This work aims at characterizing the performance of psychologists in the public health services in the City of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, in face of the needs of children presenting school problems, since they can be an important source of information for the education of such professionals. Individual semi-structured interviews were recorded and transcribed, allowing quantitative and qualitative analyses of data from 19 psychologists who participated in this study. The results showed that psychologists still regard school problems as inherent to poor children and their families and that they can be treated out of the contexts in which they were produced -- the school institution where the complaint has originated. Although professionals point out the participation of the school in the production of children's difficulties, the focus of intervention in problems presented is still the individualized assistance to children and their families. In spite of the theoretical and methodological improvements found in the new understanding of school problems, they are still not present in the performance of these professionals.
Professional education and psychology; Learning problems; Psychologist's performance
