Psychoeducational Consulting (Psychology and Sociology, BA)

Beth Pollock, St. Lawrence College

If becoming a psychoeducational consultant sounds like it requires a lot of degrees, you are right! Beth Pollock, a 2000 Laurier psychology and sociology graduate is currently completing a PhD in clinical neuropsychology at the University of Windsor while simultaneously operating a consulting practice, under the supervision of a psychologist, working with students experiencing learning, psychosocial and/or behavioural difficulties.

Immediately after completing her undergraduate degree at Laurier, Beth obtained a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Bond University in Australia. During these studies, Beth participated in a practicum with a school board where she performed various assessment tools on students. This first-hand experience allowed Beth to realize that she enjoyed the challenge of trying to answer the complex question of why a student was not achieving or performing to their fullest potential. This role also afforded her the opportunity to liaise with teachers and school administrators to better understand and address a student’s needs.

After returning to Canada following her master’s degree, Beth worked as a psychometrist for a school board also utilizing diagnostic assessment tools to identify problems in student learning or behaviour. Beth was driven to complete a doctoral degree because, although she enjoyed working within a school board, Beth realized that to be able to work more independently, she would need to develop a more in-depth understanding of the brain. In addition, Beth desired a career that would permit her to work as much or as little as she pleased so as to also accommodate her life as a parent.

Although you can work as an independent psychoeducational consultant with only a master’s degree in psychology and two years supervision from a psychologist, you are restricted to a limited scope of practice. Obtaining a doctorate degree will enable Beth to work with a more diverse client base and offer more services to her clients including neuropsychological assessments, psychoeducational assessments and therapy.

The most enjoyable aspects of working as a psychoeducational consultant for Beth are working with the children and being able to facilitate a better understanding of a child’s learning needs. However, private practice work can be quite lonely at times and to address this isolation, Beth has supplemented her career with teaching at St. Lawrence College.

Should you be interested in pursuing a career as a psychometrist or psychoeducational consultant, begin planning early on in your undergraduate career. Select courses that offer a community service learning component where you can access volunteer practicums that will not only help you gain experiences and skills for your résumé, but more importantly, will allow you first-hand, ‘feet-wet’ experience to answer the question “would I enjoy this as a career?”