What to Look for In a School
Psychology Internship
(Besides Money!!)
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(1Be
CASP Spring Institute
March 23, 2017
Barbara J. D’Incau, Ph.D., LEP, NCSP
Learner Objectives
2
• Participants will become knowledgeable about the elements of a quality
school psychology internship
• Participants will understand the requirements for the university and site
supervisors
• Participants will gain knowledge of the intern’s responsibilities
• Participants will gain knowledge regarding 10 domains of practice in school
psychology
• Participants will become knowledgeable of legal and ethical requirements for
intern supervision
School Psychology Intern Survey –
This one’s for you!
• What is the one most important factor students
should look for in an internship?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Payment – Intern salary
Quality supervision at the site
Select a district that I want to work in after graduation
Select an internship where I can gain experience in NASP's 10
domains of competence
Age or developmental level of students
Experience with a range of disabilities
Ability to work independently
Other
3
Question 2
4
• What is the second most important factor students
should look for in an internship?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Payment – Intern salary
Quality supervision at the site
Select a district that I want to work in after graduation
Select an internship where I can gain experience in NASP's 10
domains of competence
Age or developmental level of students
Experience with a range of disabilities
Ability to work independently
Other
Question 3
• Have you consulted the CASP internship manual
while preparing for your internship?
• Yes
• No
• Didn’t know about it
5
Question 4
6
• I want a supervisor who will encourage me to be
independent – let me handle some situations on my own but who is also willing to model best practices and desired
skills, and will “have my back” when I need it.
•
•
•
•
•
1 No opinion
2 Disagree completely
3 Disagree somewhat
4 Agree somewhat
5 Agree completely
Question 5
• I want a supervisor who will help me learn more
about interpreting psychological test results and
translating the results into helpful interventions.
• 1 No opinion
• 2 Disagree completely
• 3 Disagree somewhat
• 4 Agree somewhat
• 5 Agree completely
7
Question 6
• I want a supervisor who is patient, understanding,
available to consult with me and open to
questions.
• 1 No opinion
• 2 Disagree completely
• 3 Disagree somewhat
• 4 Agree somewhat
• 5 Agree completely
8
Question 7
• I want an internship where I can learn more about
crisis intervention.
• 1 No opinion
• 2 Disagree completely
• 3 Disagree somewhat
• 4 Agree somewhat
• 5 Agree completely
9
Question 8
• I want my supervisor to model presenting at IEP
meetings and gradually support me in presenting
results on my own, but who will always be at the
meeting with me.
•
•
•
•
•
1 No opinion
2 Disagree completely
3 Disagree somewhat
4 Agree somewhat
5 Agree completely
10
Question 9
• I want a supervisor who will model and support me in
learning to do face-to-face parent interviews and
consultations, and who will model how to deal with
difficult parents.
•
•
•
•
•
1 No opinion
2 Disagree completely
3 Disagree somewhat
4 Agree somewhat
5 Agree completely
11
Think – Pair - Share
• Share your responses to the survey with an elbow partner
• 6-8 minutes
12
Intern Survey Results Q1: Most important
reason for selecting an internship.
Q1: Most important reason for selecting an internship (N=22)
Payment - Intern Salary
Quality Supervision
District where I want to work
Experience with NASP 10 Domains
Experience with a range of disabilities
13
Q2: Second most important reason for
selecting an internship site.
Q2: Second most important reason. N=21
Payment - Intern salary
Quality Supervision
District where I want to work
Experience with NASP 10 Domains
Experience with a range of disabilities
14
Q3: Did you consult CASP Internship Manual?
N=22
Q2: Consulted CASP Internship Manual
Yes
No
Didn't know about it
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
15
Q4: Supervisor who encourages me to be
independent, but models best practices
Q4: Independent but with support. N=22
Yes
16
Q5: Supervisor who helps me learn test
interpretation and translate results into
interventions.
Q5: Test interpretation and translate results into interventions. N=22
Agree somewhat
Agree completely
17
Q6: Supervisor who is patient, available,
open.
Q6: Supervisor who is patient, available, open to questions.
Agree somewhat
Agree completely
18
Q7: Internship where I can learn about crisis
intervention.
Q7: Learn about crisis intervention. N=22
Agree somewhat
Agree completely
19
Q8: Supervisor models presenting at IEP
meetings, supports me in learning to present.
Q8: Supervisor models, supports me in presenting at IEP meetings.
N=22
Disagree somewhat
Agree somewhat
Agree completely
20
Q9: Supervisor who models parent interviews and
consultations, supports me with difficult parents.
