Group Supervision with Deena Cooper: Working in Schools

In 2023 Educational and Developmental Psychologist Deena Cooper will be running a 4-part Group Supervision series on Working In Schools. Deena feels this is an important area for psychologists to develop their understanding of, and so we thought we’d ask her more about the content of her sessions and what provisional psychologists should expect to get out of them.

• Deena, can you tell me a bit about why this group is important?

Realistically, children and adolescent spend most of their time at school so it’s important that, as professionals working with these young people, we understand how schools work and how we can best support young people to get the most of their time there. Engagement and sense of belonging at school is also one of the most influential variables in determining long term positive outcomes for children and young people. It can also influence their success in their adult life in many important domains, like career, relationships, mental wellbeing, confidence, and sense of self-efficacy.  Also, psychologists often work with young people with additional needs, such as disability, learning needs, or mental health concerns, so it’s important that you know how to support and make recommendations for young people in the school environment, whether you are a psychologist who is working in a school, or out in the community.  

• Are all sessions the same or do you have different topics?

Each session of the four sessions has a different topic that we rotate through each four weeks. The topics are based around common issues psychologists in the community and in schools are working with.  The 4 Working In Schools topics are: Eating Disorders, Non-Suicidal Self Harm & Suicide, Learning Disorders, and Neurodiversity ASD/ADHD/Tourette’s. Each session has a presentation component and an interactive component. I like to try and make my sessions engaging and ensure everyone has an opportunity to get what they need out of the session, so I keep a flexible format that can be tailored to the experience and needs of the supervises I am working with. Sometimes we do quizzes or discussion points, sometimes we have case studies, and I like to encourage and support my supervisees to share their own experiences as well. Everyone has wisdom and experience to share, and this is what I love about facilitating groups is that every session can be different just because different supervisees come with different questions and experiences. 

Topic 1: Introduction to working with schools  

•  NCCD & Disability/Learning Support
•  Collaboration strategies
•  Points of influence
•  Roles of the psychologist in the school ecosystem

Topic 2: School Refusal

•  Practical tips to address school refusal
•  Functions of school refusal
•  Working with parents
•  Developing attendance plans

Topic 3: Behaviour Support

•  Presentations that typically benefit from behaviour support
•  Developing behavioural support plans
•  Levels of intervention
•  Working with High Risk populations
•  Practical strategies for the classroom for adolescents & children

Topic 4: Supporting Neurodiversity

•  Typical functional impacts
•  Common support strategies in the classroom
•  How to communicate with and engage school staff

• Who do you suggest attends this group?

All psychologists who are working with children and adolescents, parents, or families will find this useful. But I’ve also found that many supervisees who’ve attended sessions said that even though they work mainly with adults, it’s been helpful to them in understanding how they can support their clients who are parents, and also understand the developmental trajectory of their adult clients who may have experienced difficulties at school when they were younger. 

Schedule
Working in Schools
Supervisor: Deena Cooper
Educational & Developmental Psychologist
Schedule During Daylight Savings:
Tuesdays 7.00pm QLD/ 8.00pm  NSW/VIC/TAS, 5.00pm WA, 7.30pm SA, 6.30pm NT
Schedule Outside Daylight Savings:
Tuesdays 7.00pm QLD/NSW/VIC/TAS, 5.00pm WA, 6.30pm SA/ NT
Frequency: Every 4 weeks
Suitable for Reattendance: Yes

To learn more about Deena, follow the link HERE

To book group supervision follow the link HERE