- Department of Student Services
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Psychological Services
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Heather Applegate, Ph.D., Supervisor of Psychological Services
Meghan Green, Ph.D., Coordinator of Psychological Services
charles barrett, Ph.D., Coordinator of Psychological Services
Who are LCPS school psychologists?
School psychologists are uniquely qualified members of school teams that support students' ability to learn and teachers' ability to teach. They apply expertise in mental health, learning, and behavior, to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. School psychologists partner with families, teachers, school administrators, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community (from National Association of School Psychologists website).
What services do LCPS school psychologists provide?
LCPS school psychologists provide a range of services, including preventative services, evaluation, consultation, and direct student services. They assist teams in data collection and analysis, data-based decision making, monitoring student progress in interventions, and making determinations regarding the effectiveness of interventions. School psychologists work in close collaboration with a variety of professionals within LCPS including educational diagnosticians, school counselors, school social workers, student assistance specialists, school staff and administrators, and others. For more information about the types of services LCPS school psychologists provide, click the areas outlined below.
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Referrals and Evaluations for Special Education
Psychologists participate in referrals for special education from start to finish. They participate in initial meetings when students are suspected of having a disability, complete psychological evaluations, and participate in the team that determines if students are eligible for special education services.
- Referral Review Team: Psychologists serve on the Referral Review Team to review records and other performance evidence to assist in determining whether a student is suspected of having an educational disability and in need of an evaluation.
- Psychological Evaluations: Psychologists assess the cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional functioning of preschool and school-age children, write comprehensive psychological reports, and hold conferences with parents to explain results and identify the educational and mental health needs of the child for students referred for special education or Section 504 services.
- Eligibility Team: Psychologists present psychological evaluation findings and assist the eligibility team in determining whether students qualify for special education and Section 504 services.
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Problem-Solving Teams
Psychologists serve on school intervention teams (Unified Mental Health Team, Tier 3 Intervention Team) to promote individual behavioral and social-emotional interventions to support children.
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Counseling
Psychologists provide counseling interventions to special education students as a related service and general education students to improve the social, emotional, and behavioral skills and functioning of children and adolescents. Counseling may be provided in individual or group formats and may be co-led with other school-based mental health professionals including school counselors, school social workers, and student assistance specialists.
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Behavioral Support
Psychologists support behavioral management at multiple levels within LCPS. These may include universal efforts (e.g., PBIS Coaching) or intensive supports (e.g., Functional Behavioral Assessments).
- PBIS Coaching: Psychologists coach school Positive Behavioral Interventions & Support (PBIS) teams in planning for, analysis of, and documentation of efforts related to implementation of PBIS.
- Behavioral Consultation and Intervention: Psychologists engage in behavioral consultation with staff and family members to address student behaviors that may be interfering with their educational functioning. When needed, they also conduct behavioral assessments (including functional behavioral assessments) and develop function-based interventions for students whose behavior is interfering with their educational functioning.
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Suicide Prevention and Screening
In LCPS, psychologists engage in universal suicide prevention efforts through prevention education as well as individualized, intensive suicide prevention through suicide risk screenings.
- Prevention Education: Psychologists provide classroom-based universal mental health education to students, such as the Signs of Suicide prevention program, and serve as trainers for Sources of Strength to promote positive mental health, strengths, resiliency and protective factors.
- Suicide Risk Screening: Psychologists screen suicidal risk of referred students to identify the severity of suicidal thoughts and behavior to identify needed mental health supports.
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Threat Assessment
Psychologists provide mental health input to school threat assessment teams in assessing and resolving threats of violence against school staff and students.
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Crisis Response
Psychologists engage in crisis response to respond to critical incidents that impact the emotional functioning of students and school staff providing psychoeducational interventions and supports.
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Additional Information about LCPS School Psychologists
Education & Credentialing: LCPS school psychologists are highly trained in the fields of psychology and education. The minimum requirements for training include a specialist-level degree program (at least 60 graduate semester hours) in School Psychology and a year-long supervised internship. Many LCPS school psychologists have earned or are working toward a doctorate. LCPS school psychologists are licensed by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Board of Psychology. Most LCPS school psychologists are also credentialed as Nationally Certified School Psychologists (NCSP).
Your Child's School Psychologist: School psychologists are members of Unified Mental Health Teams (UMHTs) within each school building. At the secondary level (middle and high school), most schools have a full-time school psychologist. At the elementary level, school psychologists generally support two or three schools. You can find your child's school psychologist by reviewing their school's UMHT web page. A list of UMHTs is available. Alternatively, UMHT information can be found on each school page by clicking the School Mental Health Team icon on the school landing page (see below).
Becoming a School Psychologist or Psychologist Intern with LCPS: To apply, please visit the LCPS Department of Human Resources and Talent Development web page. Additional information regarding LCPS School Psychology Internships for both doctoral and specialist candidates is available here.
Announcements and Highlights from LCPS Psychological Services
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In 2016, the LCPS doctoral internship program was accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
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School psychologists within LCPS are able to gain NASP-approved professional development hours through the department that can be used toward their NCSPs.
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In 2016, Dr. charles barrett was named the 2016 Virginia School Psychologist of the year.