I graduating this December with my bachelor’s in psychology. This is a semester earlier than I thought I was going to graduate, therefore I have been actively trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I’ve always known I wanted to work and help with kids. I recently came across this field of school psychology and I can’t begin to explain how happy and excited I am to go and get my degree in this field. Seems like the perfect fit to me . I am so happy I have found your channel, you make me even more excited about being apart of this field. Thank you for creating such amazing content ! 💓
Mya Alysse thank you so much!! I really love this field and was in a similar position when I was graduating from undergrad. I thought I wanted to be a school counselor actually but I’m so happy I stuck with psychology. I’m working on a “how to become a school psychologist” video now that goes over all the grad school details so make sure you stay tuned!!
Thank you so much! What kinds of videos would you find most helpful? I’d like to talk more about school psychology, but I don’t want to present too much technical information. I’d love to hear from you!
Thank you for this video! I’m currently an undergrad in psychology and sociology. I’d love a video more about like applying to grad schools? And advice! Also maybe pro/cons of the job in a video where you can really lay it out? Just ideas! 😊 I subscribed, can’t wait for more!
Hey there, thanks for the comment! I love the ideas. I do have a video about the 5 things I wish I knew before I started graduate school so check that out and tell me what else you'd like to know! Laura
I've been planning on applying to school psychology programs next year, but I keep seeing people say negative things about this profession online. The biggest thing that scares me is when I see people say that they have no work life balance because they have to bring home work every day. Is this true for you? Or do you have a pretty good work life balance? I also see people saying that this job is sooo stressful because administrators pile too much work on them, and because parents are always angry at them and threatening to sue. What do you think about this? Is it the same for you? I know that pretty much all jobs could be described as stressful, so I'm trying to figure out if school psychology is any more stressful than most jobs. If you could answer these questions I would really appreciate it.
Loren Thank you so much for watching and you great questions! At my current district I have a great work-life balance. I also coach cheerleading for one of our middle schools and love it! That being said, every position is a little different. You want to find a position that has a reasonable student ratio. The NASP (national association of school psychologists) ratio is 1 school psych to 500-700 students. I’m current at about 950 students, which is very lucky. I’ve found psychs that have more than 1000 students have to work outside of the school day to stay in compliance of the law. I will say, very few school psychs I have worked with or met, have left the profession, and I have met many who made this their second career. I find the most stressful aspect to be the areas I can’t control like pressures you may feel from administration or lack of resources at a school. Overall, school psychologists are happy with their job and do it because we love helping kids. When applying to programs look for ones that are NASP accredited. From what I’ve gathered these programs give you the best well-rounded experience and meet industry standards in all areas. Also consider if you want your specialist degree (masters plus some and you can then practice as a school psych) or a doctorate Hope that answered all your questions! Laura
@@lauradoespsychology9150 Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply. It's encouraging to hear that you have a great work life balance, and even enough time to coach cheer-leading. I will look into what the typical school psych to student ratios are in the areas that I would most like to work. I would very much like to have a career that will allow me to help children.
Loren School psychology is the perfect way to help kids! Education makes up so much of kids lives but once we grow up we tend to forget how impactful it is on shaping who we are. I love that I get to work will all kinds of different kids with different abilities and needs. Thanks again for your comment, it really made my day!
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for uploading this video. I’m currently in the process of applying to grad school for School Psych and you’ve answered all of my questions! I’m hoping to write a great essay on why I want to become a School Psychologist and your video has helped me articulate those words. I appreciate you! :)
I like working with kids but I don't want to work in the classroom. I think School Psychology is the right field for me to go into because I love working with children and I also went to school for Psychology. I don't really like writing too much but I think I can get over that. How did you go about picking a program?
I picked a program based on my location, which is certainly a consideration. You can also find accredited programs on nasponline.org. I will say, there is A LOT of writing. It can get repetitive so you aren't starting from scratch every time, but a good portion of what we do is writing up everything we do with out kids. We write reports, write behavior plans, write TONSSSS of emails, etc.
Laura Does Psychology Thankyou so much for the amazing video & great example of a child label with disability bs not having a disability. I have a minor in psychology & just graduate with BA in child & adolescence development school age concertation. I am confused about whether I get a teaching credential in special education or in school psychologist MA. Because I want to help children with special needs or teach them. Moreover, I want to help children one I one than teaching the whole classroom. I am wondering how much experience the school district requires in order to get hired as a school psychologist. Honestly speaking I have seen children with special needs and ADHD. Therefore, teachers struggle a lot with them but they have no idea how to clam down that individual.
