{"id":75440,"date":"2018-10-17T08:30:02","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T13:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/?post_type=insight_posts&p=75440"},"modified":"2019-06-20T14:46:37","modified_gmt":"2019-06-20T19:46:37","slug":"predicting-the-unpredictable-school-psychology","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thechicagoschool.edu\/insight\/from-the-magazine\/predicting-the-unpredictable-school-psychology\/","title":{"rendered":"Predicting the unpredictable"},"content":{"rendered":"

A teenager leans against his locker in between classes, face buried in his phone while he stares at unanswered friend requests on his social media account from the same people he sees in the hallways snapping selfies and photos with each other every day. He isn\u2019t sure some will ever \u201caccept” him.<\/p>\n

Some of his own status updates have left the few classmates who did accept his friend requests pondering on his \u201cjokes\u201d or some of his comments. But they keep their opinions to themselves even when he\u2019s looking for some kind of response.<\/p>\n

The bell rings and the boy does not move, dreading the thought of returning to a classroom filled with people he is sure will ignore him in person too. A passing janitor asks if everything is all right.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d the boy responds. He forces a smile, grabs his bag, and heads to class. The janitor goes on about his day, not totally convinced he believes this kid.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s nothing more anyone could do, right?<\/p>\n

Countless parents, teachers, public safety personnel, and support staff are grappling with decoding teen angst versus legitimate alarming behavior every day in the U.S. and beyond.<\/p>\n

This conundrum has also brought increased attention to the role of school psychologists\u2014professionals tasked with predicting the unpredictable in an effort to make America\u2019s schools safer during an era of cyberbullying, mass shootings, and deteriorating student mental health.<\/p>\n

\n

There have been nearly two dozen school shootings in 2018<\/a> alone and 290 incidents of violence in schools since 2013. While school should be a safe zone in which adolescents are free to learn, grow, and enjoy the usual milestones, this rise in school violence has left an entire nation grappling with how to approach school culture differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in the field for a long time,\u201d says Candice Hughes, Ph.D.<\/a>, faculty in The Chicago School of Professional Psychology\u2019s School Psychology Department. \u201cWhen I started, misconduct from children was almost invariably blamed on the parents\u2014especially moms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Dr. Hughes was caught off guard when her own parenting skills were challenged. After living abroad and working as a school psychologist in international schools in Germany and Switzerland for 10 years, she wasn\u2019t prepared for how much American schools had changed. When she returned to the United States in 1999, she was perplexed by police officers roaming the halls of American high schools.<\/p>\n

We examine how to improve behavioral expectations in a school, how to prevent bullying, and create a plan regarding what to do if a person might be suspected of violence or violent tendencies.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then three days after her son started high school, a police officer called her to say he believed her son was affiliated with a gang. Why? Because he was wearing baggy pants, a long shirt, and a chain\u2014common wardrobe for skateboarders, a group her son belonged to while living in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom that moment, I realized that schools had profoundly changed while I was living outside of the U.S.,\u201d Dr. Hughes says.<\/p>\n

James Walsh, Ph.D.<\/a>, chair of TCSPP\u2019s School Psychology Department<\/a> at the Chicago Campus, believes school psychologists will need to continue to play a vital role as the school environment confronts new challenges.<\/p>\n

For one, school psychologists can help support the teachers and parents of children to recognize the psychological factors related to emotion, behavior, and the environment that may affect children in schools. They are trained to focus on at-risk individuals\u2014sometimes through referral by a teacher, administrator, or someone else in the school system\u2014and attempt to determine if there is a verified concern, what interventions may be necessary, and what additional support services may be needed. This can be at an individual or school-community level.<\/p>\n

