Yes...Another School Psych Question!

[az_zulu]

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Is it really true that school psychologists are only called out to do assessments/testing in the schools? What about counseling? Is counseling left for the school counselor to handle?

I'm interested in the area of special needs (specifically autism) and I am still contemplating if school psych is a good alternative to clinical psych. As a school psychologist I would like to do a bit of both (counseling and testing). I'd also like to create IEP's and tailor ABA programs for children with autism.

Do you see this as a possibility as a school psycholgist in a school or must I be a private consultant or have a private practice to have the luxury of all interests mentioned above (counseling, testing, inclusion, IEP planning, and management of ABA programs)?

Every professor I always came in contact with made me feel as though school psych was just about assessment and testing and much less about counseling and management of inclusion services.

As always, thanks for your help!

 

[schooldoc]

I agree with Jon Snow that the ABA, assessment, and IEP pieces will be much more accessible to you if you are working in a school setting. Regarding the extent to which you would be able to do counseling: many school sites won't see this as part of your role at all; others might begrudgingly let you have a few cases as long as you get everything else (i.e., all the testing) done; still others might expect you to carry a therapy caseload. Additionally, school psych programs vary widely in terms of preparing students to deliver counseling services; if you do ultimately choose school psych, research that component of the programs to which you apply carefully so that you are not disappointed by the level of training!

In my experience, less traditional school sites such as Approved Private Schools (or, for that matter, regular private schools that serve students with disabilities) tend to be more flexible in terms of role conceptualization; since you aren't spending the bulk of your time doing initial evaluations, and since the staff tends to be smaller, you may find yourself performing duties and occupying roles that would be considered others' responsibilities in public K-12 settings. Also, some states and/or districts use a case management team model, in which you might serve as the case manager for some students. Might be worth investigating whether such a model is commonplace where you live (or where you plan to practice). I wish you luck as you continue to explore the relative advantages of each type of program!

 

[merideen]

Each school is going to vary, some schools will be more assessment oriented others will be more prevention/intervention oriented. With the changes in the IDEA, school psychologists will have to start becoming more involved in interventions within the classroom. I think a program that doesn't focus completely on assessments is Lehigh University, you might want to check it out.