Young person requesting involvement

Who are Educational Psychologists and what do they do?

My parent/carer or teacher has requested Educational Psychologist involvement, what does this mean?

Lots of young people experience challenges. An Educational Psychologist can meet with your parents and/or teachers to consider possibilities to help things change for you. When these challenges don’t seem to be going away, it might be helpful to meet with the Educational Psychologist. They will try to understand the challenges you are facing and together work towards solutions.

I am a young person who wants to talk to an Educational Psychologist, how do I do this?

Although we are happy to hear from a young person directly, it can be helpful if you have the support of your parent/carer or a teacher at school when contacting the service. Educational Psychologists work closely with the Named Person. The Named Person is the Head Teacher for primary aged children and the Guidance teacher or Depute Head Teacher for secondary aged young people.

However, if you want to contact us yourself, then you can either:

Phone 01463 644 400 and you will speak with a clerical assistant who will take your name, date-of-birth, school name (if you are enrolled) and contact details. They will pass this onto the Educational Psychologist for your area who will be in contact.

Alternatively, you can email highlandcouncilpsychologicalservice@highland.gov.uk and this will be forwarded to the Educational Psychologist for your area who will be in contact.

Who are we?	Educational Psychologists are a type of psychologist who is interested in how people develop and learn from childhood to adulthood.
What do we do?	We support the team around you to think about how best to support you. If we meet with you, we will make sure you understand what we are planning and that you are happy to be involved.
Why are we part of your support team?	There are many reasons we get involved but it tends to be when a young person’s emotional wellbeing and/or learning is a concern.
When do we meet?	This will be discussed with you.
Where do we meet?	This will be discussed with you.
How will we meet?	This will be discussed with you. You might prefer to meet online or in person, we can discuss this with you.

If you have a query, you can access an Educational Psychologist through the ‘Just ask’ enquiry line, every Tuesday and Thursday between 1pm and 4pm. The enquiry line is for all Highland children, young people, parents, carers and those who work with them. Call us on 0300 303 1365.