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

Abstract

This article investigates the degree to which a consistent understanding of what psychologists do is present in a group of teachers and parents, and compares this with the job functions reported by psychologists themselves. Research on the role of school psychologists has focused on the perceptions of school staff in relation to ideal services, and has given little acknowledgment to the expectations of other clients of school psychologists, such as parents. Common understanding of the range and focus of services available from school psychologists would facilitate effective and appropriate referrals. Services are considered according to models of service delivery from systemic service to an individual case-based model. The current study involved 138 school psychologists, 107 parents, and 100 teachers from government, Catholic, and independent schools across Melbourne, Australia. Participants completed a number of measures, and significant differences between groups were found on 20 of the 30 items relating to school psychologists' responsibilities (p < .001). Associations were also established between student-psychologist ratios and the work practices of school psychologists, specifically the frequency with which assessment (r = .35, p < .001) and counselling (r =−.25, p < .01) tasks were undertaken. It is concluded that service delivery would benefit by enhancing community understanding of the work of school psychologists. Analysis of work practices reflects that demand for assessment services tends to limit the development of systemic and preventative practices in the work of school psychologists.Keywords: school psychology, job functions, service delivery models, community understanding A number of factors influence the role of school psychologists. While individual practitioners are unable to control factors at the governmental or educational level, some personal and school-based factors, including the perceptions of the educational community, are potential targets for reform. In order to develop a shared understanding of the role, an important first step is to investigate the current perceptions of key stakeholders.The current study investigates the role of school psychologists as perceived by parents and teachers and compares this with the roles identified by practitioners.

Mapping the Practice of Psychologists in Schools in Victoria, Australia

“…In contrast to the findings by Bell and McKenzie (2013), there was little evidence to suggest that these Victorian school psychologists were engaged in systemic models of professional practice. This appeared in part to be limited by a lack of opportunities to participate in nationally funded mental health initiatives, inadequate leadership from within the profession to drive this agenda, and high demand for diagnostic assessment to access funding.…”

“…A notable exception is Theilking's (2006) investigation, which reported that psychologists working in government, Catholic and independent schools in the state of Victoria engaged in number of activities that reflected a systemic model of service delivery, and that more experienced psychologists reported involvement in a higher number of activities. Most recently, in a special issue of The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist, Bell and McKenzie (2013) have reported on the work practices of school psychologists in Victoria. Using measures derived from those developed by Thielking (2006) and Thielking, Moore, and Jimerson (2006), the researchers compared the roles reported by school psychologists with the perceptions of parents and teachers, with a particular focus on the frequency of systemic practices.…”

“…Using measures derived from those developed by Thielking (2006) and Thielking, Moore, and Jimerson (2006), the researchers compared the roles reported by school psychologists with the perceptions of parents and teachers, with a particular focus on the frequency of systemic practices. While Bell and McKenzie (2013) provided evidence of a shift towards the widespread use of systemic practices, they also reported that 'demands for assessment services tends to limit the development of systemic and preventative practices in the work of school psychologists' in Victoria (p. 54).…”

“…At the time when this study was conducted, little previous research had explored the impact of these changes to the practice of psychologists working in Victorian schools. With a focus on systemic approaches similar to that of Bell and McKenzie (2013), this study aimed to map the professional practices of a small sample of psychologists in Victorian schools and to explore whether the practices were consistent with that espoused by the research in school psychology. A further aim was to identify any contextual barriers and facilitators that psychologists perceived had an impact on their day-today practice and to identify how these are implicated in future directions for the profession.…”

“…Echoing Bell and McKenzie's (2013) findings, a majority of these psychologists expressed a strong desire to move away from the demand for narrow diagnostic assessment towards more preventative and responsive approaches. The Victorian government's assessment policy for determining eligibility for funding had sometimes presented serious ethical dilemmas for many participants, who described instances where they had been asked to compromise professional standards in order to comply with diagnostic criteria to obtain funding for disabilities (Psys 1,2,4,5,7,8,9).…”