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31.08.2017

Students are longing for a second educational psychologist in the University of Eastern Finland

The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland (ISYY) and 34 subject associations think that one educational psychologist is not enough in a university as large as the University of Eastern Finland.

The Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland and 34 subject associations of UEF students are concerned about the sufficiency of the educational psychologist services in UEF. They have made an appeal to the UEF Governing Board about increasing the educational psychologist resources.

– At the moment there is only one Educational Psychologist for over 13,000 students in the University of Eastern Finland, when the Finnish Psychological Association recommends one educational psychologist for about every 5,000 students, says Olli Auvinen, the person-in-chief of academic affairs in the ISYY Executive Board.

The locations of campuses of UEF and the differences between the degree programmes bring more challenge to the situation.

A need for enhancing the students support services results strongly from the changes made in the university environment and the subsistence of students in the past few years. Students are being pushed into working life more quickly the same time as their subsistence has been changed to depend more on loan. Also the learning environments and the ways of studying and teaching are under large changes and therefore demand the students to be even more initiative than before.

Educational psychologist supports for example those students who suffer from learning disabilities, experience difficulties in progressing in their studies or have strong pressures concerning their studies. Educational psychologist concentrates especially on problems with studying.

– The special abilities and skills of educational psychologist cannot be replaced in any other way, such as by increasing the counselling time of teaching personnel. Also the psychology services of YTHS (the Finnish Student Health Service) do not replace the services provided by educational psychologist because they focus on mental health work, states Auvinen.

ISYY has made an appeal to the University about increasing the educational psychologist resources last time in 2016 together with health working groups of YTHS.

More information:

Olli Auvinen, the person-in-chief of Academic Affairs in the Executive Board of the Student Union of the University of Eastern Finland, tel. 044 576 8401, olli.auvinen@isyy.fi