Psychology in Schools

Psychology can be effectively applied to many different aspects of your school community to have a positive impact on your organisation, staff, families, groups and individual CYP.  

 

I provide a consultation model of service delivery, which means that I work in collaboration with you to ensure that I work towards the outcome you want in a way that suits your unique situation. 

What does 'consultation' mean?

A consultation is really just a discussion with an Educational Psychologist (EP) to develop a shared understanding and to look for solutions together.  The EP will ask questions to help you think about and understand a situation, and they may offer some models from psychology which could be helpful.  The term ‘consultation’ signals that the EP’s approach is one that aims to work in partnership with others, to empower others and encourage a sense of ownership over plans.  Most people find it a positive, productive and time effective experience.  

What does 'consultation' NOT mean?

A consultation model means that the EP does not work in a detached way to carry out assessments and produce a set of recommendations.  Consultation is not about ‘diagnosis’ or about the EP telling anyone what to do.   

Why do I use a consultation model?

When we work together to understand a situation and agree next steps:

  • EP involvement is more effective and targeted towards the outcomes you want to see
  • A shared understanding of the situation is developed between all those involved, meaning that a consistent and evidence-based approach is more likely
  • We make good use of information from different sources to make a more robust formulation
  • We make a plan that meets the needs of the unique situation, with a clear rationale and is realistic to put in place
  • Those involved have a sense of ownership over the plan and feel empowered to put the plan into action

Services

Schools purchase EP time (in blocks of days) and are provided with a 1 hour virtual planning meeting free of charge. We will explore your priorities and work together to agree a plan to best meet your needs within the time available. Some examples of the ways you can use your EP time are provided below.  Please contact me for more details or if you would like to discuss an activity that is not listed. 

Individual Pupils

  • Plan-do-review process, beginning with a home-school consultation to identify next steps and whether direct EP assessment is helpful
  • Assessment
  • Circle of Adults
  • Big Picture Consultation
  • Person centred planning
  • Intervention/coaching sessions  

School

  • Training
  • Reflective supervision for staff and senior leaders 
  • Staff coaching
  • Organisational development processes
  • Research/evaluation 

Groups

  • Consultation focusing on a group or particular area of need
  • Circle of Friends
  • Group interventions
  • Support and guidance for school staff delivering group interventions  

Families

  • Parent/carer workshops
  • Parent/carer drop in consultations
  • Ongoing parent/carer consultations and coaching
  • Participate in consultations for individual CYP with school staff

Examples of my work in schools

Individual coaching sessions with a Year 10 pupil to support their engagement with school
Whole school training and development work to increase understanding of inclusion and inclusive practice
Consultation and assessment to understand a child's cognition and learning needs and how to support their progress
Training on a variety of topics including: Attachment, introduction to trauma, working memory, precision teaching, gender diversity, Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA), emotion coaching and peer coaching 
Individual coaching sessions with a teacher to support their wellbeing and classroom practice

Regular reflective supervision for a headteacher
'PATH' planning process with a new class team, to help them work towards their vision for their pupils

Whole school 'Drawing the Ideal School' to help school feel like a safe place to be for pupils 
Person centred planning processes (e.g. PATH/MAP) to support students identify and work towards their goals
'Big Picture' consultation to support a pupils with SEMH needs to return to mainstream school
Consultation and assessment to understand a child's social, emotional and mental health needs and plan intervention
Group intervention to support in-class approaches to encourage Growth Mindset 
Group ELSA supervision
'Circle of Adults' to better understand the needs of a child at risk of exclusion

Find out more

If you have any questions or would like to discuss working with me, please get in touch

Contact me