The School District of Philadelphia is dedicated to upholding relevant educational and psychological programming for all children by conducting valid and reliable evaluations. School Psychologists work under the direction of the Director, Psychological Services and are responsible for performing the following essential duties:

Job Summary

Provides psychological services to students thought to be eligible for emotional support. Works with the Rapid Response Team to provide support to Emotional Support programs. Provides professional development and technical assistance for school teams to assist in programming for students with mental health needs. Assists school teams to ensure programming meets student needs.

Essential Functions

Emotional Support Specialty

• Works with the Rapid Response Team and school teams to support the emotional support programs.
• Guides schools teams in working with students with mental health needs.
• Collaborates with outside providers and school teams to facilitate and support alignment of treatment goals and implementation of treatment plans for students.
• Facilitates community mental health services and coordinates with families around long-term mental health needs for students in emotional support programs.
• Collaborates with school teams to ensure programming meets student needs.
• Provides short-term individual and group counseling for students as needed.
• Consults with principals and staff concerning the needs of students.
• Provides professional development for school staff.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Two years of full-time, paid professional experience working in the field of child psychology with children with disabilities and co-occurring mental health challenges.
• All work experience related to the position must be included on the resume.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

 For all Specialties

• Demonstrated knowledge of:
  • the basic principles of child and adolescent psychology and related behavioral sciences.
  • the application of psychology to individual and group behavior.
  • psychological techniques employed in the modification of human behavior.
  • the principles and techniques of administering, scoring and interpreting psychological and educational tests.
  • general referral techniques.
  • federal and state laws pertaining to the delivery of psychological services to school age children.

• Demonstrated ability to:

• administer psychological and educational tests in an educational setting.
• provide consultative services to teachers, students, and parents.
• prepare clear and concise reports.
• communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• establish and maintain effective working relationships.

In addition to the above the following is required for the Emotional Support Specialty

• Demonstrated knowledge of:
  • the principles and techniques of implementing evidenced-based practices to address a variety of mental health issues.
  • federal and state laws pertaining to the identification of students in need of emotional support services.
  • the current social, economic and health issues, especially as related to urban environments.
  • school-based programs.
  • evidenced-based modalities (for example, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to address mental health issues and improve academic outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to:
  • communicate respectfully to parents regarding a student’s evaluation findings.
  • deliver professional development to educators and parents on issues and processes related to children with mental health issues.
  • evaluate data.
  • provide guidance to staff on implementation of goals to assist with students’ academic achievement.
  • work collaboratively with others.
  • engage a variety of stakeholders.
  • coordinate appropriate referrals to community and other agencies.

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Certificates/Licenses

• Possession of a valid Commonwealth of Pennsylvania certificate to act as a School Psychologist.