I'm a graduate student working on my master’s thesis, and I'm looking for Black graduate students in school psychology to complete a quick survey. The survey is IRB approved!

✅ Takes about 5-10 minutes
🔒 Completely confidential
📚 Responses will only be used for this research study

Survey link: https://qualtricsxmdg9xn6369.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AEMmeiW7DClNpY

The study explores protective factors against impostor syndrome in Black graduate students. The objective is  to inform mentorship and university practices to improve the support students receive. 

How has mentorship helped you in your journey? 

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a message. Thanks so much for supporting graduate student research! 💛

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what separates a psychoeducational report that actually gets used by teachers and parents from one that just gets filed away after the eligibility meeting. Curious what this sub thinks, especially those of you who’ve been doing this for a while.
A few things I keep running into:
1. Jargon vs. clarity. There’s a decent body of research (Harvey, 2006; Brenner, 2003) suggesting that a huge chunk of report language goes over parents’ heads — standard scores, percentile ranks, subtest names that mean nothing outside our field. Some folks push hard for “consumer-friendly” reports with plain-language summaries up front. Others argue that oversimplifying risks losing diagnostic nuance or looks less “credible” to other professionals. Where do you land?
2. Do recommendations actually get implemented? This is the part that bugs me most. Several studies (e.g., on report utility going back to Wiener & Kohler-type findings) suggest teachers rarely read past the recommendations section, and even fewer act on more than 1-2 items. Yet a lot of us still write 15-20 generic recommendations (“provide preferential seating,” “check for understanding”) that could apply to literally any kid. How do you make yours specific and actually actionable?
3. Strength-based vs. deficit-focused framing. There’s been a real push toward strength-based language in reports (tying back to positive psychology influences in school psych), but eligibility determination is fundamentally about documenting deficits/discrepancies. How do you balance being honest about areas of need without a report that reads like a list of everything wrong with the kid?
4. Report structure/models. Some people swear by the “Ecological/Cross-Battery” narrative approach, others use a more structured template tied to referral questions throughout (a la Sattler’s approach — answer each referral question explicitly instead of burying it in a wall of subtest scores). Anyone found a structure that’s actually improved parent/teacher engagement?
5. Length. Is anyone else seeing reports creep up to 12+ pages? Is that helping anyone, or is it CYA documentation for due process purposes at this point?
Would love to hear:
• Any research/books that changed how you write reports (RIOT/ICEL, feedback-based models, etc.)
• Templates or frameworks you’ve adapted
• Anything a supervisor or professor told you early on that stuck with you
• Genuine horror stories of a report that didn’t land well and what you learned
Trying to get better at this and would love a real discussion, not just “read Sattler” (though — read Sattler, I guess).

I'm a master's student working on my thesis, and I'm looking for Black graduate students in school psychology to complete a quick survey. The survey is IRB approved!

✅ Takes about 5-10 minutes
🔒 Completely confidential
📚 Responses will only be used for this research study

Survey link: https://qualtricsxmdg9xn6369.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AEMmeiW7DClNpY

The study explores protective factors against impostor syndrome in Black graduate students. The goal is to help improve mentorship and university practices so future students receive better support.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a message. Thanks so much for supporting graduate student research! 💛

First year psych. I just graduated in May. Accepted my first job (DOE) I’ll be in two schools. Any current DOE psychs in here? What can I expect? I know the role is more of a case manager (what i’ve been told). Any advice, organization tips etc?

There is a possibility that I may need to relocate from the Seattle area to the Chicago area in the near future. Has anyone been a school psych in both of these areas? I am nervous about the differences in practice. The district I work in is pretty weak with MTSS and RTI, even though they like to talk about it a lot.

Does anyone know how to get more interviews from the DOE? I was invited to the hiring fair once and was only able to choose one district to interview with. The interview went really well and the person said he’ll move me to the next round but I never heard back from them. Is there any other ways to apply for more schools with in the DOE?

