Psicólogos escolares em Portugal: perfil e necessidades de formação = School psychologists in Portugal: training profile and educational needs

Tendo por base um inquérito junto a 477 psicólogos escolares de instituições públicas e privadas portuguesas, foram analisados o perfil e as necessidades de formação desse grupo profissional. Os resultados apontam que, a par da formação em áreas diretamente relacionadas com a prática psicológica em contexto escolar, muitos profissionais reportaram ser especializados no domínio da psicologia clínica e da saúde. As necessidades de formação identificadas parecem refletir a natureza dos problemas encontrados na área, como as dificuldades de aprendizagem, a indisciplina, e os problemas de comportamento. Tais necessidades parecem ainda apontar as principais áreas de intervenção desses profissionais, atinentes a necessidades educativas especiais, avaliação e consulta psicológica, e orientação vocacional. Paralelamente, elas evidenciam o desejo desses profissionais em expandir seu campo de atuação para além dos papéis ditos tradicionais. A partir deste estudo podem ser derivadas implicações tanto para a formação inicial quanto para a formação continuada dos psicólogos escolares

School psychology in Portugal: practitioners’ characteristics and practices

Little empirical evidence is available on the professional characteristics and practices of school psychologists in Portugal. This study surveyed a total of 477 Portuguese school psychologists employed in public (80%) and private schools (20%). Portuguese school psychologists are described with regard to demographic, professional, and educational backgrounds, school settings, roles performed, and main target populations served. Evaluating and counseling regular education students, vocational guidance, and special education-related activities emerged as the most time-consuming professional practices. A professional practice primarily focused on students, mainly from the highest education levels, was also observed. Results are compared with findings of previous surveys and reviewed in the context of the current literature on the school psychologist’s role. Implications for the field are also provided.Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, University of Minho, Braga, PortugalSchool Psychology Program, School of Education, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, US

Group Triple P intervention effects on children and parents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Supporting parents through the delivery of evidence-based parenting interventions (EBPI) is a way of promoting children’s rights, given the known benefits to child development and family wellbeing. Group Triple P (GTP) is an EBPI suitable for parents of children aged 2–12 years, who experience parenting difficulties, and/or child behavior problems. Even though GTP has been intensively studied, information lacks on the magnitude of its effects, considering the risk of bias within and across prior research. To address this, a systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration CRD42019085360) to evaluate the effects of GTP on child and parent outcomes at short- and longer-term was performed. Through a systematic search of a set of databases, 737 research papers were identified, and 11 trials were selected. The risk of bias within and across studies was evaluated. Significant positive effects of GTP were found immediately after the intervention for child behavior problems, dysfunctional parenting practices, parenting sense of competence, psychological adjustment, parental stress levels, conflict, and relationship quality. Six months after the intervention, positive effects were found only for child behavior problems. Data suggest that GTP might be an effective EBPI leading to positive family outcomes. Substantial risk of bias was found, highlighting the importance of improving the quality of research

A study of the ethical dilemmas experienced by school psychologists in Portugal

Published online: 06 Apr 2015This study examines the ethical dilemmas and difficulties encountered by Portuguese school psychologists. As part of a larger survey, participants were asked about ethical issues faced in daily practice and asked to describe ethical incidents. Of the 477 respondents, 274 reported 441 ethically troubling or challenging situations. Responses were coded into a six-category system based on the code of ethics of Portuguese psychologists. Most of the reported dilemmas concerned privacy and confidentiality principles (53%). Results are discussed in light of relevant literature and international findings. Implications for the development of the profession and future research are provided.This research was financially sponsored by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (Doctoral grant, SFRH/BD/78646/2011)