Handbook of University and Professional Careers in School Psychology

Randy G. Floyd, Tanya L. Eckert

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000290974
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Educational Psychology

The Handbook of University and Professional Careers in School Psychology is a comprehensive resource for school psychologists in doctoral training or currently appointed to positions in universities and other clinical professional settings. Across 30 unique chapters, experts in the field offer diverse, experienced perspectives on accessing resources, building skills, navigating difficult experiences, and flourishing in all major facets of the profession. The book places special emphasis on development throughout the career lifespan and the empowerment of women, people of color, and scholars from outside of the United States.

1 Career Paths in School Psychology

John S. Carlson, Bryn Harris, and Celeste M. Malone

The primary focus of this edited book is to describe a diverse group of career paths for those interested in training the next generation of school psychologists. This training occurs in universities, schools, clinics, hospitals, and other mental health systems of care for school-aged populations and their families. Through the inclusion of this opening chapter and the others that follow, the book initially aims to encourage readers to embrace a career in school psychology with particular attention to career opportunities at the non-doctoral (e.g., school psychologist) and doctoral level (e.g., faculty member, clinical supervisor, and administrator). Next, a comprehensive set of chapters focuses on addressing how diversity and personal development factors may influence an academic school psychology career. Finally, the book concludes with chapters aimed at advanced skill development and reaching scholarly goals within a university position.

The fields of education and psychology offer a diverse array of career options for those passionate about serving others through practice, teaching, or research. Education-related careers exist across multiple contexts (e.g., schools, universities, communities, industry, and government) as highlighted in 101 Careers in Education (J. Carlson & R. Carlson, 2016). One example is that of the school psychologist. School psychologists bridge the fields of psychology and education to address development and school-related issues, including those that concern children, parents, families, teachers, and communities. It is a highly meaningful career that has been recently ranked as the second best of 28 featured social service jobs (U.S. News & World Report, n.d.).

The purpose of this first chapter is to help you envision a path forward to embark on a career in school psychology with specific consideration for how to ready yourself for the diverse range of positions featured in this book. There are many paths one can take toward an academic, university, or professional career in school psychology. The single most direct path to an academic position or independent practice involves the completion of a doctoral degree. Slightly more than 99% of school psychology faculty have a doctoral degree (Crothers et al., 2010). As can be seen in the remaining chapters of this book, a doctoral degree affords one an amazing range of career opportunities and the ability to balance professional and personal goals flexibly.

Doctoral degrees in school psychology are most typically completed in graduate training programs that are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA-accredited). Almost three-quarters of doctoral programs in school psychology in the United States (75 of 102) are APA-accredited (Gadke, Valley-Gray, & Rossen, 2019). Job applicants with a doctoral degree in school psychology and dually credentialed (i.e., Licensed Psychologist [LP] and Nationally Certified School Psychologist [NCSP]) are highly sought within academic position openings (see Chapter 2 by Sander and Radliff). However, faculty position applicants with degrees in one of the other professional psychologies (e.g., child clinical psychology and counseling psychology), special education, or closely related fields of study may also be hired for core or affiliated program faculty openings.

Doctoral education in APA-accredited school psychology programs can either be in the form of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) degree. Doctoral degrees can be exclusively focused on school psychology or combined with one or more of the other health service psychology disciplines (i.e., counseling psychology, and clinical psychology). According to APA’s database of doctoral programs (APA, n.d.a), which includes Canada and the United States and its territories, there are currently 85 APA-accredited doctoral programs in school psychology. Most (73%: n = 62) offer a PhD in School Psychology. Seventeen (20%) offer a PsyD in School Psychology or some combination of clinical- or counseling-school training, while the remaining six (7%) offer a PhD in some combination of clinical, counseling, or school psychology training.

The competencies (e.g., a scholarship of research, teaching, and practice) associated with the doctoral degree and doctorate-related credentials (e.g., Health Service Psychologist [HSP]; LP; and NCSP) are typically required to train others within programs accredited by APA where training focuses on health service psychology with a specialization in school psychology. Academic careers in non-doctoral school psychology training programs, such as those approved by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), also require similar competencies and one or more of those credentials. Table 1.1

Table 1.1 An Overview of APA’s Profession-Wide Competencies and NASP’s Practice Model

APA (2019) Standards of Accreditation for Health Service Psychology: 9 Profession-Wide Competencies (PWC)	National Association of School Psychologists (2010c) Practice Model: 10 Domains
PWC 1. Research	Domain 1. Data-based decision making and accountability
PWC 2. Ethical and legal standards	Domain 2. Consultation and collaboration
PWC 3. Individual and cultural diversity	Domain 3. Interventions and instructional support to develop academic skills
PWC 4. Professional values and attitudes	Domain 4. Interventions and mental health services to develop social and life skills
PWC 5. Communication and interpersonal skills	Domain 5. School-wide practices to promote learning
PWC 6. Assessment	Domain 6. Preventive and responsive services
PWC 7. Intervention	Domain 7: Family-school collaboration services
PWC 8. Supervision	Domain 8: Diversity in development and learning
PWC 9. Consultation and interprofessional	Domain 9: Research and program evaluation
	Domain 10: Legal, ethical, and professional practice

PWC = profession-wide competency.

highlights the professional competencies expected within APA-accredited and NASP-approved programs.

