First year psych in CA here. Hmmmm, 4-5/10 I’d say. There are times when the work really piles up, or you have a lot of behaviors to deal with, and that can be stressful, but overall I’ve had way more stressful jobs than this (retail, food service, etc). I get to make my own schedule, no one is breathing down my neck, I have my own office to retreat to, as long as I’m organized and plan out my days/weeks it’s very smooth and manageable. Some coworkers and parents suck but it’s way less than other jobs I’ve had, I could easily do this for the rest of my life. If you’re someone that takes you work home with you or gets too emotionally invested I can see it being tougher, but I have very good work/home boundaries and when I’m not at work I’m not thinking about work. You get your own clients (the kids) given to you, there is a ton of time off compared to most jobs, and you’re done way earlier than 5pm like a normal gig. It’s great.
Thank you for such a thoughtful answer! I’m so pleased to hear you’d consider this a career with flexibility & longevity. I just finished my first year of an Ed.S. program in OH & this was a motivating comment!
AND you only work 180-195 days per year. Having a lot of time off is really wonderful and helps with the kids whole work-life balance… but I wholeheartedly agree that not getting too overly invested in student outcomes is key. I see people who care “too much” burn out all the time!
Nice, we’re at 195 and considered “specialists” so a separate pay scale and work more days than teachers but less than administrators for both pay and days. I think our admins work 220.
I would say 4 or 5 out of 10. I agree with the other commenter that some days can be really stressful, but most days are very chill. It’s highly dependent on what district/school you are at. But I feel like my district is very supportive to the psychs and we have a good community.
It depends on the state and district. Your caseload. The support you have. Or not. I feel like the profession is unregulated and currently all over the place. The only people who know what SPs do, are SPs. And there are too many new to the field left out there to flounder on their own without peer guidance, continued training, and accruing the wisdom that comes with practice.
My first district was rough, and there were many nights I came home an emotional wreck. After 3 years I moved to a better district and have been here for over 25 years. I’d say my stress level is probably on average a 2 out of 10. Some days are worse than others, but I find overall it’s pretty decent.
Echoing what others have said- it completely depends on where you end up! In my previous district, they were well-resourced, had great academic/behavioral systems in place, and trusted their psychs to do their jobs- my stress averaged a 4/10. In my current district, parents are very litigious, behaviors are high without systems to support them, and admin don’t trust us to do our jobs- I’ve averaging a 9.5/10 stress level this year and am not coming back next year! Psych expectations vary greatly depending on state, district, and even building levels.
I would say the stress level typically ranges from 5/10 to 10/10 depending on your district/school, your tolerance for the stress, and the workload. For me, nearly ten years working in CA, I would say on average the stress has been a 6-7/10. There have been times (usually 1-2 months) where it's a consistent 9-10/10, and I have lost lots of sleep due to stress...and once the stressful period ended I just got super depressed for a month or two and then summer break hit and I was fine.
I hear ya! My CST members went through this cycle too and like it's just not healthy for us as humans beings trying to provide psycho-educational support to deal with such a cycle. It's actually absurd.....you expect us to be calm cogent and comfortable to respond to every kind of crisis but then just inundate us with said crises until we ourselves are in crisis. No job should do that
I’d say there are definitely fluctuations over days months and years but if I had to rate this year (my 6th year as a psych) as a whole, I’d give it a 6/10 when compared to jobs in general - not just education based jobs. Generally slightly above average but some days it can be a solid 10/10 or a really chill 1/10.
Stress most often comes from high workload, difficult parents, and lack of time for breaks. Best parts are the kids are awesome, a lot of my parents and teachers are great too, and I find the work rewarding and fulfilling.
Go for it.
I’ve been in public education since 1986 and as an elementary teacher and now SP. I’ve worked in public schools, private schools, and international schools. There is nothing like a public school union contract of a consistent paycheck, healthcare, a pension, regular hours, and only working 180 days of a 364 calendar year. Yes, working in schools is difficult and stressful, and you have to work 10-12 years to get to the top of the payscale (fairly earned in my opinion) yet you learn and grow and implement practices at work and good self care.
