School Psychology questions

[LR88]

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Hi everyone - I am a rising senior psychology major and until recently, I thought that I wanted to go for my psyD. Suddenly, school psychology seems really appealing. I like the idea of being in a school setting, working with students, teachers, and parents. I think assessment could be an appealing part of the job for me, but I'd like the option of at some point down the road having a private practice on the side and possibly doing therapy with adult populations, as well. I have read a lot about the differences between PhD and PsyD - but I'm a little more new to masters options. Also, I know I do not want to go into research or academia. I think a masters w/ a specialist degree makes more sense than just a masters, but would I be limiting myself to never do real therapy? My impression from http://www.nasponline.org/certification/state_info_list.aspx is that flexibility with the specialist degree differs by state? I'm a little confused - for instance, the California blurb says that with passing an LEP exam, one can move into a private practice? I am most interested in the regulations for California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania, and what in general is most common.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice and apologize if this has been extensively discussed already (I tried reading anything I could find on school psychology already posted).

Does it seem like an Ed.S would be a good degree for my interests? Or maybe a counseling psychology PsyD program. My concern is how few options there are for PsyD programs.

Also, I've been reading up on the Tufts school psychology program and would love to hear anything about that.

 

[WestIndiPsych]

Ok

 

[DVel]

If you decide to go the Counseling route, remember you can always go back and get School Psych certification.
Best of Luck to you

Is this really true? From what I understand, you need to attend a school psychology program and get a certain number of internship hours (1200) for certification, at least in California. It seems that it really isn't feasible to switch from other areas of psychology to school psychology without getting another degree.

I think school psychology is a great option if you want to work in a school setting. As you said, the LEP is a possibility if you eventually want to go the private practice route, but you probably need a doctorate in school psychology, whereas you can work in school with just a masters.

 

[WestIndiPsych]

School psychology is probably a good option.

 

[DVel]

DVel,

Going for counseling psych and then obtaining school psych certification is not a common route but it can be done. It is a long, path which may seem unnecessary to many, but yes, there are programs that allow those trained in clinical or counseling to respecialize in school psych. Clinical folks will have a much easier transition and often may not need school certification (don't quote me on this one) probably because their training is so focused on assessment. It really depends on what a person wants to do when deciding whether or not such a path would be beneficial. The bottom line is School Psychology training does not train you to do therapy and LR88 wants to be able to practice therapy along with working in the schools.

Hrm, do you know of any specific programs for recertification? What are the requirements?

I do agree that school psych alone will not provide training in psychotherapy. However, I just want to make sure that a clinical or counseling does not affect one's ability to work in schools. I understand some schools do hire clinical psychologists, but I think those jobs are much fewer than straight school psychologists.

 

[lookitssara]

1. I know some Ed.S. programs will allow students with an M.A. in a field such as counseling to come in and get the "specialist" certification. This involves both some coursework, and the internship (example: Middle Tennessee State University).

2. It varies state to state what you can do as far as outside of schools. In Michigan, for example, you can get a "limited license to practice psychology" (LLP?) after taking an exam that you will be prepared for after the Ed.S. program. This would be counseling/therapy though, not a clinical practice. Specific programs may discuss this online (Wayne State University is the one I remember reading that specifically discusses this).

3. I believe most APA accredited Ph.D. programs in School Psychology will lead to possible clinical licensure. In a way, these programs are dual programs because after testing, you have the option to do both (although in private practice, you would probably have to stick to children and adolescents).

4. Some PhD programs in school psych (such as UVA's, which is joint with clinical), are preparing students for academia. Such programs will not admit you if you let on that you want to go into clinical/private practice. Not that you can't lie, but be aware that the difference btw/ many PsyD and PhD programs in clinical are that way. Of course, PhD programs are funded, so lots of people lie 😛

 

[numbereight]

ive been pondering these issues myself.

I can only speak about california, where it looks like you really need to get into a school psychology program to become a school psychologist. in california you can legally (not ethically) become licensed to conduct psychotherapy with any doctorate in psychology or education. in order to be SP you need a PPS certification in SP which can only be obtained by going through a SP program/internship. i am not 100% sure about this, but i have read the law several times looking for alternate routes and have found none.

for you LR88. if you don't want to do research but want to both work in schools and private practice, perhaps the psyD in SP is the best option.

I dont know if this is helpful, but i know that fairleigh dickinson university in NJ (next to pa 🙂 has a 3 year master's degree program in SP and a post master's 3 year psy D, also in school psych. with this sequence you can actually become a working SP and go back for your psyD to gain counseling skills and the ability for license in CA. i am not sure about the internship hours however - you may need to double up