School psychologists exist?
Yes, school psychologists do exist, even though you may not have heard of them. There are national (NASP) and state (TASP) organizations for school psychologists. However, many people do now know they exist, much less what they do. In fact, there was a national school psychology awareness week, which is now national school psychology week, rather than an appreciation week. Texas led the way on starting an appreciation week, which just started in 2019.
Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
In Texas, you are more likely to hear the acronym, LSSP, when referring to a school psychologist. LSSP stands for Licensed Specialist in School Psychology.
Education
School psychologists have at least a specialist degree or equivalent, which requires more hours than a master’s, (see NASP for more) and can have a doctorate. School Psychologists must at least be credentialed as a school psychologist by the state they practice, which involves licensing exams and applications.
Texas
In Texas, a psychologist has to meet specific training requirements to practice as an LSSP and pass the licensing exams for LSSPs. Doctoral level school psychologists have at least the LSSP license but can sit for another licensing exam for their license as a Licensed Psychologist (LP). The LP license is shared across many types of psychologists (e.g., counseling, clinical, school). In Texas, you must have your LP to be able to refer to yourself as a “psychologist.”
What do school psychologists do?
School psychologists are trained to do a variety of tasks, but the pieces they do depends on the district they are in. Most pieces revolve around Special Education services. School psychologists help families, students, school staff, district staff, and outside professionals meet the educational needs of students, whether those needs are academic, social, emotional, and/or behavioral. They can do everything from cognitive and academic testing to psychological evaluations, IEP case management, counseling, behavior interventions, consultation, and everything in between. The biggest areas are described below.
Evaluation
Testing is required to determine if students meet criteria for any Special Education eligibility. This testing can involve a variety of professionals such as diagnosticians, speech and language pathologists, occupational therapists, adaptive physical education teachers, school psychologists, and many more. While evaluations in public education are utilized to determine Special Education eligibility, they do not diagnose students. However, school psychologists are trained in diagnostic criteria and can diagnose outside of public education.
Social, Emotional, Behavioral
School psychologists play an active role in these evaluations. The main portion they are responsible for is the social, emotional, behavioral section. This can involve an informal review of information from parents and teachers as well as observations, interviews, direct assessments, personality assessments, and rating scales (to name a few). They are crucial when evaluating for any disabilities related to concerns such as Autism, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Emotional Disturbance (ED), anxiety, depression, mood swings, and emotional behavioral challenges.
Intellectual, Adaptive, Academic
In addition, school psychologists can complete intellectual, adaptive, and academic testing to assist with determining if a student has an Intellectual Disability or Specific Learning Disability. Some school psychologists are also trained in neuropsychological assessments, which can help paint a fuller and clearer picture of a student’s current functioning. These assessments can provide additional information for areas such as memory, learning, and executive functioning. Such evaluation instruments can be helpful for evaluating children with Epilepsy, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and many other conditions.
Counseling
Many districts involve school psychologists in Special Education counseling, sometimes referred to as “psychological services direct.” When children have not made progress on their IEPs, they may be evaluated to determine if they would benefit from Special Education counseling. While school psychologists are typically trained in therapy, it is not the service they provide in school. The purpose is to help level the playing field and assist with progress on the IEP to meet the student’s educational needs. However, school psychologists can provide therapy outside of public education.
If a student qualifies for special education counseling, it is often provided by a school psychologist or a Special Education counselor. It is typically provided by a Special Education counselor instead of a school psychologist when the school psychologist is hired more as an evaluator and/or IEP case manager in a district.
Case Management
School psychologists can be responsible for IEP management. This involves helping teachers develop the IEP for each student from goals to accommodations. They can also lead ARD meetings (also known as IEP meetings outside of Texas). Given this, they are well versed in Special Education legal framework and have a thorough understanding of Special Education and public education overall. Even if they do not act as the case manager on a campus, they play a role in monitoring the compliance with legal regulations.
Interventions
School psychologists are often called into situations where students have become highly emotional and/or aggressive to assist with de-escalation. Oftentimes, these are situations that few others have interest in being part of, much less have the training to do so. School psychologists are less involved in these cases when they are hired primarily as evaluators.
They are also used as a resource for school staff when interventions, academic to behavioral, are appearing to be ineffective. School psychologists help brainstorm new strategies, model strategies, and even train staff on the implementation of interventions.
Crisis and Risk Assessments
School psychologists often play a crucial role in risk and threat assessments when students appear to be at risk of hurting themselves and/or others. They work closely with district staff and counselors to conduct risk assessments, coordinate resources, and determine effective interventions for mental health. In addition, school psychologists can participate in grief counseling when a campus and/or district experiences a tragedy.
Behavior
In many districts, school psychologists play a large role in managing behavior difficulties for students in Special Education. School psychologists are often trained in crisis management techniques including district-approved forms of restraint, which are only utilized as a last resort. They have to understand crisis deescalation techniques and often work closely with behavior specialists. There are also school psychologists who have been hired as behavior specialists in some districts given their understanding of behavior principles.
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) are completed to help determine the function of a students behavior as well as effective and ineffective strategies for managing them. School psychologists are frequently involved in FBAs whether writing them completely or working with other professionals such as behavior specialists.
Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
If an FBA indicates the need for a behavior intervention plan (BIP), school psychologists assist with writing BIPs and behavior goals to target student needs. School psychologists can also perform assessments to determine the effectiveness of the interventions being implemented for students and help teachers modify them as needed.
