The role of the school psychologist: Teachers'' preferences as a function of personal and professional characteristics

Teachers were surveyed concerning the importance of 12 potential roles for school psychologists (e.g., counseling, case or program consultation, community liaison, psychodiagnostics). Results showed that direct and remedial services which did not require the school psychologist to intrude on the teacher's prerogatives were in general considered to be most important. However, teachers who reported using “open education” methods were significantly more likely to value more indirect, preventive, and collaborative school psychology services than their colleagues. Grade level taught, gender, experience, and teaching specialty had virtually no effect on respondents' ratings of the school psychologist roles.     

The school psychologist in action

This department provides the school psychologist with an opportunity to present case studies on children referred for diagnostic appraisal or to describe other individual efforts at programming or remediation. In case reports, the focus should be on the process of assessment and case management. Reports may, in narrative style, summarize the case history, findings, recommendations, method of consultation with teachers and parents or other follow-up services.     

Research activities of doctoral school psychologists

A survey was sent to doctoral school psychologists to determine their research productivity and topical interests. Approximately two thirds of 147 respondents indicated doing some research during 1974–1975. Studies dealing with topics of assessment and program evaluation were most prevalent. Only about one in five studies was actually published and most of these were in nonprestigious periodicals. Academic school psychologists were more likely to do research and publish than were applied school psychologists. Academic and applied psychologists did not differ in terms of numbers of unpublished written or oral research reports. The correspondence of these results with prior data on school psychology research was noted and suggestions to increase the circulation of research findings are presented.     

Elementary school principals assess services of school psychologists nationwide

A one-page questionnaire was sent to 400 elementary school principals nationwide to assess their opinions regarding services of the school psychologist. These elementary school principals indicated that the school psychologist was found to be most helpful when providing the traditional services of psychological testing, personality and emotional assessment, consultation, and screening. Changes in school psychological services desired by the elementary school principals were more time from the school psychologist and an increase in individual and group counseling, preventive mental health, and inservice training. If elementary principal opinion is to be regarded, gross alterations to existing services of the school psychologist are not indicated by the results of this study.     

Comparison of WISC and WISC-R scores of referred black,white and Latino children

Seventy-two school psychologists in the tri-state area of Michigan, Illinois and Ohio administered both the WISC and WISC-R to 164 black, white and Latino children in a counterbalanced order with a specific test-retest interval of not less than a week or more than a month. These children had been referred to the school psychologist because of concerns about their intellectual ability. Significant WISC/WISC-R differences were found, with the WISC-R yielding lower results. These results have implications for test users, special education programs, and mainstreaming efforts.     

Attractiveness as a biasing factor in the judgments of school psychologists

A sample of 324 practicing school psychologists received a fictitious case study to which was attached a photograph of an attractive boy, an attractive girl, an unattractive boy, or an unattractive girl. Otherwise the case studies were identical. Each psychologist was asked to make several decisions based upon the information provided in the case study. Results of a multivariate analysis of variance indicated that a pupil's attractiveness had a significant effect on the judgments of school psychologists.     

Collaborative Consultation and Program Evaluation

The article describes how consultants, working with school personnel, can use an action research approach to implement a program of value‐driven needs assessment. The presentation is focused on a collaborative consultation model of program evaluation. A case example illustrates the collaborative development of instruments for assessing the effectiveness of a school guidance and counseling program.     

The clinical psychologist as program consultant: When is enough enough?

One of the most influential roles clinical psychologists play in health care settings is as consultant to medical colleagues. The psychologist consultant typically approaches either clinical or programmatic questions intending to tap both empirical research and clinical judgment perspectives in trying to answer them. This paper describes a specific “program consultation case,” a not atypical consultation situation in which graduate medical education directors asked for advice about their residency training program. The purpose is to use this example to generate ideas and provoke discussion about such consultation processes and their usefulness in the health care training and service delivery world. The psychologist may be faced with questions that have meaningful implications beyond the specific consultation. What if the concerns being posed by this particular program are concerns which have been raised before, have been researched before, and have generated reasonable suggestions, conclusions, and strategies for improvement? And what if no one has paid attention, so that the questions are being raised again? When empirical and clinical data consistently combine to identify problems within health-related training or service delivery systems, and when suggestions or alternatives for their solutions have been presented and, also presumably, ignored, what does the clinical psychologist consultant do next?     

