Book recommendation: Getting Things Done

We all want to maximize the efficiency with which we get things done, while minimizing the energy we put into doing those things.  No one wants to expend the most energy doing or thinking about work-related things, whether they be scheduling appointments, drafting an email, or editing a paper.  I know I would much rather put my energy towards kayaking, swiftly followed by eating ice cream, instead of worrying about everything I have to get done.

We want the fastest, most stress-free route to completing something, but we don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the finished product (I never take the fastest route when I’m driving because I never know where I am.  Ever.  Maps and spatial relations aren’t my thing). 

How does this way of life become reality?  Organization!  I consider organization as one of my strengths.  However, I recently started reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity written by David Allen.  I definitely have some tuning up to do.  I might as well get this process down now before I start internship or my first job as a school psychologist.  By that time, I will definitely be juggling more meeting scheduling, email corresponding, and report editing. 

Allen maintains that once one’s mind is clear of to-do lists and important information is stored in a reliable organization system, one’s creative potential can then be released.  While I read the chapter on the five stages of mastering workflow, I reassessed my whole organization system and realized that I could get so much more accomplished in less time if I knew where everything was or threw out old, irrelevant documents. 

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to revamp organizational strategies and become more productive in a stress-free environment. 

By the way, I am currently reading three books and two of them were not on my original summer reading list… So many books to read!

Upcoming NASP conferences

The NASP Facebook page is a great page to follow for updates in the school psychology world.  The page posts information about research, job posts, and advocacy efforts.  Recently, there was a post about a call for presentation proposals for the 2014 annual convention in Washington, D.C., which reminded me that I need to start planning for this conference!  Earlier this year, the conference was held in Seattle, Washington and I decided to forgo this expensive, cross-country trip.  However, in 2012, the conference was held in Philadelphia, which was all too convenient.  One of our professors requested our cohort’s dance skills for the opening welcome party.  We hung up Uncle Sam’s to represent Philadelphia freedom and the welcome party was a hit.  I had never attended a professional conference before so I really did not know what to expect.  As it turns out, conferences are an awesome way to meet people in the field, network with your state school psychology association, and learn about the latest research.  My cohort members and I attended several workshops and presentations and I was even able to meet up with the school psychology program from my alma mater!  I’m basically writing this post to encourage anyone in the school psychology field to attend every conference possible.  I’m definitely looking forward to attending the next conference and the location makes it much more fiscally possible to attend.  The conference in Washington, D.C. is February 18-21, 2014.  There are also two NASP conferences this summer in Cincinnati, Ohio from July 8-10 and Albany, New York July 22-24.  In addition to networking and learning, attending conferences is also a great way to earn continuing professional development (CPD) credits.

Summer reading list

Now that I have some time on my hands, I have started to create a summer reading list of school-psychology related books.  These are a just a few that I want to read...

Reading

Reading in the Brain
Stanislas Dehaene

Proust and the Squid:
The Story and Science
of the Reading Brain
Maryanne Wolf

Assessment

Essentials of Cross-Battery Assessment
Flanagan, Ortiz, & Alfonso

Executive Functioning 

The New Executive Brain:
Frontal Lobes in a Complex World
Elkhonon Goldberg

Mental Health

All We Have to Fear: Psychiatry's Transformation
of Natural Anxieties into Mental Disorders
Horwitz & Wakefield

The Last Normal Child: Essays on the Intersection
of Kids, Culture, and Psychiatric Drugs
Lawrence Diller

The next two books are for anyone who is starting internship in the fall.  I might save these until fall 2014 when I start internship, but they may be helpful for practicum as well.

Internship

So, You Are a School Psychologist:
Guide for Interns and First Year Psychologists
Jerry Turner 

The School Psychologist's Survival Guide
Rebecca Branstetter

Celebration Haiku

Well friends, we did it!

Year 1 is done and it’s great

Can’t wait to learn more

There’s a little celebratory school psychology haiku for you.  My cohort and I just completed our first year in the EdS program last night.  Our assessment classes are behind us and we’re ready for a break until August.  While I will not be writing reports or scoring any protocols, I do plan on brushing up on the WISC, WIAT, and other frequently used assessments that my practicum supervisor uses in order to prepare for the fall.  But first…summer time! 

My first STEPPS experience

In the EdS program, we have the unique opportunity to demonstrate our knowledge through an experience known as STEPPS.  This is essentially a simulated parent feedback experience in which trained actors pretend to be the parents of a referred child and listen as you explain the results of “your” evaluation.  My first experience with STEPPS was tonight and it was great! 

