School Psychologist vs. School Counselor vs. Clinical Psychologist: Who Does What at Your Child’s School?
There are many different professionals inside and outside of the school setting. It is incredibly common for parents to mix up these professionals and their roles in their child’s education.
As a school psychologist, many parents have mistaken me for a school counselor or clinical psychologist. I’ll use my experience in the school setting to explain the differences between these professionals and how these roles may support your child’s education.
Comparing the 3 Roles at a Glance
| School psychologist | School counselor | Clinical psychologist | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where they typically work | Typically work for the district and collaborate with school teams. | Typically work directly for the school. | Typically work outside schools in private practice. |
| What they mainly focus on | Complete psychoeducational evaluations to determine the need for special education services. | Typically focus on supporting social-emotional curriculum and providing one-on-one or small-group counseling. May be involved in the evaluation and completion of 504 plans depending on the school district. | Focus on completing private psychological evaluations that may include diagnoses and recommendations for outside resources. |
| What a parent might contact them about | Consultation on the special education referral process and requests for psychoeducational evaluations. | Typically consultation on social-emotional or mental health services within the school setting, crisis intervention, or accommodations. | Requesting private evaluations that may result in a medical diagnosis, consultation on outside resources based on results of an evaluation. |
| Role in school evaluations for an IEP | Completes the psychoeducational evaluation used to help identify student needs and assists in discussions when determining eligibility for special education services. | Typically not involved in school evaluations for an IEP, unless they are the primary mental health contact/service provider and the student needs mental health services considered for the IEP. | Typically not directly involved in the IEP evaluation process because they don’t work for the school district, but the district may use evaluations from a clinical psychologist to help determine eligibility for special education services. |
| Role in IEP meetings | Typically only involved in IEP meetings if they are reviewing psychoeducational evaluation results or are providing recommendations for services or accommodations based on the results of a psychoeducational evaluation. | Typically not involved in IEP meetings, unless they are the primary mental health contact/service provider and the student needs mental health services considered for the IEP. | Typically not involved in IEP meetings unless the parent requests their attendance to provide recommendations or review private evaluations. |
| Provides ongoing therapy? | In certain districts, the school psychologist may provide one-on-one or small group counseling. | In certain districts, the school counselor may provide one-on-one or small group counseling. | Whether clinical psychologists provide ongoing therapy or not depends on their practice and credentials. |
What Does Each Role Do, and Where Do You Find Them?
A school psychologist is a public school district professional who typically completes psychoeducational evaluations and helps determine a student’s eligibility for special education services.
A school counselor is a public school district professional hired directly by your child’s school who typically helps create social-emotional curriculum, provides one-on-one or small-group counseling, and occasionally completes evaluations and creates 504 plans.
A clinical psychologist is a privately practicing professional who typically completes psychological evaluations that result in diagnoses and provides recommendations for outside services.
Parents frequently mistake a school psychologist for a school counselor or clinical psychologist due to varying levels of overlap in their areas of expertise, such as evaluations, mental health services, and recommendations based on a child’s needs.
Who Handles What in Special Education?
School psychologists handle the psychoeducational evaluations that are completed within the school setting to assist in the determination of a need for special education services for your child.
Depending on the district, the school psychologist or school counselor may handle day-to-day emotional or social support. Therefore, it is important to clarify these roles if your child requires these types of support.
Clinical psychologists are not directly involved in special education. Outside evaluations can be considered by the school district when determining a need for special education services within the school setting, but that is typically up to the school district’s discretion.
What Happens When a Family Brings an Outside Evaluation or Report to the School?
How a school district may use an outside evaluation will vary depending on the district’s policy for reviewing or using outside evaluations, whether the assessments completed fulfill the requirements for any potential special education evaluations, and whether those evaluations provide any new information or relevant recommendations based on the child’s needs within the school setting.
In some districts, if the outside evaluation provides the relevant information necessary for a psychoeducational evaluation, it may be reviewed for the purposes of considering special education services instead of the district completing a new psychoeducational evaluation.
This is usually based on the school district’s or a relevant professional’s discretion. These professionals may include the school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, and others, depending on the assessments completed in the outside evaluation.
