Change within a profession: Change, future, prevention, and school psychology.

Abstract

Many psychologists recognize that problems and solutions in their field need redefinition, but change has been slow or nonexistent. Indeed, little is known about how to transform the practice of a profession. This article's purpose is to stimulate discussion about what we want our fields to become andhow to go about realizing our visions. A professional fantasy, using school psychology as an example, is presented to demonstrate that utopian descriptions can put ideas into currency and perhaps help to reorient a field. Means to reorient fields need identification, and the author calls for a study of social change within the practice of a profession.

Training and career paths in primary prevention

“…Alpert (1985) points out that seven million school children under eighteen in the United States have major learning problems and more than three million children show major emotional difficulties. Clearly prevention is needed!…”

Catalyzing the Primary Prevention Revolution in the Schools: The Role of School Psychologists

“…There are those who view the educational institution less dismally and who prefer to think that most school district boards of education believe that the schools should promote physical and mental health (Alpert, 1985;Peterson & Lane, 1985). However, many school systems do not have a systematic or comprehensive approach to setting up prevention and health promotion programs (Alpert, 1985;Peterson & Lane, 1985).…”

“…There are several reasons why schools are envisioned as the focal site for all prevention programs (i.e., those based in the community and the home as well as in the schools; Alpert, 1985). First, schools have access to all children, including those "at risk," for an extended numbers of years (Alpert, 1985;Clarizio, 1979), and that access begins early on in a child's life (Zins & Forman, 1988a). Second, schools have both physical and psychological access (Alpert, 1985) to parents as well as children.…”

“…However, many school systems do not have a systematic or comprehensive approach to setting up prevention and health promotion programs (Alpert, 1985;Peterson & Lane, 1985). This is true of all phases: planning, implementation, and evaluation (Peterson & Lane, 1985).…”

“…First, schools have access to all children, including those "at risk," for an extended numbers of years (Alpert, 1985;Clarizio, 1979), and that access begins early on in a child's life (Zins & Forman, 1988a). Second, schools have both physical and psychological access (Alpert, 1985) to parents as well as children. According to Clarizio (1979), schools have a "culturally sanctioned right" (p. 434) to get involved in children's education and development.…”