Being flexible is important for school psychologists. Dealing with unexpected situations and being able to think on your feet will make you invaluable. And if you're flexible, you'll save yourself a lot of stress and anxiety.
"School psychology is a very diverse job," says Penny Corkum. She is an assistant professor in a school psychology program.
You need to have several skills, she adds, including problem solving and having a genuine interest in children. "But flexibility," says Corkum, "is really key."
In Corkum's area, it's quite common for school psychologists to work with 18 or 20 schools. That's because much of the area is rural.
"That means you have to be at a different place all the time," says Corkum. You may have to drive for an hour to meet with a child's parents, and they might not show up. Or you may be constantly juggling your schedule so you have time to fit your paperwork in.
School psychologists must realize they can't always help a child. And that requires flexibility, too. "You can make a difference and you can help by supporting the child at school," says Corkum. But if a child isn't being supported at home, Corkum says, "you can only do so much."
School psychologists across Canada and the U.S. face several challenges that come with helping kids on a daily basis. Tim Hartshorne is a school psychology professor at Central Michigan University. He says in Michigan, most school psychologists would work with about three schools. The schools have more students, however, and the day-to-day duties are much the same.
"We're the mental health experts in the school," says Hartshorne. This means they help children and their parents deal with a wide variety of issues that often include learning and behavioral problems.
School psychologists can offer one-on-one counseling with a child if there's a divorce or death in the family. They administer and evaluate intelligence tests, provide social skills training, offer substance abuse intervention and even plan and evaluate school-wide programs. A school psychologist's role is to give students the best learning environment possible.
School psychologists are trained to work with children of all ages, from preschool to young adults. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the age of the students, the needs of the school and the population they serve.
Working with a child's parents as well as the child's teachers is another big part of being a school psychologist. "First and foremost, you're a consultant," says Hartshorne.
Parents must first give the OK to have their child assessed. Then they must be informed of the results. Teachers also need to be made aware if the child has any learning or behavioral disorders so they can deal with the situation in their classroom.
Assessing children is a big part of a school psychologist's job. And according to Corkum, it's probably the one area that people misunderstand most about school psychology.
"School psychologists do a lot of assessments," says Corkum. "It's not all counseling."
But there is a role for both, adds Corkum. "It just comes down to finding the right balance."
Although children can be assessed at any age, the balance between assessment, counseling and other services can change depending on students' ages and needs. In elementary schools, identifying learning or behavioral challenges may be a significant part of the psychologist's role, while psychologists working with older students may spend more time counseling and addressing different kinds of problems.
Another important part of the job is helping parents understand assessment results and what those results mean for their child. Psychological assessments can involve a great deal of information, and psychologists can help families understand a child's challenges, strengths and the supports that may be beneficial.
Communicating difficult information with sensitivity is also an important skill. School psychologists may sometimes need to discuss findings that parents were not expecting or hoping to hear. Presenting that information clearly and compassionately can help parents understand the situation and make informed decisions about how best to support their child.