November is for gratitude, turkey, and National School Psychologist Week! During this week, we take time to highlight the crucial work that school psychologists do in our schools to help students thrive. To celebrate this important week and help spread the word about how fantastic school psychs are, we created a shareable with 5 things school psychologists can do.
What Can Your School Psych Do?
Kids and school psychologists work together to achieve great things and successful outcomes. Here are 5 things (in no particular order) that your school psych can do.
Evaluation
- Assess cognitive, academic, behavior, social, emotional, and adaptive skills in students to understand diverse learning needs
Intervention
- Provide individual or group counseling for students
- Help students, families, and the school community manage crises
- Help develop behavior plans for students
Prevention
- Promote an appreciation of student diversity within schools/districts
- Develop programs to foster academic and social growth in students
- Provide whole class lessons for students and teachers focused on classroom management and behaviors to promote learning
Consultation/collaboration
- Work with teachers, parents, and administrators to help create solutions to learning and behavior concerns
- Assist families in navigating the special education process
- Collaborate with community providers to coordinate needed services for students and families
- Help families connect with outside agencies (medical or mental health)
Systems-level change
- Evaluate the effectiveness of academic and behavioral interventions
- Use evidence-based research to recommend appropriate interventions
- Work with district administrators to improve school-wide practices and policies
Happy November, and hurrah for school psychs!
