Situating Educational Psychology Practice. Exploring the Call for a 'Practice Turn' in Contemporary Danish...

In recent years, Denmark has witnessed issues related to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents, marked by rising psychiatric diagnoses, school absenteeism, and increasing segregation in educational settings. This development has intensified the demand for Educational Psychology (EP) practice services but also started a public and professional debate about the role and effectiveness of EP practice. Critics argue that EP practice is too detached from pedagogical realities, focusing excessively on documenting individual difficulties rather than supporting educational practices. Thus, educational psychologists are requested to make a turn towards practice. Through a situated psychological lens, this article explores the desired practice turn of EP practice: what kind of practice is presented in the current educational and political discussion and what is the role of educational psychology and educational psychology practice in this raised critique of a 'practice-distant' EP practice? Through a situated psychological lens, the article argues that understanding the field of EP practice, including the role of educational psychologists in contemporary educational practices, requires acknowledging its historical and contextual situatedness inside the practice of institutionalized education. In addition, the article argues for a fundamental theoretical and normative discussion about the type of practices educational psychologists should support.