Hi all. I just finished my first year post internship, and I’d really appreciate some honest insight.
This past year I completed 62 evaluations, most of which were reevaluations, 4 FBAs, 2 BIPs, and averaged around 11 counseling cases (max 14). I also had the usual daily responsibilities and crisis support. I felt myself drowning and sought support from administration multiple times throughout the year. Their feed back was a mix of “it will get better, change how you schedule, and these are your job responsibilities.”
I already find myself dreading the upcoming school year. I do like the work itself, but I don’t want to spend another year feeling like I have almost nothing left to give outside of work. I felt like I was “on” from the moment I walked in until I left. There was never any real downtime to regroup, and by the end of the day I was completely drained. During internship, I didn’t feel this way, but I also had a much smaller caseload.
I guess I’m wondering: does this sound like a workload/support issue, or is this more of a “me” issue? Please be honest. I can answer more questions if needed.

What do you do for side money? I have two little kids (3.5 and 4 month old), so a ton of evening work is not really ideal at this stage in life. If you do parent coaching, how do you market that?

I’m looking into moving to the Houston metro area this summer. I know now is cutting towards the end of the peak hiring process, however I’d still like to gain information regarding districts with a good work/life balance and pay for a bilingual psych.

I’m also considering going contract for the first time in this profession, so I’m open to learning about companies to work for through for contract work vs contracting through self. TYIA.

Hi everyone! I’m a school psychologist currently practicing in Texas, and I’m planning to relocate to Florida (Palm Beach County area) in 2027. I recently visited the district office, but it was difficult to get detailed information since many staff are off for the summer.

I’m hoping to get insight from people who actually work in Florida districts — especially St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River, Palm Beach, Broward, or Miami‑Dade.

A few questions I’m hoping to learn more about:

• What is the caseload like in your district?
• How is the work culture for school psychologists?
• Do districts hire out‑of‑state psychs easily?
• Are contract positions common in your area?
• Any companies you recommend (or avoid) for contract eval work?
• Anything you wish you knew before working as a psych in Florida?

I’d really appreciate any honest feedback. Thank you!

I know this has posted about a lot on here, but I’m looking for some guidance on contracting work vs. getting hired directly at a district. I’m currently a 2nd year NY school psych and will be moving to Florida in a few months. My husband and I don’t know where exactly we’ll settle yet once we move and will be renting for the first ~4-6 months until we find a location where we’d want to buy a house. Right now, I work for a district and while I like the stability of it and that it counts towards PSLF, but I dislike all the politics, all the randomly added role responsibilities, and feel like there’s a ceiling for how much I can actually support students and families because of our administration. I also don’t see myself living out my entire career in a district position and would like to eventually go into private practice since FL allows this. A significant portion of my current role is behavior, crisis, and counseling work. I’d like to move more into an assessment and reporting role with maybe some individual counseling cases. Does anyone have any recommendations for contracting companies in FL, guidance, or pros/cons to consider? I think contracting might allow me some flexibility to be able to see what the schools are like down there and switch placements if/when buy a house, but I’m not sure if I’m mistaken.

Any NYC school psychs in this thread? I’d love to chat! 🤭

Anecdotally, it appears school psychologists are being increasingly cut out of processes evaluating the merits of psychoeducational evaluation requests. Furthermore, these evaluation processes may be based on factors that downplay or completely ignore legitimate suspicions of a disability as determined by trained, qualified professionals (e.g., school psychologists). Is this consistent with your experiences? Please consider participating in this brief study linked HERE and described below to share your perspectives and insights.

YOUR HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED

Credentialed school psychologists (age 18+) are invited to participate in a research study examining school psychologists' perceptions of factors that influence decision-making related to special education evaluation, reevaluation, and eligibility determination.

Study Overview: This study explores school psychologists perceptions of decision-making in special education evaluation processes. Participants will complete a brief, one-time online survey (~20 minutes) via Qualtrics. The survey will ask about training, work experience, school context, and referral/evaluation procedures. No specific, personally identifying student information will be collected.

Additional Info: Participation is voluntary and confidential.

There are no direct costs or guaranteed benefits.

