Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T09:54:46.218Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mapping the Practice of Psychologists in Schools in Victoria, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2013

Kim Eckersley  and
Joanne Deppeler
Kim Eckersley
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
Joanne Deppeler*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Monash University, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: A/Professor Joanne Deppeler, Faculty of Education, Monash University, PO Box 6, ClaytonVIC 3800, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This article reports on a qualitative study aimed to map the professional practice of psychologists working in schools in Victoria, Australia. A review of school psychology research literature conceptualised seven domains that were used as a lens for understanding how the professional practice of psychology was enacted in schools. The domains were placed in a hierarchy to illustrate the ecological aspect of professional practice, drawing on the work of Altman (1987) and Brofenbrenner (1977). The influence of each of these domains in shaping professional practice was understood to be mediated by the degree of control (Oakland & Cunningham, 1998) psychologists were able to garner in negotiating how their psychological services were delivered to schools. Snapshots of the practice of psychologists nominated as ‘effective’ practitioners by senior administrators identified a number of contextual barriers and facilitators across the profession that are used to inform directions for reform. The authors argue for the development of alternative models that involve collaborative actions and multiple systems — combining professional efforts to serve students and families with multiple and complex needs.

Keywords

educational psychologyschool psychologist practicesschool psychologyinclusion
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , December 2013 , pp. 157 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © Australian Psychological Society Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Altman, I. (1987). Centripetal and centrifugal trends in psychology. American Psychologist, 42, 1058–1069.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Annan, J., & Priestly, A. (2012). A contemporary story of school psychology. School Psychology International, 33 (3)325–344. doi:10.1177/0143034311412845CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychological Association Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice for Children and Adolescents. (2008). Disseminating evidence-based practice for children and adolescents: A systems approach to enhancing care. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Mental health of young people, 2007. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/[email protected]/mediareleasesbyReleaseDate/25C95D1E36F1B968CA257762001AC54B?OpenDocumentGoogle Scholar
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). (2011). Annual Report 2010–2011. Retrieved from http://www.ahpra.gov.au/Legislation-andPublications/AHPRA-Publications.aspxGoogle Scholar
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) Psychology Board of Australia. (2010). New requirements for continuing professional development and recency of practice. Retrieved from http://www.psychologyboard.gov.au/News/New-Requirements-for-Continuing-Professional-Development-and-Recency-of-Practice.aspxGoogle Scholar
Australian Psychological Society (APS). (2011). Psychologists in schools online resources. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org.au/practitioner/resources/schools/Google Scholar
Australian Psychological Society (APS). (2013). Guidelines on continuing professional development (CPD) requirements: Updated 3 July 2013. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Retrieved from https://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/CPD-requirements-detailed.pdfGoogle Scholar
Bell, H.D., & McKenzie, V. (2013). Perceptions and realities: The role of school psychologists in Melbourne, Australia. Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 30, 54–73. doi:10.1017/edp.2013.1Google Scholar
Boyle, C., & Lauchlan, F. (2009). Applied psychology and the case for individual casework: Some reflections on the role of the educational psychologist. Educational Psychology in Practice, 25 (1), 71–84. doi:10.1080/02667360802697639Google Scholar
Burnham, S. (2013) Realists or pragmatists? ‘Reliable evidence’ and the role of the educational psychologist. Educational Psychology in Practice, 29 (1)19–35. doi:org/10.1080/02667363.2012.734277Google Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Towards an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist, 32, 513–531.Google Scholar
Cook, J.R., & Kilmer, R.P. (2012). Systems of care: New partnerships for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 49, 393–403 doi:10.1007/s10464-012-9516-8Google Scholar
Department of Health and Ageing. (2010). Mindmatters — Leading mental health and wellbeing. Canberra, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.mindmatters.edu.au.Google Scholar
Deppeler, J. (2012). Developing inclusive practices: Innovation through collaboration. In Boyle, C. & Topping, K. (Eds.), What works in inclusion? (pp. 125–138). Milton Keynes, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Department of Education Early Childhood and Development (DEECD). (2013). Assessment service. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Retrieved from http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/health/Pages/swdasses.aspxGoogle Scholar
