A school psychologist is a psychologist who works in a school.
The purpose of the work of the psychological service of the school: optimization of the educational environment in order to create conditions for the harmonious development of the personality of students.
Why do schools need a psychologist?
The psychologist provides psychological and pedagogical support of the educational process in order to ensure the normal development of the child (in accordance with the norm of development at the appropriate age).
The functions of a school psychologist include: psychological diagnostics; corrective work; counseling for parents and teachers; psychological education; participation in teachers’ councils and parent meetings; participation in the recruitment of first-graders; psychological prevention.
Psychological diagnostics includes conducting frontal (group) and individual examinations of students using special techniques. Diagnostics is carried out at the preliminary request of teachers or parents, as well as at the initiative of a psychologist for research or preventive purposes. The psychologist selects a methodology aimed at studying the abilities of interest to him, the characteristics of the child (group of students). These can be methods aimed at studying the level of development of attention, thinking, memory, emotional sphere, personality traits and relationships with others. Also, the school psychologist uses methods for studying parent-child relationships, the nature of the interaction between the teacher and the class.
The data obtained allow the psychologist to build further work: identify students of the so-called “risk group” who need remedial classes; prepare recommendations for teachers and parents on interaction with students.
In connection with the tasks of diagnostics, one of the tasks of a psychologist is to draw up an interview program with future first-graders, to conduct that part of the interview that concerns the psychological aspects of the child’s readiness for school (the level of development of voluntariness, the presence of motivation for learning, the level of development of thinking). The psychologist also gives recommendations to parents of future first-graders.
Correctional classes can be individual and group. In the course of them, the psychologist tries to correct the undesirable features of the mental development of the child. These classes can be aimed both at the development of cognitive processes (memory, attention, thinking), and at solving problems in the emotional-volitional sphere, in the sphere of communication and problems of self-esteem of students. The school psychologist uses existing training programs, and also develops them independently, taking into account the specifics of each case. Classes include a variety of exercises: developing, playing, drawing and other tasks — depending on the goals and age of the students.
Parent and teacher counseling — This is a work on a specific request. The psychologist acquaints parents or teachers with the results of the diagnosis, gives a certain forecast, warns about what difficulties the student may have in the future in learning and communication; at the same time, recommendations are jointly developed to solve emerging problems and interact with the student.
Psychological education is to acquaint teachers and parents with the basic patterns and conditions for the favorable mental development of the child. It is carried out in the course of counseling, speeches at pedagogical councils and parent meetings.
In addition, at the teachers’ councils, the psychologist participates in making a decision about the possibility of teaching a given child according to a specific program, about transferring a student from class to class, about the possibility of “stepping over” a child through a class (for example, a very capable or prepared student can be transferred from the first class immediately to the third).
All of the functions of a school psychologist listed above make it possible to observe at school the psychological conditions necessary for the full-fledged mental development and formation of the child’s personality, that is, they serve the purposes psychological prevention.
The work of a school psychologist also includes a methodological part. A psychologist must constantly work with literature, including periodicals, in order to keep track of new achievements in science, deepen his theoretical knowledge, and get acquainted with new methods. Any diagnostic technique requires the ability to process and generalize the data obtained. The school psychologist tests new methods in practice and finds the most optimal methods of practical work. He tries to select literature on psychology for the school library in order to introduce psychology to teachers, parents and students. In his daily work, he uses such expressive means of behavior and speech as intonations, postures, gestures, facial expressions; guided by the rules of professional ethics, work experience of his and his colleagues.
Questions for which you can and should contact a school psychologist:
1. Learning difficulties
Some kids don’t study as well as they would like. There can be many reasons for this. For example, not a very good memory, distracted attention or lack of desire, or maybe problems with the teacher and a lack of understanding why all this is needed at all. At the consultation, we will try to determine what is the reason and how to fix it, in other words, we will try to find what and how to develop in order to learn better.
2. Relationships in the classroom
There are people who easily find contact with others, easily communicate in any, even an unfamiliar company. But there are, and there are also a lot of them, those who find it difficult to get to know each other, it is difficult to build good relationships, it is difficult to find friends and just feel easy and free in a group, for example? in class. With the help of a psychologist, you can find ways and personal resources, learn techniques for building harmonious relationships with people in a variety of situations.
3. Relationship with parents
Sometimes it happens that we lose a common language and warm relations with our closest people — with our parents. Conflicts, quarrels, lack of understanding — such a situation in the family usually brings pain to both children and parents. Some find solutions, while others find it quite difficult. The psychologist will tell you about how to learn to build new relationships with your parents and learn to understand them, and how to make your parents understand and accept you.
4. Choice of life path
The ninth, tenth and eleventh grades are the time when many people think about their future profession and in general about how they would like to live their lives. If you are not sure? which way you want to go, there is always the option to go to a psychologist. It will help you realize your dreams, desires and goals, evaluate your resources and abilities, and understand (or come closer to understanding) in which area (areas) of life you want to be realized.
5. Self-management and self-development
Our life is so interesting and multifaceted that it constantly poses a lot of tasks for us. Many of them require remarkable efforts and the development of a wide variety of personal qualities, skills and abilities. You can develop leadership or argumentative skills, logical thinking or creativity. Improve your memory, attention, imagination. You can learn to manage your life, set goals and achieve them effectively. A psychologist is a person who owns the technology for developing certain qualities, skills and abilities and will gladly share this technology with you.
Sites dedicated to the work of a school psychologist
- School psychologist Dyatlova Marina Georgievna — a selection of necessary documents, useful games and exercises.
- Encyclopedia of the School Psychologist