Being told that your child needs to see an educational psychologist can feel quite overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be.
We asked North Coast educational psychologist Felicity Tonkinson for some insight into exactly what she does.
“An educational psychologist works with children and teenagers in educational settings. The main role is dealing with challenges such as learning, developmental disabilities and social, emotional and disability issues that interfere with learners’ education,” says Felicity, who has almost 22 years’ experience in the field.
“We look at what is happening with the learner in any learning environment at any level. This includes early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary education. We gain a comprehensive view of the varied settings in which they are living (home, school, boarding school) and use a number of qualitative and quantitative tools (home, school, one-on-one testing observations, interviews and assessments) to understand what is going on in the child’s life, thereby gathering comprehensive, diverse perspectives to identify patterns.”
Once the information has been gathered, Felicity says, they then analyse it to design a support plan. “We inform the instructional process and advise on the best approaches and provisions to support learning and development for students to succeed.”
Educational psychologists research innovative ways to help those who work with children and adolescents and new ways to help children learn more effectively. They also, very importantly, help resolve high-risk situations working with learners, teachers and parents to address issues such as bullying, suicide threats, teacher threats and so on by providing guidance, advice and support.
“An educational psychologist will have trained in child development, the psychology of learning and teaching, children and adolescents’ emotional well-being and the psychological aspects of educating children with special educational needs. Training includes how groups function, how people communicate and maintain relationships as well as assessments, report writing, counselling, research and training others.”
Common cases seen by educational psychologists:
* Difficulty concentrating
* General and specific learning difficulties
* Appropriate grade and school placement
* How to study effectively and read and write test and exam papers
* Autistic spectrum disorder
* Separation, school anxiety, generalised anxiety and stress, low self-esteem/self-confidence and friendship issues.
They also, very importantly, help resolve high-risk situations working with learners, teachers and parents to address issues such as bullying, suicide threats, teacher threats and so on by providing guidance, advice and support.
“An educational psychologist will have trained in child development, the psychology of learning and teaching, children and adolescents’ emotional well-being and the psychological aspects of educating children with special educational needs. Training includes how groups function, how people communicate and maintain relationships as well as assessments, report writing, counselling, research and training others.”
ABOUT FELICITY: With a degree in social science, bachelor of education degree and masters in educational psychology, Felicity is a highly qualified and passionate educator and educational psychologist.
She was a teacher for two decades and ran her own swimming business for 20 years. Felicity also worked at a remedial school, taught at a school for autistic children in London and worked at the Children’s Assessment and Therapy Centre in Sherwood consulting and assessing learners from diverse backgrounds for 11 years. She trains teachers on pertinent topics, mentors intern psychologists and continues to be involved with the disadvantaged community. She has offices on the Berea, Umhlanga and Ballito.
Details: Felicity Tonkinson, 082 487 2674,
[email protected]
