Psychologists in secondary schools: Training and present patterns of service

Psychologists serving randomly selected secondary schools were surveyed regarding actual and preferred patterns of service and training. Though a small sample was employed, the random sampling procedure and high response rate attained were viewed by the investigators as effective means for controlling the sampling error that often occurs in survey research. As a group, respondents indicated little specialized training for working with the secondary school population. Traditional assessment and report writing activities occupied the main portion of respondents' working time although nearly all reported involvement in the design and implementation of intervention plans for a variety of client groups. The psychologist-to-student ratio was found to be 1:6180, and more than 60% of those surveyed reported plans for a career change out of school psychology. One-fourth of the districts surveyed reported that psychological services were not regularly available.