Q9: Supervisor models parent interviews, consultations, supports work
with difficult parents. N=22
Disagree somewhat
Agree somewhat
Agree completely
21
CASP School Psychology Internship Manual,
Third Ed.
• Brian P. Leung, Ph.D. and Catherine Christo, Ph.D.
• Updated 2013
• Available: casponline.org - Publications
22
Internship, Defined
23
• Internship is defined as the culminating fieldwork experience in
which the school psychology credential candidate seeks to
integrate previous classroom and practical fieldwork experiences
with the goal of becoming an independent school psychologist
• The intern provides direct service to students, parents, and staff
within diverse school environments and under the supervision of a
credentialed and practicing school psychologist
• Must have an Internship Credential – apply through your
university
• PPS Credential is granted by CA Commission on Teacher
Credentialing
A Quality School Psychology Internship…
24
• Demands adherence to ethical principles and professional behaviors
• Is consistent with CCTC training standards
• Ensures intern’s progress through developmental stages in skill
acquisition and self-knowledge
• Provides interns with consistent and regular supervision by a
credentialed school psychologist;
• Maximizes the intern’s learning by careful workload management
• May include compensation
(Leung & Christo, CASP Intern Manual, 2013)
A Quality SP Internship
(cont.)
25
• Allows the intern a broad range of experiences with diverse
student populations in regular and special education
• Promotes intern’s development of data-based decision making
• Develops knowledge of intervention methodologies, and provides
opportunities to use those methodologies
• Promotes emerging knowledge and skills in research; and
• Does NOT supplant credentialed school psychologists.
Competencies
• Credential Requirements
• NASP 10 Domains of Practice
26
Credential Requirements: School Psychology
27
• The specialization in School Psychology authorizes the holder to
perform the following duties:
• Provide services that enhance academic performance
• Design strategies and programs to address problems of adjustment
• Consult with other educators and parents on issues of social development
and behavioral and academic difficulties
• Conduct psycho-educational assessment for purposes of identifying special
needs
• Provide psychological counseling for individuals, groups, and families
• Coordinate intervention strategies for management of individuals and
schoolwide crises
Commission on Teacher Credentialing: http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/req-services.html
School Psychology
Internship Requirements
28
• 1200 hours of full-time experience, of which 600 must be in a
school setting
• Provided through a formal course of study from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education
• Supervised by a qualified individual with 3 or more years of fulltime service as a school psychologist
• Should provide experiences all of the 10 Practice Domains (BD)
29
Qualitative Aspects of Supervision
• Definition
• Effective Supervision
• Roles and Responsibilities
30
Definition of Supervision
31
• Supervision in Psychological Services
• “An intervention provided by a more senior member of a
profession to a more junior member or members of the same
profession. This relationship is evaluative, extends over time, and
has the simultaneous purposes of enhancing the professional
functioning of the more junior person(s), monitoring the quality
of professional services offered (to clients), and serving as a
gatekeeper of those who are to enter the particular profession.”
• (J. M. Bernard & Goodyear, 2004, in Harvey & Struzziero, 2008)
Definition of Supervision (cont.)
32
• Supervision of Psychological Services in Schools
• An interpersonal interaction between two or more individuals for the purpose of
sharing knowledge, assessing professional competencies, and providing objective
feedback with the terminal goals of developing new competencies, facilitating
effective delivery of psychological services, and maintaining professional
competencies
• (D.E. McIntosh & Phelps, 2000, in Harvey & Struzziero, 2008)
• NASP adds the ultimate goal of improving the “performance of all
concerned - school psychologists, supervisor, students, and the entire
school community” (NASP, 2004)
State of School Psychology Supervision
33
• 1986 national survey of SP supervision: less than 25% received
individual or group supervision; supervision often provided by
someone other than a school psychologist (Zins, et al., 1989)
• Supervision surveys reveal that school psychologists receive
insufficient supervision relative to both personal needs and
professional standards (Chafouleas, Clonan, & Vanauken, 2002)
• Most school psychology interns and many school psychologists
are supervised by psychologists who have had no formal training
in supervision
NASP Guidelines for Supervision
34
• Best practice guidelines adopted Feb. 28, 2009
• Promote quality preparation of school psychologists and quality
service provision to children, youth, and families
• Foster the internship as an educational experience involving
collaboration between university training programs and internship
sites (and the intern-BD)
• Encourage greater consistency in opportunities and support across
internship sites
Effective Supervision
35
“Effective supervision is not an easy process. Effective supervision
requires sensitive and timely communication. It means knowing
when to provide corrective feedback and when to support, when to
provide direct teaching and when to let the intern learn on his/her
own. Building confidence while providing corrective feedback
requires patience, insight about the intern’s learning style, and a
careful management of the supervisor-intern relationship. A
genuine interest in the development of the intern should undergird
all supervision activities.”
