“If you’re interested in psychology, you want to work with children and young people, but you don’t want to become a teacher, then Education Psychology might be of interest to you!”
Tracey Underwood is an Educational Psychologist at Warwickshire County Council (WCC) working with children and young people from birth through to 25 years of age. She also works with families and schools on a variety of issues including supporting children with learning difficulties or communication needs, and meeting the needs of young people who are finding it difficult to manage their emotions and mental health.
Tracey said: “My role is about taking a ‘whole child view’ and finding out what’s really happening at school and at home, then using my expertise in applying psychology and what is mostly likely to work for the child, and implement actions that best meet their social, emotional and mental health needs.”
Sometimes the interventions that Tracey makes are little things that, for that child, make a big difference. Tracey added: “Being part of the school netball club transformed a violent and withdrawn child who had had a number of school exclusions, for a variety of reasons, including experiencing domestic violence. The club helped him make friends with his peers, who were previously scared of him, and he felt better about himself too. By working with the school, and his mum and her new partner, we put in place actions to better support him at school and at home.”
“Another example is a transition plan for a newly arrived ‘child looked after’ – this is a child who has been in care and has moved to a new school and new carer. The girl had a low trust of adults and had suffered much loss and grief in her life. I worked with the school and her new carer so that they have a good understanding of her needs including ‘trauma informed attachment’ and worked with the girl directly.”
Educational Psychologists at WCC support schools to develop their behaviour policies or Special Educations Needs policies and audits and identify the gaps in the schools’ knowledge and run training to on topics including autism, gang exploitation and foetal alcohol syndrome.
Tracey said: “What I love most about my job is the variety. I can be working with a pre-schooler in the morning then a teenager in the afternoon; it’s about putting children at the centre of decisions.
Tracey heard about Education Psychology after being told about it by a school careers advisor but that it was hard to get into because of the doctorate qualification required. Tracey added: “That made me determined to succeed. And 19 years later I’m now a Principal Educational Psychologist and still as passionate as ever, working in a great team and making a difference every day.”
Being responsible for the diverse needs of the county means there are a variety of opportunities for everyone. Learn more about working for Warwickshire and view current vacancies.