Chinese teachers’ perceptions of the roles and functions of school psychological service providers in Beijing

Abstract

This study used a semi-structured interview with 94 teachers from 92 elementary and secondary schools in Beijing, China, to explore their perceptions of the roles, training, and challenges of school psychological service providers (SPs) as well as teachers’ satisfaction with the services provided by SPs. Results indicated that the SP to student ratio was 1:1360. Only 32 (34.8%) schools had SPs who were certified as mental health counselors or who had degrees in psychology, and 18 (19.6%) schools did not have SPs. Based on teacher report, SPs’ roles mainly focused on services for students (teaching mental health classes, counseling, consultation), with a strong emphasis on prevention and early intervention. About half of the teachers were satisfied with SPs’ work, but others had no contact with SPs or were dissatisfied with their work partially due to SPs’ lack of training and skills. The results suggest a severe shortage of training for SPs in Beijing, China. Other challenges for SPs include low status, lack of training and skills, and work-related stress. The results provide valuable information about school psychology practice in Beijing, China, and important implications for both research and policy making in school psychology in China and other Asian countries.

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