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School Psychologist.[/caption]
A child spends most of their time of the day in school among follow students and teachers. When it comes to addressing a child’s mental health issues, the school management, teachers along with the school psychologist play equal role as the parents. As they spend most of their time in school, teachers and other management staff play an important role in the identification of these mental health issues. For this reason there is school psychologist who is there to take care of the student’s mental health.
The role of a school psychologist is a very diverse and complex one. Though their role may vary from institute to institute, their objective is to apply their knowledge of behaviour and learning to help children overcome school related issues. They play an important role in improving the classroom environment and providing facilities to enable better and effective learning. They also collaborate with teachers and parents to improve the child’s mental health and create a supporting environment for the students.
Let us look into a few functions of a school psychologist:
- Observation and identification of signs indicating a student is facing a mental health issue or disorder and addressing them at the earliest.
- Once identified, make appropriate assessment to qualify the student for special facilities
- Planning behavioural interventions for a student with difficulty.
- Observing the overall performance of the students and addressing the ones that show poor academic performance.
- Providing students who need help with learning techniques.
- Making special arrangements or letting the management know about these requirements for a student in need.
- Collaborating with teachers and parents to address the student’s psychological and academic need.
- Conducting awareness programs about various issues such as drug addiction, bullying, etc.
- Training teachers on the common mental health issues and how to identify them.
- Making specific and individualized education plans for students in need.
Common issues a school psychologist addresses:
- Poor academic performance
- Poor communication and social skills
- Difficulty in concentration
- Aggressive behaviour
- Bullying
- Drug addiction
- Dilemma with Career choices
- Learning disabilities
- Helping the child cope with sudden personal and school crisis events.
- Mental disorders such as autism, anxiety disorders, ADHD, etc.
Many may argue that why we need a school psychologist when you school teachers can do almost the same with a little training. School psychologists are trained in both clinical and educational psychology. They not only focus on the academics but also on the mental health that facilitates academic performance. School psychologists are professionally trained to handle crisis situation, if any arises, and to increase moral and motivate students. A teacher if handed these responsibilities might fail to fulfil these needs as their prior responsibility is academic but for a school psychologist their main and only focus is on the mental health of the students. For teacher training programs and child’s behavioral issues, call us now to talk to our child psychologists on +919741476476.
