Maryland's Largest School District
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Psychological Services → School Psychologists
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.
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 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 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 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.
School psychologists educate families and staff through workshops and staff training activities that include but are not limited to the following topics:
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.
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.
School psychologists can be contacted by calling their assigned school, or by contacting Dr. Christina N. Conolly-Chester, Director of Psychological Services at 240-740-5640.
School psychologists are uniquely skilled in:
They have the knowledge, skill, and experience to work in partnership with other school staff members and parents and apply psychological, mental health and child development approaches to enhance academic achievement and social-emotional learning.
MCPS school psychologists work in a variety of programs and setting such as Head Start programs, special and general education schools, alternative programs, and the bilingual assessment team.
Applications for school psychologist internships from School Psychology Graduate Programs for the 2026-2027 school year are being accepted.
Interested in working as a School Psychologist in MCPS? Go to MCPS Careers and scroll to the Apply – School Psychologist position.