Help-seeking processes related to targeted school-based mental health services: systematic review.

BACKGROUND: One in seven adolescents globally are affected by mental health conditions, yet only a minority receive professional help. School-based mental health services have been endorsed as an effective way to increase access to mental health support for people at risk, or currently presenting with mental health conditions, throughout adolescence. Despite this, low treatment utilisation prevails, therefore the aim of this review is to contribute insights into the processes related to adolescents' accessing and engaging with essential targeted mental health support within schools. METHODS: This systematic review extracted qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods data to determine what processes affect adolescents seeking help from targeted school-based mental health services (TSMS). Searches were conducted in EMBASE, Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, Web of Science, in addition to manual searching and expert consultations. Data were synthesised following guidelines for thematic synthesis and narrative style synthesis. RESULTS: The search resulted in 22 articles reflecting 16 studies with participant sample sizes ranging from n = 7 to n = 122. Three main themes were identified: 'access-related factors', 'concerns related to stigma', and 'the school setting'. These findings elucidate how help-seeking processes are variable and can be facilitated or hindered depending on the circumstance. We identified disparities with certain groups, such as those from low-socio economic or ethnic minority backgrounds, facing more acute challenges in seeking help. Help-seeking behaviours were notably influenced by concerns related to peers; an influence further accentuated by minority groups given the importance of social recognition. Conflicting academic schedules significantly contribute to characterising treatment barriers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review ought to guide the delivery and development of TSMS to facilitate access and promote help-seeking behaviours. Particularly, given the evidence gaps identified in the field, future studies should prioritise investigating TSMS in low- and middle-income settings and through quantitative methodologies. REGISTRATION: The protocol for this systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (ID CRD42023406824).

Effectiveness of a school-based Life Gatekeeper Training Program on suicide prevention in China: protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: With suicide as a leading cause of death, the issue of children and adolescent suicide risks is in the spotlight today. To empower teachers in primary and secondary schools to serve as gatekeepers and to ensure the safety of children and adolescents, the systematically tailored and localized Life Gatekeeper suicide prevention program was designed for Chinese schools. OBJECTIVE: With the ultimate goal of preventing child and adolescent suicide, we aim to outline a research protocol for examining outcomes of the recently created standardized school-based Life Gatekeeper program in reducing teachers' stigma, increasing their knowledge, willingness to intervene, and perceived competence. METHODS: Participants will be recruited from eligible primary and secondary schools. Cluster sampling will be used to randomly assign each school to either the intervention group or the control group. The primary outcomes are stigma against suicide, suicide literacy, perceived competence, and willingness to intervene with suicidal individuals, which will be measured using the Stigma of Suicide Scale, the Literacy of Suicide Scale, and the Willingness to Intervene Against Suicide Questionnaire, respectively. Measurements will be taken at four time points, including pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention, 6-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The current study features innovative implementation in the real world, by using a randomized controlled trial design to examine the effectiveness of a school-based gatekeeper program among primary and secondary school teachers, following a sequence of defined and refined steps. The research will also investigate the viability of a school-based gatekeeper program for primary and secondary school teachers that could be quickly and inexpensively implemented in a large number of schools.

Narrative Play-Promoting Adolescent Health With Interactive Games.

This Arts and Medicine feature discusses INSPIRE, a digital health game designed to foster adolescent health behavior change.

Adolescent school-based mental health screening: a best practice implementation project.

INTRODUCTION: More than one in ten people globally live with a mental health illness. Adolescent mental health is a major contributor to that statistic, as 27% of adolescents have one or more mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems. School-based health care clinics can provide mental health services for this age group. OBJECTIVES: This project aimed to promote evidence-based practices regarding adolescent mental health screening in schools. METHODS: This project used the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework to promote evidence-based practices for adolescent mental health screening in schools. The JBI framework is grounded in an audit and feedback process, along with a structured approach to identifying and managing barriers to compliance with best practices. Five audit criteria representing best practice recommendations were developed. A baseline audit was conducted, followed by the implementation of an improvement strategy. The project was finalized with a follow-up audit to determine any changes in compliance with best practice recommendations. RESULTS: The baseline survey of students revealed a 25% average compliance for audit criteria 1 and 2. The primary barrier to compliance was students' unawareness of the availability of mental health services. The improvement strategy included an educational presentation for students regarding mental health. The follow-up audit revealed an increase in compliance with best practices. CONCLUSIONS: The project achieved a 29% increase in compliance with best practices, although only 23% of the students were reached via the improvement strategy. SPANISH ABSTRACT: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A189.

