Psychologists in Schools Association (PISA)
PISA strives to increase awareness and knowledge on our essential role within the Nova Scotia public school system. As mental health specialists working in schools, we hold a unique skill set that supports both students, educators, families and communities through knowledge on social-emotional development, learning, and optimal brain health.
We provide support, insight, and advocacy for our students from the time they begin transitioning into our schools until the moment they transition out into our communities. We sit alongside our educational colleagues as members of the support teams within our schools. We provide professional development on a variety of topics within the field of development, neuropsychology, behaviour, trauma, and mental health for students, educational assistants, school support staff, and fellow educators. We are part of the teams that respond when tragedies occur in our communities. We provide consultation and supports for behaviours that have overwhelmed classroom management. We help students, parents/guardians, and educators understand why learning in a particular way is challenging and how to use strengths to make connections. We research new approaches to supporting learning that are evidence-based and can improve the quality of education for our students. We advocate for courageous and inclusive schools that offer culturally responsive learning so all our students have the opportunity to build relationships at school. We know how important the mental health and wellbeing of students and staff are and we advocate for the supports needed in our schools by adding our voices to committees and policy development both within the education system and our communities at large. Our role is multi-facetted because we are educational specialists who do provide much more than the implementation of standardized assessment tools and therefore, our role should not be quantified by how many names appear on a wait-list for a service that should only occur when all other supports and interventions have been exhausted.