School Psychologist at M-PESA Foundation Academy

Overall responsibilities

School psychologist, works to support the success of students academically, socially, behaviourally, and emotionally through collaboration with teachers, parents, and Academy Administration to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments that strengthen connections between home, school, and the community for all students.

Key Responsibilities

Academic and learning interventions

• Work in collaboration with counsellors to provide counselling, instruction, and mentoring for those struggling with social, emotional, and behavioural problems.
• Increase achievement by assessing barriers to learning and determining the best instructional strategies to improve learning.
• Promote wellness and resilience by reinforcing communication and social skills, problem solving, anger management, self-regulation, self-determination, and optimism.
• Conducts comprehensive psycho-educational evaluations of students referred for potential special education services.
• Administer, score, analyze and interpret intellectual, academic, social/emotional/behavioural and other psychometric assessments.
• Identify and address learning and behaviour problems that interfere with their personal success.
• Make referrals and help coordinate learner support service

Work with teachers, school administration and other stake holders

• Consults with teachers, school administration, parents and others, as appropriate, regarding the planning, implementation and evaluation of individual and group interventions designed to address students’ learning and behavioural problems.
• Consults with faculty staff, administration and parents in resolving students’ academic, social, emotional and behavioural concerns.
• Collaborates with academy staff and/or parents in developing, implementing, evaluating and maintaining behavioural and other interventions.
• Consults and collaborates with appointed mental health support, medical providers as appropriate.
• Provides technical assistance to academy staff and parents regarding behaviour management, child development and special education procedures, as necessary and appropriate

Other comparable duties

• Promote school policies and practices that ensure the safety of all students by reducing school violence, bullying, and harassment
• Participates as crisis team member and provides crisis intervention for students and staff in the advent of sudden illness or injury.
• Makes appropriate assessments and referrals for suspected abuse/neglect
• Maintains communication with Academy administration, teachers, and parents/guardians to enhance cooperative action, which will meet the health and safety needs of students.
• Initiates contact with and acts as a liaison between the home, school, appointed health and wellness agencies to enhance the health and wellness of the learners.
• Maintains confidentiality regarding all school and health-related issues.
• Participates as a member of the multidisciplinary team in the identification, evaluation, and placement of students into special education programs.
• Keeps abreast of changing developments, trends, instructional and educational technologies

Qualification, Experience, skills and abilities

• Degree in psychology from an accredited school of psychology
• At least 5-year experience working as a psychologist in a school set up or similar institution handling high school students.
• Valid professional registration with relevant professional body
• Excellent people skills
• Ability to effectively communicate with parents, students, and staff verbally and in writing.
• Ability to deal effectively and appropriately with students, parents and other educational professionals regarding student concerns and problems.