IB

Interview with School psychologist

18.12.2014

Triin-Ketlin Siska is the most recent member of IB team, but she is already beloved by many students. Let`s give a look at her working life as a School psychologist and also open up a bit about her personality.

What triggered you to become a School psychologist?
Already at grade 5 I was interested in psychology, but at that time psychology was something else to me – mostly I was fascinated by hypnosis and various books about para-psychology. I took psychology course in high school and then knew that it is something that I would like to study deeper. When it was the time to apply for university I had 2 choices: either psychology or chemistry, but as admission tests and interviews were more interesting in psychology then this made my decision. Before Audentes I used to work as a psychologist in another school and also teach psychology at Tallinn Ballet School and I have always enjoyed working with students and their families. I have also taken a prolonged course in life coaching and this has really helped me in my work.

Describe your usual work-day
My office is located at primary school building and I come to Audentes every day. I usually start my day with short meetings with teacher and/or parents and responding to various emails. During the day I am either giving classes, as teachers are inviting me to their lessons to speak about communication and relationships, emotion work and stress etc, or I am observing students working in class. I have been given workshops in IB lessons several times and will keep on doing that throughout the year. Afternoon is usually for private sessions with students and families and more infrequently I am visiting parent-teacher conferences. I am here to support students and teachers and my office is opened for everyone.

What kind of concerns are the most common?
Most common among students is studying and time-management, stress, relationship and self-esteem issues, emotional issues. Children need the acceptance from their parents, but many times parents do not realize that what is right for them might not be right for their children and therefore find difficult to accept their child`s decisions. Teenagers are still seeking their place and forming their identity, often they need more space to do that.

How to cope with study stress?
I believe that the key to unlock stress is right time management and goal setting. Students should have at least 7-8 hours of sleep per day and none of the works should be done from that expense. Really important is also correct nutrition and movement. If you feel that you are missing a focus then 5 minutes of some simple stretching and coordination exercises will activate your body and you can concentrate better. To reduce stress people should set realistic goals and work on their self-esteem and relationships.

How do you enjoy life?
I love travelling and learning about different cultures. I wrote my bachelor thesis about culturally comparative communication norms between Japanese and Estonian young people and their romantic relationships. I have been living and travelling in several countries through Europe and South-East Asia (some of my best memories are from Japan, Hong Kong, UK, and Greece).  I love arts – have finished music school and play piano (though my practice now isn’t too good), I love dancing – I have also learnt all sorts of dance styles from hiphop to ballet. Besides that I am a big fan of mountains and snowboarding.