Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is the difference between a school psychologist and other counselors?
2. What training does a school psychologist have?
3. What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?
4. Why don't psychologists do as much "testing" anymore?

What is the difference between a school psychologist and other counselors?

There are many professionals in the school building who deal with mental 
health issues - such as school counselors, social workers, behavior 
specialists, and school-based mental health therapists. Often they all work 
together to help children, families, and teachers, so you may attend a 
meeting for a student and find a number of us there. Here are some brief 
descriptions of the different focus of each professional:

School counselors typically serve one building (and a school may have more 
than one counselor) and help meet the social, emotional, academic, and 
behavioral needs of students by placing special emphasis on self-esteem, 
character education, and social skills. They offer individual and small group 
counseling, classroom guidance lessons, consultation, and assist with school-
wide character education.

School social workers provide individual and group counseling, crisis 
prevention and intervention, home visits, case management, information and 
referral, collaboration with other services, advocacy, coordination of 
services, and policy development. School Social Workers typically focus on 
family and community factors that influence learning. Together with the 
counselor they can provide counseling and mental health services. Counselors 
additionally provide academic and career-related services.

School based mental health therapists are employed by the New Hanover County 
Health Department, but are based in schools, and provide an additional 
support for students and their families in the school setting.  A Health 
Department licensed clinical therapist is available to provide mental health 
services such as evaluation, individual, family, and group therapy to 
children and adolescents with moderate to severe behavioral and emotional 
problems.  School based mental health services are currently available in 15 
New Hanover County schools.  

County behavior specialists are specialists who work with school teams and 
students when significant behavioral issues are an issue. They provide 
assessment and consultation in the form of classroom observations, data 
collection, completing functional behavioral assessments and behavior 
intervention plans, consulting on appropriate strategies for specific 
behaviors, and they work with our IBS classrooms (Intensive Behavior Support) 
to develop programs and interventions. IBS teachers are also great resources 
for behavior intervention ideas.

Finally, the school psychologist's role, in our county, is to work together 
with these professionals to help students, families, and school staff. We 
typically consult with the Student Support Team to help plan assessments and 
interventions. We provide assessment activities ranging from classroom 
observations, parent and teacher consultation, student and parent 
interviews, behavior rating scales, and direct testing including standardized 
testing, curriculum based assessment, and informal testing. We are often 
involved in IEP meetings, special education assessments, and goal setting. We 
are also involved in program planning and implementation, such as with the 
countywide PSM/ RtI model, and the school based mental health project. School 
psychologists in our county do not typically provide direct 
services such as counseling.

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What training does a school psychologist have?

School psychologists are highly trained in both psychology and education. 
They must complete a minimum of a Specialist-level degree program (60 
graduate semester credits) that includes a 1200-hour internship and 
emphasizes preparation in the following: data-based decision making, 
consultation and collaboration, effective instruction, child development, 
student diversity and development, school organization, prevention, 
intervention, mental health, learning styles, behavior, research, and program 
evaluation.

School psychologists must be certified and/or licensed by the state in which 
they work. They also may be nationally certified by the National School 
Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB).

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What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist?

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who is trained in mental health assessment 
and treatment, including prescribing medications for certain mental health 
conditions. A psychologist is not a medical doctor but has in depth training 
in assessment and intervention with mental health issues.

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Why don't psychologists do as much "testing" anymore?

New Hanover County has implemented a Problem Solving Model/ Response to 
Intervention model throughout all of its elementary schools, which focuses 
more on targeting weaknesses and directly intervening based on data and 
research based interventions. In the past, we relied on standardized testing 
to tell us if a child has a learning disability; that is, cognitive or IQ 
testing and achievement testing. Now, we look more at early intervention and 
targeting the weaknesses of a student, and how they respond to interventions 
when determining if a child has a disability. There is more emphasis on 
intervention and progress monitoring, rather than IQ or standardized testing. 
In some cases we still do standardized testing when it is felt to be 
warranted.

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