I applied to 4 SSP programs in my area and I am so nervous. Just curious, have you seen many people with tattoos? I plan on hiding my tattoos but wherever it is that you work, are there many LSSP's that have tattoos? I have a lot that I am able to cover if needed, but I live in Texas so it gets HOT. During my graduate interviews I also plan to cover them but maybe it is not as much of an issue as I think it is
Hi Mia! Thank you for the question! I actually have several tattoos and plan on getting more. I do cover up for interviews, mostly because I wear profession dress (dress pants and blazer), which naturally covers what I have. On a daily basis I don't worry about covering the tattoos up and there are plenty of other school based professionals with tattoos. The only thing I would be worried about is if the tattoos could be potentially offensive or risque, like a depiction of a not fully clothed person, or swear words. Other than that I, nor anyone I know, has had any issues. Mostly people error on the side of more modest until they are more comfortable in the environment, which I think is good advice. Hope that helps!
Laura, thank you for posting this video! It is super insightful. I have two grad school interviews next week for Specialized Masters programs. Do you have any tips for nailing grad school interviews? Thank you again, and I can't wait to see more from you!
Hey I hope this gets to you in time! Ask the professors and current students lots of questions. Ask about your practicum experience; will you have different choices, where are they located, what type of supervision will you get, and are there different kinds of settings like school and clinical. Be genuine and courteous, programs want to train students who are genuinely interested in the field and can work well with others. Make sure you check out my newest video! I got into the interview a bit more!
Expect to type extensive reports everyday of your life, including Xmas. No weekend or evening is ever yours. You barely have summer off. The state eval forms require you to repeat yourself 7x in different words, no copying and pasting aloud. I don’t help students very often; I write 30 plus page reports on each student for lawyers. If you actually want to help students, school psych really doesn’t provide that. Choose your state of practice wisely.
Im currently an undergrad student at Arizona State University studying psychology and my dream is to become a school psychologist. I stumbled across your page and I found it so informative. For one of my classes I have to interview a professional that is currently a school psychologist. Im sure you are very busy and I completely understand if you cannot help me; However if I could interview you and ask you a few questions it would be amazing! Thank you so much.
This video was so helpful in learning more about this field, thank you! I’be worked in mental health with adults for quite a few years but lately have been feeling a pull towards working with young kids in school. Currently debating between starting a school psychology or a school counseling MA program. What do you suggest I consider when making a decision between the two? How do these differ? Any insight you provide would be helpful. Do you work at the elementary school level?
Los Gomez I actually was in the same boat when thinking about grad school. A school counselor will teach lessons in the classroom. Their accrediting association actually wants them in the classroom almost 50% of the time. I shadowed an elementary counselor and realized I did not want to teach. At the secondary level school counselors do crisis management and administrative work like schedules and post-graduation plans with a tiny bit of counseling if they’re lucky. One of the biggest easily noticeable differences is that school psychologists work very closely with special education. We do work with regular education students but I am actually part of our special education department, and our counselors are lumped in with teachers or “classified” staff. I think if you are deciding between the two I would talk to others on each field and think about how you want to spend your day. Obviously I’m biased and I love what I do, but I also know counselors who are very happy as well. Good luck!!
@@lauradoespsychology9150 thanks for the above information. I plan to apply for a master’s in school psychology after I am done with my 30 credits educational psychology program. I realize that after finishing my present program I will have to do 30 more credits in the school psychology program to be qualified for the national accreditation. Lots of people are oblivious to the fact that a school psychology program has to be NASP approved for one to get licensed as a school psychologist so I also thank you for reminding us of such valuable information. About a weak ago I took on a LTS position for special education students but I didn’t get mentorship support and having to do statistics this semester in my program made my job difficult so I quit working with SPED students though I didn’t want to. 🥲🥲
Hello Laura! I love how you broke down what school psychologist do? As far as figuring out what to do with the information that you figure out, what would you do if you detect that a child has autism or has ADHD ?
The first thing I would do is interview the parent and get a medical history. Then I would observe the child in a variety of settings. Then I would conduct the appropriate tests. Finally, I would integrate the data into a report and share my findings with the team.