If a student is already receiving special education services within the school setting, the school-based team may use the outside evaluations as extra information to determine other needs of the student and any new services or accommodations that address those needs.
Where Do These Roles Overlap, and Where Don’t They?
A school psychologist and school counselor can be found in social-emotional and mental health roles, depending on the school district. However, school counselors are not usually involved in the special education referral process or in psychoeducational evaluations, while a school psychologist is not usually involved in the day-to-day activities of a school, such as school schedules or school-level social-emotional curriculum.
- Achievement assessments
- Behavioral assessments or questionnaires
- Cognitive assessments
However, a school psychologist is typically only permitted to complete these assessments within the context of a psychoeducational evaluation in the school setting.
School psychologists also typically do not have the required qualifications to diagnose. A clinical psychologist is typically permitted to complete these assessments only in the context of a private evaluation that results in a diagnosis outside the school setting.
How Might These Roles Come Up for a Child With Cerebral Palsy?
For a child with cerebral palsy, the school counselor may be one of your first points of contact as a parent when discussing the school’s preferred problem-solving process and how that process may look for your child.
The school counselor may also provide mental health services if they are the primary service provider at your child's school and your child has demonstrated a need for those services. Schools typically hire counselors, so they are more directly involved in your child’s day-to-day activities.
The school psychologist, depending on the district, may be your primary point of contact for:
- Referral process for special education
- Completion of a psychoeducational evaluation
- Determination of your child’s eligibility for special education services within the school setting
If you or the school team determines that your child may need special education services, this professional typically becomes involved at that point.
A clinical psychologist may be a professional you consider if you want a psychological evaluation for your child that will provide information on their functioning and may result in further diagnoses. These professionals can also provide referrals to services and resources outside the school setting.
Who Should a Parent Contact First?
If you have concerns about your child within the school setting, your first point of contact should be the school counselor. These professionals are at your child’s school day-to-day and can typically answer many questions about school-based policies, accessibility, and problem-solving processes.
School counselors, depending on the school district, may also be your primary contact for mental health support or the evaluation and completion of 504 plans.
If you have gone through the problem-solving process with your child’s school, or you believe your child cannot access their school environment to receive a free appropriate public education, contact the school psychologist assigned to your child’s school.
The school-based team typically has their contact information and can provide it to you. The school psychologist can help you navigate the special education referral process, explain the evaluation process, and help the school-based team determine whether your child is eligible for special education services.
If you want an outside evaluation and referrals to services or therapies outside the school setting, your first point of contact is a clinical psychologist. Your pediatrician may be able to refer you to one.
An outside evaluation by a clinical psychologist may result in further diagnoses and referrals to outside therapies or services to address your child’s needs.
3 Common Questions About IEPs and School Evaluations
1. Can a school counselor evaluate my child for an IEP?
No, a school counselor is not qualified to evaluate your child for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). In some districts, the school counselor may be able to evaluate and create a 504 plan.
2. Does my child need a clinical psychologist’s evaluation to get an IEP?
No, your child does not need a clinical psychologist’s evaluation to be considered for an IEP. School-based eligibility for special education services can be determined with a psychoeducational evaluation completed by a school psychologist within the school setting.
3. Can a school psychologist diagnose cerebral palsy?
No, a school psychologist cannot diagnose cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed by a physician, not by a psychologist of any kind.
A school psychologist does not have the qualifications to provide any diagnoses, but they can help determine eligibility for specific school-based eligibility categories that are outlined in state statute.
Working With Your Child’s School Team
The number of professionals who may be involved in your child’s education can be overwhelming, and many of them have overlapping responsibilities that make them hard to tell apart.
Here is a quick recap:
- School counselors are more involved in your child’s day-to-day school activities
- School psychologists can support the special education process
- Clinical psychologists can help you identify appropriate outside therapies and services
With this information, my goal is to help parents of children with cerebral palsy feel more confident in understanding how these professionals can support their child’s growth and success.
Written by:Jamie BayJamie Bay is a guest contributor for Cerebral Palsy Guide and a certified school psychologist. She works on her district’s student services team, evaluating students with disabilities like cerebral palsy to determine which school services they qualify for. Jamie writes about what schools can offer, when early intervention can start, and how parents can advocate for their child.
