The day before winter break…

Glittery shirts and scarves, candy canes, and a whole lot of baked goods were spotted at my practicum site the day before winter break. The energy at the middle school was particularly high due to a school-wide bullying awareness assembly. After discussing the current caseload and future assignments with my supervisor at the middle school, I observed a student in 7^th grade referred for social/emotional concerns. After observing, I went back to the office and typed up the observation to include in my supervisor’s report. I then headed over to the high school to consult with the guidance counselor about a 10^th grade student’s progress. She was referred to IST (Instructional Support Team) so I offered to help in any way that I could since I have been monitoring her progress and consulting with her teachers since the beginning of the year. The IST will gather information and recommend interventions that might help her to succeed. My last activity of the day included attending an IEP meeting for a 12^th grade student previously diagnosed with ADHD. The team focused on transition goals and encouraging the student to become an advocate for himself and any support services he may need in college. It was a pretty great day of typing, consulting, observing, and attending meetings... a typical school psychologist day!

In other news, Psych Society collected two full boxes for the CHOP toy drive! Happy holidays everyone! Spend time with loved ones, sleep in a little, and eat lots and lots of unhealthy foods.

Third year Ed.S. cohort meet and greet

This week in class, I got the opportunity to look a year into my future. How did I accomplish that? Well, the third year Ed.S. cohort came to our class and told us all about their internship experiences thus far. We heard from each student about his or her internship sites. They told us about what they liked and what they wished was a little different. They gave us suggestions for the application process and advice for the yearlong (at least 1200 hours to be exact) internship that we will complete beginning next fall. After all the students introduced themselves, small groups of us talked with each group of students more directly. My cohort asked all sorts of questions ranging from, “How many sites did you apply to?” to “How are we going to survive?”

Here are some common themes that resonated with me…

You’ll be fine!

All supervisors have their own way of organizing their to-do list, interacting with parents and staff, and managing their time. Pick up things that you like and see what doesn’t work for you.

Make yourself available to all staff for the first few weeks to get your name out there. Help out in a kindergarten classroom or anywhere that help might be needed.

Take advantage of any supervision, whether it is from your own supervisor or group supervision.

Do whatever the school will let you do. Keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things.

This was a great opportunity to form relationships and connections and learn more about what to expect next year. Previous cohorts have even networked and accepted internships from connections formed at this meet and greet. I definitely left feeling relieved after hearing all of the students’ advice for us.

Until next time!

Psych Society Holiday Happenings

So in addition to attending classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and completing my practicum on Fridays, I am also involved with PCOM’s Psychology Society as the Community Service Chair. In this role, I essentially serve as the liason between Psych Society and the SOC (Student Organization Council). I let the SOC know what community service events Psych Society has planned for the year. Each club at PCOM must hold at least two community service oriented events. 

So far, Psych Society has participated in the Red Cross blood drive and the Autism walk. Currently, we have toy donation boxes outside the auditoriums on campus for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia toy drive. After the holidays, we are planning on running a Philadoptables pet supplies drive as well. Consider donating and/or tell your friends and family about donating! This organization is great and helps to make someone’s holiday season a little bit more bright.

We are accepting donations for the CHOP toy drive now until December 19. More information can be found online at the link below regarding information about the toys that CHOP is accepting.

http://www.chop.edu/service/child-life-education-and-creative-arts-therapy/donations/toy-donations.html

Happy Friday!

So this week is our break in between fall and winter semester. We’re off for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but we start winter semester this upcoming Monday. We are taking Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Schools, Practicum seminar II, and Academic and Behavioral Interventions in Schools this semester. We have definitely talked about potential interventions prior to this semester, but it will be nice to have a class that solely focuses on the topic.

In other news, I was at my practicum site for a full day today. The 11^th grade student that I was going to observe in class was serving (ISS) In School Suspension, so I changed my plans. In the morning, I attended a re-evaluation meeting for a student I tested a few weeks ago. I was able to provide some feedback to the parent, but my supervisor mostly filled the parent in. I hung out with the 12^th grade guidance counselor for a good amount of the day, attending meetings and finding out more about the programs offered in the high school through guidance. I was also able to consult with a few teachers about the student I was going to observe to get some background information and consult with the guidance counselor about my case study. At the end of the day, I caught up with my supervisor over at the middle school and discussed some potential future assignments. I won't be at my practicum site until December, so I'll update with news then!

Happy School Psychology Awareness Week!

Each year for a week in November, school psychologists and the services that they can provide are in the spotlight. This year, NASP’s theme is “We’re all in! Teams work!”  In order to succeed in school and life, students, parents, and staff must often work as part of a team. The idea behind this year’s theme is to help students and school staff identify, implement, and enhance team related skills with a strengths-based focus. Visit the link below for more information and to obtain resources for your school to spread the message!

http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spaw/2013/index.aspx

I also included a link below with information about coordinating a strong school psychologist team. A strong and effective team of school psychologists either within or between school districts helps to ensure continuing professional learning and problem-solving support for all school psychologists involved. In turn, each school psychologist will be better able to serve the needs of his or her school population. 

http://www.nasponline.org/communications/spaw/2013/documents/SP_Team_Tip_Sheet.pdf

The walk was a success!

This past Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the PCOM team joined more than 15,000 people for the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event. It was a beautiful day to walk! The MS in Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology, PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and Ed.S. in School Psychology programs were there to proudly represent PCOM. We reached our goal of $500, raising $620. Overall, the Philadelphia area raised $610,000 in support of Autism Speaks' mission to fund research, increase awareness and family services, and advocate for individuals with autism and their families. Thanks to all who donated and participated in the walk this year!