Current challenges in school-based health center care: COVID, mental health care, immigrant youth, expansion of telemedicine.

School based health centers (SBHCs) have been providing preventive, acute and chronic care in schools across the United States (US) for the past 40 years. A discussion of that care is provided in a companion article to this one. Several major societal issues of the 2020s, affecting the care provided in SBHCs, have taken place over the past 4 years. These issues, which will be discussed in this article, include the following: 1. The COVID pandemic had a major impact on utilization and services required at SBHCs, both at the peak of the pandemic, when schools were closed and since the peak of the pandemic, when schools reopened. 2. The transformation of mental health services, due both to increasing mental health needs of youth, as well as progression to new therapeutic modalities, has required expansion of services provided at SBHCs. 3. New immigrant health care needs and services have required a response by SBHCs to the substantial increase of new immigrants, most of whom are impacted by significant trauma, entering public schools nationally. 4. Telehealth integration into SBHC medical and mental health services, and its expansion to incorporate new technologies, have provided avenues for increased provision of services by SBHCs.

Delivering Medicaid Mental Health Services and Supports in Schools: Current Landscape and Opportunities to Expand.

BACKGROUND: Medicaid is a key policy lever for expanding access to mental health services and supports for children in schools, especially low-income and minority children. This study examines how Medicaid finances mental health promotion and prevention (tier 1), screening and selected interventions (tier 2), and treatment (tier 3) in schools, informing policy recommendations to expand school mental health. METHODS: Seventeen key informant interviews were conducted virtually from March to October 2022 with research, practice, and policy leaders in school mental health and Medicaid. Interview transcripts were thematically coded to inform recommendations. RESULTS: Interview themes included that Medicaid is a key funder of mental health services, primarily in tier 3, and that braiding and blending funds is necessary to support services across all tiers in schools. Interviewees underscored the need to expand tier 2 in schools, to expand and diversify the behavioral health workforce (including via non-licensed providers, aligning school-employed provider licensure and billing requirements and building school-community referral relationships), strengthen teaming structures (including state children's cabinets, student case management, and education/Medicaid agency coordination), and leverage technical assistance and training to speed up adoption of new policies (including via guidance and templates that facilitate billing for school health services). CONCLUSIONS: Policymakers, practitioners, and advocates can use these findings to identify policies and strategies to expand school mental health and reduce inequities.

Engaging Black youth in depression and suicide prevention treatment within urban schools: study protocol for a randomized controlled pilot.

BACKGROUND: Depression continues to be an ongoing threat to adolescent well-being with Black adolescents being particularly vulnerable to greater burdens of depression as well as lower mental health service utilization. Black adolescents are likely to have untreated depression due to social network influences, varied perceptions of services and providers, or self-stigma associated with experiencing depressive symptoms. Furthermore, if or when treatment is initiated, low engagement and early termination are common. To address this gap, a trial is being conducted to preliminarily test the effectiveness of an engagement intervention targeting Black adolescents with depression in school mental health services in New York City. METHODS: A total of 60 Black middle and high school adolescents displaying depressive symptoms are equally randomized (based on school site) to the treatment arms. Both trial arms deliver Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Adolescents (IPT-A), a time-limited, evidence-based treatment for depression. Additionally, one arm pairs IPT-A with a brief, multi-level engagement intervention, the Making Connections Intervention (MCI), involving adolescents, caregivers, and clinicians. Outcomes of interest are group differences in depression and suicide ideation, adolescent and caregiver engagement, and mental health service use. DISCUSSION: This trial will serve as an efficacy assessment of the MCI among a sample of Black adolescent students with depressive symptoms. Clinical and implementation results will be used to inform future research to further test the MCI intervention in a larger sample. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered by ClinicalTrials.gov on May 3, 2019, identifier: NCT03940508.