An academic career in an NASP-approved or APA-accredited graduate training program can vary substantially. Factors such as the degree offered (e.g., Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study [CAGS], Educational Specialist [EdS], PhD, and PsyD) and the teaching-, training-, or research-intensive nature of the university in which the program resides can impact the path one needs to take. School psychology training programs can be focused on preparing graduates for a career in practice or research. They too can be focused on training the next generation of trainers as some doctoral programs (e.g., University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Texas-Austin, Lehigh University, University of Georgia, University of California-Berkley, University of Minnesota, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln) are known as leaders in preparing faculty for positions in APA-accredited programs (J. Carlson et al., 2016). From our combined experience, the University of Connecticut, University of Missouri, and University of California-Santa Barbara are additional universities that stand out in placing graduates into faculty positions. Given the range of non-doctoral and doctoral training programs in school psychology, diverse training emphases (e.g., practitioner-scientist, scientist-practitioner, and scientist-scholar-practitioner), associated competencies, and varying licensure or credentialing rates of graduate training programs highly influence the characteristics and requirements expected in faculty position openings. To better understand the diverse array of careers available to doctoral-level and specialist-level school psychologists, we provide a brief overview of the school psychology field, a history of school psychologist training in the United States, and the training requirements necessary to assume varied roles and functions.

Overview of the School Psychology Field

The field of school psychology in the United States may be best defined by the two professional organizations currently providing training oversight. NASP (2014) defines school psychologists as:

uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students’ ability to learn and teachers’ ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. School psychologists partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community. (p. 2)

Graduates from non-doctoral NASP-approved programs typically assume school-based practice or administrative leadership positions.

APA is the primary professional group overseeing training at the doctoral level for school psychologists. APA (n.d.b) defines school psychologists as

prepared to intervene at the individual and system level, and develop, implement, and evaluate preventive programs. In these efforts, they conduct ecologically valid assessments and intervene to promote positive learning environments within which children and youth from diverse backgrounds have equal access to effective educational and psychological services that promote healthy development. (para. #1)

Doctoral graduates not only can be credentialed to work in schools but also with school-aged populations within other mental health systems of care (e.g., private practice, hospitals, and clinics).

History of School Psychology Training

Among the many who have influenced training in school psychology, two psychologists have uniquely provided leadership to the emergence of the discipline (Florell, 2019). Dr. Lightner Witmer, the founder of the first psychological clinic at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896, is credited with the emergence of the field of clinical and school psychology. His guidance on case conceptualization, training in diagnoses and remediation, and connecting psychology to schooling has profoundly impacted school psychological services (Fagan, 1996). Dr. Gertrude Hildreth, a psychologist at the Lincoln School of Teacher’s College at Columbia University is credited with publishing the first school psychology textbook. Psychological Services for School Problems (Hildreth, 1930) highlighted the psychology of educational problems, service provision in schools and clinics, psychological measurement, test administration, children with exceptional needs, idiographic approaches to assessment and treatment, psychological services for instruction and guidance, administrative details, and educational research problems. The book’s focus on practice and research pertaining to assessment, consultation, and intervention of school-related problems is consistent with the role and functions of school psychologists today.

Five training programs are frequently discussed within the literature as providing leadership to the emergence of formalized doctoral training in school psychology. New York University (NYU) was the first to establish school psychology training in the 1920s and in 1953, the University of Illinois created the first clearly defined doctoral program in education and psychology that resembles curriculum currently found in contemporary school psychology programs (Fagan, 1986). APA-accredited programs in school psychology emerged almost 20 years later, when the University of Texas-Austin (1971) was the first to achieve that status, with the University of Minnesota (1972) and Hofstra University (1973) closely behind (Fagan & Wells, 2000).

NASP program approval did not begin until 1988. Fourteen programs were given the distinction of being the first NASP-approved specialist programs (Fagan & Wells, 2000). Seven (in bold) were also a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Section I: Embracing a Career in School Psychology: Subsection A: Early Career Considerations
• 1 Career Paths in School Psychology
• 2 Obtaining Post-Degree Supervision, Certification, and Licensure
• Subsection B: Career Considerations for University Faculty
• 3 Obtaining Your First Academic Job
• 4 Succeeding During Your Early Career in University Settings
• 5 Succeeding During Your Mid-career in University Settings
• 6 Succeeding During Your Later Career in University Settings
• 7 Succeeding as a University Administrator
• 8 Succeeding During Retirement from University Settings
• Subsection C: Thriving in Different Career Roles
• 9 Bridging Science and Practice: Be the Hyphen
• 10 Thriving in Private Practice and as an Independent Consultant
• Section II: Addressing Diversity and Personal Development: Subsection D: Addressing Diverse Identities
• 11 Succeeding as a Woman in School Psychology
• 12 Succeeding as a Person of Color in School Psychology
• 13 Succeeding as a Man in Higher Education as an Advocate of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in School Psychology
• 14 Engaging Internationally to Produce Scholarship in School and Educational Psychology: A Critical Perspective
• Subsection E: Reaching Personal Potential
• 15 Overcoming Adversity
• 16 Striving for Work–Life Balance, Engaging in Self-Care, and Preventing Burnout
• Section III Advancing Skill Development and Reaching Goals: Subsection F: Advancing Scholarship
• 17 Developing Programs of Research in School Psychology
• 18 Making the Most of Collaborative Research Projects
• 19 Finding, Securing, and Managing Grants
• 20 Enhancing Skills in Research Methods and Statistics
• 21 Being a Productive Scholar
• 22 Reviewing Manuscripts Submitted to Peer-Reviewed Journals
• Subsection G: Advancing Teaching, Mentoring, and Supervision
• 23 Teaching with Passion and Effectiveness
• 24 Being a Mentor in Scholarship
• 25 Making a Difference in School Psychology
• 26 Clinical Supervision, Support, and Professional Development for School Psychologists across the Career Lifespan
• Subsection H: Advancing Community and Professional Involvement
• 27 Promoting Community Engagement and Action Research
• 28 Fighting for Social Justice
• 29 Engaging in Political Leadership and Public Policy Advocacy
• 30 Getting Involved in Professional Organizations
• Index