Hi Laura! I loved watching your video, it's very informative and I can tell that you're very passionate about this field. I'm currently an undergraduate student in psychology, I'll be graduating in about a year. I'm super interested in school psychology and can definitely see myself working as a school psychologist. What would be some pros and cons that you would say are about this field? Especially when you get your specialist degree, is it difficult to find a job in this field after graduating? Also what is the average entry salary from your perspective? I know I just asked you a bunch of questions, but I would love to hear and learn from you as I plan to study this field in grad school! Thank you so much.
Riddah Shahed Thank you so much for your comment! First I am very passionate about my job so I’m glad that came across! I would say the pro’s are that you are a leader within your teams being that you’ll have knowledge of a variety of areas, you get to help kids every day, my job is never boring as there is constantly something new happening, and I like that I largely work independently, meaning I don’t have someone watching my every move or questioning every decision. The con’s would be the paper work/report writing, not getting to provide the services you might want to (as in I’d like more time to do counseling but evaluations keep me busy), and not always feeling a part of the school community (I work at two building, most psychs have more, but I miss out on building team-building and have less personable relationships with the teachers and staff). Finding a job can be easy or difficult depending on where you want to work. For instance, I am from and graduated from a program in Pittsburgh PA, but I now live and work in Kansas City MO. I looked for jobs in Pittsburgh, but there are 3 school psych programs in the area and few job openings. I did my internship in Kansas City and was offered a position if I wanted to stay. There are lots of places around the country that are in dire need and actively looking for school psychs. The vast majority of school psychs have their specialist degree so I don’t image having a specialist versus a doctorate would hinder employment opportunities As for pay it varies, but I would say 48,00+ per year on a 180/190 day contract is a good place to start in a more suburban/less expensive area. Pay is higher in places like California or New York but so is the cost of living. Most psychs work a similar schedule to teachers so you get holidays and summer off. If you work year round, I’d add about 8000-10,000. I get paid more for having my doctorate. I started at a higher rate and get a stipend. Many schools give stipends for being nationally certified so that’s definitely something to think about when picking a program and then looking for a job. Hope that answered your questions but feel free to ask more! Laura
Hi! Is the data you talk about collecting in your video mostly qualitative observations made about the childs behavior or is there quantitative analysis involved too? As an undergrad psych major with a minor in statistics I love the idea of a helping career that uses psych and data in a school setting! But I’m curious about whether the work involves numbers, research, or statistics skills. Thank you for the informative video!! I’m excited about this field :)
Clare McDonald hi there! The data I use on a daily basis is mixed between qualitative and quantitative; however, the quantitative is very simplistic like rate of improvement and percentiles. Unless you go into research I don’t think you will use advanced statistics. Maybe if you do district or school level analyses but I don’t know of any school psychs that run such systemic level analysis as part of their daily practice. I definitely use basic statistics every day and have to explain things like percentile, normal curve, standard scores, and base rates practically everyday. Hope that helps!
Hi Yolanda! I make $49,777 per year for a 190 day contract. This is about $3500 higher than what I would make if I had a specialist degree at my current district. I also get a $2500 stipend for my doctorate. The district I work in is on the lower end pay wise because we use a teacher pay schedule. I also live in a suburban area in the mid-west so the cost of living is very reasonable. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Laura
Yolanda White I did have a paid internship. I found my internship through APPIC so it was quite the process. I was paid $23,000 plus benefits like healthcare for 11 months of work. Everyone I know who got an internship through APPIC got paid, but some in my program who found their own got maybe a couple thousand for 12 months work.
Hello! Great video. I am working on a degree in Organizational Leadership and I'm 8 months shy of earning my degree until I discovered this field. Will getting an Eds Masters in School Psychology be sufficient to enter this field? Or is a bachelors in Psychology a must? Thank you. My experience is 5 years military intelligence analysis and 3 years a police officer. Both requiring immense amounts of report writing.
Most school psychs hold a specialist degree in school psych to practice. You do need at least a specialists degree but there’s no requirement for bachelor’s. I think most programs are looking for people who are passionate about helping people and work well with others, which certainly seems true of you!
Most school psychs hold a specialist degree in school psych to practice. You do need at least a specialists degree but there’s no requirement for bachelor’s. I think most programs are looking for people who are passionate about helping people and work well with others, which certainly seems true of you!
Hi Laura. ! Its me again lol! I just want to say that I am so happy thay you are passionate about this field. Could I get into this field with a human development and family studies major?
