School Psychology

What is School Psychology?

School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties

School Psychologists serve students, teachers and schools in a variety of ways. They receive specialist or doctoral level training in academics and behavior as well as the systems of schools. School psychologists consult with teachers, collect and interpret data including progress monitoring; evaluate individual students using multi-methods and sources; support school-wide practices; have expertise in positive psychology, academics/ learning, behavior and mental health, prevention services, intervention including special education, crisis response and recovery, ecological systems, families, communities, schools; research/ evaluation, and professional ethics. 
 

The simple version of this description is "School psychologists are here to help!"  We work with students, parents/ families, teachers, and school administrators to meet the needs of individual students and the school. School psychologists are part of the school team.  School staff contact the school psychologist at their school when needed to give our students support.

School psychologists work with teams to support students.

• For emergencies, as appropriate:
  Columbia Area Mental Health, 803 898-8888
  Richland County Police, 803 576-3000

  National Suicide Prevention: 988 or 988lifeline.org, 1-800-273-8255
  National Crisis Text: text Home to 741741
  National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233;
  TTY 1-800-787-3224
  National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673

District Resources

• Special Services
• Parenting and Social Work Services
• Adult Education
• School Counseling Departments at each school: Check your school's website

Community Resources

• NAMI Resource Guide
• National Institute for Mental Health
• Center for Disease Control Mental Health
• U.S. Department of Education: Parent Resources
• South Carolina Department of Education

A Day In the Life of a School Psychologists

School Psychology Awareness Week - Fun Questions

What does a School Psychologist do?

How has COVID-19 changed the School Psychologist profession?

Why do you love being a School Psychologist?

How do you see the School Psychology profession evolving for the future?

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• Calming Rooms
• Adult Calming Rooms
• Stop Bullying
• Social Emotional Wellness for Families
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States. The website offers other great resources and information.)

• 5 Easy Steps to Promote (* ADAPTED FROM ARTICLE BY KRISTEN CARTER, LEXINGTON LIFE, AUGUST 2019)
  • How can you help your child be more confident
    1. Stop rescuing them
       Resist the urge to jump in and fix things for your child.  Instead, talk to them about a problem and work through what they can do to solve the problem.  Teach them to advocate for themselves and make good decisions for themselves.  
    2. Give constructive feedback and correction
       Sit down with your child and let them know what they did well and what they can work on to do better.  Teach them skills that help them be more successful like time management, calendar use, organization, gratitude, etc.
    3. Break big goals down into manageable steps
       A large project or big goal can seem daunting.  Help your child break the project or goal into smaller, more manageable steps.
    4. Focus on the process, not the end result
       Encourage their effort and enjoyment of what they are doing.  Let them know it is okay not to be "perfect."
    5. Teach independence early and often
       Let your child do things for themselves and give them chances to try new things.  Let your child make decisions; give them choices.

• How Teachers and Parents Can Help Children Cope with Loss
  • Listen to what the children have to say – seek to understand from their perspective.  Be empathetic and patient.  Often they will talk about the facts before the feelings.
  • Help the children express their emotions and validate their feelings.  They might express their feelings in their play, art, or writing.  Feelings may include shame, rage, anger, sadness, guilt, pain, isolation.  Any feeling is okay. 
  • Help clear up any misconceptions, such as inappropriate guilt or incorrect facts.  Be honest and straight forward but keep it at their level of understanding and avoid involving them in adult issues.  We can explain to them what is going on and allow them to ask questions.
  • Affirm that they are capable of coping and healing.  The messages that are given to children through our words and actions are very powerful.

• Elementary Calming Rooms
• Secondary Calming Rooms
• Crisis Contacts
  • National Suicide Prevention: call (1-800-273-8255)
  • National Crisis Text: text Home to 741741
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: (1-800-799-7233); TTY (1-800-787-3224)
  • National Sexual Assault Hotline: (1-800-656-4673)
  • National Trevor Project: Find Support

• Stop It App - Crisis Reporting