Towards a New Model in Political Psychology for School Psychologists

Abstract

This paper rests on the assumption that it is less the quality and level of service delivery than the status of a professional organization which is in direct relationship to the power which it accumulates through affiliation with central political systems. In Israel, the status of school psychology within the organizational structure of the Ministry of Education is relatively weak, and school psychologists have little hope of gaining central political power; thus they are exposed to a present plight which includes curtailing of resources and a constant threat of closing down psychoeducational services. The steps taken by school psychologists to counter these measures by raising professional standards, adopting new advanced techniques of intervention in schools and creating political lobbies seem to be inefficient. Since school psychologists have no political patron to protect their professional interests and resources, it is assumed that the most efficient way they can pursue their profession is to strengthen their local power within the community they serve, and thus to broaden and enhance their sphere of influence from a limited clientele of patients to the larger social structures. The prerequisite for the implementation of this model will be delineated and the implications for political educational psychology will be discussed.