Monica Thielking

Supervision and Satisfaction Among School Psychologists An Empirical Study of Professionals in Victoria, Australia

This study examined the supervision arrangements and job satisfaction among school psychologists in Victoria, Australia. Participation in professional supervision was explored in relation to the type of employment and job satisfaction. The results revealed that the frequency of participation in supervision activities was less than optimal, with many school psychologists reporting that they were unsatisfied with their supervision arrangements. Although school psychologists reported that they were generally satisfied with the nature of activities that make up their role, those in the Government school sector reported less satisfaction relative to those working in Catholic and Independent schools. Overall, more school psychologists working in Catholic schools reported that they participated in supervision than Government and Independent school psychologists. It is notable that many Catholic schools paid for supervision among school psychologists. Implications for practice and scholarship in the field of school psychology are discussed.

The cost of youth homelessness in Australia research briefing

Youth Homelessness remains a significant social issue in Australia. When young people are forced to leave home early, they find it very difficult to gain sufficient income to live independently. Family support is crucial for young people during the transition to an independent adulthood and a sustainable livelihood. When family support is weak or non-existent, young people are much more likely to experience homelessness and long-term disadvantage. Family violence is a major issue and a major driver of young people becoming homeless. Over one third of the homelessness youth surveyed reported that violence in the home had reached the point where police had to called. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the homeless youth surveyed had been placed in some form of out-of-home care by the time that they had turned 18. The experience of homelessness is fraught with insecurity, a lack of safety, exposure to drugs and alcohol, more health and medical issues and the likelihood of greater contact with the criminal justice system. Homeless young people experience a range of health issues to a much greater extent than the general population or other disadvantaged young people, who were unemployed but not homeless. Half of the homeless youth surveyed (53%) reported that they had been diagnosed, at some point in their lives by a medical practitioner, with at least one mental health condition. The incidence of self-injury and attempted suicide is much higher than the general population or other disadvantaged young people. The costs to the Australia economy of health services associated with young people experiencing homelessness is an average of

A new paradigm of youth recovery: Implications for youth mental health service provision: Youth recovery model

8,505 per person per year or

Future Directions in School Psychology in Australia

355 million across all young people aged 15-24 accessing Specialist Homelessness Services. This is

School Psychological Practice with Indigenous Students in Remote Australia

6,744.00 per person per year more than for long-term unemployed youth (another key group of disadvantaged youth). Homeless young people are much more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system than the general population or other disadvantaged young people, who are long-term unemployed but not homeless. The cost to the Australian economy is an average of

Resources for Ethical School Psychological Practice in Australia

9,363 per person per year or 5391 million across all young people aged 15-24 accessing the Specialist Homelessness Service system. This is

School Psychological Practice with Students from Socio-economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds

8,242 per person per year more than for long-term unemployed youth.

The economic case for a more effective response to youth homelessness

Abstract The recovery model and practice orientation is promoted as a central feature of mental health service provision across the English speaking world. Yet the model relies on adult frameworks and its applicability to the youth recovery experience has not been established. The current qualitative study explored the common themes in the recovery experiences of 15 young people aged 18–23-years with severe mental health conditions from the Eastern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne, Australia. The aim of the study was to develop a thematic model of youth recovery utilising the experiences of young people with severe mental illness. These findings are then discussed in relation to common themes found in adult recovery research and in regard to the current understanding of young people and recovery. Qualitative data was inductively coded into a thematic model of youth recovery forming two overarching themes. The first was defined as ecological systems (ES) including three subthemes (personal, systemic, and macro). The second was defined as youth recovery processes drawing narratives from across the ES to form five subthemes (self‐belief and resilience; responsibility and personal agency; identity, awareness and acceptance; connection; and hope and positive expectations). The resulting themes revealed the critical importance of the ecological context in the personal recovery experiences of young people. It is contended that recovery in this stage of the lifespan is best conceptualised within this ecological framework. Implications for youth recovery conceptualisation and mental health service delivery are discussed.

Couch surfing secondary students: the Yarra Ranges youth homelessness prevention project

This chapter provides an overview of some of the key themes presented in the Handbook of Australian School Psychology: Integrating International Research, Practice and Policy, and suggests a number of key recommendations for the Australian education and psychology professions to improve primary and secondary students’ behaviour, learning and mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Recommendations include: • Increasing the visibility of the Australian school psychological profession within the education system • Removing the requirement for school psychologists to have a teaching qualification • Designing school psychology-specific postgraduate training programmes for entry into the school psychology profession • Employing the term ‘school psychologist’ throughout Australia • Advocating for the necessity of school psychologists in schools • Fulfilling the minimum requirement of one full-time school psychologist to 500 students • Forming a working party to collaborate and draw on best-practice evidence to create national guidelines for the assessment of intellectual disabilities and specific learning disorders and to develop national guidelines on the use of evidence-based measures to evaluate improvements in student behaviour, learning; and mental health and wellbeing. • School psychologists playing an active and key role in Australian schools’ application of UNESCO’s four pillars of education in schools, particularly in relation to the third pillar, ‘learning to live together’.

The cost of youth homelessness in Australia study: snapshot report 1

This chapter presents a brief snapshot of Australian Indigenous culture and history and discusses the challenges and opportunities of providing school psychological services in remote Indigenous communities in Australia. It is a unique and rewarding experience to work as a school psychologist in this context. Available research on this topic is limited, and some of the information presented are ‘pearls of wisdom’ gleaned and shared by the three authors’ (Edwards, White and Wright) extensive practical experience as educators and school psychologists working in rural and remote Australia, with Indigenous students and their families. The chapter is specifically intended for psychologists considering working in remote Australia, and who are not Indigenous themselves.