School-Based Tele-Behavioral Health: A Scoping Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth utilization exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, including within school-based health programs. School-based tele-behavioral health can help programs overcome barriers of access to care, but the current state and effectiveness of such programs are unknown. METHODS: A scoping literature review was conducted. Studies were included if they described in-school behavioral health services delivered via telehealth for children ages 5 to 18. From the included studies, population, location, setting, intervention, telehealth modality, clinician type, and outcomes assessed were extracted. FINDINGS: Eighteen studies met inclusion criteria. All described psychotherapy or medication management delivered by psychologists (n = 7) and/or psychiatrists (n = 11). Treatment included psychotherapy (N = 8), psychiatric consultation (N = 7), medication management (N = 4), crisis stabilization (N = 1), and caregiver education (N = 1). Eight studies provide qualitative or quantitative outcomes, with 4 examining clinical effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Despite limited findings in the literature, school-based tele-behavioral health is feasible, effective, and acceptable for delivery of behavioral health care to children and adolescents.

The relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The sample included 2617 adolescents who were enrolled in eighth grade in a large urban school district in the United States, were enrolled in Medicaid during eighth grade, and had a mental health diagnosis. Psychiatric hospitalization, school enrollment, school absences, out-of-school suspensions, school dropouts, and school exits for negative reasons were examined as mental health and educational outcomes. Compared with adolescents who used school mental health services for 2 years following eighth grade, adolescents who did not use school mental health service during the high school years had a significantly lower annual number of days enrolled in school and higher rates of exiting school for negative reasons such as school dropout and long-term hospitalization. Our findings support the positive role of school mental health care delivery in high schools in preventing negative educational outcomes for adolescents with psychiatric disorder.

School-Based Mental Health Service Utilization Through the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.

BACKGROUND: We examined trends in mental health service utilization before, during, and in the immediate return to in-person learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Retrospective chart review was assessed for changes in odds of any visit being a mental health encounter from five school-based health centers from the 2018-2019 to the 2021-2022 school years. Data are limited to the in-person school year from mid-August to early June. RESULTS: Data were assessed from 1239 students seen through 2256 visits over the 4 school years (Mage = 12.93). The odds of any visit being related to a mental health encounter increased each school year, with the 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 school years having significant increases in odds (both compared to the first and to the antecedent school year). In addition, during the 2019 to 2020 and 2020 to 2021 school years, the odds of a repeated mental health encounter significantly increased from year to year. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate a steadily increasing number of mental health service utilization needs among adolescent students that was significantly exponentiated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Generating Actionable Evidence for School-Based Mental Health Service Delivery: Public-Academic Partnership Based Evaluations.

Public-academic partnership-based program evaluations can generate actionable evidence for policymaking, program design and implementation in improving school-based mental health service delivery. The University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health and public behavioral health care agencies in Philadelphia in the United States have evaluated Philadelphia's school mental health programs reimbursable through Medicaid billing since 2008. The variety of evaluations include (1) examining acute mental health service use of children receiving school-based mental health care and Medicaid expenditure, (2) examining children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors to measure school mental health providers' performance, and (3) examining effects of different types of school mental health programs on children's behavioral health functioning, school outcomes, and other out-of-school service use. This paper reports key findings of these evaluations, discusses how programs have been refined based on evaluation results, and shares lessons learned for successful public-academic partnership-based evaluations to promote use of actionable evidence.

The Association Between Resiliency Factors and Suicide Indicators Among American Indian/Alaska Native Middle School Students in New Mexico: A Strength-Based Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a leading cause of death among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) young people aged 10-19 years in the United States, but data collection and reporting in this population are lacking. We examined results of an oversample project in New Mexico to determine the association between resiliency factors and suicide-related behaviors among AI/AN middle school students. METHODS: We conducted analyses using data from the 2019 New Mexico Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey for students in grades 6 through 8. An oversampling method was used to increase the sample size of AI/AN students. We used logistic regression to determine the association between resiliency factors and suicide indicators among AI/AN students, stratified by sex. RESULTS: Among female AI/AN students, community support had the strongest protective effect against having seriously thought about suicide (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.23; 95% CI, 0.14-0.38), while family support was significantly associated with the lowest odds of having made a suicide plan (aOR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.08-0.28) and having attempted suicide (aOR = 0.21; 95% CI, 0.13-0.34) (P < .001 for all). Among male AI/AN students, school support had the strongest protective effect against all 3 outcomes: seriously thought about suicide (aOR = 0.34; 95% CI, 0.19-0.62; P < .001), having made a suicide plan (aOR = 0.19; 95% CI, 0.09-0.39; P < .001), and having attempted suicide (aOR = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.12-0.65; P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Oversampling AI/AN young people can help accurately quantify and understand health risk behaviors and strengths of this population, leading to improved health and wellness. Family, community, and school-based support should be considered in interventions geared toward suicide prevention among AI/AN young people.

