The Netherlands
Question 2: Approximately how many school/educational psychologists work in your country? Number of educational Psychologists
N.B. Numbers below are mostly estimates.
Answer:
440 (estimation)
Question 3: What is the ratio of school/educational Psychologists in your country?
N.B. Numbers below are estimates
Answer:
8600
Question 4: Who are the main employers of school/educational Psychologists?
Answer:
school counselling services and school boards of special education
Question 5: Are school/educational psychologists represented by any general or specific association or union in your country?
Answer:
Educational Psychology Section: part of Dutch Association of Psychologists (NIP)
N.B. Not all school psychologists are members of NIP
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:
at this moment there is no specific post-graduate training for school psychologists.
Usually employers ask for psychologists with developmental or educational specialisation in their graduation phase.
Graduation takes at least four years, mostly five
Question 7: How many universities provide this training for school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
7 for psychology in general, among which 2 offer training for educational psychologists.
Question 8: What are the employment prospect for newly trained school/educational psychologists?
Answer:
rather poor prospects (because of government economic measures and competition from remedial educationalists)
Question 9: How many school/educational psychologists are currently unemployed in your country?
Answer:
(probably many)
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:
– psychodiagnostics, educational examination and assessment
– consultation with teachers and parents
– special assistance in case of learning and behaviour problems
– special assistance in case of mental or pshyical handicaps
– school-staff training and counselling for teachers, headteachers and principals
– educational research
– school management support
– counselling and advice in study and career choice
Question 11: Are school /educational psychologists licensed? Is this a legal rquirement?
Answer:
no legal licence for educational psychologists neither are there for other psychologists (since 1993) . Dutch Association of Psychologists (NIP) has licensed a (general) NIP-trade-mark. There is a new system of registration and legal recognition for health psychologists (also those working with children and youngsters) in preparation.
Question 12: What are the current issues facing school / educational psychologists at the present?
Answer:
– implementation of a new law integrating special and regular education
– competition among educationalists on labour market
– integration of immigrant children in Dutch regular education
– changes in organisation and financing of education support systems where many educational psychologists are working