The Status of School Psychology in Ontario School Boards

Abstract

This article reports on the status of school psychology in Ontario. School psychology practice in Ontario has continued to evolve since the previous report was published in 2001. School psychologists have varied roles, and although the most prominent one remains as assessing students for entry into certain special education services, school-based psychology services in Ontario serve an advantageous role for district school boards as they offer all levels of service. As such, school psychologists are providing more mental health awareness, prevention, and intervention services than previously reported. Since 2013, every school board has a Mental Health Lead, and each district school board is required to produce a School Mental Health Strategy. The current five levels of service/intervention, registration requirements, and training opportunities as well as professional organizations for school psychologists are further discussed in the present report.

Keywords

Ontario school psychology registration mental health organizations

The Ontario Publicly Funded Education Landscape

There are four publicly funded education systems in Ontario. In total, there are 72 district school boards: 31 English Public, 29 English Catholic, four French Public, and eight French Catholic District School Boards. There are 10 school authorities, consisting of four geographically isolated boards, six hospital-based school authorities, and one Provincial School Authority responsible for model schools for students who are deaf, blind, deaf/blind, and/or have learning disabilities. As of 2014-2015, there were 3,974 elementary and 919 secondary schools in Ontario and 2,003,253 students.

School Psychology Practice in Ontario

School psychology services in Ontario in district school boards are provided in several different formats. The most common is board-employed, school-based psychologists.¹ Some Ontario district school boards only utilize contracted psychologists who are private practitioners or members of an agency, and others rely completely on private practitioners. Generally, only school-based psychologists provide services beyond assessment. School-based psychologists serve an advantageous role for district school boards, offering all levels of service (see “Roles and Functions of School Psychologists in Ontario” section). School psychologists can at times follow students throughout their education from initial referral to graduation, thus providing a developmentally based service that is often not the case with contracted services.

School psychologists who are employees of a district school board are generally assigned to specific schools. The psychologists become immersed in the school culture and climate. Collaboration with school personnel, parents, and relevant community agencies are more easily achieved, and assessments, recommendations, and interventions can be tailored to the school’s specific culture and climate. School-based psychologists benefit from close and ongoing collaboration with students, families, educators, and administrators in their schools. Thus, this reciprocal relationship between school-based psychologists and their district school boards supports student achievement and well-being in a team-based approach. This approach is in stark contrast to “parachuting in” private or agency contracted assessments, which may appear on the surface to take less time, but lacks the collaborative and synergistic advantage of district school board–employed school-based psychological services. As well, parents may employ private practice psychologists to assess or provide intervention for children and youth in Ontario schools. This is most often a fee for service arrangement. Parents may provide the funds themselves, and some parents may have insurance coverage for the psychological services.

Regulation of the Practice of School Psychology

The practice of school psychology is regulated by the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO). Currently, the minimum training requirement for registration in Ontario is a master’s degree. Practitioners with a master’s degree are generally registered as psychological associates, with some exceptions where they are registered as psychologists. Practitioners with a doctorate degree are registered as psychologists.

In March 2013, CPO adopted a proposal to amend the Registration Regulation, one of which is to discontinue master’s level registration, and grandparent current psychological associates as psychologists. The timing period for when these changes come into effect and the process for accomplishing these changes are currently under consultation.

CPO defines areas of practice in the profession of psychology. Areas of practice are declared during the Supervised Practice year, and then finalized at an oral exam. During the year of Supervised Practice, the Examination for the Professional Practice of Psychology and the CPO’s Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination must be passed. Most psychologists practicing school psychology in schools are registered in the School Psychology Practice area, with others registered in various other areas, including clinical or counselling.

The current definition of school psychology is dated May 2004 (CPO, 2016) and is reproduced below.

All members of the College of Psychologists require the following minimum working knowledge base:

knowledge in the foundational content areas of psychology, that is, the biological bases of behaviour, the cognitive affective bases of behaviour, the social bases of behaviour, and the psychology of the individual;

knowledge of learning;

knowledge of all relevant ethical, legal, and professional issues;

knowledge of research design and methodology;

knowledge of statistics; and

knowledge of psychological measurement.