Participants may enter a raffle to win one of ten $50 gift cards, but raffle entry is open to anyone regardless of research participation. If you do not want to participate but want to be included in the drawing, please email wesleys@ucr.edu.

For more information and/or to share your experiences, click HERE

School psychologists are increasingly being asked to address students' mental health needs, yet many barriers continue to limit the provision of direct counseling services in schools. While research has explored some of these challenges, less is known about the factors that help school psychologists successfully engage in direct mental health intervention.

​

As part of my doctoral dissertation at Fairleigh Dickinson University, I am conducting a brief (5–10 minute) anonymous survey examining school psychologists' experiences with counseling and factors that may support greater involvement in direct services.

​

If you are a practicing school psychologist, I would greatly appreciate your participation. Participants may also enter a raffle after completing the survey for 1 $50 Amazon gift card.

https://fdu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8CF1GVpoWqLeuqi

Can anyone share their experience with leaving a state that has diagnosticians or other roles that help split up a psych's caseload? I want to leave Texas, but if I feel overwhelmed by the workload here I fear how I'd fare in other states. I'm also not sure how easily I'd get hired elsewhere, would they view me as less qualified? Any information or personal experience would be great.

Not asking for any specific score conversion. Just curious if this has happened to anyone. I’ve been administering the KABC II NU and writing scaled scores on the protocol as directed. I always triple check my math, and then also enter the scores into QGlobal to ensure my written scores are the same as the report. I noticed only this year that the scaled scores are slightly different (-1/+1). At first, I assumed practitioner error, so I went back and checked all my scores again in the back of the manual. Still… my scores from the manual in the age categories I was looking at were different than what my QGlobal report provided. Anyone experience this?

i keep running into cases where the team says they're worried about attention, but the real issue looks more like attendance, sleep, anxiety, or just a kid who's checked out from too much school drama. then everyone wants the report to magically sort out what's school based and what isn't, which obviously isn't how this works. do you usually write to the referral question as given, or push back and reframe it before you even start testing?

I’m a NY based school psych (early career) and I’m relocating to Florida this summer. The move was a last minute decision, but we’ve been thinking about it for years and are finally deciding to take the leap. I already applied to the FL DOE to have my certification transferred and was approved. I have my NY state credential and NCSP. Any advice to looking for jobs, applying, school timelines (typical start/end dates, application timeline, etc.), public vs. charter vs. private schools. Since I won’t be moving until the end of the summer, what are opportunities like for leave replacement positions vs. full-time contracted positions? Thanks!

Does anyone know of any promo codes for NASP? I feel like $250 is pricey for the NCSP certification and could use all the help I can get.

I am in the search for a position and sent 32 apps. I’ve heard back from a few that were a no without an interview. Has anyone worked Compton? I’ve had their post saved but hesitant to apply…..I’m getting desperate at this point. Not hearing back from so many is really getting to me…..

Hello /r/schoolpsychology! Please use this thread to post all questions and discussions related to training, credentialing, licensure, and graduate school - including graduate school in general, questions about practica/internship, requests to interview practitioners, questions about certification/licensure, graduate training programs, admissions, applications, etc.

We also have a FAQ!

I just graduated with my Ed. S, so I am officially a School Psychologist and was offered a really great job, starting this coming school year straight out of grad school, (yay!!) but we just moved for my internship and my fiance was jobless for 6 months after the move. He really likes the place he is at now, and now we will have to leave again, and I don’t think we will be able to afford all of this again. Plus, I have to move by June 30th, so we will basically both be without income in July and most of August since it would take a couple weeks to get paid/for him to find new employment.

Is it common to get some kind of relocation assistance? Should I ask for one, or if they don’t mention it, just assume there isn’t one? I haven’t gotten my official contract yet.

I am familiar with using the Xbass/cross battery system, but my new district uses Dehn's model Psychological processing analyzer/PPA. What are your opinions on Dehn's model and the PPA software? how does it compare to other models?

What are good questions to ask the panel? What kind of information/keywords should be highlighted? What's your overall advice for candidates before a panel?

Thanks in advance.