Your undergraduate degree can be in anything. Many come into the field with different background. Human development would be very appropriate. Just remember, you can't practice as a school psychologist without a specialist (masters plus some) or doctorate in school psychology.
Amanda Ogbureke hey Amanda! I’m sorry I think you asked and I forgot to respond. I think any social sciences background is useful. That’s one of the great aspects of school psychology in that the job pulls from different areas. I think human development and family studies will be incredibly useful.
Data collection depends entirely on the referral question. So if we suspect ADHD for Timmy, it makes sense to get data that reflects the syptoms of ADHD. If the referral is Autism, I would look for symptoms of AU, like social interactions, communication skills etc. In addition to observations, we would also collect rating scales to additionally quantitive behaviors. Rating scales for children are typically completed by the teacher and parent, but some have self-reports starting at age 8.
I am a sophomore majoring in special education and liberal studies with a concentration in psych, and really want to apply to programs once I get my bachelor’s. Is it ok to Major in education instead of psych when applying for graduate programs?
Amanda Ogbureke that’s a good question! Some school psychs do work through the summer, but most I know don’t. Honestly most just enjoy the time off, but I’ve looked into teaching some summer courses at local colleges. There are also summer camps and such if you want to work with kids but it’s not “psychology” work.
Amanda Ogbureke for a school psych job it very much depends on the area and the district. I wouldn’t say it’s great but considering you can have holidays and summers off, plus the benefits from working for the government can make up for pay. For instance I have really great retirement and healthcare benefits.
@@lauradoespsychology9150 do you have a amsters and a PHD ? and would you say that being a school psycholigst is a rewarding job? Would you say that you will still be financially stable doing it ? The thing is I love kids but I am still deciding if i wanna do school psychology or clinical. I love kids !
Amanda Ogbureke I actually have my PsyD. I think being a school psych is incredibly rewarding! I love going to work every day and feel like I have an impact on my students and community. You absolutely can be financially stable. I make about $50,000 a year, so I apologize if I made it sound like it wasn’t that much! I also like in the mid-west so cost of living is not very high. I would suggest talking to as many school and clinical psychs you can and see what they do on a daily basis then decide which aligns best to how you picture your future. I do think a doctorate is the best way to go if you’re thinking clinical whereas you can be a practicing school psych with only a specialist degree.
Hi Laura. This is Victoria. I really enjoy your video and your energy towards to school psychology. I am currently working on applying master on school psychology and hope to hear back for you some feedback about my personal statement. Can i have your email so i can send you the file. Waiting for your response.
no not if you don’t want them to know, they they shouldn’t tell your parents.If stuff is going wrong at home you should talk to the school psychologist, or if you are having problems with life or at school. Even if you just want advice like where to go in life (I am assuming you are a high school student or college student). So yeah you talking to school psychologist on campus is no ones business but your own because the school also has privacy laws that protect your confidentiality in the event that you want to see your school psychologist(unless you are are talking about you or someone you know being hurt). Hope that helped.
Christina Guerrero hey Christina! If you visit the psychologist for a quick problem or just to chat, they will not tell your parents. School psychologists are bound by HIPPA meaning your health information is private. The only exceptions would if you are in danger. So an example would be if you indicated that you were suicidal or someone was hurting you. In those type of situation we have a duty to warn so we would be required to notify who we feel needs to know to keep you safe. That might be your parents, law enforcement etc. The other exception is if you start regular counseling with the school psych we usually get parent permission to meet, but we don’t discuss what goes on during the sessions. Hope that help!
I graduating this December with my bachelor’s in psychology. This is a semester earlier than I thought I was going to graduate, therefore I have been actively trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I’ve always known I wanted to work and help with kids. I recently came across this field of school psychology and I can’t begin to explain how happy and excited I am to go and get my degree in this field. Seems like the perfect fit to me . I am so happy I have found your channel, you make me even more excited about being apart of this field. Thank you for creating such amazing content ! 💓
Mya Alysse thank you so much!! I really love this field and was in a similar position when I was graduating from undergrad. I thought I wanted to be a school counselor actually but I’m so happy I stuck with psychology. I’m working on a “how to become a school psychologist” video now that goes over all the grad school details so make sure you stay tuned!!
This is literally exactly my story right now! So cool to see lol good luck with everything!
I’m currently in a school psych program, love this video!! Please do more!! ♥️♥️♥️
Thank you so much! What kinds of videos would you find most helpful? I’d like to talk more about school psychology, but I don’t want to present too much technical information. I’d love to hear from you!
