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School psychologists use many different approaches,
to provide the following core services: Consultation,
Assessment, Prevention, Intervention, Education, Research
and Planning, and Health Care Provision. They tailor
their services to the particular needs of each child
and each situation.
- Consultation - When consulting
school psychologists help problem solve in order to
provide 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, and strengthen
working relationships between educators, parents and
community services.
- Assessment - Assessment activities
vary and can include a wide variety of data-based
tools at an individual, group, and systems level to
evaluate academic skills and monitor progress; assess
learning aptitudes, personality, and emotional development;
evaluate the development of social skills; examine
effective learning environments and school climate;
and act as members of multi-disciplinary teams determining
eligibility for special education.
- Prevention - Prevention activities
help families and schools to identify potential learning
difficulties, design programs for children at risk
of failure, provide parents and teachers with the
skills to cope with disruptive behavior, help foster
tolerance, understanding, and appreciation of diversity
in the school community, and develop school-wide initiatives
to make schools safer and more effective.
- Intervention - Intervention approaches
include direct contact with children, families and
school staff to help solve conflicts and problems
in learning and adjustment, provide psychological
counseling for children and families, provide social
skills training, behavior management, and other strategies,
and help families and schools deal with crises, such
as separation and loss.
- Education - School psychologists
educate families and staff through workshops and staff
training activities that include but are not limited
to the following topics:
- effective problem solving and conflict resolution
- teaching and learning strategies
- social skills development
- mental wellness and behavioral health
- behavior management techniques
- working with diverse populations
- substance abuse
- crisis management
- Research - School psychologists
actively seek information about the results of their
efforts and how they benefit students. They evaluate
the effectiveness of academic programs, behavior management
systems, and other services so as to generate new
knowledge about learning and behavior.
- Health Care Provision - School
psychologists focus on Health Care Provision through
collaboration with school and community-based personnel.
They advocate for a comprehensive model of school-linked
health services that provide access to community supports
and emphasize psychosocial wellness and health-related
issues. They foster partnerships with parents and
teachers to create healthy safe and supportive school
environments.
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