We are delighted to propose Rosène de Saint-Hilaire for the 2018 ISPA Award for Outstanding International School Psychology Practice. She has regularly attended every ISPA Conference since her first ISPA Conference in Durham, New Hampshire, US, in 2010.
Rosène is an exemplar of the scientific practitioner, whose day to day work is always informed by best practice at national and international levels. She worked as a school psychologist for several years in the French education system and more recently with young children in a counselling centre. Rosène has devoted her career to promoting the wellbeing of children through facilitating the enhancement of their academic achievement.
As a prominent member of the Association Francaise des Psychologues de L’Education Nationale (AFPEN) for several years, Rosène has always sought to develop international links. Our distinguished colleague, Jean-Claude Guillemard, was appointed as the first AFPS (now AFPEN) delegate to the ISPA Colloquium in York, UK, in 1979, and the partnership has continued ever since, a period of almost 40 years.
Rosène was the official AFPEN delegate to ISPA from the Exeter Conference in Great Britain in 2004 until the Manchester Conference in 2017. She was instrumental in inviting Helen Bakker as ISPA Past President to speak at the 2009 biennial AFPEN Conference in Clermont Ferrant in central France. Jürg Forster in Strasbourg in 2011 and Paul Bartolo in Nice in 2013, then both subsequently addressed AFPEN Conferences as ISPA President. Rosène was the chair of the AFPEN International Committee that was established in 1985 and regularly publishes an International Letter for the members of their Association. She frequently reported on AFPEN activities at ISPA General Assemblies over the years.
Two ISPA colloquiums were held in France over the years, in Orleans in 1984 and subsequently in Dinan in 2001. Rosène’s early commitment to ISPA was evidenced by her membership of the LOC for the Dinan Conference.
Her international commitment was further evidenced by her involvement in the ISPA European Committee that was established in 2001 with the aim of increasing communication and collaboration among European school psychologists. Rosène was appointed one of the co-chairs of this Committee at the ISPA Malta Conference in 2009. At a practical level this cooperation was very evident in the support of the European Committee for the work of the ISPA Training Centre for European school psychologists and the International Crisis Intervention Network. Rosène served on the Advisory Board of the ESPCT (European School Psychology Centre for Training) which is continuing this vital work. Bernard Meissner, as an ISPA member and chair of ESPCT was a guest at the AFPEN Strasbourg Conference.
Rosène is a most deserving recipient of the 2018 ISPA Award for Outstanding International School Psychology Practice.