School psychology is the application of knowledge about human behaviour and development to the understanding of the social, emotional, and learning needs of children, adolescents, and adults, and to the creation of learning environments that facilitate learning and mental health. To declare competence in school psychology, members are expected to be currently practicing, or to have had substantial practice, in a school setting.

In addition to the above minimum knowledge base, members practicing in school psychology require the following:

knowledge of intellectual, social, behavioural, and emotional assessment;

knowledge of psychodiagnostics;

knowledge of exceptional learners;

knowledge of normal life span development and cross-cultural differences in learning and socialization;

knowledge of developmental and general psychopathology;

knowledge of instructional and remedial techniques;

knowledge of multidisciplinary team approach for case management;

knowledge of counselling, psychoeducational, and early intervention techniques; and

knowledge of systems and group behaviours within, and related to, the school organization.

Practitioners who provide services in school psychology should be aware of the impact of medication and medical conditions on learning and behaviour.

For members practicing school psychology, the following minimum skills are required:

the ability to perform an appropriate psychological assessment;

the ability to formulate and communicate a differential diagnosis;

the ability to plan, execute, and evaluate an appropriate psychoeducational intervention; and

the ability to plan, execute, and evaluate appropriate prevention programs.

Roles and Functions of School Psychologists in Ontario

The hiring of school psychology personnel in Ontario district school boards is not mandated by any provincial legislation. Hiring of school psychology staff, as well as their numbers, are decided by the individual district school boards. Regardless, there are school psychologists in approximately 65% of the district school boards in the province. A subgroup of Chief Psychologist members of the Association of Chief Psychologists with Ontario School Board was surveyed in 2012-2013 regarding school psychologist to student ratios. Of the 72% who responded, the data showed that the ratio of psychology staff to students ranged from 1:2,222 to 1:8,000. The recommended ratio of school psychologists to students in Canada is 1:1,000 (Saklofske et al., 2007) and in the United States, 1:500 to 700 (National Association of School Psychologists, 2010).

In 1980, the Ontario Ministry of Education legislated the identification of students with special education needs into five categories: (a) Behaviour, (b) Communication (Autism, Learning Disability, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Language Impairment, Speech Impairment), (c) Intellectual (Giftedness, Mild Intellectual Disability, and Developmental Disability), (d) Physical (Physical Disability, Blind and Low Vision), and (e) Multiple Exceptionalities. Students in Ontario do not have to have an exceptionality to have an Individual Education Plan and receive special education services.

The categories of exceptionality have not changed, but all definitions are in the process of being updated. Psychology input was requested by the Ontario Ministry of Education for the working groups for the exceptionalities under review. The release dates for all but learning disability are undetermined at the time of writing. The new definition for learning disability was released in August 2014 (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2014), with the addition of sections on program planning and transitions. School psychology input was involved throughout the process. As well, representatives from various psychology professional associations were asked by the Ontario Ministry of Education to form a working group regarding the interpretation of the term average intelligence in the new Ministry definition of Learning Disabilities.

School psychologists in Ontario have varied roles, but the most prominent one remains as assessing students for entry into certain special education services, such as segregated classes. Some district school boards have a total inclusion model, and do not tend to identify many students as exceptional. Other district school boards require psychological diagnoses for specific identifications (e.g., Developmental Disability, Learning Disability).

In 2013, the Section on Psychology in Education (SecPE) of the Ontario Psychological Association (OPA) published Professional Practice Guidelines for School Psychologists in Ontario (OPA, 2013). It was adapted, with permission, from the Canadian Psychological Association’s Guidelines for Professional Practice for School Psychologists in Canada (Canadian Psychological Association, 2007). This publication was produced to guide Ontario school psychology practitioners and to inform other educational, health, and mental health practitioners working in the education system about the roles of school psychologists.

There are five levels of service/intervention for school psychologists.

Student-focused indirect service/intervention, including, but not limited to

consultation with school personnel,

program planning,

parent collaboration,

interpreting outside reports for school personnel, and

interagency networking and referrals to other agencies or professionals.

Student-focused direct service/intervention including, but not limited to

individual psychological assessment;

individual counselling or other interventions, such as cognitive behavioural intervention; and

group interventions.

