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I do hope that this brief overview of services will be informative and will continue to enhance effective communication between our students’ home and school environments.
I have been a School Psychologist for the Easton School System for the past 30 years. This year I will be joined by Cindy Kernahan-Bertrand. Ms. Kernahan-Bertrand is a School Psychologist who will be completing her internship year with us here in Easton. She is a student at Fairfield University.
Certainly we try to fill many different roles, but we do try to provide services in regard to consultation, prevention, intervention and assessment.
We try to emphasize our training in mental health, child development, school organization, learning, behavior and motivation to help children meet today’s challenges.
Other areas we try to address include educational research and health care provision.
School Psychology services can include:
Prevention:
- Identify potential learning difficulties
- Design programs for children at risk of academic failure
- Provide parents and teachers with strategies to address disruptive behavior
- Help foster tolerance, understanding and appreciation of diversity in the school community
- Help in the development of school-wide initiatives to make school safer and more effective
Intervention:
- Work directly with children and families
- Help solve conflicts and problems in learning and adjustment
- Provide school-based psychological counseling for children and families
- Provide social skills training, behavior management and other strategies to enhance the learning of children
- Help families and schools deal with crises such as death, illness or community trauma
Education:
Develop programs on topics such as:
- Teaching and learning strategies
- Classroom management techniques
- Working with students who have specific learning style needs
- Substance abuse
- Crisis management
Assessment:
Use a wide variety of techniques at individual, group and systems level to assess:
- Academic skills and learning style
- Personality and emotional development
- Learning environments and school climate
- Eligibility for Special Education services
Research and Planning:
- Evaluate the effectiveness of academic interventions, behavior management systems and other services
- Generate new knowledge about learning and behavior
- Contribute to planning and assessing school-wide reform and district-wide policies
Health Care Provision:
- Collaborate with school and community-based personnel to provide a comprehension model of school-linked health services
- Work with children and families to provide integrated community services focusing on psychosocial wellness and health related issues
- Develop partnerships with parents and teachers to create and maintain healthy school environments
Adapted from the National Association of School Psychology publication, “Helping Children at Home and School: Handouts from your School Psychologist”
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We will always do our best to help!
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