Academic guidance

The recent publication of curricular norms has created new opportunities to help schools face challenges in education, namely:

• Exit profile for students leaving compulsory schooling – Despatch No 6478/2017, 26 July.

• Basic and upper secondary education curriculum – Decree-Law No 55/2018, 6 July, in its current wording.

• National Strategy for Citizenship Education (Estratégia Nacional de Educação para a Cidadania - ENEC).

• Curriculum Guidelines for Pre-school Education (Orientações Curriculares para a Educação Pré-Escolar - OCEPE).

• Essential Learning (Aprendizagens essenciais - AE) – Despatch No 6944-A/2018 and Despatch No 8476-A/2018.

• Legal framework for inclusive education - Decree-Law No 54/2018, 6 July, with amendments introduced by Law No 116/2019, 13 September and by Decree-Law No. 62/2023, 25 July).

• Guidelines for the intervention of psychologists in schools, DGE, 2024.

These legal documents are based on principles and strategies designed to support successful learning for every student. The response to diversity and different support needs for all students will be implemented using a multilevel approach that supports learning and inclusion. The focus on diversity will be operationalised within the teaching and learning process through universal, selective and additional measures.

Psychologists play a key role in students’ holistic development and, as specialised staff and members of the multidisciplinary team to support inclusive education (Decree-Law No 54/2018, 6 July, with amendments introduced by Law No 116/2019, 13 September and by Decree-Law No 62/2023, 25 July), they intervene specifically in the field of prevention, whether related to violence and risky behaviour, as well as to issues related to learning and development.

The psychologist:

• provides school staff with technical and scientific support with scientifically validated interventions within their field.

• works with families and other members of the community on child development issues.

• assesses and intervenes in psychological and psycho-pedagogical areas, proposing appropriate educational measures and responses regarding the development of the student, specifically in the following areas: personal, socio-emotional, behavioural, and academic, among others.

• designs and carries out vocational guidance/career development interventions, sometimes as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Psychological counselling

Psychological support and counselling is one of the activities psychologists undertake in schools. 

In this context, it employs a series of actions and strategies that help children and young people integrate and develop during their time at school. Although it includes students, it prioritises support and advice for teachers, helping to formulate different educational responses and implementing measures to support learning and inclusion. This area aims to create favourable conditions for students to achieve essential learning. This approach is focussed on the competences, skills, values and attitudes that students should develop by the end of compulsory schooling, while also considering their individual characteristics, situations and life circumstances. To maximise its impact, intervention in this area should begin as early as possible, prioritising the creation of environments conducive to learning and development. The favoured strategy is indirect and preventative, with direct and remedial intervention only being used in exceptional situations and for limited periods. In terms of psychological support and counselling, psychologists are responsible for:

• contributing to the design, implementation and evaluation of multi-level interventions that encourages the integral development, learning, inclusion, well-being and physical and mental health of children and young people
• participating in the comprehensive assessment of academic, socio-emotional, behavioural, well-being and mental health indicators, supporting the selection and implementation of universal screening procedures and monitoring student progress
• undertaking a global assessment of situations related to development, learning and behaviour, through psychological assessment processes geared towards the contextual factors, needs and potential of each person
• collaborating with teachers and leaders to identify and analyse situations and areas of concern, providing guidance, support and counselling
• actively participating in multidisciplinary assessment and intervention, namely in the processes of identifying measures to support learning and inclusion
• supporting appropriate educational response measures, in partnership with families, carers and community services

Psychological support and counselling covers all school levels. However, the focus may vary according to age groups, contexts and development and learning objectives. Some areas of reference are listed below:

• Facilitating school transitions
• Support for early and late enrolment processes
• Support for pedagogical differentiation and the organisation of learning environments
• Encouraging emergent literacy and learning to read and write
• Promoting numeracy and logical-mathematical reasoning
• Encouraging self-regulation and involvement in learning
• Promoting resilience and socio-emotional skills
• Interventions and support for positive discipline
• Support for the implementation of tutoring and mentoring systems
• Collaboration with the multidisciplinary support team for inclusive education
• Prevention of bullying, school violence and other forms of violence
• Combating prejudice, discrimination and stigma
• Promoting physical and mental health literacy, financial literacy and digital literacy
• Support in crisis and disaster situations (e.g. bereavement, suicide, abuse and natural disasters, among others).

Career guidance

Career guidance and development is one of the main areas where educational psychologists intervene. The guidance focus foresees an intervention throughout schooling that allows students to develop decision-making skills about their academic and future career paths.

At school, alongside individual work, according to their specific responsible, complementary work is needed among psychologists, management, teachers, families and other members and bodies of the educational community that requires the commitment and involvement of everyone, leading to more varied, comprehensive and suitable responses.

Within the intervention in career development and guidance, the psychology and guidance services (Serviços de Psicologia e Orientação - SPO) organise a range of activities in conjunction with other elements of the educational community, such as:

School management and administration bodies

• Collaborating and supporting schools’ education and training provision.

Parents and guardians

• Planning and organising awareness sessions for parents and guardians (and the community in general) regarding aspects inherent to the process of making education and career decisions for their children.
• Planning and organising information events about education and training provision.

Qualifica centres

• Participating in sessions and events in the area of education and training, and transition to the job market.
• Collaborating in transition processes between education and training pathways.

Local authorities

• Participating at events about education and training provision and other initiatives focussed on children and young people.

Higher education

• Collaborating in the organisation of activities that support the transition to higher education.

Labour market

• Collaborating in the organisation of work-related training.
• Collaborating in the organisation of events in the field of school and student capacity building in terms of work.
• Collaborating in the organisation of internships.

Vocational guidance and development plays a central role in the work of psychologists, as professionals specialising in this area, throughout the students‘ schooling, in conjunction with other educational agents, especially at decisive moments in the students’ academic career, such as choosing between different education and training paths at the end of Year 9 and deciding whether to continue studying or enter the labour market at the end of grade 12.

Vocational development is a structured intervention that helps students construct their life and career plans. This intervention takes place on three levels:

Level 1: Capacity building and information management

• At this level, the intervention focusses on information management. The aim is to enable students to manage information autonomously: research, validate, check the credibility of sources and select what is relevant. In a globalised world, considering the diversity of information sources available, it is crucial that students learn to efficiently and effectively manage the huge volume of information at their fingertips. They are encouraged to explore on their own initiative, with a broad perspective of the educational and training provision, considering local, national and international options. 

 Level 2: Development of self-knowledge and identity

• The aim of this level is to support students in developing and adopting strategies. These strategies should enable students to relate to themselves, their personal characteristics, the diversity of their experiences and the demands of professional activities and course curricula. The aim is to form a more defined career identity and the establishment of congruent educational and career goals.

Level 3: Coping and Flexibility in Decision Making

• At this level, the complexity and depth of the intervention is significantly increased and specialised, as it involves cognitive restructuring and the development of coping and adaptability strategies that encourage decision-making skills. The implementation of these interventions requires active collaboration between psychologists, teachers, families and the community, ensuring that students have comprehensive support in forging their school pathway and professional future.