School Psychology Service
The School Psychology Service is available in all education regions. It is the point of contact for psychological matters, assists schools as necessary and is available free, and confidentially if wished, to pupils and parents.
The School Psychology Service – the school authority’s psychological advice service
The School Psychology Service is the school authority’s psychological advice service available throughout Austria to pupils, teachers, legal guardians and management in the Austrian school system. There are advice centres in all the education regions. Access to school psychology support services can be organised by the school, or direct by making an appointment with the regional advice centre. In principle the School Psychology Service is always voluntary and free to use.
As part of the school authority, the School Psychology Service also makes expert contributions to design and implementation of school system initiatives and reforms, whether at regional level, in the federal state in question, or at national level.
The school psychology advice centres always employ their own psychologists trained for work in the school sector, but frequently also use other psychosocial support, such as social workers or social pedagogues. They also work closely with school doctors.
The School Psychology Service’s fundamental remit
It is the Board of Education School Psychology Service’s remit to:
- Address the questions and problems of pupils, parents/legal guardians and teaching staff that arise during a school day from a psychological point of view (supporting pupils with learning problems, with behavioural problems, with anxiety about school and examinations, bullying problems and choice of suitable training pathway, for example);
- Collaborate with the Board of Education’s Pedagogical Service, school management and all school partners in continuing development and in overcoming problem situations in specific schools and in the school system as a whole;
- Provide psychological help in the event of crisis situations in schools where people are threatening to harm themselves or others,
- And to cooperate in the direct provision, coordination and assurance of quality psychosocial support, school social work and social pedagogy in schools.
Fundamental principles and quality criteria for school psychology work
- School psychologists’ work is independent and science-based, having regard to the parties’ differing perspectives.
- School psychologists have a good knowledge of the school system, have an insight into the regional situation and use the networking structures of school and out-of-school support systems.
- School psychologists not only provide support at the advice centres, but also directly in schools in the course of the process of clarify and progressing issues.
The basic responsibilities of the School Psychology Service are described in Circular number 28/2018 on "Responsibilities and Structure of the School Psychology Service and Coordination of Psychosocial Support in Schooling” (in German only).
Links
Responsibilities and structure (in German only)
Contact addresses (in German only)
Additional information about the School Psychology Service and frequently asked school psychology questions (in German only)