ABSTRACT
When practiced at the highest levels, school psychology has much to offer those in nontraditional settings. This chapter traces the development of school psychology, explains why school psychological services in nonschool settings makes sense, and illustrates why the title "school psychologist" need not be viewed narrowly. The pull toward involvement in nonschool services provided an additional oppositional force, adding to the diverging (centrifugal) forces within the field. The fact that there is a common core of knowledge and methods offers support for the belief that there is such a thing as professional psychology practice reasonably distinct from the practice of other human service providers. School psychology as a specialty when practiced successfully may require certain qualities of personality and attitude and certain intentions, interests, and proficiencies not as often seen, in totality, in the practitioners of other specialties in psychology.
