Creating Continuities and Reversing Perspectives: Psychodynamic Contributions in School Psychology

Abstract

The current trend in school psychology toward a model of practice that follows specific guidelines and puts its emphasis on streamlining procedures and management practices has limited the role of school psychologists to that of data processors responsible for facilitating the implementation of specific policies. By focusing primarily on the objective and quantified and eschewing the subjective, school psychologists end up proposing interventions and participating in decisions without first articulating who the student is and how he experiences himself as a learner. Without attending to the “language” of the student's symptoms and what his acts create for him and generate in others, school psychologists may inadvertently contribute to interventions that fail to reach the student and bridge the gap between his acts and his capacity to reflect on his experiences.