I am glad you brought up the physical dangers that can occur when students are in distress and possibly having melt downs etc. I have medical issues where that could be dangerous due to my blood thinners and other meds. So I am glad to hear about that so I can seriously consider it and try to find a solution. I honestly overlooked it, I wouldn’t have imagined a concussion or whip lash.
Thank you so much for making this video! I really appreciate you sharing your experience working as a school psychologist! I can't wait for part two! I have a few more questions to add too! 😊 (also my name is pronounced the Spanish way) 1) Have there been times where you worked with a group of students or have been able to teach a class about something psych related (mental health awareness, behavior management)? 2) Was there a time where you were unable to reach the parents or guardians of a student or a situation where the parents/guardians were not willing to work with you? How did you/would you handle a scenario like this? 3) Do you find that other staff members are willing to work with you when it comes to finding ways to help a student in their academics or behavioral/emotional regulation? 4) What was the most difficult part for you when you first started working as a school psychologist? 5) Were there any other careers you considered pursuing while in school (besides a social worker)?
Love this video! I will be starting my first year as a psych in a few weeks! I also taught in a preschool and that's how I found school psychology! Could you do a video on what it's like to be a first year psych?
You are so wholesome, and have a very clear logic. I've learned a lot about the job through your video and would think deeper about this career. Thank you.
Hello Amanda! Wow, thank you so much for this SUPER informative video! I am a mature student who, in spite of receiving praise from instructors when I actually did the work, I also bounced around into a few different majors since I moved to the US at 23 years-old from Brazil, where I was a psych major. The result: after 25 long years of experimenting without much support, I was finally diagnosed with pretty severe ADHD (and very possibly anxiety as well). I finally decided a couple years ago to come back to psychology and had neuropsychology as my main end goal (get the ADHD hint here, of an almost 50-yr-old considering applying for a program she has absolutely no experience in?). I took the courage to meet with a professor in school who was so careful not to discourage me, yet was skillful enough to suggest other options that won’t take 15 years of training (which would get me to my 60s when I am finally licensed) and we came up together to the field of school psychology. I will continue looking into it but I would just like to thank you again for taking the time to share your experience, and I hope that other great videos were made since this first one (I believe you made this last year) ❤ - Best, Gigi.
Thank you for sharing I am so happy to hear about your story and I hope you do keep considering school psychology, it is a special and unique field(: also, recently officially diagnosed with ADHD and started treatment and I’m so happy to know finally that my brains is just a bit different 🧠 I’d love you to keep me updated on your journey!
Questions about grad school for next Q&A (from someone who’s in the very early stages of becoming a school psych AKA currently getting BA in psych): 1. How many classes are normal to take each semester (grad school)? 2. How long did it take for you to finish grad school (how many semesters)? 3. Is practicum something you did each semester of grad school? 4. If you work an unpaid school psych internship on the side of your normal grad studies (outside of school), will that count toward the internship requirement? (Also, is the full-time internship year only for the ones that get a specialized school psych degree like an SSP, or is that year also required for the ones that choose to only do a regular master’s in school psych?) 5. If you’ve taken summer classes in grad school, are they hard?
1. Each semester is about 9-12 credits depending on your school which is around 3-4 courses 2. School Psychology Master's/ Specialist programs are designed to be 4 semesters( 2 years) of coursework although some school will add the occasional summer class or two. In the 3rd year of the it will be a full time internship to obtain 1200 hours. 3. In my program we have practicum every semester except for the first fall semester of our program 4. With school psychology you won't be able to actually do an internship within the field until you have finished all of your coursework. Since it's a field with a lot of testing and assessments, having that knowledge is imperative to fully do an internship. And they are also all usually full time as well hence the third year of your program being dedicated to internship. No matter is you get a specialist or Master's degree you'll have to do these hours. (that's why I honestly would recommend a program where you could obtain both. Why not get a Master's and specialist degree?) 5. Right now I'm in my second semester of my program so I am not too sure on how summer classes are but if I can remember once I do take the summer course I'll try to share my experience.
