School Psychologist Suzanne Donnellan has learned that she is not an expert.

“I think our natural inclination is to think that somehow we’re the expert,” Donnellan said. “I’ve learned that that’s not really the case. What I need to do when someone is coming for help is to be the person who helps them become the expert of their own problem.”

Donnellan began working at the high school in 1989 as a part-time psychologist while working as a psychologist and supervisor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She left Beth Israel in 1997 to become a full-time psychologist for the high school.

She currently juggles her full-time job working at the school with her private practice and teaching in the psychology department at Northeastern University.

A graduate of Hunter College, Donnellan holds an interdisciplinary degree in public health, social work and child development psychology from the University of California at Berkeley. She received her clinical psychology degree at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology.

Donnellan said her work at the high school has been focused on three components of the psychology department, the first of which is assessment.

“We do cognitive and behavioral and academic testing on students who have concerns about their learning,” Donnellan said. “And if they are having something we could help them with, we try to help them out.”

Additionally, the psychologists offer school-based counseling with students. The last component, Donnellan’s favorite, is consultation with parents and teachers.

“I really enjoy working with parents and working with teachers on what they might be thinking about with their students and helping them figure out how they can do their work better to make the students have a better experience,” Donnellan said.

Although Donnellan’s work at the high school is coming to a close, she plans to continue working at her practice and teaching seminars at Northeastern. She looks forward to a more flexible schedule that will allow her to spend more time with her two grandchildren.

As Donnellan departs from the high school, she will bring with her the satisfaction of having interacted with and helped her students.

“I think the most gratifying thing is meeting a student in ninth grade and seeing them over three or four years develop into a fabulous person that they feel happy with,” Donnellan said. “I think this school is a wonderful place for discovery and exploration, and if you have the sort of backup and support to try new things and spread your wings, it’s a great opportunity. I like being that person who encourages students to do that.”