School psychologists in international schools

Hi all,

I'm doing a masters in psychology (educational developmental). The goal is to become a school psychologist. I was wondering if there are employment opportunities for school psychologists/guidance officers at international schools in Japan? And what sort of requirements they might have. For example in my home country, public schools require a teaching licence however catholic schools and some private schools accept registered psychologists without teaching licences.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

It's normally required a license approved by the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists. You need a Master's degree in clinical psychology from a university where the program is offered. Research psychologists don't have this license(normally).
Japanese schools normally call "School Counselor" instead of "School Psychologist". I don't think a permanent position is offered in this position(Part-time work only offered).

There are school psychologists at international schools in Japan - but it really depends on the school. For example, my last school (Yokohama International School) had 2 people working full time in learning support which had some background in your area.

There is a great demand for people in this area - but unfortunately they tend to want you to have previous home or international experience.

One option may be to volenteer at one of the more prominant schools in Tokyo, with the hope of picking up full time work or at least part time work in the future. One of the current members used to work as a paid consultant for the school - but now works full time (but she is a speech pathologist). The school psychologist came from another international school.

Please note that many international schools in Japan (specifically those looking to make a profit) will not have school psychologists. Nor will they probably employ one for paid employment.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the info. It's sad to hear that many international schools are focused on profit and avoid having these types of services at their schools. You'd think schools would have a need for them.

I was planning to work for at least 2 years (in my home country Australia) to get that much needed experience before heading off. Schools like Yokohama International School sound promising. Maybe things will change with time.

Psychology is hard in a country where people often don't discuss their problems with anyone and opening up is not considered a normal thing to do.