When I joined as an Assistant EP, the career pathway was quite clear.

I’ve been working as an Assistant Educational Psychologist (EP) with Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) for 18 months, starting in January last year. Before this, I was a teacher working with primary school children with special needs.

My end goal was always to pursue an Educational Psychology doctorate.

It’s a highly competitive course, and despite having nearly 20 years of experience working with children and young people, I‘d been unsuccessful in gaining a place on the course. After joining OCC as an Assistant EP, I finally managed to get into the educational psychology doctorate program on my fifth attempt.

I believe it was my most recent experience at OCC that made the difference.

It helped me better understand the EP role and provided valuable insight into the day-to-day responsibilities, serving as the stepping stone I needed to get on the course.

My manager and the EP’s I worked with were exceptionally supportive and nurturing.

I couldn’t have asked for more supportive colleagues. They went above and beyond, allowing me to shadow them even when it required extra work, like obtaining additional consent.

There was no such thing as a silly question, and I always felt comfortable asking for help.

I’d be keen to come back - That’s the plan.

I believe a job needs to be varied to stay interesting and challenging; I don’t want to do the same thing every day. The range of work at Oxfordshire is amazing, including both statutory and varied project work.

Everything I do is supervised by a qualified EP.

Over the past 18 months, I’ve conducted staff training for whole schools and worked directly with children and young people. While my activities are similar to those of a qualified EP, they aren’t the same. Using an assistant EP is more cost-effective for schools since they only pay for my direct work time, unlike EP’s who charge for prep time as well.

When I joined as an assistant EP, the career pathway was quite clear.

The role is typically a temporary contract for a year, with the possibility of extension. One of its purposes is to provide experience to help people get onto the doctorate program. This clarity and experience were crucial for my successful application.

There’s plenty of mentoring.

I have monthly supervisions with my line manager to discuss any queries about my work. Additionally, if I’m working on a project for another EP, they provide supervision and support. The team is very approachable and always willing to help with any questions or issues I have.

I’ve had opportunities to use my initiative and put my own stamp on my work.

For example, with one of the EP’s, I organised an informal information session for parents at a school where many children were struggling with anxiety. We created a workshop on how anxiety works and strategies to help young people overcome anxiety, which allowed us to reach many parents at once.

I also designed a short intervention for Year 1 and 2 children struggling with emotional regulation.

I adapted an intervention meant for older children to make it suitable for Key Stage 1. These experiences have allowed me to tailor my approach to the specific needs of the children, young people, and parents I work with.

If you’re considering applying for an Assistant EP role at OCC, definitely go for it.

The team is incredibly supportive, and you’ll experience a wide variety of work, including different interventions and training. You’ll work directly with children, young people, parents, and whole school staff, delivering workshops and training on various topics. It’s been an amazing learning curve, and I highly recommend Oxfordshire.

Every local authority has an educational psychology service, but they vary greatly. OCC’s service is exceptional, and I’m really looking forward to hopefully working with them again in the future.

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Associate Educational Psychologist: https://lnkd.in/ee9K2Zsi

Educational Psychologist: Associate Educational Psychologist | No Expiry Date | Jobs and careers with Oxfordshire County Council

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