Educational psychology interventions
Consultation
Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS) will help you find a solution and positive ways forward for children and young people, often by helping to form a shared understanding of their strengths and difficulties within their school and home context. Consultation involves problem solving discussions with key people which help to clarify issues and plan for solutions. Frequently consultation is also guided by information from observation, holistic assessments, feedback meetings, joint action planning and reviewing of desired outcomes.
Emotionally-based school avoidance pathway for Kent
The pathway is in line with evidence based suggestions and research for effective working to supporting children with EBSA (previously ABSA - Anxiety Based School Avoidance) particularly offering early intervention, increased partnership working, shared awareness of push and pull factors and resources and measures to better explore the child’s voice and help parents and children feel PART of their support plans in helping them return to school.
Phase 1: Emotionally Based School Avoidance Training for professionals part 1
This is a 45 minute webinar sharing the latest theories and frameworks in understanding EBSA, early identification, predisposing factors that can lead to EBSA and understanding EBSA within the context of anxiety and the anxiety maintenance cycle.
Phase 1: Emotionally Based School Avoidance Training for professionals part 2
This is a 1 hour webinar exploring practical approaches to supporting children and young people experiencing EBSA within an Assess-Plan-Do-Review process. The focus will be basing strategies within the EBSA frameworks identified in the first webinar and highlighting child voice measures, parent and pupil interviews, strategies and interventions depending on the areas of need highlighting by the child or young person and templates to use within school systems for effective information gathering, planning and reviewing.
Completing the MS form below then grants you access to the full, comprehensive and updated EBSA resource pack which will be referred to within Targeted support meetings and the Phase 2 multi-agency case consultations.
To access the Kent EBSA resource pack please complete the MS form as part of your evaluation of the Phase 1 EBSA training Thank you.
Phase 1: Parents Webinar on Emotionally Based School Avoidance behaviour
Research shows that the earlier support can be offered when children are experiencing difficulties in attending school the more successful the outcomes. It is critical that parents and schools work closely together to have a partnership agreement and joint plan in place that can be reviewed regularly. With additional services becoming involved at different times if needed.
This is a recorded webinar facilitated by Kent Educational Psychology and working with Kent Parents and Carers Together (PACT) where the topic of ‘what is anxiety’ and emotion based school avoidance are discussed alongside parents sharing their lived experience of how their children experienced these difficulties. Practical strategies and suggestions are discussed and ways to support themselves and work constructively with their child’s school. Please share this freely with parents and carers.
The Parent Resource Pack (PDF, 891.8 KB) is available now for download. Parents will arrange a meeting with their child’s school to discuss the support plan in place for their child so it can be jointly agreed and reviewed.
Mindfulness Attention Programme (MAP)
Research shows that forms of anxiety are on the rise. This course aims to help children from 9 to 13 years of age to notice more of what goes on around them and to be able to respond to events, rather than react automatically to them. The course provides an introduction to mindfulness for children. The knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt can be continually used by the children and teachers for the remainder of the school year and beyond and will ultimately focus on coping with stress and anxiety.
MAP is an eight week course for children in years 5 to 8. It is a universal programme; meaning it is designed to support all children, though it has a particular focus on coping with anxiety and stress.
Beating Exam Anxiety Together (B.E.A.T)
This programme is concerned with test or exam anxiety. Recent research into test anxiety has shown that it can present a significant threat to the well-being of students and increase the likelihood of educational underachievement.
(see: Cassady and Johnson, 2002; Chapell, et al., 2005; Hembree, 1988; and Putwain et al, 2014).
Furthermore, it seems that this form of anxiety is on the rise - possibly linked to the greater importance placed on exam outcomes. It is estimated that between 10 to 40% of all students experience from various levels of test anxiety. (Gregor, 2005).
Beating Exam Anxiety Together is a six week course aimed at groups of students who need help combating the stress and worry around tests and exams with the ideal group size being 6 to 10 students.
Sound Progress
Sound Progress is a programme for teaching phonemic skills for all children, particularly in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 but also compatible with Key Stage 3 literacy units. It is a way of achieving high levels of accuracy and fluency through distributed practise. This is particularly valuable for pupils who have long-term persistent difficulties learning literacy (Dyslexia).
Sound Progress is an online precision teaching programme to help support children's literacy and phonological skills.
To order the programme please complete the order form below, alternatively if you have any queries please contact educationalpsychology@kent.gov.uk.
Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)
Video Interaction Guidance is a technique for improving communication in situations where it naturally occurs. It works by building on each individual's unique style by concentrating on what is effective.
Taking and viewing video clips of interaction is the basis of the technique. No video is taken or used without fully informed consent.
The approach uses strict protocols related to video ownership and all use of video.
Download the VIG consent form (PDF, 28.8 KB)
VIG works by:
- raising self-awareness and reflection
- increasing attuned responses to others
- activating clients to solve their own problems
- retraining perceptions
- reducing stress and increasing self-confidence
- achieving collaborative relationships
- work always begins from where a person is and moves forward at the pace best suited to the individual
- interactions are studied in a detailed way by looking at them in the situation where change is sought
- the collaborative way of working means you will get the chance to reflect, discuss and extend your skills
- control of the use of video remains with the client and your permission to record, view and save material is a prerequisite to any video use.
All VIG practitioners take part in intensive regular supervision both in training and as part of ongoing support and validation of the work we do.
Psychologists working for Kent Educational Psychology Service follow national professional guidance on ethical practice.
Other interventions
Educational Psychologists use a range of interventions and these include:
- School and Setting Based Reviews
- Supervision for staff
- Coaching for staff
- Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Children and Young People
- Sandwell Wellbeing Charter Mark Project.
Feedback from teachers and parents
"Too many people say 'try this, try that' but this helps you see things that work"
"Unique opportunity to observe (my) methods, interaction and results"
"Something you can see for yourself, what you are doing. It makes a lot of difference"