Congrats on Graduating, School Psych… Now What?
Congratulations, you made it! Give yourself a round of applause! Now that you are a full-fledged school psychologist, questions may start to swirl in your mind, “what should I expect during my first year?” Keep reading as we explore different ways to be more prepared as you begin your school psych journey. If you are interested in watching a replay of the live recording where I discussed this topic, please click here.
Reflecting On the End of Last School Year and Setting Boundaries
When you reflect on last year, what do you remember? Here are more helpful tips to consider as you reflect on your time as an intern.
- What worked and didn’t work for your intern supervisor(s)? How do they organize themselves? How did they ensure that they were following up on tasks?
- Think about what worked for you and what didn’t work for you during your internship. Did you have a good balance between work and your personal life? What could you do this year to protect your time on evenings and weekends? Many first-year psychs are used to coming home from their internship and doing homework for class. However, that does not have to be your life this year.
School psychologists are great about being available and want to be seen as more than someone who assesses and attends meetings. Some of you may realize that you are guilty of answering text messages late at night and on the weekends from colleagues. If you want to work on setting boundaries for your first school year, what’s an effective way to achieve that?
- Write down your boundaries (e.g. will not answer e-mails or texts after 5 pm or on weekends unless there is a crisis). Practice sharing your boundaries with a trusted person to help you feel more comfortable. When the new school year begins, meet with your team and discuss what’s appropriate regarding communication for you personally.
Meetings, Caseloads, and Your Role as a School Psych
Wouldn’t it be great if school psychs could spend their first week decorating and organizing their workspace? Instead, you will probably find yourself inundated with meetings! Connect with your director and ask what you can expect so you can prepare your schedule in advance.
During your first week, you often find out information about your caseload. Here are some tips to help organize this process.
- See how many students are on your counseling caseload so you can schedule these sessions into your calendar.
- You may notice that some months have several re-evaluations and others don’t. See if rescheduling a meeting for a different month can even out your workload.
- Meet with your special education team and ask how processes work at your site. Are IEP meetings calendared for the entire school year at once? Every month? Quarterly?
- What is your role in IEP meetings? Who calls parents to schedule IEP meetings? Gain as much clarity as possible for a smoother transition.
Are you interested in receiving 7 more tips to help you feel more prepared? Click here to access that resource and other freebies about topics including time management, eligibility, consultation, and much more!
Have you heard? We recently finished our 3rd annual Summer Boot Camp! If you did not get a chance to register and participate during the summer, no worries. You are in luck because we recorded everything. For those of you who are beginning your internship or first year, check out the “New Hire” tab after clicking the button below to access 10 Q&A sessions of video replays for only $19!
Sessions were conducted with preschool, elementary, middle and high school, bilingual, and behavior school psychologists packed with information, helpful tips, and answers to commonly asked questions. Check out these resources to kick off your career in the right direction! But hurry, as they are only available until October 31st!
