Psychological Services
Psychological Services
School Psychologists provide services to schools by working with students, school staff, and parents/guardians to offer services to help children and youth succeed academically, socially, behaviorally and emotionally. School psychologists collaborate with educators and parents to create safe, healthy and supportive learning environments for all students.
About School Psychologists
All LAUSD school psychologists are credentialed by the State of California.
School psychologists provide a variety of services to student and families, as well as support to the staff at the schools. These include, but are not limited to:
- Confer with teacher, school staff and parents regarding strategies for the solution or amelioration of group or individual student learning or adjustment problems and participate in prevention and intervention approaches for individual students
- Conduct psycho-educational assessments and develop case studies of individual students to determine educational needs, learning characteristics, social-emotional needs and behavioral needs relevant to educational placement, instructional planning and services
- Interpret evaluation results to parents and school staff, as appropriate
- Provide counseling to students individually or in groups
- Serve as a member of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team
- Collaborate with community agencies to provide services required by students and families
- Provide parent counseling and training, as appropriate
- Provide crisis intervention and counseling
About DIS Counseling Services Framework
For students eligible for Special Education, counseling is a related service under federal law, and a Designated Instruction Service (DIS) under state law. However, LAUSD policy is that schools are to assure that students with disabilities have access to regular guidance and counseling programs to the same extent as their non-disabled peers. When an assessment determines counseling is needed, Designated Instructional Service (DIS) Counseling and Psychological Services Educationally Related Intensive Counseling Services (ERICS) can be provided to students who have Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Students and their families may also be referred to mental health services in the community, as appropriate.
What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?
Social and emotional competence is the ability to understand, manage, and express the social and emotional aspects of one's life in ways that enable the successful management of life tasks such as:
- learning
- forming relationships
- solving everyday problems
- adapting to the complex demands of growth and development
It includes self-awareness, control of impulsivity, working cooperatively, and caring about oneself and others.
Social emotional skills can be integrated into school climate initiatives, general education instruction, and/or be part of targeted interventions. As with academic skills, in order to support students, it is essential to identify the skill deficit and, to determine the appropriate level of intervention. Schools which systematically teach and promote social emotional skills experience improved academic achievement, attendance, school climate and a reduction in discipline referrals.
LAUSD SEL Framework
Research has identified social and emotional skills critical for student success, and has informed the development of evidenced based programs that designed for all levels of intervention.
As with academic skills, it is through the identification of specific competencies and instruction target at these competencies that we ensure our students are obtaining the skills they need and identifying when remediation is required.
To approach Social Emotional Learning in a systematic manner, there is a need for a learning framework and identified benchmarks. The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has identified five sets of cognitive, affective and behavioral competencies found to be critical for student successfully functioning. LAUSD Psychological Services has adopted a model developed in Anchorage School District (ASD) which consolidates the CASEL model and serves as the foundation for Social Emotional Learning Benchmarks which guide Psychological Services’ counseling practice:
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| CASEL Framework | LAUSD Psychological Services Framework |
The Four Domains of Social Emotional Learning
Successful social emotional functioning can be thought of in four domains of competence. The following grid represents the goals and objectives for each domain.
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AWARENESS
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SELF |
SOCIAL |
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1. Self-Awareness |
3. Social-Awareness |
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Students demonstrate a strong sense of self-awareness.
1a: Students identify and manage emotions and behavior. 1b: Students recognize personal qualities and external supports. |
Student will show a strong sense of social awareness.
3a: Students demonstrate awareness of other people’s emotions and perspectives. 3b: Students recognize group similarities and differences. |
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MANAGEMENT |
2. Self-Management |
4. Social-Management |
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Students will demonstrate self-management skills.
2a: Students use effective decision-making skills and goal setting skills. 2b: Students will demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage, and resolve internal conflicts in constructive ways. |
Students will demonstrate social management skills.
