“I learn how you learn, I help you figure out how you can be successful in the classroom”, Julia Miller said. Her definition of what she does as a psychologist is simple, but involves much more than just that. A school’s psychologist ties in a multitude of skills like, educational psychology, developmental psychology, and behavioral analysis. Understanding what psychology is, now leads to why Mrs. Miller chose this career path.
Mrs. Miller was fortunate enough to grow up around the profession since her father was a school psychologist as well. Combining her love for teaching and her new interest in psychology, she was able to find the career choice that best fit her. Mrs. Miller expands,”When I was finishing up my bachelor’s degree I took some psychology classes and I realized, I really love psychology. So, I combined the two, and that’s how I ended up like this.”
On the day-to-day overview for Mrs. Miller, the schedule is always changing. Her schedule is always unpredictable as it heavily relies on what students need on that day. “So, sometimes I pull out kids to give them different tests so I can figure out how they learn. Other times i’m helping someone who is having a hard day. Then, sometimes I’m writing reports based on everything I learned about a student so that can be documented,” Mrs. Miller explained. Someone needing the help and care of her isn’t something predictable, so it is a rare occasion to have something scheduled for her outside of appointments.
There are so many ways to help promote mental health at Santa Rosa Academy. Some ways our school psychologist shared was to take more into consideration before you may say a joke, and being kind before you judge the other person. “It’s really easy to make another person a villain and say that they are so “rude”, or “so dumb”, or “so mean”, or “how could they do that?”. But, you have no idea what they are going through, so just say “I don’t like what they did, but i’m not going to consider them a bad or evil person,” Miller shares.
It’s important with many challenges that develop within mental health that Mrs. Miller stays up to date with the newest studies and research. “There are trainings all the time provided by the SELPA that you can go to. I’m also continuing to get my education, so that’s a big one too,” Miller shared. Without being properly updated on new information, that can severely impact students and the community around them too. More information Miller shares, “The Riverside SELPA is over all the districts in this area. They monitor and make sure we’re all in compliance, and it’s like another safety net to make sure everyone is doing what they’re supposed to for you guys.”
A small window into what some of the responsibilities of being a school psychologist looks like. It’s important to expand your knowledge on topics like mental health not only to help yourself, but to also help and respect others. Being open to new things like trying some extra courses or trying other styles of learning when something isn’t clicking is something everyone should have opportunities to try, and those are things Mrs. Miller can provide personal insight on. “I really love my job, it’s a really good job. I would highly recommend it, it’s a lot of work but I have fun. I’m not sad getting up in the morning for work,” Miller explained. A job like a school psychologist requires a love for it. Connecting with students who are struggling may be a big task, but the experiences and stories Miller shared make it all worth it. “So I was asking this little guy, ‘if he’s not your friend, he’s your…’, and he said, ‘Star Wars’. I go,”If he’s not your friend he’s your Star Wars?”, and he said, ‘Bro, everybody loves Star Wars’. I had thought that was the cutest thing on earth, I had nearly passed out it was so cute,” Miller said. The sense of community, trust, and care are really big factors in this career, and it is always worth the time to build those traits with other students.
