No one ever seems to understand what I do for work. I have to re-explain it to my parents a minimum of 3 times per year. The other day, one of my best friends (who I talk to on a daily basis) told me she always thought I was a teacher. When I meet new people and tell them I'm a psychologist for a school district, they always respond with "oh, so you're a counselor." No, I am not a counselor. Counselors change kids' classes and advise kids about college/plans for the future. Also, their degree takes half as much time as a mine did.
The vast majority of my time is spent assessing kids to determine eligibility for special education. My assessments include parent, teacher, and child interviews, direct testing (e.g., IQ testing, testing of processing skills such as memory, language, and attention, and mental health evaluation) and observations. When my assessment is complete I write a psycho-educational evaluation report. I diagnose learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, emotional disturbances, and a number of other disabilities. Once diagnosed, I work with a team to address the social and academic ramifications of these disabilities in an effort to create a plan that will help support these students and aid them in experiencing success. Currently I am serving 3 elementary schools, although I have also done preschool and high school in the past. I have not done middle school. Middle school kids are jerks.
Other job functions I have: consulting with parents, teachers and other school staff on various issues; attending meetings (student success team meetings, individual education plan meetings, mental health committee meetings, staff meetings, etc.); counseling (I know I just said I'm not a counselor, but I do provide some counseling); corresponding with outside agencies; attending trainings; providing trainings; supervising school psych interns; and trying to make sure everything anyone ever does is both legal and ethical.
I need a nap just thinking about this...
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You explained to me ONCE what you did in passing, and I understood perfectly what you do. Well, at least I understood that you were a school psychologist and not a counselor...
ReplyDeleteWait. You're not a teacher?
ReplyDeletelol you have a great writing style, very humorous.
ReplyDeleteI know what you do. I could build a small village with the amount of paperwork I've collected over the years from the likes of your kind :)
ReplyDelete