School Psychologists
Diagnose and implement individual or schoolwide interventions or strategies to address educational, behavioral, or developmental issues that adversely impact educational functioning in a school. May address student learning and behavioral problems and counsel students or families. May design and implement performance plans, and evaluate performance. May consult with other school-based personnel.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Complex Problem Solving
Key knowledge
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Law and Government
- Administrative
What the work involves
- Compile and interpret students' test results, along with information from teachers and parents, to diagnose conditions and to help assess eligibility for special services.
- Report any pertinent information to the proper authorities in cases of child endangerment, neglect, or abuse.
- Assess an individual child's needs, limitations, and potential, using observation, review of school records, and consultation with parents and school personnel.
- Select, administer, and score psychological tests.
- Provide consultation to parents, teachers, administrators, and others on topics such as learning styles and behavior modification techniques.
- Promote an understanding of child development and its relationship to learning and behavior.
- Collaborate with other educational professionals to develop teaching strategies and school programs.
- Counsel children and families to help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Master's Certificate (57.7% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (42.3%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (50%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for School Psychologists is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Moderate | Higher on contact with others than 51% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time” |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 70% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 78% of occupations compared | 58% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 82% of occupations compared | 52% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 91% of occupations compared | 58% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very high | Higher on conflict situations than 87% of occupations compared | 48% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | High | Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 71% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Consequence of error | Moderate | Lower on consequence of error than 50% of occupations compared | 28% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: very high
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: high
- Consequence of error: moderate
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 0%
- Contact with others about half the time: 4%
- Contact with others most of the time: 52%
- Constant contact with others: 44%
n = 25, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 3.85%
- Fairly important: 7.69%
- Important: 15.38%
- Very important: 38.46%
- Extremely important: 34.62%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 0%
- Very important: 42.31%
- Extremely important: 57.69%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 0%
- Some freedom: 48%
- A lot of freedom: 52%
n = 25, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 7.69%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 34.62%
- Every day: 57.69%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 4%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 48%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 36%
- Every day: 12%
n = 25, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 19.23%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 46.15%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 30.77%
- Every day: 3.85%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 12%
- Fairly serious: 28%
- Serious: 24%
- Very serious: 24%
- Extremely serious: 12%
n = 25, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Is this career right for me? Find jobs with conditions you prefer
Where people with this background could move
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Closeness 94/100
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O*NET-SOC 19-3034.00 · SOC 19-3034 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8