WHY SHOULD SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS AND EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGISTS CARE ABOUT CERTIFICATION?'

WILLIAM ITKIN

Chicago Teachers College North

Why should school psychologists be interested in State certification? Typically, school psychologists are not engaged in private practice. They are, however, right on the front lines of the fight for mental health. The psychologist-pupil ratio in Chicago is something like 1 to 11,000; yet Chicago is relatively better staffed than many communities. Not enough school psychologists are being trained t o fill even the positions appropriated for under austerity budgets, however, and school psy- chologists are probably better aware than anyone of the insufficiency of available training facilities.

Though few school psychologists are involved in private practice, they have a high professional interest in the kind of psychological service that is offered the public. As Henry David points out in the March, 1963, American Psychologist, there are still phonies in the phone books. So little help is available that the public in need of help must be protected from incompetents and psychopaths who offer service that they call psychological. A person needing help and motivated to seek it de- serves some assurance of competency on the part of the seller of such services. A school system seeking to employ a psychologist needs some help to recognize one when he applies for the job.

This, in short, is what the school psychologist wants of a certification bill: (1) He wants to know that every psychologist who offers his service to the

public for pay is adequately trained to give the service he offers. (2) He wants to know that psychologists in private practice are the kind of

people who (a) (b)

(c)

(d)

practice within the limitations of their competence know when they need to depend upon the medical man for medical diagnoses know when to refer for psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, and do so respect and use the service of other professional persons in the mental health services.

Why should educational psychologists be interested in certification? They, typically, do not engage in private practice, either.

The university and the college should be a place where people turn for direction in solving their learning problems, many of which will have diagnostic implications and affective components. The educational psychologist has his hands full. He does not have time to help them directly. He must refer. And he must be sure that those individuals who do offer their services to the public and to the schools are competent and ethical psychologists who recognize the limitations of their competence and who have the good judgment and training to coordinate their services with those of other professional persons.

'Abstract of a paper presented at the Spring Meeting of the Chicago Psychological Club, Loyola University, March 22,1963.