@@ayannaa8579 thank you! So spot on - and I took a summer course only for one summer and it was in the area of Social Emotional Assessment. Some also had to take statistics over the summer. My program was super intensive and I was in 5 classes at once typically - I took a concentration as well but definitely had between 4-5 course each quarter (I was on a quarter system)
Thanks for sharing Amanda. I’m going into internship in California this communing up school year and am a little nervous. Do you have any suggestions or tips for inters?
Hi everyone, hoping for some insight. I am a first-year student in a School Psychology program and am going back and forth on if this is the right path for me…. I want to work with kids but IQ testing (WISC, etc) does not interest me much, and I’ve heard that’s what I will be doing most of the time. I'm way more interested in the counseling side of things, which makes me think I should pursue an MSW instead… any insight on this would help me bunches, I’m so torn because I love my cohort and professors but I’m not big on cognitive assessments! Help!
Wow thank you so much for clarifying these different aspects. I would like to apply and become a school psych myself but I'm a little bit of an introvert. Do you have lots of meetings or need to speak in a public settings a lot? I saw some people say that it's a ton of paperwork and all they do is sit in the office and write reports all day long, not much public speaking. But I also see people say that they have to meet up with the staff and parents a lot to discuss about the children. What is your opinion on that? I do plan on starting as an aide in special ed in school to just get a feel of how it's like, but I appreciate your answers.
It'definitely both. You have to be able to converse with teachers, parents, staff and students in order to see how the child functions in class and at home. But when it comes to assessment and report writing you will most likely be doing that on your own. It's more of a team effort. Less interactions than teachers have though
It doesn’t matter if a person considered kid or adult . When the person is much taller and bigger than you , you are the one who is considered the priority.
Love your content!! QQ... Would it be okay with you if I share a link to your channel in my Descriptions on my TH-cam videos for school psychs? If so, do you want to send me exactly what you would like me to share? My goal is to get as many resources out to the field as possible. Thanks for all you are doing and well wishes for the start of the new school year! I still have two weeks remaining in my summer but know many have returned.
If you're comfortable, would you mind sharing the school psychologist salary? I'm trying to decide between school counseling and school psychology and I've heard that with the education specialist degree you have more earning power than what you would have with just a master's. I'm really interested in both but I'm not sure that I want to work with just the special ed population in schools but with all students in search of mental health help. Do you work with just the sped population or do you get to branch out and provide counseling services to other students as well as testing?
It’s so nice to hear someone talk about the pros and cons of this job in such a real, down-to-earth way! I absolutely agree that we should be setting boundaries and advocating for ourselves at work when we’re feeling burnt out. I’m about to start my 3rd year internship in a couple weeks and I found it hard to advocate/voice my opinions in my past placements…any advice for becoming a better self-advocate/more confident in this work? P.S. I worked at a daycare during my undergrad and I’m gonna be working with kiddos in preschool for internship! Glad to see another school psych whose passionate about ECE 🥹🤍
I’m so happy for you! Wohoo congrats it’s going to be great. I think the ONLY way to increase advocacy is to practice and that takes like 5 seconds on insane courage to say that thing in your head that you know you need to say. It also helps to be extremely kind and have strong relationships so that when you advocate people know your heart is in the right place. If you don’t advocate, unfortunately people will walk all over you ): so just keep practicing think “5 seconds of courage”. Be direct, kind, and confident ❤️ also yay we love our ECE babies 🤗
Great question! So in typical public school districts they spread your pay over the whole year so there is no laps in pay or health insurance. I think maybe some districts you can choose if you want it that way. Now that I am contracted I do not get paid over summer, so I intentionally save for summer expenses which is tricky sometimes but also get paid so much more that it feels worth it
I felt as prepared as I possibly could have been 😊 but there were so many “firsts” after I started on my own obviously and they were still scary. So it’s important to have fellow psychs you can ask questions to
The easiest way to obtain national certification is to attend a NASP/APa certified EdS program in school psychology, complete all requirements and complete all hours for your internship - you have to take the Praxis to be state certified usually. Then you apply for national certification with your transcripts and proof of internship certification, and praxis score