"I fired my last doctor for not taking me seriously": collaborating with a difficult medical patient in a multidisciplinary primary care facility

We present the case of a multidisciplinary primary care assessment of a 32-year-old woman with multiple medical and psychological complaints. Following the collaborative care model, this assessment was conducted by a team consisting of a clinical health psychologist, Dr. J. L. Skillings, and a family physician, Dr. W. J. Murdoch. We describe the primary care environment in which this referral was made including the methods that were utilized to insure a successful professional collaboration. We report the results and recommendations from a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment; we place emphasis on the psychological diagnosis and pain symptoms. We also describe the feedback session in which the assessment results were provided to the patient and her spouse by both physician and psychologist. Multiperspective commentary about the assessment is offered by the patient and her husband as well as the physician and psychologist assessors.     

“I Fired My Last Doctor for Not Taking Me Seriously”: Collaborating With a Difficult Medical Patient in a Multidisciplinary Primary Care Facility

We present the case of a multidisciplinary primary care assessment of a 32-year-old woman with multiple medical and psychological complaints. Following the collaborative care model, this assessment was conducted by a team consisting of a clinical health psychologist, Dr. J. L. Skillings, and a family physician, Dr. W. J. Murdoch. We describe the primary care environment in which this referral was made including the methods that were utilized to insure a successful professional collaboration. We report the results and recommendations from a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment; we place emphasis on the psychological diagnosis and pain symptoms. We also describe the feedback session in which the assessment results were provided to the patient and her spouse by both physician and psychologist. Multiperspective commentary about the assessment is offered by the patient and her husband as well as the physician and psychologist assessors.     

Counselor,Social Worker,Psychologist: Let's “Ecumenicalize”

This paper examines the possibility of a closer relationship between the school counselor, the school psychologist, and the school social worker. It describes the background of each of the trio, then describes the various functions and the professional education of counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The various steps that might be taken to inaugurate an “ecumenical movement” between the three professional groups are then discussed. School counselors are described as being the logical individuals to take the initial steps in such a proposed movement, and the new functional title suggested for each of the three is “school counseling psychologist.”     

The roles of the secondary school counselor and the secondary school psychologist as perceived by educators of counselors and by educators of school psychologists

This study has indicated that counselor educators and educators of school psychologists are substantially in agreement regarding their perceptions of the roles of guidance counselors and school psychologists in the secondary school. Functions which are perceived as being performed by both counselors and psychologists have been described. These may lead either to collaborative endeavor or role conflict. Basic counselor and school psychologist roles have been presented. The perceived role of the counselor is broad and extensive; the perceived role of the school psychologist appears narrow and intensive.     

Two assessments, by and for the assessor

In this article, I describe 2 assessment experiences, 1 in graduate school and the other more recently, which taught me important personal lessons. Both of the experiences helped me grow as a psychologist and helped me in my own personal life as well. Both experiences dealt with highly personal central issues in my life; the first concerning the development of empathy and the second, important issues centering around aging and death.     

Pupil Personnel Services in the Elementary School

Student personnel services for the elementary school utilizing counselor, social worker, and psychologist are discussed with respect to their overlapping and unique skills. As a solution to the manpower shortage, a program for multidisciplinary training of paraprofessionals is suggested.     