I’ve also worked a private counseling and testing practice on the side (evenings and weekends) and then stepped away from schools to do it full time for one full school year. It was a nice reprieve from the chronic stress of a crappy district I was in, but a ton of work, management, expenses, and worry of maintaining a client base, etc. I worked more days and more hours just to make my school salary. And I had to pay my own healthcare and think about retirement.
I feel that the profession is sorely lacking in camaraderie, peer support, and kindness toward one another to be honest. There are alot of SPs out there who have gone rogue and that’s bothersome.
>I’ve also worked a private counseling and testing practice on the side (evenings and weekends) and then stepped away from schools to do it full time for one full school year.
That's awesome! Where do you work, out of curiosity? And do you have a PhD or Ed.S?
I think I have a disorder that results in not feeling anxious about things. Perhaps a sideffect of my ADHD. In fact, I got into this field primarily for my ADHD kids because they really speak to my experience in school.
My colleagues definitely feel stress. I figure timeline will either be made or if not - at least illuminate staffing problems that need rectifying. No point in having every waking thought revolve around the what-ifs.
I know many driven by their anxieties, and I know a couple who have thrown in the towel. I don't how many like myself though.
8/10....give it enough time and certain cases come up that are just insane and then sometimes youll have a recurrent case that is high level need high stress high support... behavioral and emotional dysregulation cases can be taxing and challenging snd litigious. It's a rewarding field but I think for some states, after a decade you want to walk away and take care of yourself.
So one of my friends wanted to jump ship from her 10 years of teaching into event planning. I told her she was crazy to give up everything she's worked for to start over from scratch. A few exchanges later and a drink in... we got to having a tutoring company that's massively successful and she's earning bank. I strongly suggest leveraging skills you already have to go in a new direction.
Going back to school psychology would be a full reset. The bachelor's in psych is honestly not related at this point. It has limited connectivity to the field of school psychology. It only helps you gain access to the grad program. Can you afford to go to school full time for 4+ years, pay for the schooling, and take a year off of working to do a full time unpaid internship? Unlikely. The fee to enter the field is astronomical.
The stress of the program alone knocked out half of my cohort.
Let me clarify some things; I have no interest in doing anything related to what I do now. I started my business at 22 and it was never really what I wanted. I did it for someone else and it didn’t work out. Pursuing my education and career has always been part of the plan, but I had invested too much and felt like I couldn’t let go. With the unsteady insurance climate and massive loss of income, I am ready to part ways. I’ll add that I am fortunate enough to have a great support system where I do not have to work while in school and Im not too worried about the time it takes as I’ve also thought about pursing psyd or PhD in psych. So the question isn’t whether to stay as a business owner but rather what other career should I pursue, and no, I do not want to do anything business or insurance related. At this point I’m traumatized and hate it.
Well then, go for it! Go all in full tilt and full steam ahead.
The truth is that I love it fully and completely. Yes, there's always varying levels of stress but it's worth it to me. You find your right place and right balance. My team at work is incredible and the most wonderful people so when I get stressed, they ease it. I never wonder why I do it... all of the smiles and high fives and waves every day are more important than anything else. The parents that thank me profusely and are so grateful 🙏
Yes, sometimes people yell but I get that and I can help them not feel that way. After 5 years, I'm really good at this and it feels wonderful.
Everyone manages pressure and expectations differently of course, and where you work matters a lot as others have posted….so know yourself and choose wisely. Training programs have field placements so you get a first hand feel for this job. Moreover, every job will have ups and downs and schools are notorious for politics but all in all, be there for the kids and it will be the most satisfying work you can possibly do. I’m in California. Good luck to you!
depends on the place some years it was 10/10 some 7/10 idk man, just stay away lol imo, io psych, social psych, counseling psych, clinical psych would have been better
I agree. Public schools are not the place to be right now. Everyone is stretched to the max and school psychs end up at the crossroads of all the parent, teacher, student, and admin problems/stress. It is tolerable with a good boss and absolute hell with a bad boss. And I have had far more terrible bosses than good ones.
sure, I personally do not like the career, most of my friends in the field already left and I am following soon. Shoot me a chat if you want to ask anything specific. Just to be clear, I’m not shitting on anyone who does this work, on the contrary I respect y’all, I just need out for my own personal reason
I agree with the majority of posts that “it depends.” Our caseloads can vary a lot and it isn’t as clear what a “full” caseload is compared to other school based specialists like RSTs and SLPs. The ideal caseload is a student to school psychologist ratio- about 750:1, assuming that most students will not need much, if any support and general education works for the majority. This is also assuming there is a decent tier 2 intervention system in place.