Farrell, P. (2010). School psychology: Learning lessons from history and moving forward. School Psychology International, 31 (6)581–598. doi:10.1177/0143034310386533Google Scholar
Faulkner, M. (2007, August). School psychologists or school psychologists. InPsych.Google Scholar
Gaskell, S., & Leadbetter, J. (2009). Educational psychologists and multi-agency working: Exploring professional identity. Educational Psychology in Practice, 25 (2), 97–111. doi:10.1080/02667360902902905031Google Scholar
Glaser, B.G., & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The discover of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Aldine.Google Scholar
Graczyk, P.A., Domitrovich, C.E., Small, M., & Zins, J.E. (2006). Serving all children: An implementation model framework. School Psychology Review, 35 (2), 266–274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gutkin, T.B. (2009). Ecological school psychology: A personal opinion and a plea for change. In Gutkin, T.B. & Reynolds, C.R. (Eds.), The handbook of school psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Hart, S. (2007). The Handbook of International School Psychology: A review with implications for the profession's future. School Psychology International, 28, 523–539. doi:10.1177/0143034307085656CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennings, R.L., Ehrhardt, K., & Poling, A. (2008). A bibliometic analysis of school psychology international 1975–2005. School Psychology International, 29, 515–527. doi:10.1177/01430034308099199Google Scholar
Jimerson, S.R., Graydon, K., Yuen, M., Lam, S.F., Thurm, J.-M., Klueva, N., . . . The International School Psychology Association Research Committee. (2006). The international school psychology survey: Data from Australia, China, Germany, Italy and Russia. School Psychology International, 27, 5–32.Google Scholar
Jimerson, S.R., Oakland, T., & Farrell, P. (2007). The handbook of international school psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Kavale, K.A., & Forness, S.R. (Eds.). (1999). Effectiveness of special education. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Kratochwill, T.R., Hoagwood, K.E., Frank, J.L., Levitt, J.M., Olin, S., et al. (Eds.). (2009). Evidence based interventions and practices in school psychology: Challenges and opportunities for the profession (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Kratochwill, T.R., Hoagwood, K.E, Kazak, A.E., Weisz, JR., Hood, K., Vargas, L.A., & Banez, G.A. (2012). Children, research, and public policy. Practice-based evidence for children and adolescents. School Psychology Review 41 (2), 215–235.Google Scholar
Leyden, G. (1999). Time for change: The reformulation of applied psychology for LEAs and schools. Educational Psychology in Practice, 14 (4), 222–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maton, K.I. (2008). Empowering community settings: Agents of individual development, community betterment, and positive social change. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41, 4–21.Google Scholar
Merikangas, K., He, J.P., Burstein, M., Swanson, S.A., Avenevoli, S., Cui, L., . . . Swendsen, J. (2010). Lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in U.S. adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication — Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49 (10), 980–989. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2946114/Google Scholar
Norwich, B. (2013). Understanding the profession of educational psychology in England: Now and in the future. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 30, 36–53. doi:10.1017/edp.2013.7Google Scholar
Oakland, T., & Cunningham, J.L. (1998). The futures of school psychology: Conceptual models for its development and examples of their applications. In Reynolds, C.R. & Gutkin, T.B. (Eds.), The handbook of school psychology (3rd ed., pp. 34–53). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Schaughency, E., & Ervin, R. (2006). Building capacity to implement and sustain effective practices to better serve children. School Psychology Review, 35 (2), 155–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shapiro, E.S. (2006). Are we solving the big problems? School Psychology Review, 35 (2), 260–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Splett, J.W., Fowler, J., Weist, M.D., & McDaniel, H. (2013). The critical role of the school psychologist in the school mental health movement. Psychology in the Schools, 50 (3), 245–258. doi:10.1002/pits.21677Google Scholar
Stobie, I., Gemmel, M., Moran, E., & Randall, L. (2002). Challenges for educational psychologists and their services. School Psychology International, 23 (3), 243–265. doi:10.1177/014303430202300Google Scholar
Stanley, P.G., & Sargisson, R.J. (2012). Systems of service delivery: A resilience perspective. The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 29 (2), 129–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thielking, M. (2006). An investigation of attitudes towards the practice of school-based psychological services. Unpublished manuscript, School of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.Google Scholar
Thielking, M., Moore, S., & Jimerson, S.R. (2006). Supervision and satisfaction among school psychologists: An empirical study of professionals in Australia. School Psychology International, 27 (4). doi:10.1177/0143034306070426Google Scholar
Verbyla, D. (2007, June). Professional development now a requirement for all APS members. InPsych. Retrieved from https://www.psychology.org.au/inpsych/pd_requirement/Google Scholar
World Health Organization. (2010). Young people: Health risks and solutions. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/whr/en/whr0_en.pdfGoogle Scholar