Transcript Document

School Psychology
A Career That Makes a Difference
www.nasponline.org
©2008, National Association of School Psychologists
“Being a school psychologist means providing
equitable education for all students and
supporting their social, emotional, and academic
needs.”
— Wendy Scott, EdS, NCSP
School Psychologist, Vista, CA
If you want to…
• Help children reach their potential
• Promote children’s mental health
• Work collaboratively with others
• Develop interpersonal and communication
skills
• Have a variety of career options
then …
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School Psychology
could be the career for you!
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What is a School Psychologist?
School Psychologists understand that all
children learn when given:
• Adequate supports and resources
• Recognition of their individual needs
• Connection to and trust in adults
• Opportunities to achieve
• Acceptance and encouragement
• Cooperation between school and home
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School Psychologists link mental health to
learning and behavior to promote:
• High academic achievement
• Positive social skills and behavior
• Healthy relationships and connectedness
• Tolerance and respect for others
• Competence, self-esteem, and resiliency
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When Do Children Need A School
Psychologist?
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Learning difficulties
Behavior concerns
Attention problems
Problems at home or with peers
Fears about war, violence, terrorism
Depression and other mental health issues
Coping with crisis and trauma
Poverty, violence, or life changing events
Advocacy of their learning and mental
health needs
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What Is the Role of a School Psychologist?
• Assessment
• Consultation for student and systems-level
change
• Prevention
• Intervention
• Staff, parent, and student education
• Research and program development
• Mental health care
• Advocacy
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Assessment
School psychologists work with children, parents and
staff to help determine a child’s:
• Academic skills
• Instructional level
• Learning aptitudes, strengths, and weaknesses
• Personality and emotional development
• Social skills and behavioral concerns
• Learning environment
• School climate
• Special education eligibility
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Consultation: Child-Centered
School psychologists:
• Provide knowledge to help improve student
learning and mental health outcomes
• Implement and manage academic and
behavioral interventions
• Help teachers, parents, and other
professionals understand a child’s
development and learning
• Meet or communicate with others involved
with a child to determine the best way of
managing or improving a particular concern
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Consultation: Consultee-Centered
School psychologists:
• Collaborate with teachers to help them
identify classroom-based problems and
implement data-based interventions
• Support implementation of effective
instruction and behavior management at the
classroom level
• Assist parents to develop skills to help their
children succeed at home and in school
• Collaborate with the principal and other
school personnel to identify systemic
concerns and promote systems-level change
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Prevention
School psychologists:
• Implement programs to build positive
connections between students and adults
• Support early identification of potential
academic skill deficits and/or learning
difficulties
• Design and implement programs for at-risk
children
• Foster tolerance and appreciation of diversity
• Create safe, supportive learning
environments
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Intervention
School psychologists:
• Work directly with children, teachers,
administrators, and families
• Develop individualized classroom, and schoolwide interventions for learning and
adjustment
• Design and implement crisis response plans
• Provide counseling, social skills training,
academic, and behavioral interventions
• Develop strategies for modifying instruction
to optimize student progress
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Education
School psychologists provide teachers and parents
training in:
• Teaching and learning strategies and
interventions
• Parenting and disciplining techniques
• Classroom and behavior management techniques
• Working with exceptional students
• Strategies to address substance abuse, risky
behaviors, or mental illnesses that affect
students
• Crisis prevention and response
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Research and Program Development
School psychologists:
• Recommend and implement evidencebased programs and strategies
• Conduct school-based research to inform
practice
• Evaluate effectiveness of programs and
interventions independently and as part of
a school-based consultation team
• Contribute to school-wide reform and
restructuring
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Mental Health
School psychologists:
• Deliver school-based mental health services
such as group, individual and crisis counseling
• Coordinate with community resources and
health care providers to provide students
with complete seamless services
• Partner with parents and teachers to create
healthy school environments
• Promote mental health in the school setting
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Advocacy
NASP and state professional associations are
dedicated to advocacy. School psychologists
encourage and sponsor:
• Appropriate education placements
• Education reform
• Legislative involvement
• Community services and programs
• Funding for adequate resources
• Employment of highly qualified school
personnel
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“I enjoy building trusting and caring
relationships with students, which I
strongly believe promotes learning and
positive choices in their future.”
