Child Psychologist

A child psychologist is a psychologist who has a special interest in the issues and problems faced by children.

Why do Some Children Need Psychologists?

Children – however much we would like to think that they are happy and contented and without fear – can face the same trials and tribulations as adults and indeed can sometimes be far more susceptible to psychological and behavioural disorders than adults.

For this reason child psychologists have now become commonplace and the stigma attached to having one treat and counsel our child has now eased.

What Does a Child Psychologist do?

Firstly it is important to note that a child psychologist cannot prescribe medication to a child. The role of the child psychologist is to provide rhyme and reason for children’s behaviour and also to help their parents counteract feelings of depression malcontent and discontent towards those around them.

Many children for example suffer the effects of bullying at school but may never tell their parents. Many children see their bullying as a sign of weakness and telling a parent only makes these feelings manifest themselves ten-fold.

Educational Psychologist

In the field of education a child psychologist may be known as an Educational Psychologist. An Educational Psychologist’s role will involve – for the most part – dealing with children who have psychological disorders or problems brought about by events or stresses related to schooling. As we have already discussed this may have something to do with bullying, which has now reached such a level that all schools have their own policies on how to deal with the problem.

Bullying, as you may or may not be aware, is not simply a case of one child – or group of children – physically attacking a child. There can be name calling, periods of prolonged psychological attack including name calling and rumour mongering, and now with the advent of technology which is widely and cheaply available to all (the Internet and mobile telephones) attacks on an individual of a psychological nature from afar which happen in and out of the school environment; this is often referred to as 'cyber bullying'.

Local Education Authorities (LEAs) employ the services of child psychologists on a regular basis to deal with some of the issues we have already mentioned. Children who are bullied often become withdrawn and find that their schoolwork and their interaction with those around them – children and adult alike – suffers.

Similarly the bullies themselves may need the assistance of a child psychologist to try and understand why they carry out these attacks on others and to bring about a cessation of their violent acts. Bullying, for the most part, is not a pastime that is carried out simply because it is enjoyable, but because there is an underlying force at work.

If a child is suffering abuse in the home – and this abuse does not have to be physical or sexual – it can be psychological or can be the child’s witnessing of events at home involving either parent; then they can resort to bullying others of smaller stature or quiet demeanour in order to bring attention to their own plight.

This is where the Educational Psychologist is called upon to try and judge the nature of the problem and help bring about a resolution that is beneficial to all. This work can be carried out directly or indirectly – depending on the severity of the case and what the psychologist thinks is the best course of action to take.

Intervention

Direct intervention can be through counselling sessions where the psychologist and the child will speak to discuss the problems at hand. The psychologist may employ techniques involving learning materials or visual aids to try and promote a response from the child.

Indirect intervention can be carried out with the help of the parents and/or teachers who – liasing with the psychologist may promote the use of special lessons or classes to engage the child without them feeling pressured to give answers which may otherwise make them feel uneasy.

Becoming a Child Psychologist

A good starting block for anyone wanting to become a child psychologist is experience in any of the following: being a teacher, a learning support assistant (classroom assistant), a care worker, a learning mentor, or educational social worker.

Experience in any of the aforementioned plus the ability to communicate well with children and the relevant educational qualifications is the best way for anyone who wishes to become a child psychologist to make a start up the ladder. Consult your Local Educational Authority (LEA) and/or Social services for more information.