The fit between the School
Psychology Program and the connections outlined in the
Conceptual Framework for the Unit follows.
Connections
among Deaf and Hearing Worlds.
School Psychology candidates learn about connections among
Deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing perspectives through
classroom interactions, guest speakers, field experiences, and
course offerings. The School Psychology Program establishes as
its base those skills and competencies associated with
training school psychologists to work with the diverse
population of American school children, plus a specialization
for working with students who are deaf and hard of hearing.
The connection between best practices in school psychology and
the deafness specialization occurs across the curriculum.
Seven Core Competency Areas and five Special
Competency Areas for the Deafness Specialty guide the
curriculum in School Psychology. These competency areas and
the courses that relate to each competency are described on
pages 5-7 of the School Psychology Program Handbook
2001-2002.
Local,
National, and Global Perspectives.
Connections among local, national, and global domains are
encouraged not only in the diversity of candidates and faculty
but also in the range of field placements. The program trains
school psychologists who work collaboratively as
members of child study teams, consultants, and in-service
providers. Collaborative partnerships with educators, support
personnel, and parents occur within required courses (PSY701,
PSY771, PSY772, PSY790, PSY791, PSY792, PSY793) in a variety
of local and national field placements. Interns and practicum
students have been placed in over 30 states, the District of
Columbia, and Quebec, Canada. (See the List of Practicum
Sites and List of Internship Sites in the School
Psychology Program Handbook 2001-2001, pages 37-39). The
School Psychology Program values candidates who see themselves
as leaders in advocating for the mental health and
educational potential of deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing
students. Program graduates have served across the United
States and in countries of Kenya, Columbia, Spain, Indonesia,
Canada, and France. (See the list of program graduates, Alumni
Newsletter, 18, pp. 26-36.)
Connecting
Tradition and Innovation.
School Psychology candidates study professional history, legal
and ethical precedents to best practice, and traditional bases
for practice and theory in psychology and education (PSY701,
PSY743, PSY723). They also learn state-of-the art techniques,
practices, concepts, theories, and perspectives across the
curriculum. Field experiences provide candidates opportunities
to apply and practice innovations learned from a variety of
courses, contexts, and state-of-the-art references such as The
Handbook of School Psychology-Third Edition (edited by
Reynolds and Gutkin, 1999), Best Practices in School
Psychology III (edited by Thomas and Grimes), and Jacob-Timm
and Hartshorne’s Ethics and Law for School
Psychologists-Third Edition (1998).
Connections
between Theory and Practice.
Partnerships with schools or districts provide essential links
between training and practice. The School Psychology Program
invites guest speakers to classes and organizes panel
presentations with local school psychologists for the purpose
of bridging the gap between training and practice. Two such
panel presentations were Ethical Dilemmas in the Delivery
of Psychological Services to Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children and
Adults (conducted 9/95) and A Day in the Life of a
School Psychologist: Reactions from the Field (conducted
9/00). Links between theory and practice are also included in
required field courses. During the first and second years of
the program, candidates provide tutoring, assessments,
observational data, diagnostic play therapy, consultations,
and intervention plans to local educational programs as part
of required courses (PSY770, PSY771, PSY772). The third year
of the program constitutes the full-time internship in a
school setting or school/clinic settings anywhere in the
United States. Candidates draft an Individual Internship
Plan to guide their transition into the world of
professional practice (see sample Individual Internship
Plan on pages 31-33 of the School Psychology Program
Handbook 2001-2002). Two internship supervisors, an
on-site school psychologist and a university-based program
psychologist, help the intern integrate theory and practice.
Connecting the
Curriculum to Continuous Learning: Reflective practice.
Candidates are encouraged to reflect upon their training
experiences and preparation for the profession in a variety of
ways. Although reflective discussions occur across the
curriculum, candidates document their reflections by
completing monthly Practicum Logs during Practicum II (PSY771)
and Internship Logs during the full-year internship
(PSY790-793). Practicum II also requires that candidates
prepare written reflections on a number of topics (e.g.,
Supervision, School Organization, School Records, Referral
Systems, Support Services, Parents, and Ethical Dilemmas).
Before leaving for internship, candidates prepare additional
written reflections including the Profile of Communication
Skills (School Psychology Program Handbook,
p. 11) and an Individual Internship Plan (School
Psychology Program Handbook, pp. 31-33). |
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