— Claudia Gomez
School Psychologist, Huntington Beach, CA
Where Do School Psychologists Work?
• Public and private schools
• Private practice
• Colleges and universities
• Community mental health centers
• Institutional/residential facilities
• Pediatric clinics and hospitals
• Criminal justice system
• Public agencies
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Who Are Today’s School Psychologists?
• 74% are women
• 47.5% are over 50 years of age
• Employed:
» 83.1% work in public schools
» 5.2% work in private schools
» 6.5% work in universities
» 4.1% work in independent practice
» 7.0% work in other
(Curtis et al., 2006)
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Ethnicity of School Psychologists
Ethnicity
%
White/Caucasian
92.6
Hispanic/Latino
3.0
Black/African-American
1.9
Asian-American/Pacific Islander
0.9
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.8
Other
.8
Source: 2004-2005 NASP membership survey
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Ethnicity of the U.S. Population
Ethnicity
%
White/Caucasian
70.7
Hispanic/Latino
12.5
Black/African-American
12.3
Asian-American/Pacific Islander
3.6
American Indian/Alaskan Native
0.9
Source: 2000 U.S. Census
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Linguistic Diversity
• 17.9% of the U.S. population over the age
of five speaks a language other than English
at home
• Approximately 11% of the U.S. population is
foreign born
For example, more than 90 foreign languages
are spoken by students in the Los Angeles
Unified School District in California.
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Demographic Variation
• 26-61% of the population in Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi,
South Carolina, and D.C. is African American
• 25-42% of the population in Arizona,
California, New Mexico, and Texas is Hispanic
• Only 5% of school psychologists are African
American or Hispanic (Curtis et al., 2006)
Source: 2000 U.S. Census
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“As a Diné (Navajo) school psychologist, I am
working back in my ancestral homeland with my
people, using my cultural knowledge and
indigenous language to provide a diverse service
delivery. I am making a difference by being
accessible.”
— Elvina Charley, EdS
School Psychologist, Chinle, AZ
Career Opportunities
• Pending retirements have lead to shortage
of qualified practitioners
• Current shortage of qualified university
faculty in school psychology
• Wide gap between ethnicity of practicing
school psychologists and students served
• Serious need for more ethnic and linguistic
diversity in the field
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A Great Career Choice
• Work with children who need you
• Help parents and educators
• Enjoy a flexible school schedule
• Have a variety of responsibilities
• Receive training in useful skills
• Choose from a variety of work settings
• Have confidence in the stability of your
position
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Rise to the Challenge!
• Children in difficult situations need
solutions to difficult problems
• Parents need ideas for managing children’s
behavior and mental health
• Teachers need help working with students’
varied educational needs and behaviors
• Society needs mentally healthy, welleducated children
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“I wanted a career that focused on youth
advocacy in the schools but would allow me to
integrate my passion for cultural awareness,
equity and diversity into the school community.”
— Cristina Noel
School Psychologist, Dartmouth, MA
So how do I become a
School Psychologist?
Undergraduate Training
• Must complete a Bachelor’s degree
• Consider an education, psychology or
related field
• Take courses in
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Child development
General and child psychology
Statistics, measurement, and research
Philosophy and theory of education
Instruction and curriculum
Special education
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Graduate Training
• Education Specialist
» In most states, certification as a school
psychologist requires training at the specialist
level.
» Specialist-level training includes 60 graduate
semester credits in school psychology
» Specialist-level degrees can be identified by
several acronyms including; Educational
Specialist (EdS), Masters (MA, MS, MEd) and
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies
(CAGS/CAS) etc.
