School psychologists are often confused with school counselors, who focus more on improving mental health and behavioral symptoms, or educational psychologists, who study the process of how individuals learn.
School psychologists also look at mental health, attention, behavior, and learning problems, but investigate the reasons why students struggle with these types of problems. Despite the need for school psychologists, there is a nationwide shortage of them.
“In Northern Colorado, it’s especially concerning for areas that don’t have big population centers or a lot of people living in them because there’s not a lot of people who graduate and decide they want to live in these rural areas, even if the rural areas are wonderful places to live.” said David Hulac, a psychology professor at the University of Northern Colorado.
During the 2021 to 2022 school year, Colorado had a ratio of one school psychologist to 942 students. That is nearly double the recommendation provided by the National Association of School Psychologists of one psychologist to 500 students.
To help bridge the gap, Professor Hulac and Assistant Professor Jacqueline Anderson sought out additional funding for the program. In total, they received $5 million in federal grants.
There are two grants available. One is aimed at Greeley-Evans District 6 and will be used to cover 2/3s of graduate student’s tuition, as well as a small stipend if students commit to working in the school district for three years once they graduate.
“Part of that concern is that there is a very high need in Greeley,” Hulac said. “A lot of kids who come from backgrounds that put them at risk for mental health problems.”
The second grant is designed for students who are bilingual in Spanish and English or are interested in working in a rural community. Graduate students who choose this track also must commit to working in a rural or Spanish-speaking community post-graduation.
“It’s not unusual when working in rural school systems to have to drive a hundred miles a day,” Hulac said. “That’s an expense that can be difficult for a graduate student to bear and so these federal grants are designed to help support some of those things.”
While the deadline for next school year has passed, you can still apply for the School Psychology Graduate Training Program for upcoming school years. You can find more information here: https://www.unco.edu/cebs/school-psychology/
