School Psychologist

At Project Play Therapy (PPT), our job is to help others see and celebrate each child’s unique gifts. We open doors by fostering opportunities for growth and independence through play. We specialize in speech, occupational, physical, and ABA therapy in both school and clinic settings. In addition, we provide school psychological services, counseling, and teletherapy.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION:

The School Psychologist position is a direct service position at Project Play Therapy whose focus is to facilitate quality service delivery for our school partnerships. The ideal candidate will serve as a primary point of contact for their assigned school(s), providing school-based psycho-educational services to students and families. Professional services include but are not limited to: psycho-educational evaluation for suspected disabilities under IDEA, consulting with school staff and families on strategies to improve the academic, social-emotional, and behavioral development of students, and delivering support to school partners in the form of coaching, training and/or professional development.

The School Psychologist is expected to use innovation, leadership, and problem-solving to engage school administration, staff, and educational professionals. The candidate must be motivated to grow with a young, vibrant company, and be energized by ongoing collaboration and the endless pursuit of excellent service with our school partners. This position will play a key role in ensuring that our school partners see Project Play Therapy providers as experts who are integrated seamlessly into the school’s culture and corresponding processes. This position reports directly to the Lead School Psychologist.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Roles:

• Take a lead role in the identification of individual student needs through psycho-educational assessment and evaluation
• Work closely with school-based teams to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations while providing holistic student supports centered around data-based decision-making
• Consult with school teams relative to student educational and adjustment concerns, data analysis, interventions, and support systems/structures
• Engage and partner with school staff, family members, and community partners to seek collaborative solutions to support students impacted by trauma.
• Participate in all student problem-solving and support meetings, including but not limited to: Eligibility meetings, IEP meetings, Support Team meetings, 504 Team meetings
• Develop and maintain a consistent but flexible schedule for assigned school(s)
• Collaborate with team to collect data and produce reports to demonstrate impact of services and achievement of identified goals/outcomes
• Ensure quality assurance within service delivery, maintaining accurate and thorough records and reports
• Collaborate and exhibit leadership with schools and staff on the implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) to include the TN state guidelines for Response to Intervention for both academics and behavior
• Support school-based staff to execute the vision and direction as set by the school leadership team

Communication:

• Develop and strengthen relationships with our schools (which include charter schools in Nashville and surrounding middle TN public schools) to establish rapport and trust among all parties
• Establish and maintain cohesive communication and excellent service delivery
• Adapt communication style to meet the unique needs of school partners and families, Project Play colleagues, and community partners
• Demonstrate best practices, inclusion, problem-solving, and proactive communication
• Work within a team environment that values communication, accountability and collaboration
• Foster good-will with current contract partners, in order to ensure client satisfaction

Candidate Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) or higher in School Psychology required; Graduation from a NASP approved program is preferred
• Tennessee State License as a School Psychologist (current TN Professional School Service Personnel license with endorsement in School Psychology); National Certification (NCSP) is preferred, but not required
• Relevant school experience with a firm understanding of evaluation and IEP processes
• Integrity, advocacy skills & strong leadership experience; Must be comfortable facilitating meetings with school leaders, internal management and/or other stakeholders
• Ability to leverage problem-solving skills and team collaboration effectively and efficiently in a manner that promotes excellence and builds community to help meet and surpass the needs of partner schools
• Ability to implement processes that enhance the level of support to the professional team and to explore and identify opportunities to expand the scope of available resources