Case studies: Educational psychologist: Janet

Janet worked as a teacher and careers adviser in England before completing her Doctorate in Educational Psychology (DAppEdPsy) at Newcastle University in 2009. As part of the training programme, she worked for two years as a trainee educational psychologist (EP) with a county council in England. She now works full time as an EP for a local council in Scotland.

On completing my educational psychology training at Newcastle, I gained an EP position with a local council psychological service. I provide consultation, intervention, assessment, training and research at an individual, group and organisational level within the council setting. I work with individual children and their families, and the wider schools’ and children’s services setting, promoting inclusion and working to support Scottish government initiatives, including ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’ and ‘We Can and Must Do Better’.

I am involved in a wide range of issues and initiatives, including youth justice matters, young people out of education, head teacher leadership and development, development of a supervision policy, literacy development, training probationary teachers, the website group, and ‘respectme’ anti-bullying training and delivery. I particularly enjoy the variety of my position and the interesting projects I focus on, though volume of work is an issue. I value the security and positive appreciation of my role.

My research thesis centred on young people growing up in rural communities. I have used my interest and research to inform my involvement in the post-school psychological services (PSPS) work and the More Choices, More Chances (MCMC) groups.

My early career was spent as a teacher then as a careers adviser in the community, working with young offenders, teenage/school-age mums and asylum seeker refugee populations. I also worked as a disabilities officer and taught pupils who were not following an academic curriculum. These experiences gave me the background and impetus to apply for the educational psychology course.

In a typical week, I spend some time in schools working with pupils or talking to teaching staff and school leaders about issues relating to pupils. I attend meetings relating to schools or wider council business, including multi-agency meetings about supporting children, families or schools, both generally and specifically, and internal working groups, which meet to determine policies or strategies.

I spend some time in the office on administration and report-writing. I may also deliver training to non-psychologists on a range of topics from specific learning difficulties to different approaches to classroom management, such as using solution-focused approaches. I use any extra time to work on my research into building resilient communities and (head) teacher health and wellbeing.

I am a fairly new psychologist but see my role moving away from supporting individual children to working more in support, training and research to enable other professionals to deliver quality education to pupils.

If you are considering a career as an EP, try to gain a variety of experience in different settings and think about what psychology you are using. Always question why things are the way they are. Don't accept things at face value.