For example, a school psychologist may conduct a more focused analysis when responding to concerns about a single student\u2019s troublesome behavior, but take a more systemic, data-driven approach when examining a potential rise in incidents of bullying within a school.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the many things that today\u2019s school psychologists do is to help schools create a happier and more supportive school climate in order to reduce the risk of violence,\u201d Dr. Walsh says. \u201cWe examine how to improve behavioral expectations in a school, how to prevent bullying, and create a plan regarding what to do if a person might be suspected of violence or violent tendencies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

The dynamics of school psychology have drastically changed in the last century. In 1910, these \u201cexperts\u201d were needed to assist in placement for special education services, according to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)<\/a>. With early models of school psychology widely linked to Lightner Witmer, G. Stanley Hall, Theodore Simon, and Alfred Binet, it was a blend of the first individual testing movement, student services, and researching normative characteristics among groups.<\/p>\n

When Public Law 94-142: Special Education in Transition<\/a> passed in 1975 guaranteeing a free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities, the number of school psychology practitioners rose from 5,000 in 1970 to more than 20,000 by 1988. The Bureau of Labor Statistics<\/a> reports that by 2016, there were 147,500 clinical, counseling, and school psychologists\u2014and a majority of them (86 percent) are in public schools. Their jobs have moved from a reactive model to a proactive model. The scope of responsibility has expanded to include mental and behavioral health; family-school-community collaboration; crisis preparedness, response, and recovery; and more, according to NASP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But while the field has grown, there is still a shortage of school psychologists. NASP<\/a> recommends a ratio of no more than 1,000 students per school psychologist. For schools that require more comprehensive and preventive services, that ratio shrinks to a maximum of 700 students per psychologist. However, they report that school psychologists in the U.S. are juggling more than 1,350 students on average.<\/p>\n

Sadly, this trend is set to continue, with NASP predicting continuing shortages of school psychologists<\/a> through 2025.<\/p>\n

And the strain for mental health care professionals is coming not just from a numbers standpoint. In a WebMD\/Medscape survey \u201cPreparing for College: The Mental Health Gap<\/a>,\u201d approximately 500 mental health professionals were asked about the state of teen mental health in the past five years. The conclusion of the survey found that 86 percent of teens have had more anxiety and stress than in prior years.<\/p>\n

It seems that while gun legislation has become the focus of partisan politics in the national debate surrounding school violence, school psychologists\u2014those on the frontlines interacting with students daily\u2014may have become an afterthought at a time when student mental health is in decline and at-risk students may need someone to turn to.<\/p>\n

\n

Whether it\u2019s officers, teachers, principals, professors, or school psychologists, we all need to feel comfortable with reporting warning signs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Schools can offer the greatest mental health resources in the world, but it doesn\u2019t matter if parents and students don\u2019t know they exist or are hesitant to speak with someone for fear of blame.<\/p>\n

Nancy Zarse, Psy.D.<\/a>, professor in TCSPP\u2019s Forensic Psychology Department, who regularly provides a \u201cViolence Risk Assessment\u201d workshop for school psychologists and other mental health professionals, emphasizes that a concerted effort needs to be made with parents so that they feel comfortable reaching out to school personnel about their own children\u2019s behavior for treatment, as well as their kids\u2019 peers.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents are with their children on a daily basis and will more than likely be able to notice red flags even before they arrive at school,\u201d Dr. Zarse says. \u201cWhether it\u2019s officers, teachers, principals, professors, or school psychologists, we all need to feel comfortable with reporting warning signs. We must get away from that \u2018snitches get stitches\u2019 mentality when reporting concerning behavior to school faculty and law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

While creating a reassuring environment for adults to report concerning behavior is important, it is even more imperative for the students walking the halls or sitting in classes with their peers feel comfortable raising their voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn one of the schools that I worked in, we had a very popular male high school student who was sexually attacked by his drama teacher,\u201d Dr. Hughes says. \u201cStudents knew the student was in a fragile state, but nobody said a word. We were all shocked when it finally came to light. As mental health professionals, we\u2019re trained to examine youth cognitive skills, their problem-solving skills, their social maturity, and sometimes their exposure to very mature content. But we also have to encourage them to feel open to speaking with authority figures.\u201d<\/p>\n

