What does a school psychology specialist do?
School Psychology Specialists support a students' ability to find out and teachers' ability to show. These specialists apply their expertise in learning mental health and behavior, as well as emotions. They partner with teachers, school administrators, and family to create a safe learning environment for everyone. School psychology specialists must have the skills and knowledge of family-school-community collaboration, school-wide practices to promote learning, and diversity in development and learning. They may provide services in preschools, school-based health and mental health centers, and universities.
School psychology specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real school psychology specialist resumes:
- Assist in maintaining DOD certification and assist in achieving and retaining national accreditation.
- Consult with other school staff as necessary to execute the goals of the IEP.
- Work alongside motocross pros Scott Davis and Donnie Hansen in demonstrating rider style and form for a kids' motocross camp.
- Develop materials for specific and generalize programs to model ABA strategies.
- Implement specific ABA programs and collect data through education programs within a nurturing consistent environment.
- Administer a variety of standardize psychological measures to address cognitive functioning, academic achievement, social/behavioral issues, and adaptive functioning.
- Assist in maintaining DOD certification and assist in achieving and retaining national accreditation.
School psychology specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of School Psychology Specialists are proficient in Professional Development, School Administration, and K-12. They’re also known for soft skills such as Integrity, Observational skills, and Analytical skills.
We break down the percentage of School Psychology Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Professional Development, 16%
Created and presented professional development modules related to research-based best practices in reading and writing education at state and national conferences.
- School Administration, 9%
Collaborated with school administration to build yearly family engagement Plans that promote school/community relationships and welcome all families into the school.
- K-12, 7%
dance curriculum for K-12 students.
- Data Collection, 7%
Provided data collection and researched member claims in QNXT application for updated information and correct provider chart retrieval.
- Classroom Management, 6%
Presented teacher in-services concerning classroom management, DSM-IV criteria and IDEA, autistic students and behavior rating scales.
- Math, 5%
Worked with struggling students individually or in small groups to improve their math scores.
"professional development," "school administration," and "k-12" are among the most common skills that school psychology specialists use at work. You can find even more school psychology specialist responsibilities below, including:
Integrity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a school psychology specialist to have is integrity. Their role and responsibilities require that "psychologists must keep patients’ problems in confidence, and patients must be able to trust psychologists’ expertise in treating sensitive problems." School psychology specialists often use integrity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed trust and strong bonds with assigned students which led to student achievement in even the most at-risk of students. "
Observational skills. Another essential skill to perform school psychology specialist duties is observational skills. School psychology specialists responsibilities require that "psychologists study attitude and behavior." School psychology specialists also use observational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "administered psycho-educational assessments and wrote psychological reports.collected observational information on students.consulted with paraprofessionals, teachers, and students parents/guardians. "
Analytical skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of school psychology specialists is analytical skills. This skill is critical to many everyday school psychology specialist duties, as "psychologists must examine the information they collect and draw logical conclusions." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "review assessment data with teachers, individually and with departments, grade levels, or instructional teams. "
Problem-solving skills. school psychology specialist responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "psychologists need problem-solving skills to collect information, design research, evaluate programs, and find treatments or solutions to mental and behavioral problems." This resume example shows what school psychology specialists do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "developed group therapy curriculum -i.e., anger management, self-esteem, conflict resolution, and peer mentoring. "
Patience. Another crucial skill for a school psychology specialist to carry out their responsibilities is "patience." A big part of what school psychology specialists relies on this skill, since "psychologists must demonstrate patience, because conducting research or treating patients may take a long time." How this skill relates to school psychology specialist duties can be seen in an example from a school psychology specialist resume snippet: "carry out assignments to completion use patience and care to provide students of all abilities with an active learning environment. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill commonly found on school psychology specialist job descriptions is "interpersonal skills." It can come up quite often in school psychology specialist duties, since "psychologists study and help individuals, so they must be able to work well with clients, patients, and other professionals." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day school psychology specialist responsibilities: "exemplified good interpersonal and crisis intervention skills, including oral and written communications, and group facilitation. "
The three companies that hire the most school psychology specialists are:
- Burrell Behavioral Health19 school psychology specialists jobs
- IDEA Public Schools12 school psychology specialists jobs
- Cummins Behavioral Health Systems7 school psychology specialists jobs
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Compare different school psychology specialists
School psychology specialist vs. Educational diagnostician
School performance is assessed through surveys, students' conduct, and a curriculum check. This work is assigned to an educational diagnostician. After students' behavioral and cognitive development, they check for delays and report them to appropriate personnel. They regularly communicate with parents and guardians to appropriately manage the child. On the budgetary aspect, educational diagnosticians are also tasked to allocate money to the school's different processes, such as research and events. They record these students' milestones and report them to parents.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between school psychology specialists and educational diagnostician. For instance, school psychology specialist responsibilities require skills such as "school administration," "data collection," "classroom management," and "math." Whereas a educational diagnostician is skilled in "dismissal," "test results," "state laws," and "evaluation reports." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Educational diagnosticians tend to make the most money working in the government industry, where they earn an average salary of $51,946. In contrast, school psychology specialists make the biggest average salary, $40,800, in the professional industry.The education levels that educational diagnosticians earn slightly differ from school psychology specialists. In particular, educational diagnosticians are 30.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a school psychology specialist. Additionally, they're 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School psychology specialist vs. Educational psychologist
An Associate School Psychologist helps psychologists provide support and counseling services to students, teachers, and non-teaching staff at schools. They participate in developing programs and activities that promote emotional and mental health, conduct interviews and psychological assessments, address issues and concerns, liaise with internal and external parties, and coordinate with families and guardians. Moreover, an Associate School Psychologist may also perform administrative tasks such as handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documentation, and arranging meetings and appointments.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that school psychology specialist responsibilities requires skills like "school administration," "data collection," "classroom management," and "math." But an educational psychologist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "lep," "psycho-educational evaluations," "group therapy," and "behavioral management."
Educational psychologists earn higher levels of education than school psychology specialists in general. They're 7.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School psychology specialist vs. Associate school psychologist
A bilingual school psychologist offers support services to students, helping them overcome stress and address various behavioral or emotional issues. They are particularly helpful to the students experiencing difficulties due to language barriers. As a bilingual school psychologist, it is their job to conduct interviews and assessments, establish a healthy communication line with the students to hear out their concerns and troubles, provide counseling, or refer them to other services when necessary. Besides diagnosing and treating issues, they may also develop programs to meet the students' needs.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a school psychology specialist is likely to be skilled in "school administration," "k-12," "math," and "technical assistance," while a typical associate school psychologist is skilled in "developmental disabilities," "psychological services," "psychological tests," and "behavioral health."
Associate school psychologists make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $78,113. On the other hand, school psychology specialists are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $40,800.Most associate school psychologists achieve a higher degree level compared to school psychology specialists. For example, they're 9.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 7.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.School psychology specialist vs. Bilingual school psychologist
Types of school psychology specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
