Educational psychology service

Dumfries and Galloway educational psychology service is a statutory educational service for children and young people normally resident in the council area, or looked after by the council. It applies psychology and research evidence to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for all children and young people.

What we do

An educational psychologist is a specialist psychologist trained to provide advice on how children learn, why they sometimes have difficulties learning, and how they can be helped to reach their educational potential. 

The role of an educational psychologist can vary depending on the situation and a young person's needs.  In our region the team is usually involved at primary and secondary school ages but can be involved from the early years to the transition into adulthood.

Find out more about educational psychology.

Our educational psychology team

All of our educational psychologists are registered with the Health and Care Professional Council.  Our role is to apply psychology and research evidence to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for all children and young people. We also work with education staff, parents, carers, social workers and health professionals to meet the needs of children and young people with additional support for learning needs and support them to achieve their potential.

How to ask for help

Our services are normally requested by the child's school, but parents and carers can request a telephone consultation of up to 30 minutes with the team by contacting us:

telephone: 01387 273784
email: SupportingLearners@dumgal.gov.uk

This service involves listening to your concerns about your child's learning, wellbeing, development or experience of school.  We can then discuss possible solutions with you, provide advice or give you information about other appropriate services.

If you want more help after this, ask your child's school to sign up for a consultation or submit a request for assistance.  For a request to be agreed we need:

• consent from a parent or carer
• a child's plan in place
• evidence of intervention already tried
• a role for an educational psychologist that cannot be met by a one-off consultation.

Demand for our service is high and we prioritise based on the child's needs. We might not work directly with the child but with the people around the child, including education staff, parents, carers, social workers and health professionals, to meet the needs of children and young people with additional support for learning needs and support them to achieve their potential.