One way to encourage this is to break down the barriers between students and those authority figures. Pip McGirl, Ed.D.<\/a>, an associate professor for TCSPP’s School Psychology Department, is adamant about school psychologists leaving their offices and literally roaming the hallways, using presence as a form of prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cMental health professionals must make themselves more accessible in the school,\u201d says Dr. McGirl, who spent 10 years as an educational psychologist in England and now trains TCSPP students with the PREPaRE curriculum<\/a>, which provides evidence-based resources and consultation related to school crisis prevention and response. \u201cWe should be getting out of our offices and talking with adolescents,\u201d she says. \u201cWe must continue to build trust with students and parents so they\u2019ll both be more comfortable talking with us. We should not be strangers to the students before a crisis occurs.\u201d<\/p>\n

But roaming the hallways is just one way to increase student awareness of the mental health resources available to them. At an international school where Dr. Hughes worked, one teacher brought together all of the ninth-grade students and introduced them to the people they may encounter throughout the school day without understanding their role\u2014the janitor; the secretary; the school psychologist (who balances a workload of academia, counseling, and behavioral disability learning); the school counselor (who focuses on the general education population and college placement); and the school social worker (who caters to students who have been exposed to trauma, whether at home or in their communities).<\/p>\n

That introduction alone resulted in four to five students approaching Dr. Hughes with significant personal concerns, including suicidal thoughts, and other students who\u2019d just drop in to say hello.<\/p>\n

\n

In today\u2019s political and social climate, students are also beginning to use more public forums to speak out and start conversations about social justice, school violence, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s been a huge shift recently in the way people have started to advocate for themselves\u2014whether it\u2019s kids in school, victims of sexual abuse, etc.,\u201d Dr. McGirl says. \u201cParticularly after the Parkland, Florida school shooting<\/a>, the young people there have taken control of themselves, using social media and grassroots organizing, and have become powerful advocates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parkland students\u2019 work to change gun laws has been front and center in the news. But what may have snuck under the radar is that after 17 students were killed earlier this year, the survivors were greeted on their first day back to school<\/a> with mental health professionals and therapy dogs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool psychologists are in a really good position to be able to take on a leadership role, working in consultation with school personnel, with families, and with the students themselves, so we\u2019ve got to get ahead of what\u2019s going on now and be very proactive in getting threat assessments in schools, getting prepared training in schools, making sure that everybody is talking the same language,\u201d says Dr. McGirl. \u201cSafety plans can\u2019t just sit on a shelf, getting dusty. With proper training, we create a living, active awareness to improve and protect the school community.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the surface, this may seem like added pressure for aspiring school psychologists and those already in the field. However, Dr. Hughes is optimistic about the heightened focus on mental health professionals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a time when school psychologists literally just ran from one testing session to another, but we are realizing that school psychologists can be more effective when they have some breathing room to set their own priorities in terms of engagement with the student body,\u201d Dr. Hughes says. \u201cWhile each child,\u00a0family, and school system is different\u2014kind of like a jigsaw puzzle\u2014this is a big strength of our field. We use our consulting skills to bring all of those pieces, and people, together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Are you interested in school psychology?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Chicago School’s school psychology programs<\/a> train graduates to address the growing social, emotional, cognitive, and mental health needs of children and their families. If you would like more information about pursuing a graduate degree in school psychology at The Chicago School, fill out the form below to request more information.<\/p>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When is a teenager just being a teenager? And when is their angst a sign that more destructive behavior is just around the corner?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":101927,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118,113],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1032],"class_list":["post-75440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-magazine","category-psychology","insight_authors-shamontiel-l-vaughn","insight_issues-fall-2018"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPredicting the unpredictable | The Chicago School<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What can school psychology do to help determine if teenage angst is a sign of more destructive behavior just around the corner?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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