Trainee educational and assistant psychologists

To find out more about the role of an Educational Psychologist and what this career paths involves:

• Interested in a career education psychology
• Funded training in education psychology
• Educational psychologist job profile | BPS

Articles / Blogs / Videos

• What is Valuable and Unique about the Educational Psychologist? – R. Ashton & E. Roberts (2007)
• Educational Psychology: The distinctive contribution – R.J. Cameron (2007)
• Assessment practices of educational psychologists and other educational professionals- C. Atkinson, J. Barrow & S. Norris (2022)
• Educational psychologists’ practice: obtaining and representing young people’s views – I Smillie & M. Newton (2020)
• EP Reach out – Webinars relating to EP practice and research

Podcasts

• Agents of Hope
• Psych Bites
• Conversations about Consultation
• Classroom Psychology
• Emotional Curriculum
• Psychology in the Classroom

Books

• Educational Psychology Casework: A Practice Guide Second Edition- Rick Beaver (2011)
• Critical Educational Psychology (BPS Textbooks in Psychology) - by Antony J. Williams (Editor), Tom Billington (Editor), Dan Goodley (Editor), Tim Corcoran (Editor) (2017)

What some of our most recent trainees had to say about their experience of the programme in Suffolk:

"My experience as a TEP has been fantastic. The supervision has been second to none, and the team are super supportive. As a TEP I have been encouraged to have my own voice and views, and to work alongside colleagues to develop our service offer. I have been able to work on a wide range of projects and I have been encouraged to develop my own areas of interest. Suffolk have also been really supportive of my university workload and made sure I have enough time to complete these." 

"My experience as a trainee educational psychologist in Suffolk was incredibly positive. I was given a varied work portfolio, allowing me to develop a high standard of proficiency in statutory work, such as writing EHCPs, while also experiencing other essential elements of the role. These included helping to deliver NVR training, ELSA training and supervision, and providing a range of services for traded school packages. What I valued most was the fantastic support from my supervisors throughout my two years as a TEP, as well as the carefully planned balance between learning through shadowing and having opportunities to work independently, practising and embedding my skills. From day one, I felt like a valued member of the team, and I was confident in contributing to team meetings as a colleague, rather than just as a student." 

"It’s definitely cliché, but honestly no two days are the same. My favourite type of day includes going into educational settings to work with children, young people, families, and school staff. This can include contributing advice towards Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs), as well as supporting schools more systemically, through consultation and training with school staff. Other regular activities include weekly supervision which has been a great place to reflect on my role, and how to best keep children and young people at the heart of my work. I also really enjoy attending multi-agency solution circles with a wide range of education, health, and social care colleagues."-Connor, August 2024

"A typical day as a Trainee Educational Psychologist in Suffolk would often begin with a meeting with my supervisor to review the day's plan. We would typically discuss a piece of allocated casework and consider how best to approach it, including which assessment tools might be most suitable. I was responsible for contacting schools and parents to arrange visits, though my supervisor was always available to provide support if any challenges arose. On visit days, we often attended schools together. Initially, I shadowed my supervisor, but as my confidence grew, I began to take the lead in conducting visits and assessments. By my third year, I was completing most school visits independently. Afternoons were usually spent reflecting on the visits, reviewing observation and assessment notes, and preparing reports. Some afternoons were dedicated to team meetings, where I gained valuable service updates, enhanced my knowledge, and strengthened my relationships within the team. Other afternoons focused on supervision sessions, where we discussed my reports, highlighted strengths and areas for improvement, and addressed any concerns or areas I wanted to develop further during my placement." -Nicki, October 2024

• From teacher to EP: The metamorphosis – W. Anthony (2007) 
• Blog - Experiences of the EP doctorate training route: live Q&A 
• Frameworks for Practice in Educational Psychology, Second Edition: A Textbook for Trainees and Practitioners - by Lisa Marks Woolfson and James Boyle Barbara Kelly (2017)

What some of our most recent assistants had to say about their experience of the programme in Suffolk:

“It has been fantastic to have this opportunity to be emerged in the educational psychology world and to see what the job actually entails. There’s been so much I have learned that would not have been possible without working so closely with EPs.”

“The role has provided a welcome level of challenge variety for someone at the beginning of their career path. The more creative pieces of work have been some of the best (PATHS) as well as working with CYP, particularly the rare occasions where we get to work with an individual multiple times.”

“This role has been invaluable in terms of desired experience for doctoral training and providing more knowledge on the processes/issues/themes related to EP practice. The support received around applications to the doctorate have been hugely appreciated.”

“The role has provided really insightful experience into the different aspects of the EP role and given knowledge and skills that increased my confidence to apply for the doctorate.”

“I felt incredibly supported along my journey as an AP"

"A day in the life of an assistant psychologist can look very different. We work alongside educational psychologists to support gaining pupil views and finding out about where their areas of strengths and weaknesses are.

Once such method I love to use to explore this with a young person is called Dynamic Assessment. This involves using activities or games to see what a young person can do and what kind of support helps them learn. Whilst it may look like we’re just playing a game together, there are a lot of skills that a young person uses when playing them! Using this information and in conversation with them, we can think about how this links to learning in the classroom and what support will help. This can then help to inform what provision is recommended in the psychological advice. I always enjoy how insightful young people can be about what helps them when you ask them!

As an assistant psychologist, I can also be involved in multi-agency meetings called Solution Circles. These are meetings where school staff can talk about a child in their setting, with professionals from a range of disciplines to brainstorm and problem solve what support could be possible for the child. These are completed virtually, and my role is to share my screen to show a visual recording of what is spoken about. This allows everyone to see what has been said in the moment and helps to keep the meeting focused." - Cassii, August 2024

"As an assistant psychologist, my role involves supporting the work of educational psychologists, including meeting and working with children and young people, their families and their educational settings.

A really important part of the role is to work in a collaborative way, and make sure the child is at the heart (working in a person-centred way). One way I will often support this is using a PATH, or Planning Alternative Tomorrows With Hope. This can mean in a morning the educational psychologist and I will bring together the child and their important people and use a BIG piece of paper to visually record a conversation about how things are going for the child, their dreams for the future, and steps they can take towards this. This information can then help make sure everyone around the child is on the same page about how best to support them, based on the child’s views.

Another important part of the assistant psychologist role involves being in and promoting reflective spaces to help build our practice. So, my afternoon will often include meeting with other assistants, where we bring questions around current pieces of work or broader topics within educational psychology. We will then discuss and support each other with these questions using different discussion methods, guided by an educational psychologist in the team." - Georgia, August 2024

• Blog- Assistants in educational psychology services: who are they and what do they do?
• The Contribution of Assistant Psychologists in the UK – T. Woodley-Hume & K. Woods (2019)