School psychologists

You are employed as a school psychologist and a 5-year-old pupil has just been diagnosed with ADHD. The parent and teacher have asked for your expert advice. What advice would you give them and the child ... 

Cushman, T., LeBlanc, M., Porter, G. (2004). ADEID Results of a national survey of school psychologists. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, 6, 183—193. 

National Association of School Psychologists. Helping children cope with loss, death, and grief Response to a national tragedy. http //www.nasponline.org/NEAT/grief.html National Center for PTSD. Facts about PTSD. http //www.ncptsd. va.gov/facts/index.html... 

National Association of School Psychologists. (2006). Position statement on school violence. Approved by the National Association of School Psychologists Delegate Assembly. 

Batsche, G. M. (1997). Bullying. In Children s Needs II Development, Problems, and Alternatives, edited by G. G. Bear, K. M. Minke, and A. Thomas, 171-179. National Association of School Psychologists, Bethesda, MD. 

Furlong, M. J., Pavelski, R., and Saxton, J. (2002). The prevention of school violence. In Best Practices in School Crisis Prevention and Intervention, edited by S. E. Brock, P. J. Lazarus, and S. R. Jimerson. National Association of School Psychologists, Bethesda, MD. 

Walker, H. M., and Shinn, M. R. (2002). Structuring school-based interventions to achieve integrated primary, secondary and tertiary prevention goals for safe and effective schools. In Interventions for Academic and Behavior Problems II Preventive and Remedial Approaches, edited by M. A. Shinn, H. M. Walker, and G. Stoner. National Association of School Psychologists, Bethesda, MD. 

School crisis prevention efforts have been strengthened throughout recent years with a new model and curriculum developed through collaborative efforts of workgroups sponsored by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). The PREPaRE curriculum was developed for educators and school-based mental health professionals to provide training on how best to fill the roles and responsibilities generated by their membership on school crisis teams (Brock et al 2009, p. viii). The PREPaRE acronym represents interventions in a sequential and hierarchical order, specifically (Brock et al., 2009, p. ix) ... 

Lynn McCoy-Simandle, PhD, is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and, as a school psychologist, has worked with numerous children and youth who buUy or have been bullied. Since retiring from Fayette County public schools in Lexington, Kentucky, McCoy-Simandle is a consultant for the Kentucky Center for School Safety and has presented countless workshops on bullying in schools for teachers, administrators, parents, and students. 

Figure 6.6 Normative data from a sample of 275 school psychologists can be used to compare individual scores from the "Work Distress Profile." Adapted from Rice (1992). With permission.

After obtaining your survey totals for each of the three scales and adding these subtotals for an overall distress score, you can compare your results with the values given in Figure 6.6. The numbers here were obtained from a sample of 275 school psychologists (Rice, 1992) whose job responsibilities might be very different from yours. It might be more useful to compare your results with others in your work culture. 

School psychologists started to take on intervention roles by the 1920 and have extended this role during the past decade. However, job demands and role expectations, which emphasize assessment, and the large number of students who most school psychologists serve, limit their roles. 

Nastasi, B. K., Varjas, K., Bernstein, R. (1997). Exemplary mental health programs School psychologists as mental health service providers. Bethesda, Kffi) National Association of School Psychologists. 

Yesseldyke, J., Dawson, R, Lehr, C., Reschly, D., Reynolds, M., Telzrow, C. (1997). School psychology A blueprint for training and practice IL Bethesda, MD National Association of School Psychologists. 

Because so few resources are allocated, the contexts for the activity often are limited and makeshift. That is, a relatively small proportion of this activity seems to take place in school/clinical offices earmarked specifically for such functions. Health education and skill development interventions may take place in classrooms if they are part of the regular curriculum otherwise they tend to be assigned space on an ad hoc basis. Home visits remain a rarity. Support service personnel such as school psychologists and social workers must rotate among schools as itinerant staff. These conditions contribute to the tendency for such personnel to operate in relative isolation of each other and other stakeholders. These conditions clearly are not conducive to effective practice. 

I. School-financed student support services— Most school districts employ support service or pupil services professionals, such as school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. These personnel perform services connected with mental health and psychosocial problems (including related services designated for special-education students). The format for this delivery mechanism usually is a combination of centrally based and school-based services. 

The bulk of the needs assessment can be completed by talking with key stakeholders in the schools such as mental health providers, teachers, students, families, and school administrators. Acosta (2001) emphasizes the importance of connecting with any existing mental health personnel in a school (e.g., school psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses) during the needs assessment to form allies... 

Atkinson, D. R., Juntunen, C. L. (1994). School counselors and school psychologists as school-home-community liaisons in ethnically diverse schools. In P. Pedersen J. C. Carey (Eds.), Multicultural counseling in schools (pp. 103-120). Boston Allyn Bacon. 

The parents also consented for Sonia to join a group run by the school psychologist to address the stress related to her father s terminal illness and her vulnerability to peer risk behaviors. Parents also agreed to have Sonia meet with a child and adolescent psychiatrist to be evaluated for possible attention deficit/h3rperactivity disorder. 

Cristenson, S. (1995). Best practices in supporting home-school collaboration. In A. Thomas J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology— III (pp. 253-267). Washington, DC National Association of School Psychologists. 

Epstein, J. (1992). School and family partnerships Leadership roles for school psychologists. In S. L. Cristenson J. C. Conoley (Eds.), Home-school collaborations Enhancing children s academic and social competence (pp. 499-515). Silver Spring, MD National Association of School Psychologists. 

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