School Psychology Services

School psychologists are an integral and important part of a comprehensive model of student services. They serve the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education by engaging in planning, developing, and implementing individual and group programs to address behavioral, emotional, and academic concerns. Collaborative consultation with teachers and mental health professionals enables school psychologists to participate in appropriate programming for students. They also consult with community agencies that support children and youth, such as medical practitioners, mental health professionals, and support groups.

Specific Services Provided:

Each school psychologist is assigned to a circuit of schools. A variety of services are provided which aim to address behavioral, social/emotional, and learning challenges. These services are provided using a team approach and may include:

Indirect Services:

• working collaboratively with school teams (i.e. classroom and resource teachers, guidance counselors, speech language pathologists, program planning teams, administration, and parents/guardians)

• contributing to the development of Individual Program Plans (IPPs), behavioural supports and program adaptations

• providing insight and support to teachers regarding student strengths and challenges and their implications for learning

• participating on school teams to review referrals for service

• participating in school-based decision-making regarding appropriate placement of students

• planning, providing and/or participating in professional development activities

• serving as a school-community liaison regarding school psychology services

Direct Services:

• conducting psycho-educational assessments of students

• interpreting assessment results for members of the program planning team (teachers, administrators, and parents/guardians)

• providing written reports of assessments, interventions, and programming recommendations

• making referrals for service to other professionals and/or outside agencies as necessary

• assisting with the planning and implementation of classroom management strategies and approaches that support students

• counselling students and parents / guardians regarding the nature of the a student’s challenges and implications for learning and emotional / social development

• maintaining records and files related to services in accordance with official policies

How to access the services of a school psychologist

Students identified as experiencing difficulty in some aspect of their school functioning are referred to the school’s program planning team. These referrals are typically initiated by a student’s classroom teacher. In some cases, parents/guardians may bring their concerns forward to the team through discussion with the classroom teacher. The team then attempts to identify possible solutions to the challenges the student is facing.

As outlined within the Policy 2.2 of the Special Education Policy, the school psychologist may be consulted in the following ways: