School Psychology vs. LPC

[jhumble]

Hi all,

I am currently trying to decide on which course of action to take on my way to using my degree in psychology. Currently, I have been accepted into a counseling psychology program that, when completed, puts me in the position to obtain an LPC after completing internship. I have, however, been looking at programs offering an LSSP. Most are over 5 hours away from my current home and, given the status of my life, a lot harder to make work.
I love to work with children of all ages. I was a tutor for my local school district this past year and, for the most part, loved it. I have extensive hours volunteering with children (teaching them to play sports, help with school work, etc...) Needless to say, I would love to help children succeed, especially in the school system.
I have done many hours of research on the internet but i can't seem to find the exact answer I'm looking for. I think I have pinned down what exactly a school psychologist does and what a LPC does (for the most part).
Which brings me to my main question: as an LPC, would I be able to readily contract out with school systems or other governments agencies to work with children or is that something that would not be easy having an LPC rather than an LSSP? And would an LPC be more focused on counseling aspects rather than succeeding academically in a school setting?
My main reason for leaning towards an LSSP is the fact that I would be a part of a school district which, to me, means a more stable work environment than being an LPC and contracting out with however many agencies.I know this probably means I am not as versatile being an LSSP, but I could always go back to do something else if the LSSP didn't work out. Plus, of course, the pay difference between the two. I don't really want to work my butt off to not be paid anything in the end.
So, I guess any general advice from LPC's and LSSP's would be great. Things like what a typical day is like, how hard it would be to contract out as an LPC, things like that. Also, is it possible to work and go to a school psychology program at the same time without absolutely killing yourself?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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[Rapunzel]

I am an LPC, which would be a good fit for me if I could compete in the flooded job market in this economy and get the kind of job that I am trained and licensed for, with some stability. All of those agencies have limited openings, and we are still working on getting recognition of equal status with other master's level therapists, which means that we get passed over. What I want to do is treat mental health problems. I might have to start a private practice to create the job that I want for myself, and then I would have to get on insurance panels, etc., to establish funding. I can work with children, and I do. Academics can be a concern, but usually within a broader context. I'm not likely to get a job working in a school district with this degree and license. A few years ago that would have been different, but the current movement is to distinguish the professions such that school psychologists and school counselors do only very limited treatment of mental health issues, and focus on what is happening in education, referring out when appropriate. LPCs don't have the specialty training for school settings, although re-specialization from LPC to school counselor or vice verse is just one year of additional coursework. My mental health counseling class (graduating in 2008) had several people who were doing internships in school settings and were told at the last minute that they couldn't count those hours and had to do something clinical. The requirements for our internships were that we did assessment, treatment, and diagnosis. The state board here said that diagnosis isn't appropriate in the school setting, so it didn't count.

It sounds like school psychology, or school counseling, is more what you want to do, and it is disappointing to put 3-4 years into a graduate degree only to find out later that it isn't what you wanted, even if going back for one more year can change it. You might look into school counseling, as it seems that school psychologists do much more testing and diagnostic activities and may be responsible for much larger groups such as an entire school district, while school counselors work more with a smaller set of students, often in one school, and are able to do more individual work or focus on groups or classrooms where there is a specific concern and do more in depth work. Then again, if you want to go on and become a psychologist, the school psychologist degree may be better respected in that context. I get the impression that it pays better too. Then, it also depends on the program. If your program has the possibility of continuing on after the master's, it may take you where you want to go eventually.

 

[jhumble]

Thank you for responding and for the advice!
I'm starting to get the feeling that what i want to do more is school psychology also. I have looked into being a school counselor, but here you have to be a teacher for two years then become a counselor with another 2 years of schooling. My mother has been in the school system for many, many years and I have seen her be a teacher and then go get her counseling degree and not be compensated financially for that much schooling. In the area I am, school psychologists get paid significantly more coming right out of school than a teacher and even a counselor would.
It sounds like from your post that getting an LPC may not be able to branch out much without having their own private practice. If I am wrong, please correct me. I'm not really looking (right now anyway) to go into private practice. I know that with a doctorate degree in school psychology i would be able to go into private practice more so than just a LSSP. I don't really see myself sitting down and straight counseling people which I am starting to see is what LPC's do more than school psychologists. The idea of testing and pinpointing problems and writing plans for children in a school setting sounds like more fun to me.
Anyway, thanks for the help. Any more advice or correcting my thinking would be appreciated!

 

[thirddegree]

In my experience in my children's schools, the school psychologist does alot of paperwork, and spends alot of times in meetings, testing, writing up IEPs, etc. Sounds like that is the kind of stuff you are interested in so it might be a good match for you.