School Psychologist Ed.S

[PsychedOutInCA]

Sorry that I'm starting another thread. I'm just trying to find my way. I am going to lay off the idea of doing an online degree. I'm better than that. I'm thinking of becoming a School Psychologist. I noticed the letters for that are Ed.S....meaning Educational Specialist. My state school has a 4 year Ed.S program that I'm going to apply to fall 2018. Is this a Masters Program? When I talked to the school, they said it's in between a Masters and Doctorate Program. Overall, I think going to my state University to become a School Psychologist is better than trying to do a degree online. Final answer.

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[smalltownpsych]

Based on my cursory online review of what an EdS is and what a licensed educational psychologist is, the answer would be yes. Don't know much about career opportunities in that field, but would think that in person classes and a solid university with solid practicum or internship placements would give you an edge.

 

[PsyDr]

There's nothing wrong with learning! The online school bastards make it look like it is the same outcome with almost none of the sacrifices, so it's understandable when people are interested.

I would really recommend the "I hate school psychology" thread. And getting an MEd instead. But if you're dead set on getting an EdS, I'd look into programs that have an EdD or school psych PhD attached.

Here's why: the EdS degree is somewhere in between a masters and a doctorate. But you're stuck. People assume the EdS is of a similar requirement as a masters. It isn't. There hours are a lot more, but the reward isn't. The counseling boards have trouble with the degree which makes licensure at the masters level sorta hard. The psychology boards have a pretty low volume of this stuff, so there can be problems there. What happens if you hate the job in 10 years? Your opportunities for private practice are next to zilch, the job market is pretty limited, and there are significant budget fluctuations. Going back to school to get a EdD or PhD means that a substantial amount of coursework is basically thrown aside. Unless you have that fall back.

 

[SchoolPsycho]

The Ed.S. is the entry level degree for many states for school psychologists. Programs vary, but it is generally two years of coursework plus a paid 9-12 month internship (so, about 3 years in full). It is a little longer than a typical masters, and far shorter than a typical doctorate in school or clinical psychology.

The Ed.S. prepares you to work as a school psychologist specifically in a school setting. If that is what you want to do, it is a great choice. Job prospects are very good, including for Ed.S. level folks. Many school psychologists are test-and-place and report writing machines. However, the field is (slowly) moving away from that model, and many programs are training accordingly. I recommend educating yourself on the field and selecting a program that will set you up to succeed in what you want to emphasize in your practice. I also recommend selecting a NASP-approved program. Familiarize yourself with the information on the NASP website to learn more.

Some Ed.S. folks work in other settings, such as private practice. It is not the ideal degree to do so, and you would want to be keenly aware of your state's requirements.

 

[ilovedance1]

It is essentially a master's degree plus one year of internship (that is required before receiving your degree). There are also PhD level school psychology programs and EdD level programs.

 

[Jane77]

Sorry that I'm starting another thread. I'm just trying to find my way. I am going to lay off the idea of doing an online degree. I'm better than that. I'm thinking of becoming a School Psychologist. I noticed the letters for that are Ed.S....meaning Educational Specialist. My state school has a 4 year Ed.S program that I'm going to apply to fall 2018. Is this a Masters Program? When I talked to the school, they said it's in between a Masters and Doctorate Program. Overall, I think going to my state University to become a School Psychologist is better than trying to do a degree online. Final answer.

Do you know anything about SP? I would talk to SP's in your area and learn more about the job. School Psychology is a misnomer of a job. You are more of an educational administrator than anything else. You have to be passionate about kids and education. There is very little Psychology involved in the job.

 

[barryggg]

Do you know anything about SP? I would talk to SP's in your area and learn more about the job. School Psychology is a misnomer of a job. You are more of an educational administrator than anything else. You have to be passionate about kids and education. There is very little Psychology involved in the job.

What is the definition of Psychology to you? Do you know SP?

Any problem that impacts psychological health, is something that Psychologists are interested in studying and quantifying.

 

[barryggg]

Again, though, I don't really understand the American system. In Canada, at least one province has a specific School Psychologist designation, so these people would not be Psychologists... but these people don't even need to pass the EPPP, or anything.But every other place that accepts Masters Psychologist, you get an M.ed or a M.sc, and you can be an Independent Psychologist. There are no restrictions per-say, but there may be more hoops because you don't have a Phd. (ie one or two years of supervised practice before you can be independent, or passing additional evaluations so you can diagnose).

 

[madpsych78]

There's nothing wrong with learning! The online school bastards make it look like it is the same outcome with almost none of the sacrifices, so it's understandable when people are interested.

I would really recommend the "I hate school psychology" thread. And getting an MEd instead. But if you're dead set on getting an EdS, I'd look into programs that have an EdD or school psych PhD attached.

