Atuação em psicologia escolar na rede privada de ensino: Impactos do neoliberalismo

Abstract

In this essay, we seek to understand the role of a psychologist in a Private Education Institution in the city of Uberlândia. To follow this path, we developed a collaborative research with a school psychologist, with the aim of following her daily practice for approximately one year. During this period, we followed four Conversation Circles with families of students from the 6th to the 9th year of Elementary School and carried out an initial interview, two interviews about the conversation circles and a final interview with the psychologist; in addition to field diary entries and participant observations, including the institution's Pedagogical Exhibition. As for Conversation Circles, the number of participating families ranged from 55 in the first meeting and 12 families in the last meeting. The conversation circles relied on Art as a trigger for reflections, exchanges and learning. The topics addressed in the discussions were related to issues of adolescence and were chosen by the families, as follows: 1st Round of Conversation: Bullying: the importance of the family's role; 2nd and 3rd Conversation Round: I became a teenager, now what? and 4th Conversation Round: Authority x Autonomy. In the interviews with the psychologist, it was possible to follow the performance of Psychology in the work with adolescents and their classes for the 6th and 7th. In this way, our qualitative analysis was composed of four main categories, namely: “Capitalist relationship that marks: how the Can the means of production of capital define the means of production of knowledge?”, in which we discussed Neoliberalism and how it manifests itself in private educational institutions. In the second category, “The role in Psychology at work with adolescents: Development of Socioemotional Competencies and skills for work? ”, we discussed socio-emotional skills classes and how this training permeates a sociability linked to the productive and social sphere of bourgeois hegemony. In the fourth “The role of Psychology in working with families: What is up to the school, what is up to the family?”, we present the conversation circles and discuss the school-family relationship. In the final category, “On the role of Psychology in a Private Education Institution: The Pedagogical Exhibition” we debated on what place Psychology occupied in the institution and, in a broad way, what was the role of School Psychology in an Educational Institution. We believe that it is urgent to broaden the discussion and democratize knowledge about the role of school psychology in Private Education Institutions, understanding that Critical School Psychology starts from a different logic from the neoliberal and utilitarian logic. There is potential in the work of the school psychologist, in the construction of practices with families, adolescents and the community. We defend a network practice, a consistent pedagogical political project aligned with emancipatory and democratic education. In view of the implementation of law no. 13.935/2019, which provides for the work of Psychology and social assistance in education networks, we understand the relevance of this work and the contribution towards understanding the limits and possibilities of practice in Psychology in Basic Education. This research contributes to the potential of doing School Psychology in private educational contexts, in which the marketing logic is superimposed on the educational logic, pointing out possible ways of working in this scenario.