Being A School Psychologist

Multiple years of research and field experience as well as my undergraduate coursework in Psychology, Counseling, and General Education has provided me with ample skills to be successful at the graduate level in the School Psychology program offered at Francis Marion University. Working within the school system with students with mental health needs and exceptionalities has been a dream of mine since I was in high school. I am confident the School Psychology program at Francis Marion University will provide me with the skill set needed to make my dream a reality and become the best School Psychologist I can be.

“It takes a village to raise a child.” I never quite understood that saying when I was growing up, but my experiences teaching and working in school settings have showed me how true it really is. Obtaining a degree in school psychology will allow me to give the support that students, families and educators need to ensure that every student will thrive.

Following the interview conducted with a school psychologist, I was able to obtain a sense of Mrs. Montgomery’s basis for her practice, including her target clients, assumptions and values, goals and various roles of consultation, counseling, intervention and program evaluation (Sandoval, 1986). Mrs. Montgomery may be characterized as a school psychologist who places particular emphasis on the need to improve the student and systems’ capability.

Clinical assessments have their place in almost every facet of the psychological and educational realms. I have been tracking down and examining what the most important aspects of assessment are that come into play in regard to drug and substance abuse, custody battles, as well as the importance the role of adhering to the ethical standards of utilizing culturally informed assessments. Clinical assessments within mental health centers are carry great importance in the identifying underlying behavioral problems, diagnosis, and treatment of patients. Behind every assessment is a clinician who

First, assessments need to be conducted encompassing family history, while delving into all (cognitive, behavioral, emotional)

"Tests that are not so categorized will tend to be viewed less positively, regardless of psychometric data, because they are, after all, not objective" (Meyer & Kurtz, 2006, p. 223). Because of the past, there is too much negativity surrounding the term, projective. The terminology both, "objective" and "projective" are not necessarily what they seem. "The term "objective" is a smokescreen for measures that can be just as subjective as anything else and the term "projective" is derived from untenable theoretical concepts that have continued to create confusion in the field for a long time" (Schultheiss, 2007, p. 197). Some other substantial problem is when the effects of a test cannot be duplicated by the same test more than one time. "If assessment psychologists did not derive overarching frameworks and terminologies for classifying psychological tests, those who use, study, or critique these tests would do it anyway. In this respect, it is better that an organizing framework be made explicit (and the logic underlying the framework spelled out in detail) than that multiple contrasting framework and labels emerge in isolation among different segments of the psychological community" (Bornstein, 2007, p. 205). The volume of the dilemmas above have all been a culmination of psychologists and psychiatrists in this community and

I am interested in being a school psychologist for a variety of reasons. First, I believe that my background in working with children and families, and my B.A. in psychology are essential combinations that will be helpful in my pursuit of the degree. Second, I would like to work with children in a variety of educational situations, such as those in need of special education classes and those in talented and gifted programs. Third, I believe it is essential to work directly with the entire family system, not just the child. The child's progress depends on the home environment and the academic environment equally. This academic environment includes all professions (i.e., teachers,

The Florida association of school psychologist has come about years after of the field of psychology’s birth. It wasn’t until dozens of policies began being put into place and modified, tests being created and proper training being established, that the job of a school psychologist was formed. As more time passed and people have become more and more aware of school psychologist and their roles, organizations aimed at continuing to grow and better the field were created. In particular, the Florida association of school psychologists and its father organization, The Florida psychological association are two very influential organizations in regards to the Florida educational system.

Psychologists work in a vast array of areas with a myriad of clients; school children may be assessed for special services or supports in school based on individual needs, adults may self refer for various reasons including stress, marital issues, anxiety, or an infinite assortment of other potential personal reasons, or those facing the legal system may be assessed for their ability to stand trial. It is up to the psychologist to be educated in the tools available to them in their chosen field and how to best use them in the situations presented so the client is best served. In order to best select a proper assessment tool, often it is necessary to conduct an intake interview in order to obtain historical background from the

My subject of attention is school psychology and career choice is school psychology. I have researched this topic and found lots of valuable information to discuss. I will cover all aspects of this career including a definition of what it involves on a day to day basis, why I have chosen this career as my subject of interest, common personality characteristics and values that go along well with this job. I will also talk about the minimum requirements and educational path that must be followed for this career choice along with advancement opportunities. Lastly, I will discuss the leading companies in this area, local perspectives, and present outlooks and salaries that can be expected

Client Akhter, a 37-year-old adult woman, was administered the House-Tree-Person Projective Drawing Assessment on November 18, 2015 by Timara Tyler for the purpose of measuring her interpretation of the current thought process. The client presented well dressed and was extremely interested in getting detailed guidelines for this assessment. The House-Tree-Person Projective Drawing Assessment was administered following standard procedures in one sitting. Akhter appeared to be anxious and worried over test scores results, how they apply to her family, and the overall meaning. Although she did not display any unusual behaviors, the anxiety level was very high and client’s hands were shaking, which may indicate seriousness of her perception of

Even if you aren't in therapy, there is a chance you have seen one or more types of projective tests, whether it be the Rorschach Inkblot or The Thematic Apperception Test. Projective techniques evaluate the individual in terms of themselves, knowing that mental, emotional, and experimental equipment will provoke them to react in their own way. This reaction would show insight into the individual's mental processes, emotions, life, etc. (Hertz, 1942, pg. 231).

In many cases, therapists use these tests to learn qualitative information about a client. Some therapists may use projective tests to encourage the client to discuss issues or examine thoughts and emotions. Additionally, projective tests that do not have standard grading scales tend to lack both validity and reliability. Validity refers to whether or not a test is measuring what it purports to measure, while reliability refers to the consistency of the test results (Cohen, et al., 2013)

Projective tests allow many psychologists to assess unconscious aspects of personality, a great advantage of projective testing is that since the subject doesn't know how can his or her response will be interpreted dues to the fact that there is no grading scale to go by, the subject is not easily led to lie or fake his or her personality traits. On the downside the responder's attitude can easily be influenced by the test setting, also since there is no grading scale the test results tend to lack validity and reliability, since the results may vary by examiners.

Educational Psychology fosters an understanding for student development and helps teachers be effective, design lessons and make a difference for their students. First we must define what education psychology is, and how it applies student development and to the education community. The textbook, “Educational Psychology” written by Anita Woolfolk, (2012), defines educational psychology as, “A distinct discipline with its own theories, research methods, problems, and techniques. Educational psychologists do research on learning and teaching and, at the same time, work to improve educational practice.” (p. 12). Essentially, educational psychology is the study and research behind creative and effective learning strategies and the principles for development and learning. It enables teachers to reach and engage their students at the highest level of learning with effective learning strategies. Learning educational psychology through the study of cognitive development and the influences on children and adolescents as they grow, the implication of moral and identity development, as well as obligations teachers have professionally to create safe learning environments that promote high expectations and inclusion of all learners, helps teachers to nurture and understand their students. For example, learning about student diversity and culture, characteristics, learning levels, how to design and present content, enhance classroom management creating a safe effective learning