What pushed you into going to school psych? Also , do school psychologist design programs ?
Thank you for this video! I’m currently an undergrad in psychology and sociology. I’d love a video more about like applying to grad schools? And advice! Also maybe pro/cons of the job in a video where you can really lay it out? Just ideas! 😊 I subscribed, can’t wait for more!
Hey there, thanks for the comment! I love the ideas. I do have a video about the 5 things I wish I knew before I started graduate school so check that out and tell me what else you'd like to know!
Laura
I've been planning on applying to school psychology programs next year, but I keep seeing people say negative things about this profession online. The biggest thing that scares me is when I see people say that they have no work life balance because they have to bring home work every day. Is this true for you? Or do you have a pretty good work life balance? I also see people saying that this job is sooo stressful because administrators pile too much work on them, and because parents are always angry at them and threatening to sue. What do you think about this? Is it the same for you? I know that pretty much all jobs could be described as stressful, so I'm trying to figure out if school psychology is any more stressful than most jobs. If you could answer these questions I would really appreciate it.
Loren Thank you so much for watching and you great questions! At my current district I have a great work-life balance. I also coach cheerleading for one of our middle schools and love it! That being said, every position is a little different. You want to find a position that has a reasonable student ratio. The NASP (national association of school psychologists) ratio is 1 school psych to 500-700 students. I’m current at about 950 students, which is very lucky. I’ve found psychs that have more than 1000 students have to work outside of the school day to stay in compliance of the law.
I will say, very few school psychs I have worked with or met, have left the profession, and I have met many who made this their second career. I find the most stressful aspect to be the areas I can’t control like pressures you may feel from administration or lack of resources at a school. Overall, school psychologists are happy with their job and do it because we love helping kids.
When applying to programs look for ones that are NASP accredited. From what I’ve gathered these programs give you the best well-rounded experience and meet industry standards in all areas. Also consider if you want your specialist degree (masters plus some and you can then practice as a school psych) or a doctorate
Hope that answered all your questions!
Laura
@@lauradoespsychology9150 Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful reply. It's encouraging to hear that you have a great work life balance, and even enough time to coach cheer-leading. I will look into what the typical school psych to student ratios are in the areas that I would most like to work. I would very much like to have a career that will allow me to help children.
Loren School psychology is the perfect way to help kids! Education makes up so much of kids lives but once we grow up we tend to forget how impactful it is on shaping who we are. I love that I get to work will all kinds of different kids with different abilities and needs. Thanks again for your comment, it really made my day!
In a school psychology program at Louisiana state university in shreveport! Hope to see you at NASP :)
Hi Laura! Thank you so much for uploading this video. I’m currently in the process of applying to grad school for School Psych and you’ve answered all of my questions! I’m hoping to write a great essay on why I want to become a School Psychologist and your video has helped me articulate those words. I appreciate you! :)
Thank you so much! Glad I could help a future colleague :)
such an informative videos! absolutely loved it! thankyou so much!
I like working with kids but I don't want to work in the classroom. I think School Psychology is the right field for me to go into because I love working with children and I also went to school for Psychology. I don't really like writing too much but I think I can get over that. How did you go about picking a program?
I picked a program based on my location, which is certainly a consideration. You can also find accredited programs on nasponline.org. I will say, there is A LOT of writing. It can get repetitive so you aren't starting from scratch every time, but a good portion of what we do is writing up everything we do with out kids. We write reports, write behavior plans, write TONSSSS of emails, etc.
Laura Does Psychology Thankyou so much for the amazing video & great example of a child label with disability bs not having a disability. I have a minor in psychology & just graduate with BA in child & adolescence development school age concertation. I am confused about whether I get a teaching credential in special education or in school psychologist MA. Because I want to help children with special needs or teach them. Moreover, I want to help children one I one than teaching the whole classroom. I am wondering how much experience the school district requires in order to get hired as a school psychologist. Honestly speaking I have seen children with special needs and ADHD. Therefore, teachers struggle a lot with them but they have no idea how to clam down that individual.
This is an extremely helpful and informative video!
