School Psychologist with Psy.D in Clinical Psychology, can it be done?

[ZoeyZo2016]

Hi, I am about to enter my second year as a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at Alliant University. During my first year my practicum sight was at a high school and my supervisor was a school psychologist. I learned to administer many different intellectual assessments and got a great look into what the career as a school psychologist would be like. After working under a school psychologist for a semester, I was hooked and could really see a future in this field. I am happy with my program and would like to finish it and earn my Psy.D., but it seems that is an unusual route to take if you want to be a school psychologist. So I am here to ask, is this possible? Is it stupid? Would schools even hire me? Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

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[ClinicalABA]

It may depend on the jurisdiction in which you want to practice. Check licensure requirements for School Psychologist in any jurisdiction in which you want to work. In my state, for example, licensure requires an appropriate degree from a NASP-Approved graduate program.

You should be aware that school psychologist is generally a masters level credential with masters level salary. Graduates from reputable doctoral programs may be overstrained for the credential, with options for higher paying careers. YMMV

 

[WisNeuro]

They may hire you as a school psychologist, but they will also pay you as a school psychologist. This move would potentially be leaving a huge sum of money on the table.

 

[madpsych78]

It may depend on the jurisdiction in which you want to practice. Check licensure requirements for School Psychologist in any jurisdiction in which you want to work. In my state, for example, licensure requires an appropriate degree from a NASP-Approved graduate program.

You should be aware that school psychologist is generally a masters level credential with masters level salary. Graduates from reputable doctoral programs may be overstrained for the credential, with options for higher paying careers. YMMV

Yes and no.

Most school psychologists who practice in the public schools have a specialist degree (equivalent to Master's + 30, but is NOT a master's degree). However, many school psychologists hold doctoral degrees and can become licensed psychologists as well. Some work in the public schools, while others work in private practice, academic settings, or other types of settings. Clinical psychologists who opt to work in the schools would need to have an understanding of the educational system in order to work effectively, and if they do not have a school psychology credential, they would need to work under the supervision of someone who is licensed as a school psychologist. But I want to stress that clinical psychologists are not "overqualified" to do the work that school psychologists do just because they have a clinical psychology degree.

 

[foreverbull]

For the OP, In CA, you just need a master's degree to become a Licensed Educational Psychologist, so you'd have to jump ship in Clinical Psychology and apply to a master's program in educational psychology or school psychology with regional accreditation, complete the program, work in the school system, and get licensed.

They may hire you as a school psychologist, but they will also pay you as a school psychologist. This move would potentially be leaving a huge sum of money on the table.

Not sure what kind of jobs you're thinking clinical psychologists get (of course neuropsych will pay the highest, but not everyone went into that subfield and can command that level of pay), but school psychologists in CA pay well, and in some cases, higher pay ceilings than clinical psychologists. Keeping in mind that most psychologist jobs that are posted are community mental health, geriatric settings, etc., the pay is about the same for both starting out, but school psychologists can command about $100k after 3-4 solid years of licensed practice in schools...which is a number you will rarely see a clinical psychologist position advertise unless it is related to leadership/administrative, technology-related, or a VA position. In short, $100K+ is considered very high pay for psychologists of any kind in my area (except neuropsych, of course, which required specialization).

Also, in my area, the job outlook is good for school psychologists, if the constant job postings for school psychologists are any indication. Of note, they only require a master's degree, so no further education would be necessary, at least in CA.

So for the OP, this would actually be a pretty good move for you if that's what you're wanting....especially if you don't plan on private practice or counseling extensively in your career and love assessments and IEPs/developing educational plans for kids.

If I were you, I'd start looking up pay for your area for school psychologist jobs and look at job duties to make sure it's a good fit and move on from there....

 

[WisNeuro]

Maybe in CA, school psychologists are approaching that, but it doesn't look like they are getting anywhere within a mile of those figures in areas I've worked. Also, 100k+ is very common for clinical in my area (not CA), especially 3-4 years out, even non-neuro.

 

[WisNeuro]

The NASP website lists the mean salary of School psychs as 64-71k depending on contract type. I imagine any making close to 100k are a few SDs above that mean, and may not be representative of the group as whole. Anyone got a recent salary survey?

 

[foreverbull]

Maybe in CA, school psychologists are approaching that, but it doesn't look like they are getting anywhere within a mile of those figures in areas I've worked. Also, 100k+ is very common for clinical in my area (not CA), especially 3-4 years out, even non-neuro.

So there must be fairly large differences by region/state/city. All the more reason for the OP to look for salary figures in local job postings (and/or get input from local psychologists) as a more meaningful indicator.

 

[ClinicalABA]

But I want to stress that clinical psychologists are not "overqualified" to do the work that school psychologists do just because they have a clinical psychology degree.

Totally aggree- that's why I used the term "overtrained" vs. overqualified. If your goal is to be a licensed school psychologist (at least in my state- MA), trying to do so through a doctoral program in clinical/counseling psych would mean a lot more overall training (including potentially irrelevant training), as well as potentially not enough appropriate training. As a graduate of a Clinical Psych Ph.D. program I may have much more graduate training than the school psychologist I cross paths with, but I am not necessarily more "qualified" (though when they start to do things like FBAs and other ABA programming for which they have little formal training, I am much more qualified).

 

[ClinicalABA]

If I were you, I'd start looking up pay for your area for school psychologist jobs and look at job duties to make sure it's a good fit and move on from there....

And remember- posted salaries for school positions may be based on a 10 month/year contract- be sure to ask.

 

[deleted760483]

Even if you can I just don't know why you would. I basically do everything a school psychologist does for the school aged patients that I see (testing for disabilities, psychopathology, academic achievement, suggesting accommodations, etc.) but work in a much nicer setting and get paid a lot more.

 

[Are we there yet]

I just finished my internship at a K-8 grade school in California and looked into the possibility of working as a school psychologist. I contacted the Board of Education to find out if I could work as a school psychologist with a PsyD and they told me I would need to receive a California Pupil Personnel Services Credential (CPPS) with a specialization in School Psychology. In order to receive this credential the following requirements have to be met:

Complete post baccalaureate degree study consisting of a minimum of 60 semester units in a California Commission-approved professional preparation program specializing in school psychology, including a practicum with school-aged children

Obtain the recommendation of a California college or university with a Commission-approved Pupil Personnel Services program specializing in school psychology. This process will result in the college or university submitting the recommendation online.

Private schools have different requirements and there may be some school districts that would waive this requirement but basically the educational path towards becoming a School Psychologist is different than a Clinical Psychologist.

Hope this helps!