The Study of Teachers' and Parents' Needs for Psychological Consultation from School Psychologist

Abstract

The present study was aimed at the investigation of teachers’ and parents’ needs in consultation with a school psychologist. Participants were 159 teachers and 292 parents from three cities in Russia. Two surveys were designed to measure teachers’ and parents’ desire to receive psychological consultation regarding behavioral, emotional, learning and interpersonal problems of students; teaching methods and relationships with colleagues (for teachers); and child-parent relationships. In addition, the participants were asked to indicate whether they received a consultation from a school psychologist in the past and their satisfaction from the consultation. The results indicated that, in general, both teachers and parents are satisfied with the consultation; however, fewer parents received such a consultation compared to teachers. Both teachers and parents are more willing to receive consultation regarding children’s behavioral and emotional problems and relationships with peers. Teachers are less motivated to receive consultation about teaching methods, students’ learning problems, and teachers’ relationships with colleagues. Parents were less interested to receive consultation about child-parent relationships. The results of this study are interpreted in terms of their alignment with standards, which regulate the school psychology profession and training.