Meet School Psychologist Alexandra Plourd

Our Happy Place is most grateful to partner with elementary educator Alexandra Plourd to create a set of mindfulness exercises for parents, educators and children to support mental wellness. Alexandra is a Connecticut native who was attracted to the field of psychology from a young age. She attended the University of Hartford for her undergraduate and graduate degrees and also played Division 1 women’s soccer during her studies. In addition, Alexandra earned a Specialist Certificate in School Psychology and Child Clinical Counselling.

In addition to her roles as a mother, wife and soccer coach, since 2015, Alexandra has worked at two elementary schools in New Hartford, Connecticut as their sole school psychologist. In this role, she helps students succeed academically, socially, behaviourally and emotionally. She is often introduced to her youngest students as a “feelings teacher” and spends her days collaborating with teachers, parents, students and community members to create a safe, healthy and supportive learning environment for all students.

Alexandra plays many roles within her schools including offering counselling support, psychological assessments, crisis intervention, consultation, social skills instruction and providing social emotional learning leadership. She is particularly energized by her work implementing the RULER curriculum, a social emotional framework created by Dr. Marc Brackett within Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing and Regulating emotions. All staff members within Alexandra’s school district are trained in this approach and facilitate lessons within their classrooms to help students learn to manage their emotions in more effective ways.

Our Happy Place is inspired by Alexandra’s work and are most grateful for her collaboration!