Example Career: School Psychologists

Career Description

Diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school. May address student learning and behavioral problems and counsel students or families. May design and implement performance plans, and evaluate performance. May consult with other school-based personnel.

What Job Titles School Psychologists Might Have

• Bilingual School Psychologist
• Consulting Psychologist
• Psychologist
• School Psychologist

What School Psychologists Do

• Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
• Maintain student records, including special education reports, confidential records, records of services provided, and behavioral data.
• Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
• Select, administer, and score psychological tests.
• Interpret test results and prepare psychological reports for teachers, administrators, and parents.
• Assess an individual child's needs, limitations, and potential, using observation, review of school records, and consultation with parents and school personnel.
• Develop individualized educational plans in collaboration with teachers and other staff members.
• Counsel children and families to help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment.
• Collect and analyze data to evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs and other services, such as behavioral management systems.
• Provide consultation to parents, teachers, administrators, and others on topics such as learning styles and behavior modification techniques.
• Collaborate with other educational professionals to develop teaching strategies and school programs.
• Design classes and programs to meet the needs of special students.
• Promote an understanding of child development and its relationship to learning and behavior.
• Attend workshops, seminars, or professional meetings to remain informed of new developments in school psychology.
• Refer students and their families to appropriate community agencies for medical, vocational, or social services.
• Serve as a resource to help families and schools deal with crises, such as separation and loss.
• Initiate and direct efforts to foster tolerance, understanding, and appreciation of diversity in school communities.
• Provide educational programs on topics such as classroom management, teaching strategies, or parenting skills.
• Conduct research to generate new knowledge that can be used to address learning and behavior issues.

What School Psychologists Should Be Good At

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

What School Psychologists Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

What School Psychologists Need to Learn

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.