4a: Students use positive communication and social skills to interact effectively with others. 4b: Students develop and contribute to the well-being of their school and community. |
SEL - RTI and School Based Counseling Overview
Social Emotional competencies can be addressed in school-wide programs that contribute to positive school climates, the explicit teaching of classroom behavior, social skills and citizenship, targeted interventions for at-risk students and more focused interventions for students not responding to the aforementioned supports.
Targeted supports include evidence based practices for group and individual students based on need. Interventions at the Tier I, II & III level may be implemented through the collaborative efforts of school staff, counselors, school psychologists and mental health providers, as well as through community based agencies working with school-based professionals.
Psychological Services Directory
School Psychology Opportunities
School Psychologist Employment
Primary Duties
Provides psychological services to general education students and students with disabilities; conducts psycho-educational assessments to assist in determining eligibility for special education services and the development of educational programs; consults with school personnel, parents and others concerned with the progress of students; provides individual and group counseling services. When qualified, provides such services in the student's primary language or to deaf children using communication skills for the deaf when appropriate.
Minimum Qualifications
An earned master's degree or advanced degree of equivalent standard from a regionally accredited college or university. Candidates must also possess a Pupil Personnel Services Credential authorizing service as a school psychologist.
Contact Information
For information regarding employment in Psychological Services, please contact Jose Gonzalez, Administrative Coordinator, at [email protected] or Randy Murphy, Talent Acquisition Specialist, at [email protected]. The District continually accepts School Psychologist applications.
If you would like information regarding how to become a paid or an unpaid INTERN, please contact Susan Mora, Intervention Coordinator, at [email protected].
The Los Angeles Unified School District is an equal opportunity employer.
School Psychology Practicum
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is the second largest school district in the nation with an economically, culturally and linguistically diverse student population. It is divided into six administrative units that are called Local Districts.
Each of the six Local Districts has a corresponding unit of the Psychological Services department. These psychological services units, in conjunction with the respective universities, are responsible for the administration of training opportunities for school psychologists. LAUSD currently provides both practicum and internship experiences that are in accordance with NASP requirements for school psychology students in each of the Local Districts.
School Psychology Practicum
School psychology practicum placements are structured to provide students with experiences that meet university requirements as well as exposure to all facets of the profession. Practicum placements are done for the LAUSD academic school year and are one or two day a week assignments. Students must be enrolled in a Master’s degree School Psychology program and have a Certificate of Clearance issued from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Interviews and school placements are done in the respective Region offices.
School Psychology Internship
LAUSD offers both paid and unpaid internships which are full time (5 days a week). Interns are provided direct supervision and support by highly qualified staff. They participate in case reviews and other LAUSD professional trainings in addition to trainings specifically tailored to the internship. Graduate students who wish to be considered for an internship experience with LAUSD Psychological Services must be enrolled in a university school psychology program that requires a minimum of 1200 hours of internship.
Applications for an internship should include:
- A Letter of Intent/Introduction.
- A current resume
- Three or more Letters of Recommendation, two of which must be completed by school psychologists and/or university supervisors. These references are required for all placements from the last three years of employment or training.
- All undergraduate transcripts as well as a current graduate university transcript indicating the courses completed in the school psychology program.
- Verification of a passing score on the CBEST which includes test score results.
- A copy of the Certificate of Clearance issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
Internship Application Deadline is the first Friday of March at 5:00 p.m. Applications will not be accepted after this date. Questions should be directed to [email protected].
Applicants should not complete the district’s on-line application at this time. The aforementioned documents should be sent electronically via email by the deadline to Susan B. Mora, Coordinator at [email protected].
Final placement for the internship experience is made and approved by the LAUSD Psychological Services office and is based on the results of the interview process and availability of a school site.
Questions regarding internships can be directed to:
Susan B. Mora, Coordinator, Psychological Services West
(310) 235-3709
| Contact Us |
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Psychological Services
Sergio Aviles
Director Brenda Ramirez
Senior Secretary
333 S. Beaudry Avenue
17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017 Phone (213)241-8303 |
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