Whole class and school-wide service/intervention, including, but not limited to

serving on and liaising with school-based problem solving teams;

collaboration with school personnel to support inclusion of exceptional students;

in-service education for school personnel, for example, mental health literacy, classroom management, stress management, suicide prevention;

prevention services, such as positive behavioural supports and positive psychology;

consultation with school personnel regarding high and low incidence learning, social-emotional, and behavioural problems;

participation in school-wide screening and assessment programs;

postvention following a school’s tragic event, monitoring students and staff to ensure healing occurs, making referrals when appropriate; and

providing parenting programs.

District school board/system-wide interventions to assist in improving effectiveness in supporting student achievement and well-being, including, but not limited to

in-service education for district school board personnel on issues such as child and adolescent development and mental health literacy;

early screening to support appropriate programming for students at risk of academic and behavioural problems;

evaluation by assisting with data collection and evaluation of district-wide programs and interventions;

best practices support by reviewing and providing information on current educational research;

intervention programs by assisting in development, implementation, or consultation on system-wide programs;

outreach, including but not limited to inclusive, multicultural programs or information sessions on a variety of topics;

networking and collaboration by serving on multi-agency committees and programs; and

advocacy for children and adolescents with learning, developmental, behavioural, or emotional problems.

Research: School psychologists, by training, are skilled in the areas of research design, implementation, and statistical analysis. Thus, they are able to serve on, or consult for, educational research, including, but not limited to

project design and planning,

data collection,

data analysis,

interpretation of results, and

translation of findings into practical applications.

The Professional Practice Guidelines also addresses access to psychological services, specifically issues of informed consent and referral processes.

School Psychology’s Role in Provincial Mental Health Initiatives

In 2011, the Ontario government released Open Minds, Healthy Minds: Ontario’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy (Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, 2011). Three provincial ministries (Health and Long-Term Care, Children and Youth, and Education) were responsible for initiatives in the strategy. The first 3 years of the strategy were dedicated to children and youth. In the first year of the strategy, a small number of district school boards were given funds to hire a Mental Health Lead, many of whom were school psychologists. School Mental Health ASSIST was formed as a provincial implementation support team whose main goal was to help school boards promote student mental health and well-being. By 2013, every school board had a Mental Health Lead, and each district school board was required to produce a School Mental Health Strategy. Mental health leaders are funded by the Ministry of Education and many psychologists provide a coaching role for the Mental Health Leads. As well, many school psychologists in Ontario were part of teams who authored Supporting Minds (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013b), a teacher resource, as well as Leading Mentally Healthy Schools (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013a), the companion resource for school administrators. In addition, as part of the School Mental Health Strategy, mental health workers in schools were hired through provincial child and youth mental health agencies, and nurses specializing in school mental health and addictions were introduced into schools. Many Ontario district school boards’ Chief Psychologists were involved in the nurses’ initial training and continue to participate in planning groups for these two initiatives.

School Psychology and the Student Assessment Project

The Student Assessment Project ran from 2006 to 2009. The Project was developed to address the issue of wait times for professional assessments (psychology and other professional services, such as speech-language pathology). A grant of $20 million (Canadian dollars) was distributed to Ontario district school boards, and was administered by the OPA in partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Education. The grant targeted students from junior kindergarten to Grade 4. The objectives of the Student Assessment Project were mainly to reduce wait times for professional assessments, enhance teacher capacity for programming, and increase literacy and numeracy for assessed students in a sustainable manner. There were regular reporting requirements that were sent to the Student Assessment Project administration team by district school boards.

The Student Assessment Project convened a conference showcasing the project-based work of various district school boards. As well, a resource guide titled Sharing Promising Practices (OPA, 2008) was published in English and French and 6,000 copies were distributed to Ontario district school boards and other project stakeholders. The resource guide contained brief descriptions of each district school board’s projects with 12 presented in greater detail. District school boards were required to develop and utilize a clear definition of a wait lists and wait times, regularly providing data to the project administrators. The project funds were used for additional professional assessment, and also allowed district school board–employed professionals to free up time to work in non-assessment roles, such as developing new systems for student supports. In this manner, other school psychology activities were highlighted, such as pre-referral interventions, consultation with school staff and parents, and capacity building in-services for teachers. In addition, there was more interdisciplinary collaboration between the professionals involved, including psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and occupational therapists.