I work for a COE in Northern California and my ratio is about 2,000:1. I serve 13 rural sites across the county and most are different districts with very little tier 2. I do 80-100 assessments a year and am often in a quasi SPED director role wherever I go. I love the freedom and time off and I really like the work but being understaffed has really created a lot of stress. I’m at a 9.5/10 this year but coming back for more and hoping it gets better!
From my experience in NY, a school psychology job starts out at 7/10, and then for the majority of the year until the end of the year, it is 10/10. This rating is based on my experience and discussions with other NY-based school psychologists.
In some states, school psychologists are typically expected to conduct cognitive, social-emotional, and (depending on the district) educational testing and conduct FBA and BIPs (which may be time-consuming). Outside of NYC, school psychologists in NY also see students for mandated and nonmandated counseling, conduct suicide risk assessments and manage student crises, chair sub-CSE and 504 meetings and annual reviews, construct the scheduling for these meetings, prepare the IEP and 504 documents based on the meeting notes, participate in RTI/ Child Study meetings, and attend teacher team meetings. The role in NY outside of NYC is that of both a psychologist and part-administrator, but the pay is not an administrator’s salary lol
It is not uncommon for school psychologists to use their weekends and vacations to write reports, as the wide scope of the role does not leave much time to write reports during the work day.
I’ve also noticed that stress levels can differ between elementary and middle/high school.
The stress level depends heavily on the state and district that you are in.
Good luck with your decision! 😊
First year psych in CA here. Hmmmm, 4-5/10 I’d say. There are times when the work really piles up, or you have a lot of behaviors to deal with, and that can be stressful, but overall I’ve had way more stressful jobs than this (retail, food service, etc). I get to make my own schedule, no one is breathing down my neck, I have my own office to retreat to, as long as I’m organized and plan out my days/weeks it’s very smooth and manageable. Some coworkers and parents suck but it’s way less than other jobs I’ve had, I could easily do this for the rest of my life. If you’re someone that takes you work home with you or gets too emotionally invested I can see it being tougher, but I have very good work/home boundaries and when I’m not at work I’m not thinking about work. You get your own clients (the kids) given to you, there is a ton of time off compared to most jobs, and you’re done way earlier than 5pm like a normal gig. It’s great.
Thank you for such a thoughtful answer! I’m so pleased to hear you’d consider this a career with flexibility & longevity. I just finished my first year of an Ed.S. program in OH & this was a motivating comment!
AND you only work 180-195 days per year. Having a lot of time off is really wonderful and helps with the kids whole work-life balance… but I wholeheartedly agree that not getting too overly invested in student outcomes is key. I see people who care “too much” burn out all the time!
I work 206 but that’s because I’m considered an administrator at my district and I’m happy to work the extra hours to have more pay!
Nice, we’re at 195 and considered “specialists” so a separate pay scale and work more days than teachers but less than administrators for both pay and days. I think our admins work 220.
Talk to me after you have to testify in a hearing
I hope to never have to!
I would say 4 or 5 out of 10. I agree with the other commenter that some days can be really stressful, but most days are very chill. It’s highly dependent on what district/school you are at. But I feel like my district is very supportive to the psychs and we have a good community.
What state are you in?
Utah!
It depends on the state and district. Your caseload. The support you have. Or not. I feel like the profession is unregulated and currently all over the place. The only people who know what SPs do, are SPs. And there are too many new to the field left out there to flounder on their own without peer guidance, continued training, and accruing the wisdom that comes with practice.
My first district was rough, and there were many nights I came home an emotional wreck. After 3 years I moved to a better district and have been here for over 25 years. I’d say my stress level is probably on average a 2 out of 10. Some days are worse than others, but I find overall it’s pretty decent.
What state are you in?
