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The role of an educational psychologist
This paper is written in response to the many hundreds of inquiries we get in relation to becoming an educational psychologist (EP). This site has a focus, which is to aid those that care or teach children or adults with SEN's. We are very sorry, but we do not have the time to answer individual questions in relation to the day to day work of an EP nor how to be qualify and become one. So I hope the following helps. For more information contact a university where you can read for a M.Sc in educational psychology.

My route was as follows, I took on a full time basis a teaching degree. I then taught for 10 years. Via evening study three nights per week for four years I gained a degree in psychology. I then took one year off and self funded a Masters degree in educational psychology. Places on these courses are highly sought after, and seek high quality candidates. It will be the hardest year of your life so far. If it's not then you really have been dealt a tough life. Anyway at the end of the course, I sat in my garden drank a beer and smoked the best cigarette I ever smoked. I felt wonderful.

Minimum qualification for entry to M.Sc in Educational Psychology.: Teaching degree, two years experience as teacher, psychology degree - or degree containing enough psychology to satisfy British Psychological Society. You need to speak to a University that runs the M.Sc.

I was spotted by one of my placements as a likely psychologist and so basically a job was not hard to get. I was supervised which I welcomed, and still do. It was very obvious that I had gone up several gears from being a teacher. Even, as in my case a fairly high profile and skilled behaviour management specialist.

Frankly at the beginning I didn't know much really. My behaviour management skills gave me lots of credibility as I could help schools sort out the difficult and challenging cases. At the same time I was busy getting my head round the myriad of difficulties and disorders that EP's deal with daily. Aspbergers, Autism, pre school developmental difficulties, Scotopic sensitivity, Dyslexia - SpLd, Dyspraxia, Language delay/disorder, ADHD, ADD, Touretts syndrome, ME, elective mutism etc. Don't forget you are the expert to be consulted on these matters and expected to recognise at least that something is not right. You need a really good relationship with colleagues, because the masters degree is only a license to begin to learn. Your team will be the real learning context. Listen to what you are being told. This is why we only take EP's with 10 years plus experience. My opinion is that this is the minimum needed before you take on private work. If you think I'm wrong ask an experienced EP how long they think it takes to be on top of the job.

As a work a day EP in a Local Education Authority (LEA) you will have a number of schools, plus pre school children, plus rota work (e.g. children without schools, children in residential schools), plus LEA work like writing policies on just about every aspect of the job and stuff the LEA has to have polices on, like how it deals with under fives with SEN. You will also need to attend staff meetings. I saw the school work as my practice. It was to be cherished and nurtured. My relationships were the core of my practice. Good relationships meant that we could quickly and easily sort out priorities and I would play to my strengths while the school, played to theirs. I take a consultative view. That is to say I reject the expert model, in favour of the multiple expert model. I may be an expert psychologist but, the teacher is expert in her field and the parent is an expert on the child. Between us we will as expert and sensible intelligent adults find a way forward. If part of the way forward is psychometric testing then that is fine. But there will be tasks for all. My observation was that the EP's who started with me but with less teaching experience got pushed about a fair bit. By that I mean they ran their practice how someone else wanted, in particular some teachers in their schools. It may be very interesting work but remember it has a lot of prestige and EP opinion is quite powerful. Not surprisingly some people will want control of that power. It is a bed of roses if you are assertive and knowledgeable. It can be hell. It is down to you. It is very lonely job in some ways. Yet in other ways it is like popping in on good friends and engaging in fascinating work with them.

If you are looking for praise. Don't do this job. If you are in any way good at it everybody will consider that all the (your) bright ideas are theirs. That the success is as a result of their work and effort, skill etc. Good psychology enables people to say, yes I know that once you have explained it. You want an example. Little boy was like a wild animal. Removed from private school. In my opinion he had been appallingly taught by a very unpleasant newly qualified teacher with whom he had not meshed. In my opinion he had lots of phobias as a result. Behaviour management team had done their best and they were a very good team. Getting nowhere and he was permanently excluded (expelled) from his infant school. Mother besides herself. Begged me to help. I decided to take the child on as case work. Whispered in the ear of a top head teacher and Senco. A place was miracled up in a very competent school. That school worked like crazy. Using the hypothesis that he was multiply phobic they identified each phobia and dealt with it. Advice from me on the way. Lots of recourses from the LEA being piled in. Slowly he came round. Mum announces that she has put him on some diet or other. The child was just becoming settled when Mum declares that all the effects were due to diet. He was then without a goodbye or thank you moved back into the independent sector. Diet Humbug!!! Lots of hard skilled patient work by school, is more like it.

You may find that you need to do quite a lot of testing, or you may find that you are not asked to do this. It will depend upon lots of things. My advice is go with the flow. Than slowly by playing on your strengths get the organizations to do things your way. If you are really good at preventative work, then guess what that is what schools will want. It is your canvas it is up to you, to paint your own picture.

Best job in the world. Yes. Freelance is great but you never get to do the really serious work day in day out. Plus you don't have a practice, just a series of assessments, unless you have a regular slot with a private school, for instance, then it is a commercial arrangement and it is not the same.

Hope this has been of interest.

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