Exploring adolescents' perspectives on and experiences with post-primary school-based suicide prevention: a meta-ethnography protocol.

BACKGROUND: Globally, suicide is the fourth leading cause of adolescent mortality. Although post-primary school-based suicide prevention (PSSP) interventions are an evidence-based strategy for targeting adolescent suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), PSSP effectiveness does not easily translate to school settings. Adolescents' perspectives on PSSP are particularly important for (1) intervention effectiveness and implementation in both research and practice, (2) addressing PSSP evidence-practice gaps, and (3) enhancing meaningful adolescent involvement in PSSP, yet there is a gap in understanding adolescents' experiences of engaging with PSSP. As such, this protocol outlines a meta-ethnography which will explore and synthesize adolescents' perspectives on engaging with PSSP interventions, as participants/end-users, intervention advisors, facilitators, and co-designers and co-researchers. METHODS: The meta-ethnography protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) guidelines. The protocol was guided by the seven-stage process for meta-ethnography proposed by Noblit and Hare. Searches of PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, CINAHL, ERIC, Scopus, and study reference lists will identify peer-reviewed studies. Gray literature will be identified by searches in ProQuest, British Library EThOS, and DART-Europe E-theses Portal. The main reviewer will initially assess the eligibility of studies based on title and abstract, with full texts reviewed by at least two reviewers. Findings of the included studies will be synthesized in line with Noblit and Hare's stages and evaluated using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist. DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this is the first proposed meta-ethnography to explore and integrate the findings of qualitative studies exploring adolescents' perspectives on engaging with PSSP interventions. Understanding adolescents' experiences of engaging with PSSP will impact the field of PSSP in several ways by (1) enhancing research processes and intervention effectiveness and implementation, (2) informing decision-making and policymaking relevant to practice, (3) guiding meaningful adolescent involvement in PSSP, and (4) contributing to knowledge on the safety implications of engaging adolescents in PSSP. Finally, it is expected that the insights from this meta-ethnography will be widely applicable, given the growing demand for meaningful youth involvement in health-related fields. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42022319424.

Streamlined pediatric anxiety program for school mental health services.

There needs to be serious transformation of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) into real-world solutions; otherwise, EBIs will never achieve the intended public health impact. In a randomized trial, we reported effects of a redesigned anxiety program. Herein, we described the redesign process that led to the program. Survey data revealed provider preferences for school mental health anxiety services. Focus groups and prototype feedback sessions revealed service barriers to uptake, implementation, and sustainability along with corresponding enabling strategies. Prototype feedback sessions also focused on refinement and fine-tuning of the redesign. In the end, traditional EBI strategies were transformed and packaged into six lessons, lasting 20-30 minutes each, and amenable to delivery in small-group format. The redesign achieved the intended purpose of retaining elements from cognitive and behavior therapy and social skills training for the target population of the intervention (e.g., 3rd to 5th graders with heterogeneous anxiety problems - identified and referred). The streamlined EBI is accessible from PBS LearningMedia™ - a service that hosts public, research-based, and school-ready materials.

Stakeholder perspectives on the advantages and challenges of expanded school mental health services for publically-insured youth.

Although partnerships between community-based mental health (MH) organizations and school systems to deliver MH services on school grounds (i.e., expanded school mental health, ESMH services) are growing, qualitative research is needed about stakeholders' perspectives on ESMH services. This study collected qualitative data from caregivers, MH providers, and MH administrators recruited from three MH organizations to understand their perspectives regarding potential advantages and challenges associated with ESMH services. The three MH organizations were located in three regions of Georgia and the majority of youth served by the organizations were enrolled in Medicaid. We conducted four focus groups with 33 caregivers and 13 semistructured interviews with MH administrators and providers, and we implemented a thematic content analysis. Caregivers, providers, and MH administrators described how ESMH services could improve MH services by (a) facilitating appointment attendance through the reduction of logistical barriers to care (including geographic barriers, missed class time, and missed work time) and (b) enhancing communication between providers and teachers. However, some participants also described logistical issues with ESMH services including school space constraints and challenges scheduling appointments. In addition, some caregivers expressed concerns about peer stigma if MH services are delivered at school (vs. the clinic). Providers and MH administrators discussed problems with low caregiver engagement and challenges collaborating with school personnel that stem from lack of understanding of MH problems and treatment. Although ESMH services can improve MH treatment among low-income youth, MH providers and MH administrators may consider collaborating with school personnel to proactively develop strategies to address challenges to its success. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

