The School Psychologist's Survival Guide

✍ Scribed by Rebecca Branstetter

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 242
• Series: Jossey-Bass Teacher Survival Guide
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

A practical and accessible guide for helping school psychologists meet their everyday challenges

In this newest addition to the Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" series, popular blogger Rebecca Branstetter offers help for school psychologists who must often travel to multiple school sites, deal with students with severe disabilities, meet with concerned parents, and manage school crises. The book is filled with practical advice, proven strategies, and useful tools, complete with reproducible forms, letters, and checklists for busy professionals.

• Filled with the tools, strategies, and ideas for school psychologists who must deal with the myriad challenges of working with a diverse group of students, often in multiple locations
• Another book in the popular Jossey-Bass "Survival Guide" Series
• Rebecca Branstetter is an experienced school psychologist and popular blogger ("Notes from the School Psychologist": studentsgrow.blogspot.com)

This vital resource offers a down-to-earth guide for both novice and seasoned school psychologists.

✦ Table of Contents

The SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST'S SURVIVAL GUIDE......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Exhibits, Forms, and Figures......Page 17
Acknowledgments......Page 21
About the Author......Page 23
Preface......Page 25
Introduction......Page 27
1: Wearing Many Hats: The Roles of the School Psychologist......Page 31
Assessment......Page 32
Consultation......Page 33
Prevention and Intervention......Page 34
Counseling......Page 35
Key Points......Page 36
Discussion Questions......Page 37
2: Finding Where you Belong: Logistics and Building Relationships in your Schools......Page 39
Getting Situated at a New School Site......Page 41
The Principal: Captain of the Ship......Page 42
Special Educators......Page 44
Beginning-of-School Logistics......Page 47
Managing Multiple Sites......Page 48
Finding a Work Space at Your School Site......Page 52
Other Considerations in the First Few Weeks......Page 53
Once You Are Settled In: Introducing Yourself......Page 54
Introducing Yourself to Staff......Page 55
Introducing Yourself to Families and Students......Page 57
Key Points......Page 58
Discussion Questions......Page 59
3: Help! I'm drowning in Paperwork! How to Tame the Bureaucracy Monster......Page 61
Managing Your Assessment Caseload......Page 62
Completing Your Assessments Within Timelines......Page 64
Make Your Yearly Assessment Calendar......Page 65
Documenting Counseling and Crisis Counseling......Page 69
What's Next? Time Management Tips for Balancing Assessment Caseloads with Other Roles......Page 70
Scheduling Your Week......Page 71
Scheduling Your Day......Page 73
What to Do When You Are Drowning in a Sea of Assessments......Page 74
Pulling It All Together......Page 75
Key Points......Page 76
Discussion Questions......Page 77
4: Intervention and Prevention......Page 79
Being Effective on Leadership and Prereferral Intervention Teams......Page 80
Schoolwide Support Teams......Page 81
Student-Focused Support Teams......Page 83
Developing and Supporting Academic Interventions......Page 86
Developing and Supporting Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Interventions......Page 87
Developing Your Own Prevention Activities and Programs......Page 89
When Special Education Intervention Is the Only Game in Town......Page 90
When Your School Is Sending You Inappropriate Referrals......Page 91
Key Points......Page 92
Discussion Questions......Page 94
5: Response to Intervention (RtI): Changing your Role from Special Education Gatekeeper to Keymaster of Interventions......Page 95
School Psychologists' Roles in RtI......Page 96
Tier 1 Interventions......Page 98
Developing Individual Intervention Plans and Data-Tracking Tools......Page 99
Universal Screening......Page 103
Tiers 2 and 3: Gathering Baseline Data and Using Progress Monitoring Tools......Page 104
How to Track Individual Student Progress with Your RtI Team......Page 105
Pulling It All Together......Page 106
Key Points......Page 107
Discussion Questions......Page 108
6: Special Education Assessment......Page 109
Determining Timelines and Informing All Involved Parties of the Assessment......Page 110
Reviewing the History and Gathering Environmental Data......Page 113
Conducting a Developmental History with Parents or Guardians......Page 119
Deciding If You Need to Do a Full Social-Emotional-Behavioral Evaluation......Page 122
Selecting Appropriate Testing Instruments......Page 128
Selecting Your Testing Tools......Page 129
Beginning Your Testing with the Student......Page 130
Writing Quality Reports......Page 131
A Note About Other Types of Evaluations......Page 132
Key Points......Page 133
Discussion Questions......Page 134
7: The Individualized Education Plan (IEP): Friend or Foe?......Page 135
Building Consensus on Your IEP Team......Page 136
When to Share Results with Parents Before the IEP Meeting......Page 138
Collaborating with Outside Team Members in the IEP......Page 139
Laying the Groundwork for Presenting Results......Page 140
Other Helpful Tips When Presenting at an IEP Meeting......Page 147
After the IEP Meeting......Page 148
Key Points......Page 149
Discussion Questions......Page 151
8: Do You Have a Minute? How to be an Effective Consultant......Page 153
Behavioral Consultation......Page 154
Social-Emotional and Crisis Consultation......Page 158
Academic Consultation......Page 160
Consultation During the IEP-Writing Process......Page 161
Dealing with Negative Nancy and Naysayer Ned: Working with "Involuntary" Consultees......Page 163
Pulling It All Together......Page 164
Key Points......Page 165
Discussion Questions......Page 166
9: Individual Counseling......Page 167
Counseling Roles......Page 168
Psychodynamic ("Insight-Oriented") Therapy......Page 169
Play and Art Therapy......Page 170
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)......Page 172
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy......Page 173
Beginning Counseling......Page 175
Documentation......Page 179
When You Need to Call Child Protective Services (CPS)......Page 181
Sticky Confidentiality Issues......Page 182
Terminating Counseling......Page 183
Key Points......Page 184
Discussion Questions......Page 185
Starting a Group: Factors to Consider......Page 187
Deciding What Type of Group to Run......Page 188
Deciding Who Is in Your Group......Page 189
Deciding on When and Where to Hold Your Group......Page 197
Deciding on the Level of Structure in the Group......Page 198
Group Members "Gang Up" on Another Group Member or Members......Page 202
A Student Leaves the Group Without Permission......Page 203
Pulling It All Together......Page 204
Key Points......Page 205
Discussion Questions......Page 206
11: The Dreaded Late-Night Phone Call: How to Deal with a Crisis at your School......Page 207
Preparation for a Crisis......Page 208
Individual Student Crises: Danger to Self and Danger to Others......Page 209
Schoolwide Crises: Determining the Ripple Effect and Implementing Psychological First Aid......Page 215
Pulling It All Together......Page 225
Discussion Questions......Page 226
12: Put on Your Oxygen Mask Before Helping Others: How to Manage the Stress of the Job......Page 227
Moments of Zen......Page 228
Flocking......Page 229
Your Role and Saying No......Page 230
Pulling It All Together......Page 232
Discussion Questions......Page 233
Bibliography and Resources......Page 235
Index......Page 237