Psychologists in schools: Information for parents

If you think that your child no longer requires the support of the school psychologist you can withdraw consent by writing to the principal of the school.

It is recommended that you discuss this, and any concerns you might have, with the psychologist.

Find out what a school psychologist can do to help your child

If your child is in primary school a referral to the school psychologist will be discussed with you and
you must sign a consent form agreeing to the service.

In secondary schools, the requirement for parent consent varies between individual schools and state
and territory education department guidelines.

Often young people can self refer to the psychologist.

Psychologists must comply with the Psychology Board of Australia code of conduct.

They have extensive training in ethical practice that are designed to protect both the integrity of the profession and the rights and safety of the public, including children in schools.

Psychologists are registered with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority which means that they have formal accredited qualifications, they have an obligation to have up to date learning and they are subject to a formal complaints process.

Many school psychologists also have formal teaching qualifications. All of this means that school psychologists have a high level of expertise and can offer your child the best available support for difficulties they might be experiencing at school.

School psychologists work at many levels in schools.

They support whole school practice by implementing programs to address bullying, violence, personal safety or behaviour. They work indirectly with groups within the school and with specific school based issues, and they work directly with children or young people who are facing specific challenges.

School psychologists also work in early childhood settings and support early intervention for children
with disabilities. This can involve assessment of learning or behaviour, or assessment of a child or young person’s coping skills.

They offer counselling and support for problematic life events that can affect all students, such as:

• grief and loss
• bullying
• sexuality issues
• substance abuse issues
• trauma
• family breakdown, and
• relationship issues.

The school psychologist can only use information about your child for the primary purpose for which it was
collected. For example, if your child has been referred to the psychologist for learning difficulties, information
from assessments will be used to assist teachers with planning and programming in the classroom.

Any other family or personal information that your child might have shared with the psychologist cannot be disclosed, unless it is directly relevant to the child’s learning.

That depends on the concerns you or the school have about your child. If your child is having difficulty with school work there will probably be some formal assessment. If your child is having difficulty with friendships or with other relationships, the psychologist will explore your child’s understanding of the situation and discuss coping strategies and practice alternative ways of behaving.

Sessions with the psychologist are usually about 50 minutes long and can occur weekly.

The psychologist will discuss with you if a referral to an outside agency would be helpful for your child.

The school psychologist has an ethical and legal responsibility to protect the rights to confidentiality and privacy of your child. However, there are occasions when psychologists are legally obliged to disclose information, for example, if they believe that the child, or someone else in the community, is at risk of harm.

All confidential psychology files are required to be securely stored either in password protected electronic files or locked filing cabinets. Only the psychologist can access these files.