School Psychologist Skills List

About School Psychologist Jobs

School psychologists can play an integral role in an elementary or secondary school. Their main objective is address and confront various behavioral issues, emotional concerns, and even learning difficulties. A school psychologist can use a variety of different tactics to address such problems. Example methods may be counseling and mentoring, or even providing students with instructional tools to tackle difficult issues. School psychologists are often confused with school counselors, but they have different duties and responsibilities.

School psychologists’ goal is to create a healthy and happy community within the school by individually helping students with a spectrum of difficulties. School psychologists try to promote wellness by equipping their students with problem solving, social, self-esteem, communication, and anger management skills. When students face learning barriers, a school psychologist is there to assess and create a strategy that promotes an optimal learning environment.

While working with students is a school psychologist’s main responsibility, it is not their only one. They also work directly with the school staff. This includes teachers, administrators, and even parents. By doing so, school psychologists enhance a student’s relationship with those around them at school and at home. As a result, the most important soft skill needed to be a psychologist is the ability to communicate with others. They are interacting with everyone in the school system, from students to principals and parents. School psychologists are even sometime brought on to help create policies and procedures.

How to Use Skills Checklists

The function of this skills checklist is to help job seekers analyze and audit their own skills. Creating an eye-catching resume and cover letter can be rather difficult in today’s day and age. It is imperative to stand out amongst competition. By using the keywords and skills from this list in your application materials, you can further explain your experience as a school psychologist. Ultimately, once you are invited in for an interview, this list can serve as a discussion outline for your relevant experience.

Standard School Psychologist Skills

• Demonstration of knowledge/application of other statutes regulating professional practice.
• Demonstration of knowledge/application of APA/NASP Ethical Guidelines
• Social Perception
• Time Management
• Communication
• Patience
• Ethics
• Demonstration of concern for client welfare.
• Demonstration of appropriate client-school psychologist relationships
• Appropriate manifestation of professional identity
• Appropriate involvement in professional development activities
• Appropriate interaction with peers, colleagues, staff, trainees, etc.
• Awareness of impact on colleagues
• Systems Analysis and Evaluation
• Completion of assigned tasks in a timely fashion and in an acceptable format.
• Sensitivity to the needs, resources and priorities for individuals from different cultural backgrounds
• Appropriate preparation.
• Problem Solving
• Accepts responsibility for learning.
• Openness to feedback/suggestions
• Application of learning to practice.
• Willingness to self-disclose
• Appropriately self-reliant.
• Appropriately self-critical.
• Effective management of personal stress
• Formulation of realistic professional goals for self
• Appropriate self-initiated professional development