School psychology

Abstract

This chapter describes the field of school psychology for behavior analysts who may want to explore training and credentialing as a school psychologist. The discussion of workforce development and job opportunities reveals that job opportunities are plentiful and that demands for school psychologists with behavior-analytic training are increasing. Best practices in the field of school psychology are described according to the competencies established by the National Association of School Psychologists and the American Psychological Association, the two professional associations that govern training and credentialing. These competencies are compared and contrasted with the competencies specified in the BCBA 5th Edition Task List. Readers will discover a number of areas of overlap with their current or desired competencies and several competency areas that fall outside of behavior-analytic training. The chapter describes ethics, regulatory and licensing frameworks for school psychology, and best practices in supervision. Here too, readers will find both overlap and differences between behavior-analytic training and preparation as a school psychologist to work in the schools or in other areas (e.g., private practice as a licensed psychologist). Behavior analysts have great potential for impacting the field of school psychology and schools as credentialed school psychologists. They will need to be discerning, however, about which training program best meets their career goals. Thus, the chapter ends with a discussion of questions behavior analysts should investigate as they pursue future training and practice in the field of school psychology.