Challenges of being an in-school Psychologist

Abstract

The challenges that the in-school psychologists face are of two types. On the one hand, the school psychologists are usually charged with the responsibility of offering mental health care, the need for which is on the rise, that is rather cost-effective, credible, and which addresses the social issues. On the other hand, the school psychologists are charged with the responsibility of taking up the challenge of the global problems. The issues mainly include sustainable development to ensure the expansion of the scope of psychology. The professional competence of the in-school psychologists is often at stake if they are incapable of providing a sound research base onto which they take pragmatic decisions. Presently, globalization requires a somewhat more strict and intricate moral and ethical codes for regulating the interactions between individuals. 

Challenges of being an in-school Psychologist 

Background to Research

The in-school psychologists mainly serve the critical role within the learning system of assisting the students with academic, social, and emotional challenges (Wang, et al., 2015). The main objective of in-school psychology mainly entails working with the students, teachers, and parents to promote healthy learning environments that mainly focus on the needs of the learners. 

Jacob, Decker, and Lugg, (2016) assert that the school psychologists often work with groups of students and individual learners in dealing with behavioral issues, disabilities, academic challenges, and other issues. The in-school psychologists also work with parents and teachers to facilitate development of techniques that are critical for dealing with classroom and home behavior. This research mainly aims at filling the existing gap concerning the challenges that the in-school psychologists often face in the course of service delivery. 

Dahl (2017) asserts that the school psychologists often serve as uniquely qualified members of the school teams that support the capability of the students to learn and the ability of the faculty members to meet their obligations to the organization. The school psychologists often ensure the application of their expertise in behavior, mental health, and learning to assists the children and youths to succeed emotionally, behaviorally, socially, and academically (Dahl, 2017). However, it is worth noting that, just like any other profession, the in-school psychologists often face some challenges whose consideration was necessary for the success of this study. 

Research Question: W hat are the typical challenges of being an in-school psychologist? 

Settings and Methods

The research methodology adopted in this study encompassed interviews (subjective), faculty observation (objective), and general fieldwork. The qualitative approach adopted in the study was critical as it provides an in-depth description of the in-school psychology practice and the challenges experienced. McDougall, Nesti, and Richardson, (2015) asserts that the qualitative methodology often involves an interpretive, naturalistic approach to the world, where approaches are adopted that ensure the visibility of the world through transforming it into representations that encompass conversations, observations, field notes, and interviews. The qualitative aspect of the research allows for the understanding of the comprehensive, dynamic, and interdependent structures. 

Interviews served as a critical method of collecting data. Interviewing the selected participants proved useful in exploring experiences, beliefs, opinions, and views concerning the subject matter. The adoption of the structured interview methodology was rather critical as it enabled the researcher to collect different opinions on specific questions that could be easily used to make a thematic analysis. The data from the interviews were recorded and then transcribed by the researcher. The researcher also adopted observational methods for understanding phenomena by studying the actions of the selected participants of the study. Ethnography was the preferred approach that involved the researcher participating overtly in the activities of the in-school psychologists for some time, and asking questions through formal and informal interviews. 

The study approach adopted for conducting this research was motivated by the fact that the qualitative study approach has often proven effective in the collection of the rich data capable of facilitating the exploration of the “why” and “how” of the issue and not just the “what.” The study was mainly conducted with the aim of understanding and interpreting the experiences of individuals that serve as the in-school psychologists. The study was conducted over a week. The study participants in consideration were 10. The researcher interviewed each participant individually using the structured interview questions that had already been prepared. The interviews lasted about 10 minutes. The observations were conducted by attending the scheduled sessions of the study participants. 

Main Empirical Findings

The data from the interview, field notes, and observation mainly facilitated the identification of four main challenges encountered by the respondents, which include burnout, overwhelming responsibilities, limited budgetary allocations, and evolving responsibilities. Of the ten respondents considered in the study, the responses provided by four of them mainly identified burnout as the main challenge experienced in the course of service delivery. Three of the respondents felt that overwhelming responsibilities is the main challenge, while two respondents mainly felt that the low budgetary allocation is the main challenge. One final respondent identified evolving duties as the main challenge that they encounter in service delivery. 

The main themes drawn from the collected data include: 

Burnout 

Inadequate budgetary allocation 

Overwhelming responsibilities 

Evolving responsibilities 

Interpretation 

The results of the study revealed that the majority of the participants felt that burnout is a significant challenge that affects their practice. The results confirmed the findings of Nieuwenboom and Andersson (2018) revealed that the present ration of the in-school psychologists to the learners exceeds the recommended 1:500-700; hence the majority of the psychologists are overworked. The overwhelming workload often bears the potential of presenting unnecessary pressure. 

The findings of the study further revealed that the in-school psychologists who are often on the front lines of the students’ mental health issues often feel as though they are in the trenches alone. Although the work that they perform often tends to be rewarding, it can also be overwhelming, thus serving as a challenge. The results of the study confirmed the assertions of the scholars of previous studies concerning the roles of the in-school psychologists and the challenges that they face (Dahl, 2017). The significant lesson learned from the research entails the fact that the number of students that needs evaluation and the families that require consultation and support often tend to be overwhelmingly high. 

Summary and Suggestions for Future Research

Currently, the ratio between in-school psychologists and actual students is quite low, which creates increased stress for the psychologists that work in the educational environment. Typically, if the psychologist has pressure during the session, it does not allow them to do their job well, which could potentially lead to students being unsuccessful emotionally or academically at school. The question that future studies should consider pertains to some of the challenges that the in-school psychologists face when collaborating with other sectors to facilitate the development of the institutions that they serve. 

References 

Dahl, A. (2017). Two Challenges for Psychologists against, or in Favor of, Empathy.  Human Development ,  60 (4), 193-200. 

Jacob, S., Decker, D. M., & Lugg, E. T. (2016).  Ethics and law for school psychologists . John Wiley & Sons. 

McDougall, M., Nesti, M., & Richardson, D. (2015). The challenges of sport psychology delivery in elite and professional sport: reflections from experienced sport psychologists.  The Sport Psychologist ,  29 (3), 265-277. 

Nieuwenboom, J. W., & Andersson, S. I. (2018). Health psychologists cooperating –challenges and opportunities.  The European Health Psychologist . 

Wang, M. T., Chow, A., Hofkens, T., & Salmela-Aro, K. (2015). The trajectories of student emotional engagement and school burnout with academic and psychological development: Findings from Finnish adolescents.  Learning and Instruction ,  36 , 57-65.