Educational Psychology Interventions

Consultation

Kent Educational Psychology Service (KEPS) will help you find a solution and positive ways forward for children and young people, often by helping to form a shared understanding of their strengths and difficulties within their school and home context. Consultation involves problem solving discussions with key people which help to clarify issues and plan for solutions. Frequently consultation is also guided by information from observation, holistic assessments, feedback meetings, joint action planning and reviewing of desired outcomes.

Mindfulness Attention Programme (MAP)

Research shows that forms of anxiety are on the rise. This course aims to help children from 9 to 13 years of age to notice more of what goes on around them and to be able to respond to events, rather than react automatically to them. The course provides an introduction to mindfulness for children. The knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt can be continually used by the children and teachers for the remainder of the school year and beyond and will ultimately focus on coping with stress and anxiety.

MAP is an eight week course for children in years 5 to 8. It is a universal programme; meaning it is designed to support all children, though it has a particular focus on coping with anxiety and stress.

Beating Exam Anxiety Together (B.E.A.T)

This programme is concerned with test or exam anxiety. Recent research into test anxiety has shown that it can present a significant threat to the well-being of students and increase the likelihood of educational underachievement.
(see: Cassady and Johnson, 2002; Chapell, et al., 2005; Hembree, 1988; and Putwain et al, 2014).

Furthermore, it seems that this form of anxiety is on the rise - possibly linked to the greater importance placed on exam outcomes. It is estimated that between 10 to 40% of all students experience from various levels of test anxiety. (Gregor, 2005).

Beating Exam Anxiety Together is a six week course aimed at groups of students who need help combating the stress and worry around tests and exams with the ideal group size being 6 to 10 students.

Sound Progress

Sound Progress is a programme for teaching phonemic skills for all children, particularly in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 but also compatible with Key Stage 3 literacy units. It is a way of achieving high levels of accuracy and fluency through distributed practise. This is particularly valuable for pupils who have long-term persistent difficulties learning literacy (Dyslexia).

Sound Progress is an online precision teaching programme to help support children's literacy and phonological skills.

To order the programme please complete the order form below, alternatively if you have any queries please contact educationalpsychology@kent.gov.uk.

• Sound Progress website
• Sound Progress order form
• Sound Progress update 2023 (PDF, 203.2 KB)

Video Interaction Guidance (VIG)

Video Interaction Guidance is a technique for improving communication in situations where it naturally occurs. It works by building on each individual's unique style by concentrating on what is effective.

Taking and viewing video clips of interaction is the basis of the technique. No video is taken or used without fully informed consent.

The approach uses strict protocols related to video ownership and all use of video.

Download the VIG consent form (PDF, 28.8 KB)

VIG works by:

• raising self-awareness and reflection
• increasing attuned responses to others
• activating clients to solve their own problems
• retraining perceptions
• reducing stress and increasing self-confidence
• achieving collaborative relationships
• work always begins from where a person is and moves forward at the pace best suited to the individual
• interactions are studied in a detailed way by looking at them in the situation where change is sought
• the collaborative way of working means you will get the chance to reflect, discuss and extend your skills
• control of the use of video remains with the client and your permission to record, view and save material is a prerequisite to any video use.

All VIG practitioners take part in intensive regular supervision both in training and as part of ongoing support and validation of the work we do.

Psychologists working for Kent Educational Psychology Service follow national professional guidance on ethical practice.

Other interventions

Educational Psychologists use a range of interventions and these include:

• School and Setting Based Reviews
• Supervision for staff
• Coaching for staff
• Cognitive Behavioural Intervention for Children and Young People
• Sandwell Wellbeing Charter Mark Project.

Feedback from teachers and parents

"Too many people say 'try this, try that' but this helps you see things that work"

"Unique opportunity to observe (my) methods, interaction and results"

"Something you can see for yourself, what you are doing. It makes a lot of difference"