(Leung & Christo, CASP Intern Manual, 2013)
Assessment Supervision
36
• One of the most critical, yet most neglected aspects of
professional development
• Early in training, the supervisor ensures accurate administration
and scoring
• In interpretation, the supervisor thinks out loud, explaining
normative score data, modeling hypothesis generation, linking
hypotheses to available data, and indicating what additional data
need to be collected to support or refute hypotheses
Assessment Supervision (cont.)
37
• Interpretation moves from global (full scale, summative, including
standard scores, percentiles, etc.) to index, subtest, and
sometimes item-level interpretation
• Later, the student generates hypotheses; supervisor evaluates
them for soundness, ascertains that nothing was missed
• In the final stages, the supervisor acts as a consultant, as the
student presents the case, suggests eligibility category and
provides evidence of defensible and logical data-based decision
making
Supervision Requirements for Practicum
Students and Interns
38
• Supervised by a qualified individual with 3 or more years of fulltime service as a school psychologist
• A minimum of 2 hours face-to-face supervision each week
• Additional supervision time for review of work products
• Modeling, teaching and direct supervision of assessments,
counseling, academic and behavioral interventions, consultation
(BD)
Supervision of Novice Practitioners
39
• Should receive a minimum of 1 hour per week of supervision
and/or mentorship
• School systems should provide time for school psychologists to
participate in supervision and/or mentorship
• Frequent, direct supervision of novice and advanced beginner
psychologists is necessary to enhance skill development and
ensure effective, ethical practice
Ethics and Supervision
NASP Standards
40
NASP Ethical Principles - Supervision
• Standard IV.4.2
— “School psychologists who supervise practicum students and
interns are responsible for all professional practices of the
supervisee. They ensure that practicum students and interns
are adequately supervised as outlined in the NASP Graduate
Preparation Standards for School Psychologists. Interns and
graduate students are identified as such, and their work is
cosigned by the supervising school psychologist.”
41
NASP Ethical Principles - Supervision
• Standard IV.4.3
— “School psychologists who employ, supervise, or train
professionals provide appropriate working conditions,
fair and timely evaluation, constructive supervision, and
continuing professional development opportunities.”
42
Ethical Principles and Responsibilities of SP
Supervision
43
• University Trainer
• a. Ensure adequate preparation of interns before they are granted
sanction to enter the field
b. Teach ethics and problem solving skills through formal course
work and modeling
c. Follow ethical guidelines when training school psychology interns
d. Provide a mechanism for interns to receive feedback and
guidance for ethical issues they encounter during the internship
e. Facilitate interns’ continued professional development through
professional organizations and other appropriate avenues
University Supervisor Obligations
(cont.)
44
• Ensure university and state credential requirements are met
• Serve as a liaison between university training program and
district site
• Monitor appropriateness of site and experiences
• Make site visits
• Ensure the student is sufficiently competent to receive the school
psychology credential
Ethical Principles in SP Supervision
(cont.)
45
• Field Supervisor
• a. Meet state and/or national requirements for credentialing as
a school psychologist
b. Have at least two years of experience as a credentialed
school psychologist
c. Supervise no more than two school psychologist interns at
any time (unless assigned only to supervise interns)
d. Recognize that the intern’s diverse training needs are the
responsibility of both the supervisor and district
e. Refrain from engaging in a dual relationship with the intern
Field Supervisor
(cont.)
46
• f. Provide systematic and on-going guidance to assist the intern
in moving toward independent professional decision making
g. Allow atmosphere of open exchange of information without
being defensive
h. Coordinate feedback and training opportunities to be
consistent with training program requirements (when an intern
has more than one field supervisor)
• i. Model appropriate professional ethics at all times
School Psychology Intern
Ethical Behaviors
47
• Provide service appropriate for his or her level of training and move toward
increasingly independent service delivery
• Seek assistance from supervisors in all areas, and develop plans and goals.
• Request supervisor’s opinion, judgment, and constructive feedback
• Accurately represent intern status to all client groups
• Learn and internalize ethical principles governing school psychological
services
• Assume responsibility for meeting training program competencies
• Become aware and follow district policies and procedures
• Develop an awareness of cultural and linguistic differences for the
populations served
(Leung & Christo, CASP Intern Manual, 2013)
NASP Recommendations
48
• “NASP does not advocate for administrative-only supervision or
professional supervision from an unqualified administrator.
