Sustaining Clinical Competency in Wide Open Spaces: A Communities of Practice Case Study of Rural School Psychologists

Abstract

The practice of a rural school psychologist is challenging and can be fraught with aspects of isolation, role confusion, and burn out (Hargrove, 1986). In many rural communities, the only qualified mental health professional may be a school psychologist. Thus, rural school psychologists require particular and generalist skill sets to meet the diverse needs of their community. This reality is in contrast to dominant discourses within the broader field of psychology, which promote limited scopes of practice within defined areas of clinical competency. A collective case study of rural school psychologists from across Saskatchewan using a Communities of Practice (Wenger, 1998) conceptual framework was undertaken to determine: (1) the domain of rural school psychology (i.e., the specialty competencies of rural school psychologists); (2) the community of rural school psychologists (i.e., how skill and knowledge is shared); and (3) the practice of rural school psychology (i.e., challenges and opportunities in practice). The study introduces Thematic Delphi Analysis as a novel methodology in community-based research. Eight (8) rural psychologists from Saskatchewan participated in semi-structured interviews and subsequently participated in the analysis through three rounds of Delphi review. The results of this preliminary study have identified the Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, and Behaviours (KSABs) required of rural school psychologists, the ways in which rural psychologists engage in multiple communities to maintain their competency, and their ability to use creative practice when faced with limits of their competency so that they can support students, schools, families, and communities. This study acknowledges the unique role that rural school psychologists play within the field of psychology, with the challenge of working at the limits of their competency within a space of knowledgeability. Within this space, rural school psychologists engage with creative practice procedurally and ethically, allowing for the development of innovative practices. These innovations may inform the broader field of psychology. Implications for this study promote the practice of rural school psychology and include rural psychologist perspectives in present discussions of competency.