Organizational school psychology: Issues and considerations

School psychologists have been encouraged to become actively involved in facilitating organizational change in public schools. Activities such as organization development, administrative-centered consultation, training of multidisciplinary teams, program planning, and program evaluation have been considered as important aspects of school psychology. However, when the practice of school psychology at the organizational level of public schools is considered as a distinct area, a range of conceptual and practical issues become apparent: (a) What is the nature and scope of organizational-level practice of school psychology? (b) Under what conditions may this kind of professional effort be useful, to whom, in what ways? (c) What are the knowledge and skills necessary for effective organizational-level practice? These issues are addressed in this article through delineation of the emerging area of “organizational school psychology (OSP),” an approach to school psychology practice which complements more established approaches that focus directly on the individual child or on groups of children.     

International school psychology: psychology's worldwide portal to children and youth

International school psychology is discussed in reference to scholarly and professional development within psychology, the emergence of an international association of school psychology, its efforts to promote school psychology, prevailing characteristics of school psychologists, and additional efforts needed to further enhance its development. Nine issues that will help shape the future of international school psychology are also identified. The importance of psychology, including school psychology, in promoting children's needs and rights is underscored.     

The school psychologist in evaluating educational programs

A discussion of school psychology practice is presented, with emphasis on school programs rather than on individuals. While pressures exist to continue emphasizing the individual as the unit of study, current literature in evaluation theory and community psychology suggest a more viable model for the practice of school psychology. The learning process as it occurs in school programming is discussed, illustrating potential sources of involvement for school psychologists in effecting change in education. It is suggested that school psychologists, operating from a framework of evaluation theory, are well suited to be evaluators of school programs.     

School psychology in Saudi Arabia

The status of school psychology in Saudi Arabia is reviewed. The rapidity of social change in Saudi Arabia is described, along with the Saudi system of education, school psychology services, administration, training facilities, and school psychology's contributions to Saudi society. A plan for the future development of the field is presented, as are the challenges confronting psychologists in the Muslim world.     

Continuity and Change in Role Definitions and Training Models of School Psychologists in Israel

Abstract

In accordance with one of the major challenges of psychology research and practice worldwide, school psychology in Israel has setas its aim the promotion of the emotional well-being of students. These aims are achieved through psychological evaluation and intervention, at the systemic and individual-student level. School psychology emerged in Israel in the 1930s, as a relatively narrow field, focused mainly on the placement of students in special education settings. Over the decades, major changes occurred in Israeli society, including waves of immigration, coping with security situations and additional socio-political challenges. In light of these transformations, the discipline grew and broadened, encompassing additional areas of professional practice. The training of school psychologists evolved in relation to these processes. From unsystematic training procedures, mostly embedded in child-clinical psychology and relying on on-the-job training, to a well-established system of graduate school programs producing dozens of school psychologists every year. Academic pre-service training is followed by a post-graduate internship in the public-school system. The developments in the field of school psychology brought about a host of challenges and dilemmas. These issues are discussed in relation to the broad aim of school psychology in Israel: the promotion of the emotional well-being of all students.     

School Psychology: Training Individuals for One of the Best Kept Secrets in Professional Psychology

Abstract

School psychology training at the doctoral level is discussed. Given the increasing diversity in the schools as well as the varied education and mental health needs of the population, school psychology training is necessarily broad, involving traditional skills such as assessment, intervention, consultation, and counseling, all of which are taught within a context of a changing school population with changing needs. Because there is compulsory education, school psychologists’ interface with a broad cross-section of individual children, their parents, and their teachers. Moreover, school psychological practice is not limited to schools, as doctoral school psychologists are health service providers; many of these individuals work in other settings for which they are trained to provide services. The complexities and challenges of training school psychologists within this broad agenda effectively across domains are discussed.     

Reminiscences of things past

A personalistic and selective view of the history of school psychology is offered. A brief biographical sketch, and some of the early personal encounters and major professional preoccupations of the author, are presented first. This is followed by an exposition centered on the development of school psychology as a specialty. Two historical streams of intellectual thought, intervention methods, and professional affiliation, along with their consequences for school psychology, are then described. Finally, some observations on the future of school psychology are made.     

The growth of school psychology in the last decade

With reference to the first question, it seems that school psychology as a profession is growing much more rapidly than membership in Division 16 of APA would indicate. While the Division is growing, it is not growing in proportion to the number of practitioners in the field.

Factors that seem to be positively related to the rapid expansion of school psychological services are: financial support from the state level; training programs in the colleges and universities; special certification requirements and the designation of school psychology as a specific profession; and increasing demand for services in rural as well as the urban areas. The school psychologist, by virtue of his training and professional competence, is apparently meeting an important need in the educational system. The general tenor of the response to this survey is that the growth of school psychological services will continue.     

