Spotlights
Spotlight: Celebrating National School Psychologist Week
At Amergis Educational Staffing, our team members are at the heart of everything we do. Each month, our Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) board highlights the story of an Amergis employee who demonstrates our core values.
This year, National School Psychologist Week is taking place from November 11th – November 15th. During the week, people are encouraged to recognize the invaluable contributions of school psychologists who work tirelessly to support the mental health and well-being of students. In honor of the celebration, the D&I team spoke with one of our very own school-based professionals, Campbell McGowan! Campbell’s dedication and expertise as a school psychologist have made a significant impact on his school community in Southern California, so we wanted to learn about his role, some challenges he faces, and the rewarding moments that make his work so meaningful.
Campbell’s School Psychologist Journey
Early Years and Career Beginnings
From an early age, Campbell had the opportunity to experience and learn about caring for others. His younger siblings had juvenile diabetes. During his youth, the response time of ambulances was not as efficient as they are today. Campbell learned how to react and save his siblings in an emergency situation. Through this, Campbell developed a remarkable ability to remain composed under pressure whenever there is an emergency. This exceptional trait followed him into adulthood. Before pursuing a career in school psychology, Campbell was interested in law enforcement. However, he always had a deep-seeded passion for working with children. This realization first led Campbell to embark on a 23-year long teaching career with positions across elementary, middle, and high school.
During his tenure as a teacher, Campbell was particularly drawn to working with at-risk students. Teachers often referred difficult students to Campbell’s classroom where they had the chance to have worthwhile conversations with him as they expressed their needs. He gave them the chance to speak and be heard. He noted that this approach was beneficial because it allowed him to build meaningful relationships with students.
As a natural progression, Campbell decided to further his education in school counseling. However, his university counselor recommended that he consider a degree in Educational Psychology. This counselor recognized Campbell’s interest in working with at-risk youth, a desire to learn about student’s behavior, and how to help them be successful in the school environment. This change led Campbell to a long and rewarding career in Special Education as a school psychologist.
Career as a School Psychologist
Reflecting on his extensive experience, Campbell shared that he sees himself as a lifelong learner. He continues to learn about the many facets in the world of a school psychologist. Whether it involves student-parent meetings, crisis intervention, working on profile cases, assessment presentations or having conversations with parents and students, each day presents new challenges and opportunities to help the parents, students and teachers with resources that can support their needs.
In his past district, Campbell always maintained an open-door policy that allowed students to meet with him without an appointment and be connected with him. This open-door policy has been a helpful way of observing the students back then and now. In his present district, Campbell continues to seek to understand student’s individual strengths and weaknesses in five areas: cognitive processing, information processing, academic functioning, adaptive functioning and social emotional and behavior functioning. He correlates this assessment process to solving a puzzle; finding all the pieces, understanding how they fit together, and connecting the dots. Campbell enjoys this team process of solving the puzzle to add clarity on how a student can best be helped to succeed in the school environment. Most of all, Campbell connects the dots by giving the parents, teachers and support providers ample resources to help their students become successful. His open-door policy stems out to all students who are struggling to succeed in the educational setting.
Another significant aspect of Campbell’s role in education is addressing misconceptions about special education students. One prevalent misconception he encounters is the belief that students in Special Education programs are less intelligent. This is far from the truth as everyone has the potential to succeed academically when different learning styles are considered. Through this notion, Campbell assists students in understanding their relative strengths and weaknesses as well as identifying their unique learning styles. From there, he identifies effective learning strategies can foster an understanding that they are just as capable as anyone else in excelling academically and socially.
Making an Impact
Throughout his tenure as a school psychologist, Campbell has experienced numerous memorable moments. He recounted the story of a student who suffered a hemorrhagic stroke during a P.E. class. During her recovery, Campbell played a crucial role in assessing her cognitive growth and progress. Despite the significant challenges posed by her injury, this student was determined to recover. Campbell shared his assessment results to guide and encourage this student. Letting her know that she has the capability to excel in school. He expressed to her that she has the ability to carry on with her dreams and further her education. Demonstrating remarkable resilience, this student went on to attend college and has maintained contact with Campbell over the years.
Campbell’s work as a school psychologist has also extended beyond the students themselves. He recalled a situation during an IEP meeting where the father was relatively unresponsive to their discussion. After the meeting, Campbell spoke with the father individually and learned that he had recently witnessed a work-related accident that resulted in the death of a co-worker. Understanding the potential mental toll of such an event, Campbell encouraged the father to visit their family doctor to discuss the situation. A few weeks later, this father returned in a much better state. He expressed his gratitude to Campbell for encouraging him to seek help. This small gesture of identifying an area of need and bringing it to the father’s attention made a significant difference.
Path at Amergis
After retiring, Campbell shared that he wanted to keep working. He loved what he did and the impact he made on students’ educational journeys. He had heard about staffing agencies, and as he began to research companies, he received a call from Amergis’ (then Maxim) very own Lindsay Rodriguez (Recruitment Operations Manager). Campbell shared that Lindsay was unlike any other recruiter he’d connected with. She was very knowledgeable, relaxed, and fun to talk with. She facilitated the entire process seamlessly. Lindsay quickly secured a placement for him and provided detailed information about the district. Lindsay additionally helped Campbell prepare for his interview by assisting him with identifying and highlighting his strengths. Campbell described the experience as exceptional, resulting in him securing the position. This was around 6 years ago, and Campbell has been with the San Bernardino City Unified School District ever since!
When asked about his experience with Amergis, Campbell highlighted the company’s ability to streamline the placement process, making it exceptionally easy for him despite Amergis being a nationwide organization. Additionally, Campbell shared that, “if I ever have a problem or anything, I never feel like I’m a number. I feel like wow, all I have to do is just text [an Amergis team member] and they’re always there. They check up on me. You know, it’s really nice… I feel very fortunate to be with you guys”. Knowing that Amergis is there to support him allows Campbell to focus on making a positive impact in his community through the work he loves. Underscoring one of Amergis’ key pillars: connecting people to work that matters!
Advice to Others
For those aspiring to enter the field of Educational Psychology, Campbell emphasizes the importance of networking. Building connections with peers has been invaluable for Campbell when seeking assistance. He also credits various training programs, and the numerous interns he has mentored over the years to help him stay up to date in the ever-evolving field of school psychology. His final piece of advice: “keep it simple!”
Join the Amergis Educational Staffing Team and Make a Difference
Amergis Staffing always has a wide range of available opportunities for people who are ready to accelerate their careers. We embrace employees from all different backgrounds and always strive to foster a welcoming work environment by following our core values of:
- Promoting diversity and inclusion.
- Winning with integrity and trust.
- Prioritizing quality.
- Investing in development.
- Championing innovation.
- Driving for results.
Learn how you can join the Amergis Staffing team by reaching out online or visiting our jobs site today.
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