@@AmandaEdS thank you! I am thinking about getting my masters in school psych. either that or mental health counseling but am unsure what career would be better/have less burn out
@@andrealudwig4160 so to have the appropriate training to be a school psychologist you need an education specialist degree (it’s a step between a masters and a doctorate - 3year program). I would say if you are interested in special education (evaluating kids to determine if they have a disability), crisis work, report writing, and kind of having an admin-like role, school psychology is a good option. If you want more variety of the settings you can work in (hospitals , schools , outpatient), and you’re primarily interested in counseling and therpay - then mental health counseling is good. I may actually go back to get my masters in clinical mental health counseling so that I can potentially work in more settings (:
Aren’t you allowed to defend yourself ?🧐if a high school student with violent behavior is approaching you to attack you , can’t you push him back or scream ?! What if god forbid that student kills you 🫣 or cause you to break your bones !
I just found your videos and am so happy I did! I am going into my first year of Ed.S in School Psych at Denver!
Yay! So exciting! University of Denver? Congrats 🎉
I am glad you brought up the physical dangers that can occur when students are in distress and possibly having melt downs etc. I have medical issues where that could be dangerous due to my blood thinners and other meds. So I am glad to hear about that so I can seriously consider it and try to find a solution. I honestly overlooked it, I wouldn’t have imagined a concussion or whip lash.
I specifically went into school psychology because of the vacation days 😆 Couldn’t handle working all year!
ME TOO LOL
This video is so helpful to those who are considering applying for school psy programs! Thank you and wish you a great new academic year at school:))
Fellow school psych here. Good job on the content. Keep the videos coming!
Thank you so much for making this video! I really appreciate you sharing your experience working as a school psychologist! I can't wait for part two! I have a few more questions to add too! 😊
(also my name is pronounced the Spanish way)
1) Have there been times where you worked with a group of students or have been able to teach a class about something psych related (mental health awareness, behavior management)?
2) Was there a time where you were unable to reach the parents or guardians of a student or a situation where the parents/guardians were not willing to work with you? How did you/would you handle a scenario like this?
3) Do you find that other staff members are willing to work with you when it comes to finding ways to help a student in their academics or behavioral/emotional regulation?
4) What was the most difficult part for you when you first started working as a school psychologist?
5) Were there any other careers you considered pursuing while in school (besides a social worker)?
Love this video! I will be starting my first year as a psych in a few weeks! I also taught in a preschool and that's how I found school psychology! Could you do a video on what it's like to be a first year psych?
Thank you so much for being so open and transparent with pros and cons. It’s helpful to understand realistically what this career entails.
Thank you SO much for watching and leaving a comment. It’s so encouraging 💕😊 school psychology is such a special and niche career!
You are so wholesome, and have a very clear logic. I've learned a lot about the job through your video and would think deeper about this career. Thank you.
I do have another question if you could answer me: What careers do graduates of child psychology major usually enter?
love it thank you !!!!
Hello Amanda! Wow, thank you so much for this SUPER informative video! I am a mature student who, in spite of receiving praise from instructors when I actually did the work, I also bounced around into a few different majors since I moved to the US at 23 years-old from Brazil, where I was a psych major. The result: after 25 long years of experimenting without much support, I was finally diagnosed with pretty severe ADHD (and very possibly anxiety as well). I finally decided a couple years ago to come back to psychology and had neuropsychology as my main end goal (get the ADHD hint here, of an almost 50-yr-old considering applying for a program she has absolutely no experience in?). I took the courage to meet with a professor in school who was so careful not to discourage me, yet was skillful enough to suggest other options that won’t take 15 years of training (which would get me to my 60s when I am finally licensed) and we came up together to the field of school psychology. I will continue looking into it but I would just like to thank you again for taking the time to share your experience, and I hope that other great videos were made since this first one (I believe you made this last year) ❤ - Best, Gigi.