Consultation
Up to this point, school psychologists have been described as having a wide range of training that is applicable throughout school settings. This makes them an invaluable tool when it comes to consulting with school staff, parents, and outside professionals. As mentioned previously, they consult with school staff about behavior interventions, but the consultation they do significantly surpasses this area alone.
Psychological Services Indirect
There are students who receive psychological consultation services, sometimes referred to as “psychological services indirect.” These students often have significant social, emotional, and/or behavioral needs that require additional support. This support is often provided through observations as well as frequent meetings with teachers, paraprofessionals, and even parents to discuss progress and make changes to the plan.
Outside professionals
School psychologists also consult with outside professionals and providers to ensure consistency with services across settings. For example, if a student receives counseling outside of school, the school psychologist may consult with the counselor so both parties can apply similar strategies while also noting what has and has not been effective. Outside providers also observe in school settings at times and school psychologists may accompany them to do this. This allows similar information to be gathered across settings and facilitates continued consultation.
RTI and Section 504
School psychologists do not only work in Special Education. They participate in meetings where students have been receiving services through Response to Intervention (RTI) and/or Section 504 but are struggling to make progress. This allows school psychologists to use their extensive psychoeducational knowledge to provide suggestions and help determine if there is a need to refer for Special Education testing.
Are school psychologists the same as school counselors?
This is a common misconception. Most of the time, when someone hears the title “school psychologist” they interpret that to mean “school counselor.” While school psychologists work closely with school counselors, their job is very different. School psychologists are typically primarily focused on students in Special Education, which is not the case for school counselors. There are many more differences but too many to cover in this blog. Be on the lookout for additional blogs differentiating between the two in the future.
Do school psychologists only work in schools?
No, school psychologists do not only work in schools. It is actually one of the most flexible psychology degrees available. School psychologists work in public education (e.g., as school psychologists, administrators in and out of Special Education), private schools (e.g., as administrators, evaluators, counselors), hospitals, treatment centers (e.g., residential, inpatient, partial, outpatient), universities, government agencies (e.g., juvenile justice centers), clinics, private practices, and many other places. Their training makes them unique as they have an understanding of educational systems while also being trained to do tasks such as: provide therapy, complete evaluations, and implement interventions.
Does every school have a school psychologist?
Every school has evaluation personnel but they may not be based on that campus and may travel between multiple campuses and even districts. In larger districts, school psychologists are hired by the district Special Education department. In smaller, more rural districts, it is not uncommon for multiple districts to share a Special Education Cooperative. This is where multiple districts receive Special Education support from staff, including school psychologists, that travel between each district rather than being housed in one district.
Shortage
There is a national shortage of school psychologists. The latest research shows the average ratio of school psychologists to students is 1 for every 1,381 students but some districts go up to 1 school psychologist for every 5,000 students. This results in limited resources being available from school psychologists as they are spread too thin. As noted in the article linked above, the shortage is two-fold due to a shortage of qualified school psychologists and due to a lack of positions in districts for school psychologists.
Are school psychologists required to participate in my child’s evaluation?
IDEA, the federal regulations for Special Education, specifies that assessments have to be administered by “trained and knowledgeable personnel.” This does not mean a school psychologist has to participate every time. There are also differences in the legal framework at the state-level from one state to another. Evaluations can include assessments from the school psychologist, but are not required to. It is best to inquire with your specific district to learn when a school psychologist may be involved.
Will a school psychologist be at my child’s ARD/IEP meeting?
IDEA, the federal regulations for Special Education, does not specifically state a school psychologist or a particular evaluation personnel needs to be present for ARD/IEP meetings. However, it is up for debate whether evaluation personnel are required or not. Therefore, districts often include evaluation personnel at least at the time of an evaluation as they typically understand the the results best. It is possible that evaluation staff will call you to review results ahead of time and not attend the meeting. It is best to inquire with your specific district to learn when a school psychologist might be involved.
How do I find my child’s school psychologist?
It depends on the district. Sometimes school psychologists are listed on district and/or campus websites. If your campus and/or district does not have school psychologists listed, it is best to start first by reaching out to the staff on your campus before reaching out to district administration.
How do I know if I need to contact the school psychologist?
Regardless of whether your child qualifies for Special Education or not, you can reach out to your school psychologist. However, that might not always be the best place to start. It depends on your circumstances and need for reaching out. For example, if your child receives services from the school psychologist, you can always reach out to talk to them. Remember how shorthanded they are and that they do not get to spend as much time with your child as their teacher(s). School psychologists typically will do whatever they can to help a student but are often spread too thin to do so at the level they would like. The teachers are typically the first point of contact. The school psychologist’s job is to support you, the teachers, the rest of the staff, and outside professionals with providing the services your student needs to make progress on their IEP.
Summary
In sum, school psychologists have a wide range of roles and responsibilities that vary between states and districts. It is important to reach out to people you trust on your campus and in your district to learn more about the school psychologists. School psychologists have at least a specialist-level degree with extensive psychoeducational training and can work in a variety of settings. In schools, they often participate in evaluations, case management, counseling, interventions, consultation, RTI, Section 504, and crisis management. There is a significant shortage of school psychologists throughout the country and few people even know they exist. However, school psychologists do indeed exist and make a difference in the lives of students every day, every chance they get.