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What is a school psychologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Experts
Dr. Robert P. Delprino,
Dr. Joey Collins
introduction image

A school psychologist specializes in working with children and adolescents in a school setting. They provide services to promote the academic, social, and emotional well-being of students. School psychologists work with teachers, parents, and other professionals to assess and identify students' needs, develop interventions, and provide support. They may provide counseling, conduct assessments, develop individualized education plans, and offer guidance to parents to support their child. Overall, school psychologists help students achieve their full potential.

What general advice would you give to a School Psychologist?

Dr. Robert P. DelprinoDr. Robert P. Delprino LinkedIn Profile

Professor and Assistant Dean, SUNY Buffalo State

Patience - recent graduates have contacted me to discuss with some frustration that they are not making advances in their career as quickly as they wish or expected. They may need to be reminded that they are just beginning their career and that there are no short cuts to developing the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will allow them to be successful.

Most undergraduate programs, and this may be especially true in psychology, provide a survey of the field of study. Students are exposed to a smattering of information of the many areas of psychology. This may be true of most undergraduate degree programs.

Just as there are no shortcuts to acquiring the knowledge of the field, it also takes time to develop the practical skills and knowledge that allows one to successfully operate within an organization and with others. Most students are never introduced, even in some business programs, to the value of understanding and evaluating the behavior of others or how the organization influences its members behavior.

For some individuals, reaching some level of achievement, such as a degree or title within an organization, means the learning process ends. Gaining knowledge of one's field of study as well as insight of one's strengths and weaknesses are a continuous process. Regardless of the stage of a career, there is value in honestly assessing one's abilities. By doing so, they may find greater success and life satisfaction in pursuing their strengths rather than weaknesses, but this means taking the time to self-assess and seek feedback from others.

A graduate beginning their career should realize that the hard and difficult work they are doing now is exactly what they need and should be doing to achieve future mastery and success in their career.
ScoreSchool PsychologistUS Average
Salary
6.1

Avg. Salary $78,431

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level
9.4

Growth Rate 14%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity
3.6
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.20%

Asian 3.34%

Black or African American 6.18%

Hispanic or Latino 10.44%

Unknown 3.44%

White 76.39%

Gender

female 73.20%

male 26.80%

Age - 42
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42
Stress Level
9.4

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level
8.6

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance
7.5

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a School Psychologist?

Pros

  • Opportunity to work with children and adolescents

  • Variety in daily tasks and responsibilities

  • High demand for school psychologists

  • Flexibility in work schedule during school breaks

  • Chance to specialize in a particular area of psychology

Cons

  • Exposure to high levels of stress and pressure

  • Challenging work with students facing a range of issues and needs

  • Emotional toll of working with students who have experienced trauma or abuse

  • Limited funding for resources and programs for students with special needs or mental health issues

  • May require working outside of traditional school hours, including evenings and weekends

School Psychologist career paths

Key steps to become a school psychologist

  1. Explore school psychologist education requirements

    Most common school psychologist degrees

    Bachelor's

    47.8 %

    Master's

    38.4 %

    Doctorate

    8.2 %
  2. Start to develop specific school psychologist skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Professional Development18.39%
    Mental Health12.84%
    Psychological Services7.29%
    K-127.18%
    Crisis Intervention4.44%
  3. Complete relevant school psychologist training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New school psychologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a school psychologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real school psychologist resumes.
  4. Obtain the necessary licensing

    Becoming a licensed school psychologist usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed school psychologist in most of states. 32 states require school psychologists to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.
    StateEducationExamLicense Url
    KansasDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredLicensed Master Social Worker
    AlabamaDegree requiredState exam requiredLicensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW)
    ArkansasDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredLicensed Certified Social Worker
    HawaiiDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredLicensed Social Worker
    IdahoDegree requiredThird-party exam requiredSocial Workers
  5. Research school psychologist duties and responsibilities

    • Work alongside grade-level teachers and lead small math groups for both remedial and advance students.
    • Lead small student groups addressing social skills, friendship-making, divorce, ADHD, organizational skills and homework completion.
    • Provide brief evidence-base individual, couple, and group psychotherapy to veterans refer for mental health treatment.
    • Provide individual and family interventions to geriatric patients in nursing home facilities for long term care and rehabilitation treatment.
  6. Prepare your school psychologist resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your school psychologist resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a school psychologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose From 10+ Customizable School Psychologist Resume templates

    Build a professional School Psychologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your School Psychologist resume.
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  7. Apply for school psychologist jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a school psychologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How Did You Land Your First School Psychologist Job

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Average school psychologist salary

The average School Psychologist salary in the United States is $78,431 per year or $38 per hour. School psychologist salaries range between $55,000 and $110,000 per year.

Average School Psychologist Salary
$78,431 Yearly
$37.71 hourly

What Am I Worth?

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How do school psychologists rate their job?

5/5

Based On 1 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

School Psychologist reviews

profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020
Pros

Variety, supporting kids, testing and analyzing, teams.

Cons

Paperwork can be overwhelming


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020
Pros

I enjoy working with all age groups of children. I want to make sure during the evaluation process I have considered all possibilities. I evaluate children like I would want my own child evaluated. RTI data and work samples are very important.

Cons

Educational staff that has no empathy for children. There is something to love about each student.


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School Psychologist jobs by state

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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