Do school psychologists need to do ABA with children with special needs? Or apply the behavior plan themselves?💕🙏🏻
I applied to 4 SSP programs in my area and I am so nervous. Just curious, have you seen many people with tattoos? I plan on hiding my tattoos but wherever it is that you work, are there many LSSP's that have tattoos? I have a lot that I am able to cover if needed, but I live in Texas so it gets HOT. During my graduate interviews I also plan to cover them but maybe it is not as much of an issue as I think it is
Hi Mia! Thank you for the question! I actually have several tattoos and plan on getting more. I do cover up for interviews, mostly because I wear profession dress (dress pants and blazer), which naturally covers what I have. On a daily basis I don't worry about covering the tattoos up and there are plenty of other school based professionals with tattoos. The only thing I would be worried about is if the tattoos could be potentially offensive or risque, like a depiction of a not fully clothed person, or swear words. Other than that I, nor anyone I know, has had any issues. Mostly people error on the side of more modest until they are more comfortable in the environment, which I think is good advice. Hope that helps!
Laura, thank you for posting this video! It is super insightful. I have two grad school interviews next week for Specialized Masters programs. Do you have any tips for nailing grad school interviews? Thank you again, and I can't wait to see more from you!
Hey I hope this gets to you in time! Ask the professors and current students lots of questions. Ask about your practicum experience; will you have different choices, where are they located, what type of supervision will you get, and are there different kinds of settings like school and clinical. Be genuine and courteous, programs want to train students who are genuinely interested in the field and can work well with others. Make sure you check out my newest video! I got into the interview a bit more!
Expect to type extensive reports everyday of your life, including Xmas. No weekend or evening is ever yours. You barely have summer off. The state eval forms require you to repeat yourself 7x in different words, no copying and pasting aloud. I don’t help students very often; I write 30 plus page reports on each student for lawyers. If you actually want to help students, school psych really doesn’t provide that. Choose your state of practice wisely.
Im currently an undergrad student at Arizona State University studying psychology and my dream is to become a school psychologist. I stumbled across your page and I found it so informative. For one of my classes I have to interview a professional that is currently a school psychologist. Im sure you are very busy and I completely understand if you cannot help me; However if I could interview you and ask you a few questions it would be amazing! Thank you so much.
Kara Rausch omg I would be honored!! Would you DM my Instagram drlaura_wallace and I will give you my email to get in touch!
This video was so helpful in learning more about this field, thank you! I’be worked in mental health with adults for quite a few years but lately have been feeling a pull towards working with young kids in school. Currently debating between starting a school psychology or a school counseling MA program. What do you suggest I consider when making a decision between the two? How do these differ? Any insight you provide would be helpful. Do you work at the elementary school level?
Los Gomez I actually was in the same boat when thinking about grad school. A school counselor will teach lessons in the classroom. Their accrediting association actually wants them in the classroom almost 50% of the time. I shadowed an elementary counselor and realized I did not want to teach. At the secondary level school counselors do crisis management and administrative work like schedules and post-graduation plans with a tiny bit of counseling if they’re lucky.
One of the biggest easily noticeable differences is that school psychologists work very closely with special education. We do work with regular education students but I am actually part of our special education department, and our counselors are lumped in with teachers or “classified” staff. I think if you are deciding between the two I would talk to others on each field and think about how you want to spend your day. Obviously I’m biased and I love what I do, but I also know counselors who are very happy as well. Good luck!!
@@lauradoespsychology9150 thanks for the above information. I plan to apply for a master’s in school psychology after I am done with my 30 credits educational psychology program. I realize that after finishing my present program I will have to do 30 more credits in the school psychology program to be qualified for the national accreditation. Lots of people are oblivious to the fact that a school psychology program has to be NASP approved for one to get licensed as a school psychologist so I also thank you for reminding us of such valuable information. About a weak ago I took on a LTS position for special education students but I didn’t get mentorship support and having to do statistics this semester in my program made my job difficult so I quit working with SPED students though I didn’t want to. 🥲🥲
Hello Laura! I love how you broke down what school psychologist do? As far as figuring out what to do with the information that you figure out, what would you do if you detect that a child has autism or has ADHD ?
The first thing I would do is interview the parent and get a medical history. Then I would observe the child in a variety of settings. Then I would conduct the appropriate tests. Finally, I would integrate the data into a report and share my findings with the team.
Do you do a lot of counseling or is it moreso testing?
Hi there! I do about 4 hours per week of counseling and 5-15 hours per week of testing. It depends greatly on your district and needs of the school.
@@lauradoespsychology9150 Thank You!
