A contemporary story of school psychology

Abstract

A review of recent school psychology publications was conducted to discover the espoused theory of contemporary school psychology, as distinct from school psychology practice. We considered that identification of the espoused theory of school psychology, the story of school psychology, would support professional reflection and the identification of factors that mediate theory and practice. To distinguish the espoused story of school psychology from practice we considered what school psychologists said about professional practice, rather than what they did or said they did. The findings suggested that contemporary school psychology endorses practices that are relevant to and effective in a rapidly changing world. The profession has built on strong foundations to construct models of practice that consider, value, and benefit from the multiplicity of an increasingly globally-connected community. Recurrent themes were identified that, together, formed an espoused story. This story of contemporary school psychology comprised recognition of the interactive context of child development, ecological analysis, multi-systemic approaches to practice, inclusion, and respect for diversity, positive psychology and evidence-based, theoretically driven practice.Keywords contemporary school psychology, diversity, ecological analysis, espoused theory, evidence-based practice, inclusion, interactive perspective, multi-systemic approach, positive psychologyReflecting on the practices of school psychologists in the 39 countries represented in the Handbook of international school psychology (Jimerson, Oakland, & Farrell, 2007), Hart (2007) suggested that the diversity and debate currently existing within the profession reflected incompleteness of its establishment. (School psychologist

Networks of professional supervision.

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School psychology and school-based child and family interventions in Singapore

“…Teachers also need knowledge and skills to facilitate communication with children and to enhance teacher-child contacts. These training components are largely grounded in psychological and developmental principles, which suggest that educational psychologists and counselling professionals are particularly well suited to assist with the process of teacher skill acquisition (Annan & Priestley, 2012).…”

Perceptions and Realities: The Role of School Psychologists in Melbourne, Australia

“…Since Thielking's (2006) study there has been further endorsement for the use of the systemic model from the Australian Psychological Society (APS, 2009) and the literature (see Annan & Priestley, 2011). In addition, professional development requirements have been tightened (APS, 2009(APS, , 2011Psychology Board of Australia, 2012).…”