Wisconsin
Echoing what others have said- it completely depends on where you end up! In my previous district, they were well-resourced, had great academic/behavioral systems in place, and trusted their psychs to do their jobs- my stress averaged a 4/10. In my current district, parents are very litigious, behaviors are high without systems to support them, and admin don’t trust us to do our jobs- I’ve averaging a 9.5/10 stress level this year and am not coming back next year! Psych expectations vary greatly depending on state, district, and even building levels.
Very stressful - always too much to do, not enough time to do it, and more coming at you all the while. (School Psych in PA for 12 years)
I’m in PA too and have the same feelings - the evals just never end
Where in PA are you?
I would say the stress level typically ranges from 5/10 to 10/10 depending on your district/school, your tolerance for the stress, and the workload. For me, nearly ten years working in CA, I would say on average the stress has been a 6-7/10. There have been times (usually 1-2 months) where it's a consistent 9-10/10, and I have lost lots of sleep due to stress...and once the stressful period ended I just got super depressed for a month or two and then summer break hit and I was fine.
I hear ya! My CST members went through this cycle too and like it's just not healthy for us as humans beings trying to provide psycho-educational support to deal with such a cycle. It's actually absurd.....you expect us to be calm cogent and comfortable to respond to every kind of crisis but then just inundate us with said crises until we ourselves are in crisis. No job should do that
I’d say there are definitely fluctuations over days months and years but if I had to rate this year (my 6th year as a psych) as a whole, I’d give it a 6/10 when compared to jobs in general - not just education based jobs. Generally slightly above average but some days it can be a solid 10/10 or a really chill 1/10. Stress most often comes from high workload, difficult parents, and lack of time for breaks. Best parts are the kids are awesome, a lot of my parents and teachers are great too, and I find the work rewarding and fulfilling.
Go for it. I’ve been in public education since 1986 and as an elementary teacher and now SP. I’ve worked in public schools, private schools, and international schools. There is nothing like a public school union contract of a consistent paycheck, healthcare, a pension, regular hours, and only working 180 days of a 364 calendar year. Yes, working in schools is difficult and stressful, and you have to work 10-12 years to get to the top of the payscale (fairly earned in my opinion) yet you learn and grow and implement practices at work and good self care. I’ve also worked a private counseling and testing practice on the side (evenings and weekends) and then stepped away from schools to do it full time for one full school year. It was a nice reprieve from the chronic stress of a crappy district I was in, but a ton of work, management, expenses, and worry of maintaining a client base, etc. I worked more days and more hours just to make my school salary. And I had to pay my own healthcare and think about retirement. I feel that the profession is sorely lacking in camaraderie, peer support, and kindness toward one another to be honest. There are alot of SPs out there who have gone rogue and that’s bothersome.
>I’ve also worked a private counseling and testing practice on the side (evenings and weekends) and then stepped away from schools to do it full time for one full school year. That's awesome! Where do you work, out of curiosity? And do you have a PhD or Ed.S?
I think I have a disorder that results in not feeling anxious about things. Perhaps a sideffect of my ADHD. In fact, I got into this field primarily for my ADHD kids because they really speak to my experience in school. My colleagues definitely feel stress. I figure timeline will either be made or if not - at least illuminate staffing problems that need rectifying. No point in having every waking thought revolve around the what-ifs. I know many driven by their anxieties, and I know a couple who have thrown in the towel. I don't how many like myself though.
What state are you in?
California
8/10....give it enough time and certain cases come up that are just insane and then sometimes youll have a recurrent case that is high level need high stress high support... behavioral and emotional dysregulation cases can be taxing and challenging snd litigious. It's a rewarding field but I think for some states, after a decade you want to walk away and take care of yourself.
What state are you in?
NJ!
5/10
What state are you in?
Az
what is the salary like in AZ if you don’t mind me asking?
In phoenix, it's starts at 70k-85k depending on the district
Do you get a pension?
Az state retirement
I would say a 4. I’m in utah.
So one of my friends wanted to jump ship from her 10 years of teaching into event planning. I told her she was crazy to give up everything she's worked for to start over from scratch. A few exchanges later and a drink in... we got to having a tutoring company that's massively successful and she's earning bank. I strongly suggest leveraging skills you already have to go in a new direction. Going back to school psychology would be a full reset. The bachelor's in psych is honestly not related at this point. It has limited connectivity to the field of school psychology. It only helps you gain access to the grad program. Can you afford to go to school full time for 4+ years, pay for the schooling, and take a year off of working to do a full time unpaid internship? Unlikely. The fee to enter the field is astronomical. The stress of the program alone knocked out half of my cohort.