• “If a school psychologist is provided only this type of supervision,
s/he is strongly advised to seek appropriate, professional
supervision elsewhere.
• Likewise, the district should allow for the school psychologist to
seek necessary supervision”
(NASP, 2011, Supervision in School Psychology Position Statement)
Then there is The Law
School Law is Specific
49
Schools Are Unique Settings
•
•
•
•
50
Education Code (Federal, State, and Board Policy)
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA – not HIPAA)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA – not DSM 5)
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA esp. Section 504)
• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA – Replaced NCLB under ESEA)
• And so, the laws pertaining to confidentiality, privacy, educational
diagnosis, accommodations and modifications are different in schools than
in clinic settings
FERPA
• The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – P.L. 93-308
(FERPA. August 1974) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a
Federal law that protects the privacy of student education
records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an
applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
• FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's
education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or
she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high
school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are
"eligible students."
51
FERPA Disclosures
52
• Parents or eligible students have the right to inspect and review the student's
education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to
provide copies of records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is
impossible for parents or eligible students to review the records. Schools may
charge a fee for copies.
• Parents or eligible students have the right to request that a school correct
records which they believe to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school
decides not to amend the record, the parent or eligible student then has the
right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to
amend the record, the parent or eligible student has the right to place a
statement with the record setting forth his or her view about the contested
information.
FERPA Disclosures (cont.)
53
• Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent or eligible student
in order to release any information from a student's education record. However,
FERPA allows schools to disclose those records, without consent, to the following
parties or under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31):
• School officials with legitimate educational interest
• Other schools to which a student is transferring
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school
• Accrediting organizations
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies and State and local
authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.
Current Issues
54
• Shortage of School Psychologists
— Many SP positions go unfilled, resulting in a high pupil to school
psychologist ratio
— Districts may be tempted to hire Interns to fill school psychology
positions, with many having access to little or no direct
supervision
Questions?
Discussion
55
References
56
• Bernard, J. M. and Goodyear, R.K. (1998). Fundamentals of clinical supervision .Boston,
Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon.
• California Association of School Psychologists. (2012). CASP Code of Ethics.
http://www.casponline.org/pdfs/pdfs/code.pdf
• Chafouleas, S., Clonan, S., & Vanauken, T. (2002). A national survey of current supervision
and evaluation practices of school psychologists. Psychology in the schools. DOI:
10.1002/pit.10024.
• Commission on Teacher Credentialing – Pupil Personnel Service Credential
http://www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/req-services.html
• Finkelstein, H. & Truckman, A. (1997). Supervision of psychological assessment: A
developmental model. Professional Psychology Research and Practice, 28(1), 92-95.
References
57
• Harvey, V. S., Amador, A., Finer, D., Gotthelf, D., Hintze, J., Kruger, L., Li, C., Lichtenstein, B.,
Rogers, L., Struzziero, J. A., Wandle, C. (May 2010). Improving field supervision through
collaborative supervision institutes. Communiqué, 38(7).
• Harvey, V. S. & Struzziero, J. A. (2009). Professional development and supervision of school
psychologists: From intern to expert. Second Ed. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.
• Merrell, K. W. (2009). Foreword, in V. Harvey & J. Struzziero. Professional development and
supervision of school psychologists: From intern to expert. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, pp. vi-viii.
• NASP (2011). Supervision in school psychology: Position statement. Bethesda, MD: Author.
• NASP (2010). Model for comprehensive and integrated school psychology services. Bethesda, MD:
Author.
References
58
• National Association of School Psychologists. (2010). NASP Principles for Professional Ethics.
http://www.nasponline.org/Documents/Standards%20and%20Certification/Standards/1_%20Ethic
al%20Principles.pdf
• Prus, J. S. (June, 2009). Best practice guidelines for school psychology internships. NASP
Communiqué, Vol. 37(8.)
• Worthington, E. L. (1987). Changes in supervision as counselors and supervisors gain experience: A
review. In R. P. Ross & D. S. Goh (1993) Participating in supervision in school psychology: A
national survey of practices and training. School Psychology Review, 22(1), 63-80.
• Zins, J. E., Murphy, J. J., & Wess, B. P. (1989).Supervision in school psychology: Current practices
and congruence with professional standards. School Psychology Review, 18(1), 56-63.