Anybody know any school psychologists?

[djheater]

I'm considering a new career. I like the idea of helping troubled and gifted kids navigate the fvcked up public education system, and hopefully contributing to its rehabilitation. I don't like the idea of school politics, but it seems like the psychologists are at least a little removed from that...

 

[SacrosanctFiend]

My wife's best friend is in her final year of graduate school for school psych. She's been doing an internship for a little over a year now.

 

[moonbit]

I know a couple, and considered the career myself briefly. Talk to some that work in your area, because it can really differ from area to area what they do. Where I live, they mostly just administer psychological tests and write reports about those tests, but elsewhere in my state (CA), I've heard that they do get to do what you're talking about, and even design programs to address those goals.

They also make good money.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: djheater
I'm considering a new career. I like the idea of helping troubled and gifted kids navigate the fvcked up public education system, and hopefully contributing to its rehabilitation. I don't like the idea of school politics, but it seems like the psychologists are at least a little removed from that...

I suggest you interview a few IRL school psychologists to find out what the work is really like.

Probably more on the troubled kid/FUd family end of things than gifted/talented.

 

[djheater]

I'm currently a sysadmin in a largeish corporation, I write up documentation and am often engaged in several-day, tedious, solitary, problem-solving processes.

I have heard the downside of school psych is the paperwork, but I think I'm actually probably pretty well prepared for that.

The trouble is I don't know any people working in the field... but I'll probably suck it up and contact a few. I'd like to shadow a couple of days to see what they really do all day.

Thanks for the responses... I'm not disillusioned yet...

 

[440sixpack]

My wife is a school psychologist - she seems to really enjoy her work. The school system you work in can make a huge difference though. The town she is in now is far better off financially (and personnel wise) than her previous job, where the school system is practically bankrupt. Thusly, her stress level is somewhat lower than it was.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: 440sixpack
My wife is a school psychologist - she seems to really enjoy her work. The school system you work in can make a huge difference though. The town she is in now is far better off financially (and personnel wise) than her previous job, where the school system is practically bankrupt. Thusly, her stress level is somewhat lower than it was.

Yeah, I'll probably be trying to find work in the affluent Chicago suburbs, some of which have excellent schools. That's where we live now, and I don't see us moving for a decade or so....

Thanks for the response. If you can, could you ask your wife to give you a brief outline of what she soes, what she likes and dislikes?

 

[bonkers325]

my friend was a social worker for NYC public schools for two years. he loved it.

YMMV depending on the location. he told me lots of stories about teenage pregnancy, problems with parents, lack of motivation in school, etc. these problems seem prevalent in most public schools, so i guess you should expect much of the same.

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: bonkers325
my friend was a social worker for NYC public schools for two years. he loved it.

YMMV depending on the location. he told me lots of stories about teenage pregnancy, problems with parents, lack of motivation in school, etc. these problems seem prevalent in most public schools, so i guess you should expect much of the same.

Yeah the benefit is that it's one of the few places where you can directly effect a person's life for the better, so the rewards are pretty high. I'm just not interested in therapy. I love Psychology, but therapy seems like it would take a special person, that's not me.

 

[nanette1985]

If you seriously want to help those kids, consider working for a good Special Ed lawyer instead (or go to law school and become one).

Congrats for wanting to help.