PSYCHOLOGISTS AS SCHOOL COLLABORATORS IN THE ITALIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. A CASE STUDY ON A NORTHERN ITALY DISTRICT

In Italy, educational psychology is recognized as its own branch of psychology by the National Register of Psychologists (CNOP, 2013), however, due to the absence of a national law for the provision of psychological services for schools, the presence of school psychological services (SPS) is not equally widespread. This study aims to advance our knowledge about school psychologists’ activities in the Italian education system. Material & Methods. An online questionnaire was sent to the schools of a Norther Italy district (Provincia di Modena) to gather information about the presence and the main activities of school psychologists. Semi-directive interviews were conducted with seven persons, representative of the school context. Results. Preliminary results reveal that SPS are present in the 83% of schools and that the majority of the SPS are provided by collaborator psychologists. The greatest proportion of psychologists’ work involves consultation with students (57.5%), and intervention with classes (35.6%). The final results will be compared with previous national/international surveys (EFPA, 2001; Jimerson et al., 2007). Conclusion. The practice of school psychology in Italy is shaped by the particular legislative and cultural situation of the psychologists in the Country. The role of school psychologist as school collaborators will be discussed. Word count: 194 References. Consiglio Nazionale dell’Ordine degli Psicologi [CNOP] (2013). Aree di Pratica Professionale degli Psicologi. Retrived from http://www.psy.it/documenti_utili/allegati/aree-pratica-professionale/psicologo_educazione.pdf European Federation of Psychologist Associations [EFPA] (2001). Psychologists in the Educational System in Europe. Report GA London 2001. Retrived from http://www.efpa.be Jimerson, S. R., Oakland, T.D., & Farrell, P. T. (Eds), (2007). The Handbook of International School Psychology. Thousand Oacks, CA: Sage.