How to become an educational psychologist

As an educational psychologist you’ll improve the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people within an educational setting. You’ll use your knowledge of psychology to provide personalised support to help those suffering from social, emotional or learning difficulties to help them manage and overcome them.

What is an educational psychologist?

An educational psychologist supports people from birth up to being 25 years old. They assess their patients’ requirements and draw on a range of programmes, techniques and strategies to meet their specific needs. Working with parents, carers, educational teams and other professionals, you’ll give patients the tools they need to help them achieve their potential in the face of their personal difficulties.

How do I become an educational psychologist?

If you want to become an educational psychologist, you’ll need to train at postgraduate level to meet the requirements for registration with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC). This is essential for practice in the UK.

  • Undergraduate degree – to start your training in educational psychology, first you’ll need to take a BPS accredited degree in psychology to be granted Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership. If not you need to do a conversion course. A 2:1 or higher is often the required standard, plus you may also need a full year’s experience in working with children in an appropriate setting
  • Postgraduate degree – to secure your HCPC registration, you’ll need to complete a three- year (two in Scotland) Doctorate in educational psychology accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS). This includes both university and experienced-based learning

After successfully completing your doctorate, you can gain your place on the HCPC register. You’ll be able to apply for chartered BPS membership and full membership of their Educational and Child Psychology division.

What does an educational psychologist do?

As an educational psychologist you’ll use a range of observational and interview techniques to assess and identify your patients’ individual needs. From your analysis, you’ll develop appropriate intervention methods to enhance their wellbeing, and social and educational experiences and abilities.

In order to deliver the best outcomes for children and young adults, you’ll collaborate extensively. You’ll work with teachers, learning assistants, parents / carers, social workers, GPs and any other professionals who play a role in their education and development.

As an educational psychologist, you may also be involved in research and policy making. You could also train educational staff on how to manage behavioural issues and promote mental wellbeing.

Some other day-to-day duties of an educational psychologist include:

  • Keeping up-to-date with the latest research and approaches
  • Creating tailored therapeutic support and behavioural programmes
  • Consulting with various agencies to create best practice support plans
  • Offering additional support to parents, other caregivers and educational staff
  • Designing and delivering projects centred around young people and their educational and social development
  • Offering clear, easy-to-understand advice
  • Taking part in ‘case conferences’, where all parties involved in the subject’s care discuss and negotiate the best strategies to meet their emotional, social, behavioural and learning needs

Becoming an educational psychologist could be for you if...

  1. You're diplomatic and compassionate

    You’ll need to deal with your patients and other parties gently, displaying compassion, tact, sensitivity and empathy at all times.

  2. You're good at communicating with children

    You’ll need to be able to communicate with a range of differently aged children on their level, as well as explore their emotions.

  3. You're curious and research-minded

    Understanding and helping young people with complex needs takes a lot of observation and analysis, plus a research-led approach.

  4. You're a team player

    You’ll need to be able to work effectively within a large network of people and professionals, while also being able to put forward compelling arguments to persuade on-boarding of ideas.

  5. You're strong-minded and self-aware

    A sense of self-confidence, awareness and security is important in an educational psychologist, as is independence and drive.

What are the typical working hours for an educational psychologist?

On average an educational psychologist works around 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday – although this may be flexible in some cases.

You’ll also be required to work out-of-hours occasionally, such as for case conferences and parent / teacher meetings.

23-63K

An educational psychologist’s salary varies depending on experience and position:

  • £23,884 to £32,623 – average salary for trainee educational psychologist
  • £37,175 to £50,159 – average salary range from beginner to experienced educational psychologist
  • £46,607 to £62,849 – for senior and principal £46,607 to £62,849 educational psychologist

Now you know how to become an educational psychologist, why not explore our courses?

BSc (Hons)

Psychology

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