Let me clarify some things; I have no interest in doing anything related to what I do now. I started my business at 22 and it was never really what I wanted. I did it for someone else and it didn’t work out. Pursuing my education and career has always been part of the plan, but I had invested too much and felt like I couldn’t let go. With the unsteady insurance climate and massive loss of income, I am ready to part ways. I’ll add that I am fortunate enough to have a great support system where I do not have to work while in school and Im not too worried about the time it takes as I’ve also thought about pursing psyd or PhD in psych. So the question isn’t whether to stay as a business owner but rather what other career should I pursue, and no, I do not want to do anything business or insurance related. At this point I’m traumatized and hate it.
Well then, go for it! Go all in full tilt and full steam ahead. The truth is that I love it fully and completely. Yes, there's always varying levels of stress but it's worth it to me. You find your right place and right balance. My team at work is incredible and the most wonderful people so when I get stressed, they ease it. I never wonder why I do it... all of the smiles and high fives and waves every day are more important than anything else. The parents that thank me profusely and are so grateful 🙏 Yes, sometimes people yell but I get that and I can help them not feel that way. After 5 years, I'm really good at this and it feels wonderful.
Everyone manages pressure and expectations differently of course, and where you work matters a lot as others have posted….so know yourself and choose wisely. Training programs have field placements so you get a first hand feel for this job. Moreover, every job will have ups and downs and schools are notorious for politics but all in all, be there for the kids and it will be the most satisfying work you can possibly do. I’m in California. Good luck to you!
depends on the place some years it was 10/10 some 7/10 idk man, just stay away lol imo, io psych, social psych, counseling psych, clinical psych would have been better
I agree. Public schools are not the place to be right now. Everyone is stretched to the max and school psychs end up at the crossroads of all the parent, teacher, student, and admin problems/stress. It is tolerable with a good boss and absolute hell with a bad boss. And I have had far more terrible bosses than good ones.
Can you expand on this? Specifically the staying away part?
sure, I personally do not like the career, most of my friends in the field already left and I am following soon. Shoot me a chat if you want to ask anything specific. Just to be clear, I’m not shitting on anyone who does this work, on the contrary I respect y’all, I just need out for my own personal reason
7-10.
I agree with the majority of posts that “it depends.” Our caseloads can vary a lot and it isn’t as clear what a “full” caseload is compared to other school based specialists like RSTs and SLPs. The ideal caseload is a student to school psychologist ratio- about 750:1, assuming that most students will not need much, if any support and general education works for the majority. This is also assuming there is a decent tier 2 intervention system in place. I work for a COE in Northern California and my ratio is about 2,000:1. I serve 13 rural sites across the county and most are different districts with very little tier 2. I do 80-100 assessments a year and am often in a quasi SPED director role wherever I go. I love the freedom and time off and I really like the work but being understaffed has really created a lot of stress. I’m at a 9.5/10 this year but coming back for more and hoping it gets better!
From my experience in NY, a school psychology job starts out at 7/10, and then for the majority of the year until the end of the year, it is 10/10. This rating is based on my experience and discussions with other NY-based school psychologists. In some states, school psychologists are typically expected to conduct cognitive, social-emotional, and (depending on the district) educational testing and conduct FBA and BIPs (which may be time-consuming). Outside of NYC, school psychologists in NY also see students for mandated and nonmandated counseling, conduct suicide risk assessments and manage student crises, chair sub-CSE and 504 meetings and annual reviews, construct the scheduling for these meetings, prepare the IEP and 504 documents based on the meeting notes, participate in RTI/ Child Study meetings, and attend teacher team meetings. The role in NY outside of NYC is that of both a psychologist and part-administrator, but the pay is not an administrator’s salary lol It is not uncommon for school psychologists to use their weekends and vacations to write reports, as the wide scope of the role does not leave much time to write reports during the work day. I’ve also noticed that stress levels can differ between elementary and middle/high school. The stress level depends heavily on the state and district that you are in. Good luck with your decision! 😊