've read, it is definitely an area of need. I know a few recent school psych grads and they all were offered jobs at where they interned, and the market seems to be pretty favorable (They have specialist degrees, which are in between an MS and PhD).

One word of caution, I've seen the role of the school psychologist really vary by school system, so make sure to inquire if you are looking to work in a specific town/county/area of the country.

-t

 

[BrownRain]

Sorry, I had already posted my questions here before I realized I probably should have posted them in the M.A/B.A section. I left it here thinking someone/people could reply here as well. I was hoping to have more replies to those questions, but thanks Therapist4Change for your reply. Anyone else?

 

[saurus]

To become a School Psychologist, a Masters in Psychology is required? Is it easy to get a job in this area of Psychology and will it be a full-time, secured position? I'm worried about the security because I once read and heard a few years ago that the government usually cuts back on Psychologists (well, in Canada) so I'm wondering if it's a guaranteed, steady, monday-friday (or extra hours if required) career? But I heard on the news a few days ago that the government will be hiring more School Psychologists. Can someone pls. shed some light on this and the security of the job in the future? I had a School Psychologist working at my high school and went to speak to her about the nature of the job, education required, etc, and one of the things she told me was that School Psychologists make about $77,000 a year. I believed her, but that was about 2 years ago so I'm wondering if this is still true today. School Psychologists work in high schools, middle schools, and where else? What else can I do with a Masters in Psychology? Thanks in advance for your replies.

A Master's degree would allow you entry level positions in some states and you would be really limited in terms of your job function. A Specialist degree (Ed.S/Psy.S) would allow you to work as a certified practitioner in pretty much every state and at any school. A Doctoral degree would allow you to work in multiple settings (schools, universities, hospitals, private practice, etc.) with an option of becoming a licensed psychologist.

The job market is very promising and from what I've heard, there's a greater demand than supply of school psychologists, so you can have your pick from multiple offers. Based on what you wrote, I'm assuming that you're interested in working in the schools as a practitioner. Generally, practitioners have contracts that extend a little beyond the school year (180-200 days) and work full time.

As for salaries, that can depend on a lot of factors (geography, degree, etc.). In 2006 Nasp reported that the average salary was $60,581, but that includes all degree levels. In 2001 APA reported that the median salary for practitioners was $61K and $77K for doctoral licensed school psychologists. Take all of this with a grain of salt because I've heard of ranges from $35K to $80K.

Note: This is for the US, I'm not sure what goes on in Canada.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Great post!

-t

 

[Mary Berberyan]

awesome posts... very informative.

I currently graduated with a BA in psychology and i feel like there are barely any options for careers in psychology with only a BA, therefore I inquired about an MA in school psychology. I was a bit turned-down by the fact that for some schools you would need to have letters of recommendations from one or two school psychologists in order to get into the master's program...

It's a bit hard to dive into the grad school arena esp. in the psych field (whether masters programs or phD/psy.D programs) and I was wondering what advice can be given... I hope im not posting in the wrong section- I am a new member so please forgive me

anywhoo, my question being, how can i dive into some sort of research or get involved to better my resume and my chances of getting into grad school although I have already obtained my BA and am no longer a college student--??

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I'd call up old professors, and see if they are doing any research. If you don't live in the area anymore, I'd check out local university websites. Go through faculty and see if anyone has an area of research that interests you, and then drop them an e-mail about their research, and see if they are looking for help. Free labor makes it easier to get in the door. There are paid RA positions, but it is a catch 22....you need to have experience to get experience (at least if you want to be paid)

-t

 

[BrownRain]

awesome posts... very informative.

I currently graduated with a BA in psychology and i feel like there are barely any options for careers in psychology with only a BA, therefore I inquired about an MA in school psychology. I was a bit turned-down by the fact that for some schools you would need to have letters of recommendations from one or two school psychologists in order to get into the master's program...

It's a bit hard to dive into the grad school arena esp. in the psych field (whether masters programs or phD/psy.D programs) and I was wondering what advice can be given... I hope im not posting in the wrong section- I am a new member so please forgive me

anywhoo, my question being, how can i dive into some sort of research or get involved to better my resume and my chances of getting into grad school although I have already obtained my BA and am no longer a college student--??

That reply gives me li' hope now. I know it's not news hearing that the job opportunities with a B.A in Psychology are limited. People end up doing work with lil' relation to their Psych. degree and bot making much, and now I'm hearing it's hard to get into an M.A program, which's my whole purpose of getting into Psych in the first place (I don't just want a B.A, and a B.A won't help me achieve my long-term career goals). Is it only a letter of recommendation you'll need to get into an M.A program (besides good marks)? What else do they ask for?...experience, like therapist4change mentioned above?

