Blackwell Reference Online

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School psychology is a profession where individuals apply psychological principles to educational issues. School psychology is a young profession in comparison to the physical sciences. The practice of school psychology did not begin until the turn of the twentieth century. School psychologists work with children, adolescents, families, and school personnel to help students succeed in academic and nonacademic settings. School psychologists collaborate with parents and educational professionals to create positive school environments for all children and youth. These individuals are trained in psychology and education, and their role is to address the educational, behavioral, and socioemotional needs of children and adolescents. The distinction between school, clinical, and counseling psychologists has blurred over the years. Historically, clinical and counseling psychologists worked with adults, but they had a different focus. Clinical psychologists focused on abnormal behavior and counseling psychologists focused on normal development, adjustment issues, and careers. In contrast, school psychologists worked with children, adolescents and families. Now, many school, clinical, and counseling psychologists with doctorate degrees perform similar duties and may work with the same-age clientele. However, school psychologists are somewhat unique from clinical and counseling psychologists ... log in or subscribe to read full text