Thank you for sharing I am so happy to hear about your story and I hope you do keep considering school psychology, it is a special and unique field(: also, recently officially diagnosed with ADHD and started treatment and I’m so happy to know finally that my brains is just a bit different 🧠 I’d love you to keep me updated on your journey!
Questions about grad school for next Q&A (from someone who’s in the very early stages of becoming a school psych AKA currently getting BA in psych):
1. How many classes are normal to take each semester (grad school)?
2. How long did it take for you to finish grad school (how many semesters)?
3. Is practicum something you did each semester of grad school?
4. If you work an unpaid school psych internship on the side of your normal grad studies (outside of school), will that count toward the internship requirement? (Also, is the full-time internship year only for the ones that get a specialized school psych degree like an SSP, or is that year also required for the ones that choose to only do a regular master’s in school psych?)
5. If you’ve taken summer classes in grad school, are they hard?
1. Each semester is about 9-12 credits depending on your school which is around 3-4 courses
2. School Psychology Master's/ Specialist programs are designed to be 4 semesters( 2 years) of coursework although some school will add the occasional summer class or two. In the 3rd year of the it will be a full time internship to obtain 1200 hours.
3. In my program we have practicum every semester except for the first fall semester of our program
4. With school psychology you won't be able to actually do an internship within the field until you have finished all of your coursework. Since it's a field with a lot of testing and assessments, having that knowledge is imperative to fully do an internship. And they are also all usually full time as well hence the third year of your program being dedicated to internship. No matter is you get a specialist or Master's degree you'll have to do these hours. (that's why I honestly would recommend a program where you could obtain both. Why not get a Master's and specialist degree?)
5. Right now I'm in my second semester of my program so I am not too sure on how summer classes are but if I can remember once I do take the summer course I'll try to share my experience.
@@ayannaa8579 thank you! So spot on - and I took a summer course only for one summer and it was in the area of Social Emotional Assessment. Some also had to take statistics over the summer. My program was super intensive and I was in 5 classes at once typically - I took a concentration as well but definitely had between 4-5 course each quarter (I was on a quarter system)
Thanks going into last semester of undergrad!
Thanks for sharing Amanda. I’m going into internship in California this communing up school year and am a little nervous. Do you have any suggestions or tips for inters?
Hi everyone, hoping for some insight. I am a first-year student in a School Psychology program and am going back and forth on if this is the right path for me…. I want to work with kids but IQ testing (WISC, etc) does not interest me much, and I’ve heard that’s what I will be doing most of the time. I'm way more interested in the counseling side of things, which makes me think I should pursue an MSW instead… any insight on this would help me bunches, I’m so torn because I love my cohort and professors but I’m not big on cognitive assessments! Help!
Wow thank you so much for clarifying these different aspects. I would like to apply and become a school psych myself but I'm a little bit of an introvert. Do you have lots of meetings or need to speak in a public settings a lot? I saw some people say that it's a ton of paperwork and all they do is sit in the office and write reports all day long, not much public speaking. But I also see people say that they have to meet up with the staff and parents a lot to discuss about the children. What is your opinion on that? I do plan on starting as an aide in special ed in school to just get a feel of how it's like, but I appreciate your answers.
It'definitely both. You have to be able to converse with teachers, parents, staff and students in order to see how the child functions in class and at home. But when it comes to assessment and report writing you will most likely be doing that on your own. It's more of a team effort. Less interactions than teachers have though
@@ayannaa8579do you enjoy the profession? Are there any comparisons or major differences between school psych and slp?
Thanks for this video! Just as a heads up the correct pronunciation for template is tem-pluht, not tem-playt. :) Anyway, I appreciate your info!
