School psychologist
Alla Pugacheva
alla.pugatsjova [at] hvg.ee (alla[dot]pugacheva[at]tahag[dot]ee)
The role and responsibilities of a psychologist
The goal of a school psychologist’s work is to improve the learning process. This work is structured not only to optimize the learning process as a whole, but also to address specific difficulties that arise during learning and in the relationships within the “student – parent – teacher” triad.
Key features:
Psychological assessment, developmental work, counseling for parents and teachers, psychological education, participation in teacher meetings and parent-teacher conferences, involvement in the recruitment of first-graders, and psychological prevention.
Key areas of work:
It involves conducting group and individual assessments of students using special methods. The assessment is carried out upon request from teachers or parents, or at the initiative of the psychologist, for research or preventive purposes.
The data obtained allows us to identify students who belong to the “at-risk” group and to develop recommendations for teachers and parents.
They can be individual or group sessions. During the sessions, it is possible to correct undesirable aspects of a child’s psychological development.
These activities can be aimed at developing cognitive processes (memory, attention, thinking) as well as at addressing problems in the emotional and volitional sphere, in the area of communication, and in the area of students’ self-esteem.
This is a task performed in response to a specific request. It involves providing parents or teachers with the results of the assessment, which offers a certain prognosis and warns about potential difficulties that the student may encounter in the future regarding their studies and social interactions.
At the same time, joint recommendations are developed to address emerging problems and to facilitate interaction with the student.
It involves familiarizing teachers and parents with the main patterns and conditions that contribute to a child’s healthy mental development.
This is achieved through consultations, presentations at pedagogical councils, and parent-teacher meetings.