Here's why: the EdS degree is somewhere in between a masters and a doctorate. But you're stuck. People assume the EdS is of a similar requirement as a masters. It isn't. There hours are a lot more, but the reward isn't. The counseling boards have trouble with the degree which makes licensure at the masters level sorta hard. The psychology boards have a pretty low volume of this stuff, so there can be problems there. What happens if you hate the job in 10 years? Your opportunities for private practice are next to zilch, the job market is pretty limited, and there are significant budget fluctuations. Going back to school to get a EdD or PhD means that a substantial amount of coursework is basically thrown aside. Unless you have that fall back.

The Ed.S. is the entry level degree for many states for school psychologists. Programs vary, but it is generally two years of coursework plus a paid 9-12 month internship (so, about 3 years in full). It is a little longer than a typical masters, and far shorter than a typical doctorate in school or clinical psychology.

The Ed.S. prepares you to work as a school psychologist specifically in a school setting. If that is what you want to do, it is a great choice. Job prospects are very good, including for Ed.S. level folks. Many school psychologists are test-and-place and report writing machines. However, the field is (slowly) moving away from that model, and many programs are training accordingly. I recommend educating yourself on the field and selecting a program that will set you up to succeed in what you want to emphasize in your practice. I also recommend selecting a NASP-approved program. Familiarize yourself with the information on the NASP website to learn more.

Some Ed.S. folks work in other settings, such as private practice. It is not the ideal degree to do so, and you would want to be keenly aware of your state's requirements.

SchoolPsycho is correct. The specialist is better than the master's for working in the public schools. And, I know Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs, which is the title for school psychologists in Texas) who have attained their Licensed Psychological Associate, so they can work within a non-school setting as long as they are being supervised by a licensed psychologist. However, if you want more independence then I would recommend getting the PhD or PsyD (I suppose EdD as well) as you need that in order to become a licensed psychologist.

 

[Jane77]

What is the definition of Psychology to you? Do you know SP?

Any problem that impacts psychological health, is something that Psychologists are interested in studying and quantifying.

I dont know if you misunderstood my comment or what but I have been a school psychologist (sp) for 8 years. I was trying to caution the OP that if you work in the schools as an SP your job will be determined by the district's needs. As a result you will have very little input or leeway as to how you do your job. Even the determination of whether a student has a learning disability or not is based on federal and state criteria as well as your sped director's interpretation. You professional opinion, ethics and pyschological expertise mean very little in the day to day life of an SP.

 

[barryggg]

I dont know if you misunderstood my comment or what but I have been a school psychologist (sp) for 8 years. I was trying to caution the OP that if you work in the schools as an SP your job will be determined by the district's needs. As a result you will have very little input or leeway as to how you do your job. Even the determination of whether a student has a learning disability or not is based on federal and state criteria as well as your sped director's interpretation. You professional opinion, ethics and pyschological expertise mean very little in the day to day life of an SP.

Thanks for clarifying. But your comment about 'there is very little psychology' could be interpreted in other ways. There is sometimes a perception that Educational Psychologists don't deal with serious problems, or that they mostly just assess learning disabilities, and I think there is also a - for working with school aged children. But this idea of an educational psychologist is inaccurate in quite a few places in North America.

 

[madpsych78]

Do you know anything about SP? I would talk to SP's in your area and learn more about the job. School Psychology is a misnomer of a job. You are more of an educational administrator than anything else. You have to be passionate about kids and education. There is very little Psychology involved in the job.

Speaking as someone who has worked as a specialist-level school psychologist in Illinois, is currently a doctoral student in Texas, and is about to move to Louisiana for internship (yay!), I can state that the "psychology" in school psychology does seem to vary from state to state. In states that are not as "far along" in the RTI process (e.g., Texas) there appears to be more "psychology" in the services provided. LSSPs do provide counseling services, conduct evaluations, functional behavioral assessments, consult, etc. (Also, school social workers are a rarity in Texas, although there are educational diagnosticians who complete the cognitive and achievement testing.) In contrast, in the states that appear to be further along in the RTI process (e.g., Illinois) there appears to be more emphasis on "school" than on "psychology."

I do agree with a further point that was made (not in this quote) that your district has a lot of input as to your job; however, I disagree that there is a lot of administration in every school psychology job. This has tended to vary as well. In Texas, the diagnosticians tend to handle more of the administrative stuff than the LSSPs (at least at the district where I completed a practicum).

 

[Jane77]

Thanks for clarifying. But your comment about 'there is very little psychology' could be interpreted in other ways. There is sometimes a perception that Educational Psychologists don't deal with serious problems, or that they mostly just assess learning disabilities, and I think there is also a - for working with school aged children. But this idea of an educational psychologist is inaccurate in quite a few places in North America.

Okay, so my comments are mostly about the perception of School Psychologists in the schools. I don't agree with the perception that Educational Psychologists don't deal with serious problems.

With your last comment, is there a place in North America where there is a different perception of Educational Psychology? I would be interested in hearing about the role of the field in different locations.