School psychologists
Copperas Cove Independent School District has six licensed specialists in school psychology. From left, Tabitha Gillum, Sharon Dacus, John Wyckoff, Sharon Cutbirth, Ashley Wyatt and Sharon Smith discuss student needs and organizational growth at a meeting at the administration complex on Wednesday during National School Psychology Awareness Week.
Posted: Sunday, November 16, 2014 4:30 am
Killeen Daily Herald
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Posted on Nov 16, 2014
COPPERAS COVE — School shootings are at an all-time high across the country, and teen suicide continues to rise.
In Texas, more than 25 percent of surveyed adolescents reported negative emotional states within the previous 12 months. In a February survey, 13 percent of high school students in Texas demonstrated conduct/oppositional defiant disorder and 11 percent were diagnosed with depression. The two diagnoses were the most common among children receiving services from Texas Department of State Health Services Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division.
Copperas Cove Independent School District has six licensed specialists in school psychology who are required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and many have master’s and doctoral degrees.
Tabitha Gillum conducts psychological evaluations on various campuses in the district.
“I work closely each day with fellow LSSPs, teachers, administrators, speech therapists, and related and instructional services providers,” Gillum said. “There is a world of difference between a child who feels successful and a child who feels as if they cannot or will not ever succeed with learning new concepts at school.”
The Texas Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System established a baseline of adolescent needs for mental health services for students in ninth through 12 grades in 2013. The sample survey indicated 28.3 percent of Texas high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for a two-week period, similar to the national level.
More female students, 36.8 percent, reported these feelings than males at 20.2 percent. Additionally, 16.1 percent of teens had suicidal thoughts with 15.1 percent actually planning the act. Suicidal thoughts were again slightly higher among female students than males.
Finally, just over 10 percent of teens reported attempting suicide in the past year with 3.5 percent of teens requiring medical intervention. Based on the survey, race, ethnicity and grade level did not impact the number of students reporting negative feelings.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 3,009 specialists worked in school psychology in 2013. The psychologists play a large role in connecting with students and supporting them through emotional challenges.
Nationally, the ratio of students to school psychologists was 1,383 to 1. The recommendation from the National Association of School Psychologists is 1,000 to 1. In Texas, the ratio was 2,203 to 1 in 2009-2010, the most recent information available.
Ashley Wyatt is new to the profession and is one of Copperas Cove ISD’s psychologists filling the shortage. Wyatt is completing her first year of internship and will graduate from Baylor University next year.
“I work with students, schools and families to help create a beneficial educational experience for each student,” Wyatt said. “It is very rewarding to see students find and build upon new-found success at school.”
John Wyckoff has worked in the field of school psychology for more than four decades. He has 34 years of experience in Kansas schools and is now in his eighth year in Texas. He currently supports parents and students at Copperas Cove Junior High.
“Helping determine why a student is having difficulty in school and working with the student, the student’s parents, and school staff in developing strategies that will allow the student to be more successful is what makes the job worthwhile,” he said.
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