L.A.'s Psychologists Aim To Prevent School Violence
While job openings for industrial and organizational psychologists nationwide continue to unfurl in abundant demand, employment opportunities for school psychologists are also growing. This is due to heightened awareness of the unyielding connection between mental health and learning.
"It is widely known that the mental health needs of students can present a significant barrier to learning, and additional attention has brought on the need to support the overall well-being of students," said Jennifer Twyford, an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Psychology at California Lutheran University. "Schools and support personnel, like psychologists, desire to provide increasing amounts of programs, [including] early identification screening, assessment, therapy, consultation with teachers and caregivers and non-intrusive interventions delivered in the classroom."
What is prompting the need for mental health services in schools?
"Nationally, we are seeing more incidents of targeted violence in schools, and Los Angeles is committed to preventing these types of incidents. Supporting the mental health of students is a critical step in the prevention process."
How is a psychologist's role changing?
"In psychology, there is an increasing trend toward integrative healthcare. By 2022, I expect psychologists will be seen as critical members of multidisciplinary health care teams, where both physical and mental health are treated concurrently."
What is the best way for psychologists to prepare for sound careers?
"I encourage psychologists to find a doctoral program that will provide strong generalist training with depth and breadth in various facets of the field. This will provide them with a wider and more marketable skill set, which broadens their competency, scope of their work and career opportunities."
What is your message to psychologists?
"I advise aspiring psychologists to invest in a doctoral-level training program that is accredited by the American Psychological Association. This will teach them how to become critical consumers of research and allow for more career and training pathways. They should also invest in having a relationship with a mentor, specifically someone who can aid them in networking, supervision, and provide the guidance and consultation needed at various stages in their training, as well as support their career objectives."
Sharon Raiford Bush is an award-winning journalist who covers topics of social interest in greater Los Angeles. Some news articles she has authored have been archived by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Sharon also contributes to Examiner.com.
