Get Psyched!
National School Psychologist Week: 11/9/2020-11/13/2020
What is a School Psychologist?
In the public schools there are numerous professionals who work to ensure the success of students. We all know the role that teachers, administrators, school counselors, and school nurses play in the school setting. School psychologists also play a vital role in the school setting, though many school staff are unaware of the services they provide. School psychologists work collaboratively with students, teachers, school staff, and parents on academic, behavioral, and relationship concerns. Each school psychologist has post-Master’s degree training in consultation, assessment, intervention, prevention, education, and research and development.
School psychologists provide a continuum of mental health services and academic interventions, such as:
- Consultation to parents and school staff regarding the social/ emotional/behavioral needs of students, as well as providing resources and information regarding characteristics, intervention, and treatment of disorders.
- Consultation with school staff regarding classroom and/or schoolwide approaches to behavior and developing positive behavior supports and interventions.
- Screening, evaluation, and identification of disabilities.
- Participation in Student Services Team (SST), 504, and IEP Team meetings.
- Planning and implementing appropriate academic and educational supports.
- Conducting Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) and developing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP).
- Measuring progress and improvement of individuals and programs.
- Providing interventions to students with chronic behavior/emotional needs, as well as completing small group and/or individual counseling for such issues as social skills, anger control, etc.
- Staff development on topics such as positive behavior supports and intervention, prevention of violence, crisis planning and intervention, etc.
In Harford County, school psychologists may serve only one school while others serve two or three. Specific activities that your school psychologist may engage in vary depending on the nature of the school population. Though each school psychologist’s role may be different, all school psychologists have training in mental health, learning, and behavior, which help students succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally.
What can your School Psychologist do for you?
- Consultation on behavior and academics
- Cognitive and Social/Emotional/Behavioral testing
- Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans
- Data analysis
- Contributors to PBIS programs/teams
- Counseling as part of IEP services for students
- Progress monitoring of students in interventions and/or Behavior Intervention Plans
*Roles/responsibilities of each school psychologist may vary depending on how many buildings they serve
Interested in Becoming a School Psychologist?
A typical School Psychology graduate program:
- 1-2 years of instruction
- Practicum during your second year
- Full year internship during 3rd year of the program
- Graduate with master's degree after 2 years
- Some program offer an additional certification for additional credits earned beyond Master's
Graduate Programs Near HCPS:
- Towson University (Towson, MD)
- University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
- Bowie State University (Bowie, MD)
- Millersville University (Millersville, PA)
- University of Delaware (Newark, Delaware)
- James Madison University (Harrisonburgh, Virgina)
Look out for School Psychology Interns in Your Building!
In addition to your designated school psychologist, your school may also be hosting a school psychology intern. The school psychology intern is working under the supervision of a school psychologist, to practice the skills they have learned during their coursework for preparation for certification. As the year continues the school psychology intern will take on increasing independence throughout their assignment. This may include completing classroom observations, attending IEP/504/SST meetings, completing academic or behavioral interventions, as well as working with students in counseling and testing. School psychology interns are expected to complete 1200 to 1500 hours of internship, which includes a number of assessments, counseling, consultations, and other responsibilities. During their internship year, the school psychology intern is expected to gain experience with all grade levels, and it is often common that the intern will be placed between multiple schools. The school psychology internship experience lasts an entire school year, which provides them the opportunity to get very involved with the school community. Due to the number of required hours, the school psychology intern typically is given an HCPS email account. Please feel free to reach out to your school psychology intern or school psychologist for further information.
Fun Facts about School Psychology
- The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends that schools have a ratio of one school psychologist for every 500 to 700 students.
- The 2019 US News and World Report has ranked School Psychologist as one of the 100 Best Jobs (ranked number 45), one of the Best Social Services Jobs (ranked number 2), and on of the Best STEM jobs (ranked number 20).
- For decades there has been a shortage of school psychologist, which means a high job placement rate for graduates of school psychology programs. Almost all school psychology graduates find a job within their first year of entering the work force.
- Did you know there is a School Psychology Awareness week? NASP recently changed the name of this week to National School Psychology Week for the 20-21 school year. This year the week will be celebrated from November 9th through November 13th! Remember to appreciate your School Psychologist!