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 qualify and become an EP.  So I hope the following helps.  For more information contact a university where you can read for a PhD in educational psychology.

My route was as follows: 

•  teaching degree.  
•  taught for 10 years.  
•  degree in psychology via evening study three nights per week for four years  I then took one year off and self funded a 
• Masters degree (now PhD 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.  

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 PhD is only a license to begin to learn.  Your team will be the real learning context. 

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. 

Best job in the world.  Against a footballer or fighter pilot.  Probably not, but close.

Hope this has been of interest.