School psychology: Failure and promise

School psychology can offer the practitioner a multitude of opportunities to aid parents, teachers, and children in the educational process. Evidence of the contribution of school psychology to the educational enterprise can be found in the analysis of activities of school psychologists as well as program trainers. This is an account of one such odyssey. Observing that school psychology is showing signs of strain and stress, the author describes some of the issues facing the field and warns of consequences of lack of consensus in solving the many problems of school support services.     

The effectiveness of a simulation technique as an integral part of a school psychology training program

A modified Solomon design was employed to study the effects of a school psychology simulation package on the enacted and written response of a group of school psychology preservice students. Fifty-two school psychology students from five training programs enrolled in the last quarter of school psychology training prior to internship were divided into two groups. The experimental group (N=20) received the simulation experience, whereas the control group (N=32) did not. Results generally indicated the superiority of the experimental group and suggested that simulation as an integral part of a school psychology training program is an effective method of instruction. Pretesting in combination with the simulation training improved posttest performance more than simulation training alone.     

Experiences of school psychology interns in psychology internship centers

In the development of psychology internship centers, we must not overlook what is happening to interns from different specialty backgrounds. This article describes centers that accept school psychology students, and examines the nature of the experiences that such students receive as interns. The author suggests implications for school psychology and the broader development of the internship in professional psychology.     

School psychology publishing contributions to the advancement of knowledge, science, and its application: an introduction to the themed issue

This introductory article briefly reviews the studies and commentaries making up this themed issue on the process and products of professional publications in school psychology. Each article highlights important considerations for advancing scholarly scientific publishing in the field of school psychology. A case is made that enhancing the quality of scientific publications, as well as accumulating scholarly findings over time, serve as the primary mechanisms for improving practice for children, families, and school professionals. This article highlights features of the studies and commentaries directly related to advancing knowledge, science, and its application in school psychology.     

A personalized account of the development and status of school psychology

School psychology is seen as having both a prehistory and history, with 1944 established as the dividing point. Within this framework, an account is presented of the development of school psychology from about 1952 to the present, as viewed through personal experiences. Implications for the future are noted, and a conception of what school psychology is, or should be, is offered.     

Psychologists in (Neoliberal) Schools – What Kind of Marriage?

The paper aims to discuss how school psychology broadly is influenced by neoliberalism. Neoliberalism has attracted great attention among sociologists and economist, but less so among psychologists. This is a paradox since the psychological reach of neoliberalism is massive. The paper analyzes how new (neoliberal) school reforms place new professional demands on schools and therefore also new kinds of professional demands on school psychologists. Among other things, it is discussed whether the notion of resilience can act as a future guiding principle for school psychologists. The paper concludes with three suggestions as to how school psychologists can cope with some of the challenges imposed by neoliberalism. I suggest that school psychologists; 1) have to start asking educational questions to educational matters, 2) that they have to be aware of the political aspects of school psychology and 3) that they start acting against the corrosion of professional identity.     

Needs versus deeds: The unfulfilled research potential in school psychology

A nationwide sample of school psychology practitioners and one of authors of recent journal articles, from three main school psychology journals, were asked to rate the importance of the types of needed research in school psychology. Close agreement was found between the priorities assigned by the two groups. Prevention of school-related problems and improvement in the functioning of non-referred populations were the areas identified as most in need of research by both authors and practitioners. A comparison of the priorities for needed research with a previously published study of types of articles actually published in the school psychology press revealed little agreement between perceived needs and actual publications. The results are discussed in terms of implications for collaborative research between field-based practitioners and researchers, and possible actions by journal editorial boards and professional organizations that would facilitate greater research productivity in areas of great need.     

School psychology in the Republic of Ireland

This report considers the practice of school psychology in the Republic of Ireland. Information about the system of education, scope of school psychology services, administration, and training programs of school counseling is presented. A detailed account of the problems that the profession faces as well as the expected future developments are discussed.     

权威与群体因素对中学生受暗示心理的影响研究

本研究在前人的基础上再次证实权威与群体是影响受暗示心理的主要因素,选取了即将参加高考的高三学生作为被试,从而证明该结论在不同的群体样本中都成立。同时也比较了两者影响作用的大小和在不同群体中的表现是否有差异。通过设计由两个群体暗示实验组、两个权威暗示实验组和一个控制组组成的实验来进行研究。研究表明在中学生群体中权威与群体都对受暗示心理有影响,但是群体的暗示作用更大,权威的暗示作用显得比较小甚至会出现相反的结果,这说明中学生和大学生相比,心理发展还处于不稳定时期,在受权威暗示上还存在一定程度的逆反心理。