- or • Doctorate (PhD, PsyD or EdD)
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Graduate Training- Program Length
• Specialist-level: 3-4 years (60+ semester
credit hours) of full-time training including
a 1200-hour internship*
• Doctorate: 5+ years or more (90+ semester
credit hours) of full-time training including
a minimum 1500-hour internship*, and
dissertation
» *At least (600) hours of the internship must be
completed in a school setting.
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Graduate Coursework
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Learning theory
Psychological assessment and intervention
Consultation skills
Diversity and multiculturalism
Normal and abnormal development
School organizational systems
Counseling theory and practice
Statistics and research
Applied behavior analysis
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Choosing a Graduate Program
• Specialist vs. Doctoral degree
• NASP approval/alignment and/or APA
accreditation
• Size of cohort and location of program
• Department of Education or Psychology
• Theoretical orientation
• Specialties (e.g., early childhood, low
incidence, urban, rural, bilingual etc.)
• Research opportunities
• Financial support (assistantships/fellowships)
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Applying to a Graduate Program
• GRE: Graduate Record Exam
» Some programs may require the GRE—Psychology
• Undergraduate transcripts
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal statement(s)
• Practice or research interests
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“School psychology is a career that uniquely
offers daily challenges and rewards, all within a
collaborative setting.”
— Allison Nebbergall, Graduate Student
University of Maryland –College Park
Questions?
Job Outlook?
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Excellent both at present and long-term!
Not enough graduates to meet demand
Retirement will soon open many positions
School Psychology was named one of the
“best careers” for 2008 by US News and
World Report
www.usnews.com/articles/business/best-careers/2007/12/19/school
psychologist-executive-summary.html
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What types of salaries do School
Psychologists receive?
• Median salaries range from $47,880.00 to
$67,070.00, while top salaries can exceed
$100,000.
• Mean per diem salary for practitioners at
the specialist level is $287.00 and $350.00
at the doctoral level.
» However, many school systems do not
make salary distinctions between
doctoral and non-doctoral school
psychologists.
• Salaries for school psychologists vary by
state and region.
(Curtis et al., 2007)
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FAQ: How does a School Psychologist
differ from a school counselor?
School Counselor
School Psychologist
At least 2 yrs grad school
At least 3 yrs grad school
Trained in ed./counseling
Trained in ed./psychology
Individual and group counseling
addressing a variety of issues,
career planning, and course
scheduling
Assessment, consultation,
behavioral/academic intervention,
crisis prevention/intervention,
individual /group counseling, and
program evaluation
Employed in public schools and
university
Employed in public/private schools,
private practice, mental health
centers, and universities
advisement centers
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FAQ: How does a school psychologist
differ from a child psychologist?
School psychologists focus on how social emotional
issues, family problems, neurological factors, and
mental illness affect learning
Child clinical psychologists:
• Usually work in a hospital, mental health center,
private clinic, or university setting
• Are not typically trained in education, instruction,
or classroom management
• Do not focus primarily on the multiple factors that
affect learning
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“In School Psychology I found a way to indulge my
interest in schools, psychology, sociology,
leadership, and team work.”
— Ryan Estrellado
School Psychologist, Chula Vista, CA
References/Resources
Curtis, M. J., Lopez, A.D., Batsche, G. M., & Smith, J. C. (2006,
March). School psychology 2005: A national perspective. Paper
presented at the annual convention of the National Association of
School Psychologists, Anaheim, CA.
Curtis, M. J., Lopez, A. D., Batsche, G. M., Minch, D., & Abshier, D.
(2007, March). Status report on school psychology: A national
perspective. Paper presented at the annual convention of the
National Association of School Psychologists, New York City.
Fagan, T. K., & Wise, P. S. (2007). School psychology: Past, present,
and future 3rd Ed. Bethesda: NASP.
Hosp, J. L., & Reschly, D. J. (2002). Regional differences in school
psychology practice. School Psychology Review, 31, 11-29.
Thomas, A. & Grimes, J. (2008). Best practices in school psychology
V. Bethesda: NASP.
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For more information, contact:
National Association of School Psychologists
(301) 657-0270 www.nasponline.org