The Importance Of Having An Educational Psychologist In School

An educational psychologist studies human behavior and the cognitive processes in an educational context. Although there is a lot of information about them, in this article we will focus on the importance of having an educational psychologist in school.

Most educational psychologists work in schools or institutes after graduating. But, what role do they play in an institution? What is your job really about? This is where the first problem arises: nowadays there are many countries where educational psychologists are not used. Therefore, it often happens that an educational psychologist ends up as a counselor or clinical psychologist in school.

People often think that educational psychologists and counselors are the same thing. However, this is not entirely correct. Although their education gives them the opportunity to perform the tasks of a counselor, educational psychologists are responsible for other goals.

That said, it is necessary to understand the role of a counselor in the school or institution in order to be able to distinguish between the two.

What do school counselors do?

School counselors are important in an educational institution since they are responsible for psychopedagogical interventions. Orientation is a service that schools offer students, so that a professional can guide the learning and their long-term goals to optimize the education to the fullest. They are the ones who are responsible for addressing the pedagogical problems that arise in school environments.

A school counselor focuses on the students, while at the same time taking into account the environment and the educational community. We can therefore say that a counselor works in the applied field of educational psychology using the resources that various studies in psychology and pedagogy have provided them.

Here are the features of an educational advisor:

• To guide students, teachers and families to improve educational quality and the academic environment.
• To identify the pedagogical needs of the students and act accordingly.
• To work with the teachers and the families of the students to detect and prevent learning difficulties.
• To ensure that all students receive an adequate and continuous education, no matter how different their needs are.
• To provide psychopedagogical advice to teachers and principals. This will teach them to act accordingly on the specific needs of the students.
• To nurture the students’ functional diversity, so that the school achieves an inclusive and universal education. No student should feel excluded from the educational environment.

• To contribute to the interaction between members of the school or institution to achieve better communication.
• To participate in the school’s planning and / or decision-making process, as well as in all meetings between teachers. In this way, the adviser is always informed and involved in the events that take place in the institution.

What does an educational psychologist do in school?

Although school counselors are important, the truth is that they do not cover all the technical problems the school has when it comes to psychoeducation. For this reason, it is important to have a professional who can handle them. This professional is an educational psychologist. Unlike a school counselor, an educational psychologist should be more focused on research and evaluation.

Both schools and education are constantly changing, which means that the use of non-personalized standardized methods tends to have very poor results. This explains the need for an educational psychologist who knows how to act when various changes occur.

Another differentiating aspect is that they do not take care of the students directly. They are responsible for the whole school and the institution itself. They must always be aware of the learning methods used by teachers, and ensure that the way they instruct and educate students is correct and appropriate. In addition, they are responsible for ensuring that the school community responds to all pedagogical requirements.

An educational psychologist in the school acts as a supervisor and planner. They observe the way students learn and absorb information. They base their actions on scientific research and never on personal criteria.

An important aspect when it comes to educational psychologists is that they collaborate with various professionals in the institution, as well as with the rest of the school community (parents, supervisors and students).

The main goal is to work with the most basic aspects of the educational institution to ensure progress. In this way, they help the institution to achieve the expected results and provide students with training of the quality they deserve.

Necessary changes in the school system

Nowadays, there are very few schools that have educational psychologists. In fact, there are many counselors who sit with their role. Ensuring a proper educational environment is a complicated job that a professional in educational needs must perform at all costs. Overloading the advisor will be counterproductive. That is why it is so important to have an educational psychologist in school.

The education of the students should not be influenced by political or economic factors. From a productivity and efficiency point of view, it is best to have a whole team of professionals doing this job instead of one person taking care of all this so the school can save money. All educational experts and researchers must collaborate and work together to achieve a good education system.