What is an Educational Psychologist?

Educational Psychologists (EPs) have extensive experience, training and knowledge of working with school staff, other professionals, children, young people and their families. EPs will have had several years high level education and training, including a first degree in Psychology, and post-graduate qualification in Educational Psychology at a Masters or Doctoral level.

What do Educational Psychologists do?

Educational Psychologists use the psychology of how people learn, behave, think and feel to help support schools and settings to enable children and young people to reach their potential.

We work mostly in schools but also in preschool and other settings. Sometimes we might see a child at home. We look at how children and young people experience life within the context of their educational and home environment and how different factors in these environments interact with each other. We aim to work collaboratively with families, schools and other professionals to identify strategies to support children and young people and to promote learning, develop emotional, social and behavioural skills and support their psychological development.

We work closely with the Additional Learning Needs (ALN) team and colleagues in the Local Authority. We may also work with other professionals as part of the multi-agency process of identifying children and young people’s ALN.

If you are a parent and think your child may need support from an Educational Psychologist it would be helpful to speak to your school’s Additional Learning Needs Coordinator (ALNCo) first.

Monmouthshire EPS Values

We work within Monmouthshire County Council Key Values and Behaviours:

Our purpose is underpinned by a clear sense of who we are as an organisation. We expect people who work with us to share a strong value set and expect that these are evident in the ways in which we work and engage with our communities.

Teamwork

We will work with you and our partners to support and inspire everyone to get involved. We will make the best of the ideas, and resources available to make sure we do the things that most positively impact our people and places.

Openness

We are open and honest. People have the chance to be involved and tell us what matters.

Flexibility

We are flexible, enabling delivery of the most effective and efficient services. This means a genuine commitment to working with everyone to embrace new ways of working.

Fairness

We provide opportunities for people and communities to thrive. We will always try to treat everyone fairly and consistently.

Kindness

We will show kindness to all those we work with, putting the importance of relationships and the connections we have with one another at the heart of all interactions

We aim to create change by:

• Advocating for the vulnerable
• Working in a collaborative manner
• Keeping psychology at the core of our practice
• Working in a preventative way
• Being flexible and adaptable with our practice

Informed Consent

Permission and signed consent is always sought from parents/carers prior to the involvement of an EP.

All EPs working in Monmouthshire Educational Psychology Service are required to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council as Practitioner Psychologists and work within their legal and ethical standards.