Professional Organizations

The Association of Chief Psychologists With Ontario School Boards

The Association of Chief Psychologists With Ontario School Boards (www.acposb.on.ca) has been in existence for 25 years. The Association is a voluntary professional organization dedicated to the promotion and development of psychological services in schools in the best interests of the students, parents, and the school community. This is provided through many different activities, including three member meetings each school year, a website, and liaison with other professions, government agencies, and organizations that are relevant to school psychology services (Association of Chief Psychologists With Ontario School Boards, 2016).

The OPA

The OPA (www.psych.on.ca), established in 1947, is the voluntary professional organization representing psychology in Ontario. Activities include advocacy, consultation among members and educational activities, including an annual conference. Full membership includes psychologists and, recently, psychological associates (OPA, 2016).

The Section on Psychology in Education (SecPE) is a section of the OPA and has been representing school psychologists in Ontario for decades. Some members of SecPE are also members of the Ontario Ministry of Education Liaison Committee whose membership includes representatives from SecPE, OPA, and Ontario Association of Psychological Associates (OAPA) as well as Ministry of Education representatives. This group meets several times a year regarding issues that concern both the psychology members and the Ministry of Education.

SecPE also provides, by nomination and voting through the membership, two awards. The SecPE Award of Merit is awarded annually for psychology practitioners or others involved in areas relevant to school psychology, at the OPA annual conference. The Schapira-Jobin Lifetime Achievement Award is presented periodically to school psychologists later in their career, who practice by inspiring and connecting early career practitioners, participate actively in SecPE Council, reach out to the public and the psychology community, and set a high standard of integrity of practice and person.

SecPE runs an annual symposium and periodically publishes resources for the school psychology community, including the Professional Practice Guidelines for School Psychologists in Ontario in 2013 (OPA, 2013). They are currently working on a resource for community psychologists who practice in the school psychology area for ensuring their assessments align with the various assessment requirements for district school boards. SecPE has also presented workshops at some of the OPA annual conferences. Recent workshops include one specifically provided for private practitioners and agency/hospital practitioners explaining pertinent information about school systems and the role of these practitioners in helping students to access special education services.

OAPA

The OAPA (www.oapa.on.ca) represents psychological associates and master’s-prepared psychologists licensed to work in Ontario. Activities include a biannual conference, raising awareness regarding the qualifications and competencies of psychological associates to policy makers in government, the insurance providers industry, other professional associations, and leaders in professional psychology. The organization also provides a web-based member’s collegial consultation service (OAPA, 2016).

School psychologists are also valued invited members of other provincial associations. A school psychologist is representing psychology stakeholders on the provincial Minister’s Advisory Council on Special Education, the Ontario Coalition for Children and Youth Mental Health, and other various provincial and national organizations.

Training Opportunities

There are numerous training opportunities specifically for school psychologists in Ontario. There are groups of school psychologists in various areas across the province that meet and provide professional development. SecPE provides an annual professional development opportunity, the Dorothy Hill Memorial Symposium. This Symposium features a variety of speakers who present on issues specific to school psychology in Ontario. The Symposium is located in Toronto, but SecPE is working on providing simultaneous webcasting to make the Symposium available to school psychology practitioners in other areas of the province. The OAPA and the OPA also sponsor professional development opportunities, many of which are relevant to school psychology practice. The Ministry of Education at times provides no-cost specific training opportunities to district school board personnel, and school psychologists are often included. Other Ontario ministries and agencies also provide fee for service or no-cost training opportunities throughout the year, with many being offered by webinar.

Conclusion

School psychology practice in Ontario has continued to evolve. We are providing more mental health awareness, prevention, and intervention services than previously. Our professional associations continue to be consulted by the Ministry of Education on various initiatives, particularly with regard to mental health. We are proud to be contributing to the success and future of the students in the province of Ontario.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Notes

Author Biography

Debra Lean is the chief psychologist of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. She currently collaborates on several research initiatives with several universities in Canada and U.S. including CBT in schools, mental health screening, prevention and integrative frameworks. Dr. Lean is the co-author of two books on school mental health: Barriers to Learning: The Case for Integrated Mental Health Services in Schools and School-based Mental Health: A Framework for Intervention. She is a member of many, and on the executive of several, school psychology organizations.

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