Career profile for School Psychologist

What does a School Psychologist do?

School Psychologists diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school.

In addition, School Psychologists

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 kind of tasks does a School Psychologist perform regularly?

School Psychologists are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

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.

The above responsibilities are specific to School Psychologists. More generally, School Psychologists are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships		Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings		Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events		Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

What is a School Psychologist salary?

The median salary for a School Psychologist is $79,820, and the average salary is $89,290. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the School Psychologist salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many School Psychologists earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of School Psychologists earn less than $46,410 per year, 25% earn less than $60,750, 75% earn less than $104,860, and 90% earn less than $138,550.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of School Psychologists is expected to change by 10.4%, and there should be roughly 9,400 open positions for School Psychologists every year.

Median annual salary: $79,820
Typical salary range: $46,410 - $138,550
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 10.4%

What personality traits are common among School Psychologists?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a School Psychologist are usually higher in their Investigative and Social interests.

School Psychologists typically have very strong Investigative interests. 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.

Also, School Psychologists typically have very strong Social interests. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a School Psychologist tend to value Relationships, Independence, and Achievement.

Most importantly, School Psychologists very strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Second, School Psychologists strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, School Psychologists strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as School Psychologists must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, integrity, and persistence.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of School Psychologists, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.
Persistence		Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
Cooperation		Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

Persistence

Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

Cooperation

Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

What education and training do School Psychologists need?

Many School Psychologists have earned a graduate degree. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a doctoral degree, such as a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D..

School Psychologists may need some on-the-job training, but most candidates will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Educational degrees among School Psychologists

8.9% earned a Bachelor's degree
44.9% earned a Master's degree
46.2% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by School Psychologists

School Psychologists may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as psychology, therapy and counseling, or education and training knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most School Psychologists might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
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.
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.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

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.

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.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Important Abilities needed by School Psychologists

School Psychologists must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, School Psychologists need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and written comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for School Psychologists, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Written Comprehension		The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Deductive Reasoning		The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Written Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Written Comprehension

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Written Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Critical Skills needed by School Psychologists

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

School Psychologists frequently use skills like active listening, reading comprehension, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for School Psychologists, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension		Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Writing		Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

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