Who Are School Psychologists?
We are here to help your child achieve their best.
School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. We have specialized training in both education and mental health and know how to identify and lower barriers to learning. These barriers can include developmental or learning disabilities, behavior difficulties, teaching styles, school or classroom climate, problems at home or with friends, substance or alcohol abuse, violence, and mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.
Our goal is to collaborate with parents, school staff, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students can learn.
What School Psychologists Do
School psychologists work with students individually and in groups, as well as address school- and district-wide issues such as bullying prevention and positive behavioral supports. We use many different approaches, but generally provide these core services:
Prevention
Consultation
Evaluation
Intervention
Research and Planning
Where School Psychologists Work in Our District
School psychologists in our district are located within each building. Our role focuses on collaborating with teachers to develop academic and behavioral interventions, collaborate in the development of school-wide positive behavior support and response to intervention, provide group counseling for students, evaluate students to determine the presence of an educational disability, and collaborate with special education teachers.
We work very closely with teachers, school social workers, school counselors, and other staff to coordinate services. This can be in the context of an IEP team, crisis response team, or general education support team.
School Psychologists Training and Credentialing
School psychologists must complete a minimum of a Specialist-level degree program (60 graduate semester credits) that includes a 1200-hour internship. Some school psychologists have a doctoral degree. School psychologists must be certified and/or licensed by the state in which we work. They also may be nationally certified by the National School Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB), which is administered by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Contact Us
Brynne Rice, M.Ed., Ed.S., NCSP
Intermediate School Psychologist
610-861-4040
riceb@slsd.org
Adapted from: “What Is a School Psychologist,” Andrea Canter, Helping Children at Home and School II: Handouts for Families and Educators, NASP, 2004. The full handout is available online at www.nasponline.org/families.