Do you love your students but find yourself not loving parts of your job as a school psychologist?
Do you want to make a big impact with your students but feel like a "testing machine"?
The truth is, you can't make a big impact in your schools and enjoy your career to the fullest if you've fallen into one of the four most common school psychologist burnout traps.
I should know, I almost quit being a school psychologist 8 years ago, because I was burned out. It was a slow burn, one I never saw coming. I thought that because I was uber-organized, dedicated, eager, and loved my students, that I would be immune to turning into that grouchy-pants cynical school psychologist at staff meetings.
Until I was.
I barely recognized myself.
I barely recognized my job as the one that I signed up for.
Instead of helping students with all the talent and passion I knew I had inside me, I felt like a report-writing machine.
I don't want that for you.
I want you to make a big impact in the world as a school psychologist.
I want you to spend more time with students, rather than with their paperwork.
I want you to expand your role beyond testing to do passion projects.
I want you to have a community of support with others who share your vision for student success.
I want you to hit the professional happiness "reset button" on your career so that you are energized to go to work each day.
You can do it. You have the power to be more than a testing machine. You can be a champion for students.
How do I know?
Because I've watched hundreds of school psychologists reclaim their careers and work/life balance in The Thriving School Psychologist Collective.
This book has the stories of how they did it.
A Sneak Peek...
This book is the culmination of what I've learned over the past decade about the 4 most common Burnout Traps that hold school psychologists back from fully enjoying their careers and having maximum impact with their students.
In each section, I walk you through how to get out of the trap you've fallen into...or avoid the trap in the future.
Inside Look #1: Learn how to build out an organizational system that works so you don't bring reports home on weekends.
In the first section, you will learn how to create an organizational system for caseload management and writing legally defensible reports with efficiency. No more weekend report writing! You will also learn the mindsets that can send you right into the paperwork and report-writing pit...and the critical mindset shifts you need to avoid the pit altogether.
Inside Look #2: Learn how to be a prevention specialist for all students, rather than a gatekeeper to special education services.
This section will teach you how to avoid getting trapped in the "Test-IEP-Repeat" burnout cycle. You'll learn how the right messaging about an expanded role beyond just testing can transform your day-to-day activities. You will learn how to think strategically about how to use your full skillset so you can be a "prevention and intervention specialist" as well as an assessor for special education.
Inside Look #3: Learn how to cultivate a professional learning community so you feel supported and inspired at your schools.
All school psychologists need collaboration and consultation with other school psychologists...the problem is, we barely get a chance to connect with other school psychologists in our day! In this section, you will learn how to cultivate a professional learning community with other school psychologists and support staff at your school, so you can prevent professional isolation.
Inside Look #4: Learn how to build self-care into your day and cultivate healthy work/life boundaries.
School psychologists are particularly at risk for overworking and putting their self-care needs on the back burner, as they want to make a good impression and help their students in any way they can. The problem is, this is a recipe for burnout. Give yourself the gift of learning how to build self-care and self-compassion in your busy days. Learn the art of healthy boundaries and how to find balance in your work and life.
Inside Look #5: Read how REAL school psychologists got out of their burnout traps to reinvigorate their love of the profession.
Sometimes, we need a cup of inspiration from other school psychologists to believe that real change is possible. In each chapter, you will hear from school psychologists who were stuck in one of the four burnout traps--and how they used the 4 Pillars philosophy and process to get out of them. In the "Real Talk, Real School Psychologists" sections of the book, you'll see that we do have the power to change our careers--from within.
Getting out of Survival Mode...
You can thrive as a school psychologist. I'll show you how.
Look, it's not always easy to make changes in crazy dysfunctional school systems.
Rebooting your self-care to cope with the stress of it all doesn't happen overnight.
But there's no better time to get started than right now.
I don't want you to be like me, waking up one day and wondering how in the heck I got to the point of burnout without even noticing.
You deserve to feel fulfilled in your career, and your students deserve your best school psychologist self showing up every day.
That's why I wrote this book. I know so many school psychologists who want to feel empowered to do the work they love each day when they go to work. They know they have a calling inside them that is beyond testing.
I believe that even in the midst of underfunded schools, high caseloads, and unprecedented needs, we can still make a huge impact with students. But we can't do that if we are depleted and isolated. We have to band together.
The Thriving School Psychologist book walks you through the four most common burnout traps, how to avoid them, and gives you practical tools you can use TODAY to transform your career into the one you've always imagined.
The official release date is November 1st, 2020, but you can lock in the preorder price by ordering your e-book copy today. You don't have to have a Kindle to enjoy the ebook--just download the Kindle app to any device!
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