So the process works like this.  The program coordinator emailed us two evaluation reports two days before our meeting date.  We got the chance to review the reports, take notes, and prepare for our meetings.  We were allotted 45 minutes for the meeting with each parent.  I admit I was a little nervous but I just kept telling myself that I was meeting with an “actor” and that I could act like I knew what I was talking about…

But really, it was a great experience.  I set up an agenda for our meeting and I explained the report results, listened to parent concerns, and discussed what the next step in the evaluation process would be.  I made sure to ask clarifying questions such as, “Does that make sense?” and “Do you have any further questions?” to ensure that the “parent” was following and had an opportunity to be heard.  I even brought out a laminated normal curve to explain standard scores and percentile ranks.  After the meeting, the “parent” left and both the "parent" and I had time to fill out an evaluation of the experience including comments about the flow of the meeting, the connection between the "parent" and I, and how well I incorporated the "parent" concerns into my feedback.  After ten minutes, the “parent” returned and we had a conversation about how we thought the meeting went and whether I could make any improvements.  The feedback that I received was very helpful.  At times, I spoke a little fast which could be interpreted as rushing the meeting.  But I also received feedback that I connected well with the "parents", was empathic to their situation and child, and gave just enough detail about the results without inundating the parent with jargon.

I was videotaped during each session and these tapes will be sent to school psychologists to be reviewed and commented on.  The STEPPS experience will occur again next year and I expect to see improvements in my delivery, approach, and knowledge!

Here are some testimonials from my fellow cohort members about their experiences:

"Enjoy the experience, because it is helpful!" -Ben

"The experience was great.  It was great exposure!" -Eren

"Both of my "parents" were very nice and had helpful feedback.  Great learning experience." -Liz

"Try not to get stressed about it!  The standardized parents/actors were SO nice." -Katie

Great blogs to follow

Happy Monday!  Below are a few blogs that I follow.  I enjoy reading about others’ experiences as teachers and school psychologists and hope to remember all the advice they have so generously given out for free!  It can be helpful to read about another person's similar experiences.  This lets you know that you're not alone in the world of education and can find support online if needed.

Musings of an urban school psychologist: Follow the experience of an early career school psychologist in an urban district in New York state

http://firstyearschoolpsych.blogspot.com/

Burgeoning school psychologist: Thoughts about being a school psychologist as well as book reviews of school psychology-related titles

http://skoolpsych.blogspot.com/

WrightPsych.com: A wealth of information and opinions from a school psychologist in public school districts in rural Kansas

https://sites.google.com/site/thewrightpsych/home

Notes from the school psychologist: Experiences of a clinical psychologist and licensed educational psychologist in the San Francisco Bay Area

http://studentsgrow.blogspot.com/

                                                                                  

Teacher Lisa’s class: Special education teacher who shares her experiences teaching children with mild to moderate disabilities

http://www.teacherlisasclass.com/

Securing a practicum site

Today I had a meeting with my upcoming practicum supervisor.  During the second year of the EdS program, each cohort member completes a year-long practicum in a school district in addition to coursework.  I chose to complete this requirement in a nearby district with a former professor from the MS School Psychology program.  She earned her PsyD in Clinical Psychology and is a certified school psychologist in Pennsylvania. 

I will be working in the middle and high school, but there is also an opportunity to get involved with early-intervention as well.  My supervisor also has another practicum student from another program so we will be able to work together.  This practicum, like the MS practicum, is requirement-based.  This means that I will be able to structure how and when I complete the requirements instead of having each assignment due at a predetermined time.  This makes the experience less stressful because I can complete everything on my own schedule.  I plan on spending one full day each week in the school(s), while still working part-time as a TSS. 

Here is what I have to look forward to this fall.  We are required to complete several comprehensive evaluations that include measures of cognitive, academic, behavioral, and social/emotional aspects of functioning.  I will conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment.  I will monitor student progress on several cases.  I will engage in consultation cases, which will include activities such as problem identification, problem analysis, plan development and implementation, and plan evaluation.  I will create several academic and psychosocial intervention plans, attend multiple school-based problem solving meetings, and give feedback to parents about reports.  I plan on re-familiarizing myself over the summer with the WISC, WAIS, WIAT and other measures that my supervisor frequently uses.  In addition to these requirements, I plan on getting everything I can out of this experience. 

I am very excited for practicum because I get the opportunity to apply everything that I will have learned up until this point in my educational career.  Even though I don't start until September, I might have my “first day of school” outfit picked out already…