 

[saurus]

That reply gives me li' hope now. I know it's not news hearing that the job opportunities with a B.A in Psychology are limited. People end up doing work with lil' relation to their Psych. degree and bot making much, and now I'm hearing it's hard to get into an M.A program, which's my whole purpose of getting into Psych in the first place (I don't just want a B.A, and a B.A won't help me achieve my long-term career goals). Is it only a letter of recommendation you'll need to get into an M.A program (besides good marks)? What else do they ask for?...experience, like therapist4change mentioned above?

If you are interested in school psychology, I would strongly recommend that you do a little more research on the different degrees, particularly the specialist degree because as I mentioned above you are very limited with a masters degree. Nasp has a really great fact sheet about the degrees here:

http://www.nasponline.org/students/degreefactsheet.pdf

As for getting into the programs, generally the schools want to see a variety of things such as: GRE/GPA, research experience, other relevant experience (prior experience working in schools), prior experience working with children, and letters of recommendation (usually 3).

As for letters of recommendation, most schools would like for at least one of your letters to come from a psychologist (preferably a school psych), but this is not a hard and fast rule. This information is usually posted with the admissions criteria on the program's webpage, so be sure to check there first.

 

[PhDshallsee]

I spent the summer in a PhD level school psych program. The program was far, far different than other school psych programs and I fell in love with it.

I would definitely research the differing degrees. Most states require beyond the master's level--whether it be a CAGS or a EdS degree.

I also have not encountered needing a recommendation from a school psych to get into the program. I wonder what programs you were looking at that said this?

 

[danzgymn86]

Woah, I have never heard of an Master's in School Psych. I thought that you had to have a 6th year for school psych??? Does this differ by state? Because I don't know anyone around here with only a Masters, nor do I know anyone applying to Master's school psych programs. They are all doing Sixth Year degrees or PhDs...

 

[saurus]

Woah, I have never heard of an Master's in School Psych. I thought that you had to have a 6th year for school psych??? Does this differ by state? Because I don't know anyone around here with only a Masters, nor do I know anyone applying to Master's school psych programs. They are all doing Sixth Year degrees or PhDs...

Yes, this does vary by state. One thing to note is that master's-level school psychologists are often referred to as psychometrists or psychological associates, which may explain why you haven't heard of them or it just doesn't occur in your state. If you're curious about credentials for your state:

http://www.nasponline.org/certification/state_info_list.aspx

 

[152364]

Is it absolutely mandatory for one to specifically study School Psychology in graduate school to become a school psychologist? Is one still eligible to become a school psychologist if he/she gets a PhD? in say Child Psychology or Child Development?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think it depends on the state. I know some states allow clinical psychs---> school psych, though on not sure if it also goes the other way. That being said, there are states that req. a bunch of school psych classes and prac, so a clinical psych can't just decide to be a school psych without taking a significant amount of additional classes.

-t

 

[Pia Getty]

It varies state to state but usually there is course work pertaining to school organization, instruction, classroom management, special education or special education law and ethics before one can be licensed as a school psychologist. I think someone posted the link of the National Association of School Psychologist's requirements by state earlier in this thread.

For those individuals who are currently weighing their option for graduate school, if you think you might want to work in a school setting, yet also want the benefits of being licensed psychologist (meaning you want other options such as private practice, hospitals, academia etc.), you may want to consider a Ph.D. program in school psychology. Many of these programs are APA accredited and simultaneously prepare individuals for licensure as a school psychologist and psychologist. Essentially, it's the dig two holes with one shovel sort of thing.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Good post!

If you poke around the MA/MS psych forum, there was a thread awhile back that got more in depth about school psych, and there was some very useful information in there.

-t

 

[152364]

Cool...thanks, this has been very informative.

Oh, another question: do school psychologists tend to focus more on special education?

 

[saurus]

Cool...thanks, this has been very informative.

Oh, another question: do school psychologists tend to focus more on special education?

Compared to clinical psychologists, I would say yes, but this also is a matter that can vary by degree and the setting that you work in.

The focus mostly for practitioners in the schools would be testing, planning interventions, and evaluation. Obviously, this is primarily a special education issue, as the testing you are doing would be used in determining if a student qualifies for special education, considerations for IEPs/504 plans, etc. However, an increasing role of practitioners is threat assessments in the schools. If you think about it, who else in the schools would have the appropriate training to handle this type of issue?

The main thing to remember is you have to be an advocate for yourself. If you are doing an excellent job and make the right connections with administration and keep track of the students you are accountable for each year, you have a bargaining chip to advocate for yourself and ask for the things that you want to be a part your job. Most administrators are unaware of what the training entails for a school psychologist and the various things you can do with your training. Plus, there is a shortage of school psychologists, so no school in their right mind would want to lose someone who is effective.

For PhD school psychologists, there are many directions you can go. For example, I know several school psych people working in the schools who do a ton of counseling and not just for the kids who are in special education. I also know people who are in private practice, working in hospitals, and at universities.