The School Psychologist's Survival Guide

Rebecca Branstetter, Ph.D. is a school psychologist who has worked with public K–12 schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She also works with children through her private practice, Grow Assessment and Counseling Services. Branstetter is the author of the popular blog "Notes from the School Psychologist" (www.studentsgrow.blogspot.com).

Acknowledgments xix

About the Author xxi

Preface xxiii

Introduction xxv

1 WEARING MANY HATS: THE ROLES OF THE SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST 1

Assessment 2

Consultation 3

Prevention and Intervention 4

Counseling 5

Pulling It All Together 6

Key Points 6

Discussion Questions 7

2 FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG: LOGISTICS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN YOUR SCHOOLS 9

Getting Situated at a New School Site 11

Building Relationships with Key Staff Members 12

The School Secretary: Your New Best Friend 12

The Principal: Captain of the Ship 12

Counselors and Other Support Staff 14

Special Educators 14

General Education Teachers 17

The Custodian 17

Beginning-of-School Logistics 17

What to Do in the First Few Days and Weeks of School 18

Managing Multiple Sites 18

Finding a Work Space at Your School Site 22

Getting Needed Materials 23

Other Considerations in the First Few Weeks 23

Once You Are Settled In: Introducing Yourself 24

Introducing Yourself to Staff 25

Introducing Yourself to Families and Students 27

Pulling It All Together 28

Key Points 28

Discussion Questions 29

3 HELP! I’M DROWNING IN PAPERWORK! HOW TO TAME THE BUREAUCRACY MONSTER 31

Managing Your Assessment Caseload 32

Completing Your Assessments Within Timelines 34

Check Your Assessment Caseloads for Accuracy 35

Make Your Yearly Assessment Calendar 35

Documenting and Tracking Interventions, Counseling, and Crisis Counseling 39

Documenting Interventions 39

Documenting Counseling and Crisis Counseling 39

Documenting Child Protective Services Calls and Reports 40

What’s Next? Time Management Tips for Balancing Assessment Caseloads with Other Roles 40

Scheduling Your Week 41

Scheduling Your Day 43

What to Do When You Are Drowning in a Sea of Assessments 44

Pulling It All Together 45

Key Points 46

Discussion Questions 47

4 INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION 49

How to Be Preventive When You Have No Time 50

Being Effective on Leadership and Prereferral Intervention Teams 50

Schoolwide Support Teams 51

Student-Focused Support Teams 53

Developing and Supporting Academic Interventions 56

Developing and Supporting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Interventions 57

Developing Your Own Prevention Activities and Programs 59

Common Pitfalls and What to Do About Them 60

When Special Education Intervention Is the Only Game in Town 60

When Your School Is Sending You Inappropriate Referrals 61

Pulling It All Together 62

Key Points 62

Discussion Questions 64

5 RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RTI): CHANGING YOUR ROLE FROM SPECIAL EDUCATION GATEKEEPER TO KEYMASTER OF INTERVENTIONS 65

School Psychologists’ Roles in RtI 66

Academic RtI: Data-Based Decision Making 68

Tier 1 Interventions 68

Developing Individual Intervention Plans and Data-Tracking Tools 69

Behavioral RtI: Data-Based Decision Making 73

Universal Screening 73

Assessment and Intervention Audits 74

Monitoring Tier 1 Effectiveness 74

Tiers 2 and 3: Gathering Baseline Data and Using Progress Monitoring Tools 74

How to Track Individual Student Progress with Your RtI Team 75

Navigating Your Role Change 76

Pulling It All Together 76

Key Points 77

Discussion Questions 78

6 SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSESSMENT 79

The Assessment Process: From Parental Consent to Report Writing 80

Determining Timelines and Informing All Involved Parties of the Assessment 80

Reviewing the History and Gathering Environmental Data 83

Conducting a Developmental History with Parents or Guardians 89

Deciding If You Need to Do a Full Social-Emotional-Behavioral Evaluation 92

Selecting Appropriate Testing Instruments 98

Selecting Your Testing Tools 99

Beginning Your Testing with the Student 100

Writing Quality Reports 101

A Note About Other Types of Evaluations 102

Pulling It All Together 103

Key Points 103

Discussion Questions 104

7 THE INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLAN (IEP): FRIEND OR FOE? 105

Before the IEP Meeting 106

Learning About Your Role and Presentation Style in IEP Meetings 106

Building Consensus on Your IEP Team 106

When to Share Results with Parents Before the IEP Meeting 108

Collaborating with Outside Team Members in the IEP 109

During the IEP Meeting 110

Laying the Groundwork for Presenting Results 110

Other Helpful Tips When Presenting at an IEP Meeting 117

After the IEP Meeting 118

Pulling It All Together 119

Key Points 119

Discussion Questions 121

8 DO YOU HAVE A MINUTE? HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE CONSULTANT 123

Where Theory Meets Real Life 124

Behavioral Consultation 124

Social-Emotional and Crisis Consultation 128

Academic Consultation 130

Consultation During the IEP-Writing Process 131

Dealing with Negative Nancy and Naysayer Ned: Working with “Involuntary” Consultees 133

The Uncomfortable Teachers’ Lounge Consultation 134

Pulling It All Together 134

Key Points 135

Discussion Questions 136

9 INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING 137

Counseling Roles 138

Types of School-Based Individual Counseling 139

Psychodynamic (“Insight-Oriented”) Therapy 139

Play and Art Therapy 140

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) 142

Solution-Focused Brief Therapy 143

Beginning Counseling 145

During Counseling: Documentation and Sticky Situations 149

Documentation 149

When You Need to Call Child Protective Services (CPS) 151

When a Child Is a Danger to Himself or Others 152

Sticky Confidentiality Issues 152

Terminating Counseling 153

Pulling It All Together 154

Key Points 154

Discussion Questions 155

10 GROUP COUNSELING 157

Starting a Group: Factors to Consider 157

Conduct a Needs Assessment at Your School 158

Deciding What Type of Group to Run 158

Deciding Who Is in Your Group 159

Choosing a Cofacilitator 167

Deciding on When and Where to Hold Your Group 167

Deciding on the Level of Structure in the Group 168

What to Do When Things Get Messy 172

A Student Wants to Drop Out of Group 172

Group Members “Gang Up” on Another Group Member or Members 172

The Group Is Out of Control 173

A Student Leaves the Group Without Permission 173

A Group Member Does Not Participate 174

Pulling It All Together 174

Key Points 175

Discussion Questions 176

11 THE DREADED LATE-NIGHT PHONE CALL: HOW TO DEAL WITH A CRISIS AT YOUR SCHOOL 177

Preparation for a Crisis 178

Types of Crises 179

Individual Student Crises: Danger to Self and Danger to Others 179

Schoolwide Crises: Determining the Ripple Effect and Implementing Psychological First Aid 185

Pulling It All Together 195

Key Points 196

Discussion Questions 196

12 PUT ON YOUR OXYGEN MASK BEFORE HELPING OTHERS: HOW TO MANAGE THE STRESS OF THE JOB 197

Practicing Self-Care 198

Moments of Zen 198

Flocking 199

Maintaining Healthy Work-Life Boundaries 200

Your Role and Saying No 200

Know When to Say When 202

Pulling It All Together 202

Key Points 203

Discussion Questions 203

Bibliography and Resources 205

Index 207

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