Hi Laura! I loved watching your video, it's very informative and I can tell that you're very passionate about this field. I'm currently an undergraduate student in psychology, I'll be graduating in about a year. I'm super interested in school psychology and can definitely see myself working as a school psychologist. What would be some pros and cons that you would say are about this field? Especially when you get your specialist degree, is it difficult to find a job in this field after graduating? Also what is the average entry salary from your perspective? I know I just asked you a bunch of questions, but I would love to hear and learn from you as I plan to study this field in grad school! Thank you so much.
Riddah Shahed Thank you so much for your comment! First I am very passionate about my job so I’m glad that came across! I would say the pro’s are that you are a leader within your teams being that you’ll have knowledge of a variety of areas, you get to help kids every day, my job is never boring as there is constantly something new happening, and I like that I largely work independently, meaning I don’t have someone watching my every move or questioning every decision. The con’s would be the paper work/report writing, not getting to provide the services you might want to (as in I’d like more time to do counseling but evaluations keep me busy), and not always feeling a part of the school community (I work at two building, most psychs have more, but I miss out on building team-building and have less personable relationships with the teachers and staff).
Finding a job can be easy or difficult depending on where you want to work. For instance, I am from and graduated from a program in Pittsburgh PA, but I now live and work in Kansas City MO. I looked for jobs in Pittsburgh, but there are 3 school psych programs in the area and few job openings. I did my internship in Kansas City and was offered a position if I wanted to stay. There are lots of places around the country that are in dire need and actively looking for school psychs. The vast majority of school psychs have their specialist degree so I don’t image having a specialist versus a doctorate would hinder employment opportunities
As for pay it varies, but I would say 48,00+ per year on a 180/190 day contract is a good place to start in a more suburban/less expensive area. Pay is higher in places like California or New York but so is the cost of living. Most psychs work a similar schedule to teachers so you get holidays and summer off. If you work year round, I’d add about 8000-10,000. I get paid more for having my doctorate. I started at a higher rate and get a stipend. Many schools give stipends for being nationally certified so that’s definitely something to think about when picking a program and then looking for a job.
Hope that answered your questions but feel free to ask more!
Laura
Hi! Is the data you talk about collecting in your video mostly qualitative observations made about the childs behavior or is there quantitative analysis involved too? As an undergrad psych major with a minor in statistics I love the idea of a helping career that uses psych and data in a school setting! But I’m curious about whether the work involves numbers, research, or statistics skills. Thank you for the informative video!! I’m excited about this field :)
Clare McDonald hi there! The data I use on a daily basis is mixed between qualitative and quantitative; however, the quantitative is very simplistic like rate of improvement and percentiles. Unless you go into research I don’t think you will use advanced statistics. Maybe if you do district or school level analyses but I don’t know of any school psychs that run such systemic level analysis as part of their daily practice. I definitely use basic statistics every day and have to explain things like percentile, normal curve, standard scores, and base rates practically everyday. Hope that helps!
@@lauradoespsychology9150 Thanks so much for the informative reply!
Hi Laura! Thank you for your video. Since you have your doctorate how much did you start at with pay?
Hi Yolanda! I make $49,777 per year for a 190 day contract. This is about $3500 higher than what I would make if I had a specialist degree at my current district. I also get a $2500 stipend for my doctorate. The district I work in is on the lower end pay wise because we use a teacher pay schedule. I also live in a suburban area in the mid-west so the cost of living is very reasonable. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Laura
@@lauradoespsychology9150 thank you Laura. I'm in my practicum now for my psyd in school psychology as well. Did you have a paid internship?
Yolanda White I did have a paid internship. I found my internship through APPIC so it was quite the process. I was paid $23,000 plus benefits like healthcare for 11 months of work. Everyone I know who got an internship through APPIC got paid, but some in my program who found their own got maybe a couple thousand for 12 months work.
Hello! Great video. I am working on a degree in Organizational Leadership and I'm 8 months shy of earning my degree until I discovered this field. Will getting an Eds Masters in School Psychology be sufficient to enter this field? Or is a bachelors in Psychology a must? Thank you. My experience is 5 years military intelligence analysis and 3 years a police officer. Both requiring immense amounts of report writing.
Most school psychs hold a specialist degree in school psych to practice. You do need at least a specialists degree but there’s no requirement for bachelor’s. I think most programs are looking for people who are passionate about helping people and work well with others, which certainly seems true of you!
Most school psychs hold a specialist degree in school psych to practice. You do need at least a specialists degree but there’s no requirement for bachelor’s. I think most programs are looking for people who are passionate about helping people and work well with others, which certainly seems true of you!
