Denmark
Question 2: Approximately how many school/educational psychologists work in your country? Number of educational Psychologists
N.B. Numbers below are mostly estimates.
Answer:
500 school psychologists + 400 clinical psychologists working in schools
Question 3: What is the ratio of school/educational Psychologists in your country?
N.B. Numbers below are estimates
Answer:
now there is more variation (because of free choice for LEA), but until recently:
- for school psych. about 1250 – 2500 children in school age
- for clinical psych. in schools: about 500 (also in Kindergarten and gymnasiums)
Question 4: Who are the main employers of school/educational Psychologists?
Answer:
Municipalities and (in a few cases) countries N.B. Many school psychologists work in schools, but an increasing number also work in the social sector, covering all children between 0-18, although this varies between local authorities
Question 5: Are school/educational psychologists represented by any general or specific association or union in your country?
Answer:
- teachers/school psychology are mostly members of the Danish Association of School Psychologists (DASP), which is a section of the Teachers Union; in addition membership of “Danish psychological Association (DPA) is possible.
- other psychologists, e.g. clinical psychologists, are often members of the DPA only
N.B. DASP is associated with ISPA, DPA with EFPPA.
Question 6: How do school/educational psychologists become trained?
Include details of length of the training period, the additional qualifications and professional experience which are required (e.g. teaching), whether and how your training courses link with other courses of training in professional psychology.
Answer:
specific training is offered by Royal Danish College for Education, but qualified teachers can also become school psychologists by studying psychology at a university. Phases:
- a) teacher training college (3-4 years)
- b) Royal Danish College for Education (1 year), leading to BA
- c) Royal Danish College for Education (2 yrs), leading to MA. (cand. paed.psych.)
At universities MA (cand. psych.) takes at least 5 yrs and implies a broader training, but students have had no psychological training before
Question 7: How many universities provide this training for school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
Specific training (cand. paed. psych.): 1, but it has 8 local departments.
University training (cand. psych): 2 (Copenhagen and Aarhus)
Question 8: What are the employment prospect for newly trained school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
no response
Question 9: How many school/educational psychologists are currently unemployed in your country?
Answer:
no response
Question 10: What are the key tasks that are undertaken by school/educational psychologists?
(e.g. assessment, recommending special provision for children, consultation, counselling…)
Answer:
all tasks referred to, for example:
- working with the school as a system
- giving consultations to pupils, parents and teachers
- assessment for special education and behaviour programmes
- counselling pupils, parents, teachers
- counselling other municipal agencies
- coordinating all kinds of support in the educational system
Question 11: Are school /educational psychologists licensed? Is this a legal rquirement?
Answer:
since 1-1-1994 a general psychological license is required
Question 12: What are the current issues facing school / educational psychologists at the present?
Answer:
extensive Decentralisation (national policy) of power to local authorities (risk of decrease in quality and extent of service in the schools!)
The only centrally prescribed roles are that:
- each municipal school system must offer Psychological-Educational Counselling
- no referral to special education support can take place without advice and assessment by educational/counselling psychologist