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School Psych PhD
- Thread starter futureapppsy2
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W
wetcement
1) How difficult is it for PhD school psychologists to find jobs in or outside of school system? It seems like most jobs look for MA/MS applicants.
-My cousin graduated from the U of C Santa Barbara and lives in San Francisco. She chose to work freelance writing grants, consulting with programs like the Y, and providing assessment services to local schools because she hated the politics of working in the school. She works hard to market herself and network to bring in new jobs.
She is also working part-time at a university teaching classes to low performing new students, following up to make sure they attend class and complete homework. She loves her work, but has no health insurance and all the perils of being self employed.
Schools can employ a variety of clinicians from school psychologist to school counselors to social workers. It seems to depend on the state and school system. If you are tied to a geographic location and unwilling or unable to relocate, I'd research the state requirements very carefully before enrolling in a program to make sure it meets your career goals.
2) Competitiveness of programs? I get the impression that it's generally less so than clinical psych, but I don't know what I'd need to be "competitive."
-My cousin said the EDD programs are very competitive and spent years doing research she hated in a random lab who accepted her before being accepted. But she wasn't making a comparison between an EDD and a PhD, just between EDD programs.
- I worked at a university with a School Psych EDD and a EDS. The EDS seems to be the equivelent to a PsyD in that the program is shorter and emphasizes clinical experience over research. I saw applicants without experience toil for years at admission while career changing teachers got accepted their first round. The EDS is probably a lot less competitive than a EDD.
3) Necessity of child work? I don't think I'll have much experience with children, as I can't get may of the traditional jobs (youth home worker and so on due to my disability), but I will have child/family/parenting psych research, education-focused research (thesis), disability-focused research (possible thesis), assessment research, and some clinical experience with college students, if not children. I'll also hopefully have clinical-ish experience with academic/retention counseling in college students. FWIW, Imy research interests in school psych center around families and/or adolescents, not young children. Will this lack of child experience cause me to end up in the reject pile right away?
-Have you considered a MA or EDD in adult education? I fear these programs are a bit 'soft' and may not lead to stable, secure employment like school psych, but it really sounds like where your experience and interests intersect.
My cousin's husband has a MA in adult ed and works for the ADA making sure employers are interpreting disability laws correctly. He has had trouble finding other work and I don't know anyone else in this field although they have the degrees...
-Have you explored a MA in school counseling or an MA or MA or PhD in social work? You might be able to do the work you want with shorter schooling, less loans, and lower pay, which can mean greater employability. But if you want research it sounds like a EDD is the best match.
Based on my limited experience, your disability provides you with a unique perspective and could be a great asset in your applications, if it informs your work. I would certainly explain that it has limited certain kinds of clinical experience and how it has enriched your research.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
-My cousin graduated from the U of C Santa Barbara and lives in San Francisco. She chose to work freelance writing grants, consulting with programs like the Y, and providing assessment services to local schools because she hated the politics of working in the school. She works hard to market herself and network to bring in new jobs.
She is also working part-time at a university teaching classes to low performing new students, following up to make sure they attend class and complete homework. She loves her work, but has no health insurance and all the perils of being self employed.
Schools can employ a variety of clinicians from school psychologist to school counselors to social workers. It seems to depend on the state and school system. If you are tied to a geographic location and unwilling or unable to relocate, I'd research the state requirements very carefully before enrolling in a program to make sure it meets your career goals.
2) Competitiveness of programs? I get the impression that it's generally less so than clinical psych, but I don't know what I'd need to be "competitive."
-My cousin said the EDD programs are very competitive and spent years doing research she hated in a random lab who accepted her before being accepted. But she wasn't making a comparison between an EDD and a PhD, just between EDD programs.
- I worked at a university with a School Psych EDD and a EDS. The EDS seems to be the equivelent to a PsyD in that the program is shorter and emphasizes clinical experience over research. I saw applicants without experience toil for years at admission while career changing teachers got accepted their first round. The EDS is probably a lot less competitive than a EDD.
3) Necessity of child work? I don't think I'll have much experience with children, as I can't get may of the traditional jobs (youth home worker and so on due to my disability), but I will have child/family/parenting psych research, education-focused research (thesis), disability-focused research (possible thesis), assessment research, and some clinical experience with college students, if not children. I'll also hopefully have clinical-ish experience with academic/retention counseling in college students. FWIW, Imy research interests in school psych center around families and/or adolescents, not young children. Will this lack of child experience cause me to end up in the reject pile right away?
-Have you considered a MA or EDD in adult education? I fear these programs are a bit 'soft' and may not lead to stable, secure employment like school psych, but it really sounds like where your experience and interests intersect.
My cousin's husband has a MA in adult ed and works for the ADA making sure employers are interpreting disability laws correctly. He has had trouble finding other work and I don't know anyone else in this field although they have the degrees...
-Have you explored a MA in school counseling or an MA or MA or PhD in social work? You might be able to do the work you want with shorter schooling, less loans, and lower pay, which can mean greater employability. But if you want research it sounds like a EDD is the best match.
Based on my limited experience, your disability provides you with a unique perspective and could be a great asset in your applications, if it informs your work. I would certainly explain that it has limited certain kinds of clinical experience and how it has enriched your research.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
Some questions:
1) How difficult is it for PhD school psychologists to find jobs in or outside of school system? It seems like most jobs look for MA/MS applicants.
Not difficult from what I understand. Think clinics, group practice, private practice, hospitals (childrens), universities, ...the list is not limited.
2) Competitiveness of programs?
From my perspective, Clinical programs like to formally announce their competitive rates of acceptance. Although, School programs usually have less applicants, their similar in competitiveness.
3) Necessity of child work?
Sounds like very appropriate work if you want to eventually do research at the university level. With school psychology being very much a family systems approach, I don't see this as a detriment. However, as the next post mentions, PhDs or EdDs in Education often do this type of research.
I am a school psychologist practicing with a Masters and an EdS and I'm anticipating my PsyD in about a year. The work to get all of the requirements past the EdS level to get to the doctoral (PsyD) level is an additional 3-5 years, depending on your motivation and dedication to getting the doctorate done.
I used to be from the school of thought that an EdS and a PsyD/PhD were not to far apart in terms of schooling, but the difference in intensity and depth of training is very big.
I also think that the EdS will be less 'powerful' as a terminal degree in the future of school psychology and feel that national regulations will eventually step up program requirements or possibly revamp the programs to the doctorate level.
Although, these are just my 2.5 cents... Good luck in your decision!
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Thanks for the input! I definitely want a PhD or PsyD, not an EdD or EdS. I have a good deal of research experience for an undergraduate, including some in my area of interest, so I'm hoping that will help. I will have done child psych *research*, just not child *clinical* work, so...
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