Hi Laura. ! Its me again lol! I just want to say that I am so happy thay you are passionate about this field. Could I get into this field with a human development and family studies major?
Your undergraduate degree can be in anything. Many come into the field with different background. Human development would be very appropriate. Just remember, you can't practice as a school psychologist without a specialist (masters plus some) or doctorate in school psychology.
I have a question. So my major is human development and family studies. Would yoi say that this would be a goof major for a school psychologist?
Amanda Ogbureke hey Amanda! I’m sorry I think you asked and I forgot to respond. I think any social sciences background is useful. That’s one of the great aspects of school psychology in that the job pulls from different areas. I think human development and family studies will be incredibly useful.
What other examples of type of data would you collect? Besides how many times timmy gets up from his seat
Data collection depends entirely on the referral question. So if we suspect ADHD for Timmy, it makes sense to get data that reflects the syptoms of ADHD. If the referral is Autism, I would look for symptoms of AU, like social interactions, communication skills etc. In addition to observations, we would also collect rating scales to additionally quantitive behaviors. Rating scales for children are typically completed by the teacher and parent, but some have self-reports starting at age 8.
I am a sophomore majoring in special education and liberal studies with a concentration in psych, and really want to apply to programs once I get my bachelor’s. Is it ok to Major in education instead of psych when applying for graduate programs?
You definitely can! I think having psych knowledge will certainly help but so will education.
Is this more for younger grades or high school?
Hi there! I work at the elementary level so I would say the information I provide is more geared towards younger grades.
I have a question. For school psychologist , if there dont work during the summer, what could they do on the side m
Amanda Ogbureke that’s a good question! Some school psychs do work through the summer, but most I know don’t. Honestly most just enjoy the time off, but I’ve looked into teaching some summer courses at local colleges. There are also summer camps and such if you want to work with kids but it’s not “psychology” work.
@@lauradoespsychology9150 thanks. Would you say the pay is typically pretty good ?
Amanda Ogbureke for a school psych job it very much depends on the area and the district. I wouldn’t say it’s great but considering you can have holidays and summers off, plus the benefits from working for the government can make up for pay. For instance I have really great retirement and healthcare benefits.
@@lauradoespsychology9150 do you have a amsters and a PHD ? and would you say that being a school psycholigst is a rewarding job? Would you say that you will still be financially stable doing it ? The thing is I love kids but I am still deciding if i wanna do school psychology or clinical. I love kids !
Amanda Ogbureke I actually have my PsyD. I think being a school psych is incredibly rewarding! I love going to work every day and feel like I have an impact on my students and community. You absolutely can be financially stable. I make about $50,000 a year, so I apologize if I made it sound like it wasn’t that much! I also like in the mid-west so cost of living is not very high. I would suggest talking to as many school and clinical psychs you can and see what they do on a daily basis then decide which aligns best to how you picture your future. I do think a doctorate is the best way to go if you’re thinking clinical whereas you can be a practicing school psych with only a specialist degree.
Hi Laura. This is Victoria. I really enjoy your video and your energy towards to school psychology. I am currently working on applying master on school psychology and hope to hear back for you some feedback about my personal statement. Can i have your email so i can send you the file. Waiting for your response.
If I see a school psychologist, will they tell my parents ?
no not if you don’t want them to know, they they shouldn’t tell your parents.If stuff is going wrong at home you should talk to the school psychologist, or if you are having problems with life or at school. Even if you just want advice like where to go in life (I am assuming you are a high school student or college student). So yeah you talking to school psychologist on campus is no ones business but your own because the school also has privacy laws that protect your confidentiality in the event that you want to see your school psychologist(unless you are are talking about you or someone you know being hurt). Hope that helped.
Christina Guerrero hey Christina! If you visit the psychologist for a quick problem or just to chat, they will not tell your parents. School psychologists are bound by HIPPA meaning your health information is private. The only exceptions would if you are in danger. So an example would be if you indicated that you were suicidal or someone was hurting you. In those type of situation we have a duty to warn so we would be required to notify who we feel needs to know to keep you safe. That might be your parents, law enforcement etc. The other exception is if you start regular counseling with the school psych we usually get parent permission to meet, but we don’t discuss what goes on during the sessions. Hope that help!
BLACKTACULA97 thank you !
Laura Does Psychology thank you ! :)