College aims
to train more local
school psychologistsThe master's program hopes
to address a shortage of qualified
candidates in Hawaii
The first master's degree program to train school psychologists in Hawaii will start this fall at Argosy University in Honolulu, an effort to combat a shortage of local candidates for such jobs.
School psychologists are in such short supply that the state Department of Education is offering a $5,000 bonus on top of the job's $49,140 annual salary.
"We have always had to go outside to the mainland to seek school psychologists," said Douglas Rattley, personnel specialist with the Department of Education. "We want to build a pool of local qualified people. We're looking to fill that gap."
In Hawaii each school psychologist handles a complex of schools, made up of a high school and its feeder intermediate and elementary schools. Unlike clinical psychologists in private practice, who must have a doctoral degree, school complex psychologists need only a master's degree.
Trained in both psychology and education, they work with schools and families to address social and behavioral obstacles that keep students from succeeding. For example, they assess students for mental health and learning problems, teach skills to address problem behaviors and help schools respond to crises.
Hawaii has one school psychologist for every 4,000 students, compared with a national average of one to 1,500 students, according to Cindy Lee, acting coordinator of Argosy's master's program in school psychology.
Argosy University, formerly known as the American School of Professional Psychology, has 13 campuses across the country, making it the largest provider of mental health training nationwide, Lee said. It trains clinical psychologists as well as marriage and family counselors.
"Our new program fills an important void, given the shortages found both in our local communities and at a national level for school psychologists," she said.
The state DOE held a meeting with several local universities last November in hopes of spurring development of a program here, and Argosy is the first to launch one.
Argosy's master of arts in clinical psychology, with a concentration in school psychology, takes three years to complete. Classes will be held on weekends at Argosy's downtown campus to allow professionals to keep working while getting their degree.
The program, which meets state and national standards for school psychologists, includes 60 graduate semester credits, a practicum and a supervised internship. Applications are being accepted now, with classes starting Sept. 13.
The cost for one semester credit this year is $743, and financial aid is available, said admission director Elizabeth Lyons. Applicants should already have a baccalaureate degree.
Rattley said that having a training program in Honolulu should help attract local residents, who are familiar with Hawaii schools and may be more likely to stay.
"They would know the communities and the students, and they'll be committed to the students," he said. "They'd not just stay two years."
The DOE is recruiting psychologists for school complexes statewide.
The positions are exempt from the state's hiring freeze because they are covered by the Felix consent decree, a federal court order mandating adequate mental health services in the schools.