A expressão da subjetividade na atuação em psicologia escolar / The expression of subjectivity in the school psychologist's performance / La expresión de la subjetividad en el desempeño en psicología escolar

Este artigo objetiva analisar como a constituição subjetiva do psicólogo se expressa em sua atuação no contexto escolar. A Teoria da Subjetividade, numa perspectiva cultural-histórica, e os princípios da Epistemologia Qualitativa foram utilizados no processo de construção interpretativa das informações. A pesquisa qualitativa foi realizada com uma psicóloga escolar em uma escola da rede pública de ensino de uma cidade de grande porte da região Centro-Oeste do país. Foram utilizados sistemas conversacionais e instrumentos apoiados em indutores escritos e indutores não escritos e realizados momentos informais e observações. Concluímos que a atuação profissional é marcada por produções subjetivas geradas em diferentes áreas da vida que se expressam no cotidiano escolar, muitas vezes, assumindo preponderância em relação às diretrizes políticas e pedagógicas dessa atuação. Essa constatação aponta para a necessidade de repensar a formação do psicólogo escolar por meio da criação de espaços reflexivos sobre a prática profissional e sobre o próprio psicólogo, para que haja um equilíbrio entre a subjetividade, os saberes e os fazeres da profissão.(AU)

This article aims to analyze how the subjective constitution of the psychologist is expressed in his performance in the school context. The Theory of Subjectivity, in a cultural-historical perspective, and the principles of Qualitative Epistemology were used in the process of interpretive construction of information. The qualitative research was carried out with a school psychologist at a public school in a large city in the Midwest region of the country. Conversational systems and instruments supported by written and unwritten inducers were used and informal moments and observations were carried out. We conclude that professional performance is marked by subjective productions generated in different areas of life that are expressed in school daily life often assuming preponderance to the political and pedagogical guidelines of this performance. This finding points to the need to rethink the training of the school psychologist by creating reflective spaces about professional practice and about the psychologists themselves, so that there is a balance between subjectivity, knowledge, and practice in the profession.(AU)

Este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar cómo se expresa la constitución subjetiva del psicólogo en su desempeño en el contexto escolar. La Teoría de la Subjetividad, desde una perspectiva histórico-cultural, y los principios de la Epistemología Cualitativa se utilizaron en el proceso de construcción interpretativa de la información. La investigación cualitativa se llevó a cabo con un psicólogo escolar en una escuela pública de una gran ciudad de la región Centro-Oeste de Brasil. Se utilizaron sistemas conversacionales e instrumentos apoyados en inductores escritos y no escritos, realizados en momentos informales y observaciones. Se concluye que el desempeño profesional estuvo marcado por producciones subjetivas generadas en diferentes ámbitos de la vida y que se expresan en la cotidianidad escolar, asumiendo muchas veces preponderancia con relación a los lineamientos políticos y pedagógicos de este desempeño. Este hallazgo apunta a la necesidad de repensar la formación del psicólogo escolar mediante la creación de espacios de reflexión sobre la práctica profesional y sobre uno mismo, para que se establezca un equilibrio entre subjetividad, conocimiento y práctica en la profesión.(AU)

Psicólogas(os) no sistema educacional de Boa Vista/Roraima: concepções, práticas e desafios / Psychologists in the educational system of Boa Vista/Roraima: conceptions, practices and challenges / Psicólogas(os) en el sistema educativo de Boa Vista/Roraima: concepciones, prácticas y retos

