Karmøy Kommune - PPT Kontor - Norway

Educational Psychological Service

Karmøy is a municipality on the west coast of Norway, with about 37.000 inhabitants, 29 schools with about 6000 pupils and 600 teachers employed.

According to the law every municipality has to have an Educational Psychological Service (EPS). The EPS is ment to support the local schools in special needs matters. According to the law the EPS has to work at both system level as well as on an individual level.

At the system level EPS is expected to work with school changes and innovations to make the schools more capable to taking care of their pupils with special needs in order to fulfil the the Government’s aim: To ”Give every child adjusted training at their local school”.

On the individual level EPS is often working with the pupil’s family and with different kinds of professionals in the health and sosial service as well as the teachers at school. The EPS also asks for extra ressourses to make possible special education for pupils with special needs, if necessary.

The EPS in Karmøy has a staff of 17 special educationalists, social workers, psychologists, educational psychologists, speech therapists and family therapists.

EPS is collaborating with the Educational Center on supporting schools in Karmøy by offering consultation and courses to teachers, school-leaders and parents in various matters.

http://www.nyweb.no/web/karmoypps.nsf/art?openview

http://pedsenter.karmoyskolen.no/default.aspx

Karmøy Project Staff

Gerd Førsvoll Ferkingstad

Educated at the Univeristy of Stavanger, University of Oslo and Institute of Nic Wall in Oslo. Background as Teacher of primary school for 5 years.

Special Educationalist in the EPS for 3 years; Educational Psychological Therapist and Family Therapist at The Child and Youth Psychiatry Clinic in Haugesund for 5 years.

Head of Department and Educational Psychological Counsellor at the Educational Psychological Service (EPS) in Karmøy since 1997.

Erling Andrè Ytteroy

Clinical psychologist. Trained at the University of Bergen. Graduated in 2001. Thesis on 'Learning to lead' an evaluation of a leader development program.

Now under specialization with main focus on community psychology and organizational psychology.

Current workfield: School psychology and psychologist at a Health Station for Youth.

Running several projects in the municipality using consultation as the fundamental approach. Practices consultation with school nurses and rehabilitation teams.

Published: Gay and lesbian parents, Scandinavian Journal of Psychology (2001)

Linda Velle Sjøen

Educational adviser since 1995 and organizer of courses and networks for teachers in primary schools. Involved in different school development projects in primary and lower secondary schools. Tutor in teachers teams and peer learning groups for teachers.

Previously 5 years experience as leader of kinder garden, and 10 years teacher in a primary school and for children with disabilities.

Comenius project experiences as staff person of the Karmoy Educational Advisory Service:

§ Course PIST (1997): A Projectmakers In-Service-Training. Course for key educational personnel on how to set up educational projects.

§ Course PROMISE (2002): The project method in school projects through E-learning.

§ Final conference and evaluation, Charles University, Faculty of Education, Prague, 2004.