It doesn’t matter if a person considered kid or adult . When the person is much taller and bigger than you , you are the one who is considered the priority.
Love your content!! QQ... Would it be okay with you if I share a link to your channel in my Descriptions on my TH-cam videos for school psychs? If so, do you want to send me exactly what you would like me to share? My goal is to get as many resources out to the field as possible. Thanks for all you are doing and well wishes for the start of the new school year! I still have two weeks remaining in my summer but know many have returned.
If you're comfortable, would you mind sharing the school psychologist salary? I'm trying to decide between school counseling and school psychology and I've heard that with the education specialist degree you have more earning power than what you would have with just a master's. I'm really interested in both but I'm not sure that I want to work with just the special ed population in schools but with all students in search of mental health help. Do you work with just the sped population or do you get to branch out and provide counseling services to other students as well as testing?
Consider Social Worker.
Very little pay but a lot of mental health exposure.
It’s so nice to hear someone talk about the pros and cons of this job in such a real, down-to-earth way! I absolutely agree that we should be setting boundaries and advocating for ourselves at work when we’re feeling burnt out. I’m about to start my 3rd year internship in a couple weeks and I found it hard to advocate/voice my opinions in my past placements…any advice for becoming a better self-advocate/more confident in this work?
P.S. I worked at a daycare during my undergrad and I’m gonna be working with kiddos in preschool for internship! Glad to see another school psych whose passionate about ECE 🥹🤍
I’m so happy for you! Wohoo congrats it’s going to be great. I think the ONLY way to increase advocacy is to practice and that takes like 5 seconds on insane courage to say that thing in your head that you know you need to say. It also helps to be extremely kind and have strong relationships so that when you advocate people know your heart is in the right place. If you don’t advocate, unfortunately people will walk all over you ): so just keep practicing think “5 seconds of courage”. Be direct, kind, and confident ❤️ also yay we love our ECE babies 🤗
Hay quá
I know its different everywhere, but how does summer work for you? Do you still get paid, or do you have to find a side gig?
Great question! So in typical public school districts they spread your pay over the whole year so there is no laps in pay or health insurance. I think maybe some districts you can choose if you want it that way. Now that I am contracted I do not get paid over summer, so I intentionally save for summer expenses which is tricky sometimes but also get paid so much more that it feels worth it
How prepared did you feel after finishing grad school for your first job?
I felt as prepared as I possibly could have been 😊 but there were so many “firsts” after I started on my own obviously and they were still scary. So it’s important to have fellow psychs you can ask questions to
How do you obtain a national certification? Do you have to just take a test?
The easiest way to obtain national certification is to attend a NASP/APa certified EdS program in school psychology, complete all requirements and complete all hours for your internship - you have to take the Praxis to be state certified usually. Then you apply for national certification with your transcripts and proof of internship certification, and praxis score
@@AmandaEdS thank you! I am thinking about getting my masters in school psych. either that or mental health counseling but am unsure what career would be better/have less burn out
@@andrealudwig4160 so to have the appropriate training to be a school psychologist you need an education specialist degree (it’s a step between a masters and a doctorate - 3year program). I would say if you are interested in special education (evaluating kids to determine if they have a disability), crisis work, report writing, and kind of having an admin-like role, school psychology is a good option. If you want more variety of the settings you can work in (hospitals , schools , outpatient), and you’re primarily interested in counseling and therpay - then mental health counseling is good. I may actually go back to get my masters in clinical mental health counseling so that I can potentially work in more settings (:
I am from Algeria I have a master’s degree in school psychology. Can I authenticate my degree and work abroad?
Hi!! Would you be willing to share your Vineland template?
Aren’t you allowed to defend yourself ?🧐if a high school student with violent behavior is approaching you to attack you , can’t you push him back or scream ?! What if god forbid that student kills you 🫣 or cause you to break your bones !