Pupils as Consumers of School Psychological Services

Abstract

This article describes the results of an empirical investigation studying pupils' views of the work of school psychologists in Estonia. In addition, the characteristics and problems of pupils who have sought help from a psychologist are analysed. The answers of 227 ninth and 206 twelfth graders (201 boys and 232 girls) from 21 schools from different parts of Estonia are analysed. There is a psychologist working in 13 of these schools, whilst eight are served from service centres. It was found that the pupils who had visited psychologists (as compared with those who had not) considered themselves to be less successful in school, to have more conflicts with parents and to be more frequently in a bad mood. The work of school psychologists was evaluated positively by the majority of pupils; the evaluations were higher in the ninth grade. The evaluations of the work were positively associated with the time the psychologist worked in school: the work of the psychologists working in school was evaluated at a higher level than the work of those who worked in centres; also, full-time psychologists were given a higher rating. The implications of these findings for the delivery of psychological services are discussed.