O objeto de estudo deste trabalho é a atuação de psicólogas(os) no campo da educação básica. Tivemos como objetivo investigar as práticas de atuação e os desafios enfrentados pelas(os) psicólogas(os) que trabalham na educação em Boa Vista (RR), com intuito de conhecer a inserção desses profissionais no sistema educacional. Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa, orientada pelo referencial teórico-metodológico da Psicologia Escolar Crítica. Realizamos o processo de levantamento dos dados entre os meses de março e abril de 2018, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, audiogravadas e transcritas. Encontramos 21 psicólogas e um psicólogo trabalhando em instituições educacionais e de ensino na cidade; a maioria atuava na educação básica; metade dos entrevistados ingressou por concurso público e a outra metade era contratada e comissionada; poucos(as) foram contratados(as) como psicólogos(as) escolares. Para a análise, selecionamos dez psicólogas(os) com mais tempo no cargo. Quanto às práticas de atuação, identificamos que 60% atuavam na modalidade clínica e 40% na modalidade clínica e institucional. Como desafios, encontramos melhoria das condições de trabalho; estabelecimento de relações hierárquicas e a dificuldade de fazer compreender as especificidades desse campo de trabalho; necessidade na melhoria das condições para formação continuada; atuação da(o) psicóloga(o) escolar enquanto ação institucional. Diante do exposto, compreendemos ser necessária uma mudança de paradigma na atuação das(os) psicólogas(os) que trabalham na educação na região, e a apropriação das discussões da área, principalmente, aquelas apresentadas pela Psicologia Escolar Crítica, vez que esta contribui para uma atuação que leve em conta os determinantes sociais, políticos, culturais e pedagógicos que constituem o processo de escolarização.(AU)

This work has as object of study the role of psychologists in the field of Basic Education. We aimed to investigate practices and challenges faced by psychologists who work in education in Boa Vista/RR, to know the insertion of these professionals in the educational system. This is a qualitative research, guided by the theoretical-methodological framework of Critical School Psychology. The data collection process was carried out between March and April 2018, with semi-structured, audio-recorded, and transcribed interviews. We found 21 female psychologists and one male psychologist working in educational institutions in the municipality; most worked in Basic Education; half of the interviewees had applied to work as government employee and the other half were hired and commissioned; few were hired as school psychologists. To carry out the analysis, we selected ten psychologists with more time in the position. Regarding the practices, we have identified that 60% worked in the clinical modality and 40% in the clinical and institutional modality. As challenges, we find the improvement in working conditions; the establishment of hierarchical relationships and the difficulty of making the specificities of this field of work understood; the need to improve conditions for continuing education; the practice of the school psychologist as institutional action. In view of the above, we understand that a paradigm shift in the performance of psychologists working in education in that region is necessary, and the appropriation of discussions in the area, especially those presented by Critical School Psychology, contributes to an action that considers social, political, cultural, and pedagogical determinants that constitute the schooling process.(AU)

Este trabajo tiene como objeto de estudio la actuación profesional de las(os) psicólogas(os) en la educación básica. Su objetivo es investigar las prácticas y retos que enfrentan las(os) psicólogas(os) que trabajan en la educación en Boa Vista, en Roraima (Brasil), con la intención de conocer la inserción de estos profesionales en el sistema educativo. Esta es una investigación cualitativa que se guía por el marco teórico-metodológico de la Psicología Escolar Crítica. Se recopilaron los datos entre los meses de marzo y abril de 2018, mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas, grabadas en audio y después transcritas. Las 21 psicólogas y un psicólogo trabajan en instituciones educativas de la ciudad; la mayoría trabajaba en la educación básica; la mitad de los entrevistados ingresaron mediante concurso público y la otra mitad era contratada y de puesto comisionado; pocos fueron contratados como psicólogos escolares. Para el análisis, se seleccionaron diez psicólogas(os) con más tiempo en el cargo. Con respecto a las prácticas, el 60% trabajaba en la modalidad clínica; y el 40%, en la modalidad clínica e institucional. Los retos son mejora de las condiciones laborales; establecimiento de relaciones jerárquicas y dificultad para comprender las especificidades de este campo de trabajo; necesidad de mejorar las condiciones para la educación continua; y actuación dela (del) psicóloga(o) escolar como acción institucional. En vista de lo anterior, es necesario el cambio de paradigma en la práctica profesional de las(os) psicólogas(os) que trabajan en la educación de la región y la apropiación de las discusiones del área, especialmente las presentadas por la Psicología Escolar Crítica, que contribuye a una acción que tiene en cuenta los determinantes sociales, políticos, culturales y pedagógicos que constituyen el proceso de escolarización.(AU)