Identifying a school's real agenda: Nine steps

Nine steps are described which enable a school psychologist to determine the real agenda of a school system. The “real” agenda of a school is defined as those behaviors that are encouraged and discouraged by each school's culture on a daily basis. These steps include (a) community expectations, (b) grading system, (c) testing program, (d) school achievement level, (e) curricular options, (f) changes in personnel, (g) organizational changes, (h) budget implications, and (i) walking the halls.     

A case study approach to delivering and evaluating services by a school psychologist

Two interrelated problems in delivering school psychological services by one school psychologist acted as a motivating force behind this study: the problem of how to plan and render services to a school system where the ratio of students to school psychologists is high, and the problem of how to determine the degree of effectiveness of these services. This study describes an approach which consisted of three distinct services rendered by a school psychologist. Evaluative measurements of the services were made in two areas: the effect of the services on the ongoing operations of the system, and the evaluation of the services by school personnel exposed to the services directly or indirectly. The relative merits and the limitations of such an approach are discussed.     

Skill development and cognitive approaches to educating young children

A variety of early childhood education programs have been established in the last decade that differ markedly in their philosophical and theoretical foundations. This article illustrates how distinct foundations are reflected in all program variables in a unified program. Two unified early childhood education programs are contrasted: a skill development program based upon behaviorist theory, and a cognitive growth program based upon cognitive developmental theory. Implications of unified programs for classroom behavior and the school psychologist are discussed.     

Role Function Differences Between School Psychologists Employed by School Districts and Regional Educational Agencies

ABSTRACT

This study investigated differences in role functioning of school psychologists employed by school districts and regional educational agencies (intermediate units). A total of 636 full time school psychologist practitioners in Pennsylvania were surveyed and asked to estimate the actual percentage of time they spent in assessment, counseling, consultation, research, clerical tasks, and administration, and the amount of time they desired to spend in each of these roles. Results indicated that school psychologists employed by districts spent more time in administrative tasks than school psychologists employed by intermediate units. No other statistically significant differences in roles between school psychologists employed by these two entities were identified. However, differences in the actual time spent in assessment (in favor of intermediate units) and desired time spent in administrative tasks (in favor of districts) approached statistical significance.     

An experimental approach to the design of cartographic symbols

Graphic designers and an experimental psychologist worked together to improve the design of two map symbols which are frequently confused: the symbols for cuttings and embankments on topographic maps. The problem was analysed in terms of the function of the symbols and their likely cognitive representations. Tests were developed to evaluate alternative designs, including an intervisibility task which requirred users to visualize the landform from the symbols viewed in the context of a map. Tests were given to schoolchildren and to experienced map users in order to compare the standard symbols with five alternative designs. Children's performance was strongly affected by the symbols they used, but experienced users were much less affected. After some refinement of the symbols a further experiment demonstrated the superiority of a number of alternative designs over the existing symbols on a range of test: scores were almost double on the intervisibility task. The paper makes recommendations to cartographers and argues for greater consideration of the inexperienced map user in the design process.     

Cross-university dialogues to support multicultural school consultation training

There is a growing need for school psychologists to build multicultural knowledge, skills, values, and dispositions to serve increasingly diverse student, teacher, and caregiver populations in schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the process and outcomes of a cross-university dialogue (CUD) activity for 88 school psychologist trainees enrolled in consultation courses, across three school psychology training programs, over three years. The CUD involved partnering with a peer or peers from another training program, individually and then collaboratively completing a case study activity, and writing a guided reflection exercise. It was intended to support trainees' development of multicultural school consultation (MSC) competency and their application of a MSC framework. Constructivist grounded theory methodology and methods, including several features to enhance trustworthiness, guided the investigation. Four themes emerged from the data: (a) trainees established increased self-awareness and professional identity, (b) trainees made sense of multiple perspectives during CUD interactions, (c) trainees learned from their partners and considered future relevance of MSC, and (d) trainees' learning reflected cross-cutting ecological perspectives, influencing the CUD interaction and learning process at multiple levels. A grounded theory based on the data is described, and implications are drawn for the training and development of MSC competence.