Educational Psychologists appear to be working within a context containing the contrasting discourses of ‘expert’ and ‘non-expert’ pertaining to their role (Gutkin, 1999; Wagner, 2000; Yates & Hulusi, 2018). The statutory role, which commandeers much of the workload, construes Educational Psychologists as ‘experts’ (Anderson et al., 2020; Atfield et al., 2023; Yates & Hulusi, 2018). In contrast, the ‘non-expert’ discourse values collaboration, consultation, and working with others as equals (Anderson & Goolishian, 1992; Gutkin, 1999; Wagner, 2000). The literature supports a sense of dissonance between Educational Psychologists’ perceived professional role and the demands placed upon them in the statutory process, which then becomes more pronounced when the Educational Psychologists feel less familiar with the needs of the child or young person for whom they are writing statutory advice (Atfield et al., 2023; Yates & Hulusi, 2018).
The current research explored the narratives of Educational Psychologists living in this culture of contrasting discourses supported by systems and practices. This study sought to explore the tension in this lived experience. Educational Psychologists described how they wrote statutory advice for children and young people with needs with which they felt they were less familiar, exposing how Educational Psychologists are navigating these contrasting discourses. Individual interviews were conducted online with six Educational Psychologists using the general interview guide approach with elements of a narrative framework included (Butina, 2015; Cudworth, 2015; Kasper, 1994). The data was transcribed and analysed using Narrative Thematic Analysis (Butina, 2015; Riessman, 2008).
