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    What is a School Psychologist?          

                                                      question             

         School psychologists have specialized training in both psychology and education.  They use their training and skills to team with educators, parents, and other mental health professionals to ensure that every child learns in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment.  School Psychologists understand school systems, effective teaching, and successful learning.  School psychologists are trained in mental health, child development, school organization, learning, behavior, and motivation. 

     

    What do School Psychologists do?

     

         School psychologists tailor their services to the particular needs of each child and each situation.  They use many different approaches, but provide at least these core services:

    •       Consultation

    -Give healthy and effective alternatives to teachers, parents, and administrators about problems in learning and behavior.

    -Help others understand child development and how it affects learning and behavior.

    -Strengthen working relationships between educators and parents.

     

    •       Assessmenttesting

                                 -Academic Skills/Learning Aptitudes

                                 -Intelligence

                                 -Personality and Emotional Development

                                 -Social Skills

                                 -Learning Environments

                                 -Special Education Eligibility

     

    •      Intervention

               -Help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment

                                 -Provide individual and/or group counseling for children

                                         -Common Counseling Services:

                                                    -Stress and Anxiety Management

                                                    -Bullying Awareness and Prevention

                                                    -Anger Management

            counseling                                        -Conflict Resolution

                     -Friendship Skills                                        

                     -Social Skills Training

                     -Self-Esteem

                     -Divorce-Related Awareness

                     -Loss and Grief

                     -Study Skills & Time Management

                                                    -Academic Difficulties

                                                    -Alcohol and Drug Abuse

                -Develop behavior management programs

                                                    -Help families and schools deal with crises

     

    •       Prevention

                                 -Identify potential learning difficulties

                                 -Design programs for children at-risk of failure
                                 -Provide parents and teachers with the skills to cope with
                                  disruptive behavior
                                 -Develop school-wide initiatives to make schools safer and
                                  more effective

     

    •       Education

                                  -Develop programs on topics such as:Teacher

                                          -teaching and learning
                                           strategies
                                          -classroom
                                           management
                                           techniques
                                          -working with students
                                           who have disabilities