Hofstra's School-Community PsyD program

[Hirschykiss310]

Hey, has anyone else been accepted to this program...and if so plan on going? Or if anyone knows anything about it/ knows anyone in it...What do you think of it?

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[Luv4psych]

I was just wondering when and how (phone call, email??) you heard about your acceptance to hofstra

 

[Hirschykiss310]

I got a phone call from my interviewer I believe Wednesday of last week. What time was your interview that Friday? Mine was at 9:30

 

[Luv4psych]

my interview was at 1:30

 

[JennyAnn4]

While my chosen field is Clinical Psychology, I can give you a general portrait of Hofstra's Psy.D. program because one of my best friends is in it.

The program, from all that I've heard, is superb. The professors are awesome, and are there to assist you, not talk at you or throw you in the water to see if you sink or swim. It's challenging, though, don't get me wrong: as with any doctoral program in psychology, there are demands from every direction. Generally, though, Hofstra is a very warm and friendly environment. If you would like, you can PM me and I can put you in touch with my friend. She can give you more details about the program.

 

[Jbird]

I have heard that Hofsta students are not able to pursue APA certified internships because of the unusual 4 yr program structure. How important is it to do an APA cert internship?

 

[mcvcm92]

Bumping to see if anyone can address Jbird's question, since it's a question of mine as well.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I don't know about Hofstra specifically, but I do know there are internship sites which require applicants to have completed 4 years of grad school prior to applying. At the same time, if the average completion time for clinical psych Ph.D. students is just over 5 years, and Hofstra is advertising that they can get students out in 4 total, I personally would wonder what exactly they're cutting out in order to accomplish that goal.

As for APA internships, given the current economic and professional climate, not having an accredited internship can certainly hinder you. VA and federal BOP sites require APA accreditation at the doctoral and internship levels, and many hospitals are the same way. I don't know of many/any states that require APA accredited internship to be license-eligible, although I believe there's a push for that to eventually be the case.

 

[mcvcm92]

I don't know about Hofstra specifically, but I do know there are internship sites which require applicants to have completed 4 years of grad school prior to applying. At the same time, if the average completion time for clinical psych Ph.D. students is just over 5 years, and Hofstra is advertising that they can get students out in 4 total, I personally would wonder what exactly they're cutting out in order to accomplish that goal.

As for APA internships, given the current economic and professional climate, not having an accredited internship can certainly hinder you. VA and federal BOP sites require APA accreditation at the doctoral and internship levels, and many hospitals are the same way. I don't know of many/any states that require APA accredited internship to be license-eligible, although I believe there's a push for that to eventually be the case.

Thanks for your response! Specifically, I was wondering if it's possible to do an APA internship AFTER completing the above program. After graduating from the above program, the student will have completed 4 years of grad school, so wouldn't that make him/her eligible?

 

[LETSGONYR]

Thanks for your response! Specifically, I was wondering if it's possible to do an APA internship AFTER completing the above program. After graduating from the above program, the student will have completed 4 years of grad school, so wouldn't that make him/her eligible?

I would assume that it is not. It's a predoctoral internship... you have to be enrolled in a doctoral program to attend.

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[AcronymAllergy]

I would assume that it is not. It's a predoctoral internship... you have to be enrolled in a doctoral program to attend.

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This. You aren't going to be eligible to complete an accredited pre-doctoral internship if you aren't currently enrolled in a doctoral program. The program at Hofstra is of course in school psych (or, more accurately and as indicated in the thread title, "school community psych"), and so the school psych folks can chime in with their thoughts on that matter, which would be infinitely more informed than mine.

To the best of my knowledge, completion of an APA-accredited internship is not necessary for a school psych doctorate. However, if you plan on working in settings other than schools, then while not required, attending an APA-accredited internship is almost necessary in order to remain competitive with other applicants.

Unless you were talking about the clinical psych program...?

 

[FadedC]

As a school psych person, I'm not really sure what School Community Psych is. Are they trained to become certified school psychologists? Or is it more like Ed Psych, where it's a completely different field?

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

If you are eligible for the APPIC Match (which implies meeting certain training req, in addition to not yet having your doctorate awarded), then you are not allowed to complete multiple internships. I believe Dr. Keilin covers this most years on the APPIC listserv, so a search of their archives would turn up a more "official" answer from APPIC.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

As a school psych person, I'm not really sure what School Community Psych is. Are they trained to become certified school psychologists? Or is it more like Ed Psych, where it's a completely different field?

I believe the website says that one of the objectives of the program is to train you to be certified as a school psychologist, yes.

 

[FadedC]

So basically it's a school psych doctorate with a focus on community. It's also only 4 years, which is only 1 more then a specialist degree, which is a bit odd.

So obviously if you work in a school it's not going to matter that you don't have an APA internship. It will hurt you a lot if you want to work in a hospital/medical facility, but very few school psychs end up working there. I'd think the biggest limitation wouldn't be the APA thing, but would be the 4 year PsyD degree which would probably make it harder to work in academia. Out of school psychologists who don't work in schools, academia is by far the biggest employer.

 

[mcvcm92]

Would it be possible to do a clinical psychology post-doc after completion of a program like Hofstra's school-community? And if so, would that help to make you more competitive for clinical psychology jobs?

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Would it be possible to do a clinical psychology post-doc after completion of a program like Hofstra's school-community? And if so, would that help to make you more competitive for clinical psychology jobs?

What is it about the school-community program that's drawing your interest, and why does it represent a better option for you than a clinical program, given your interest in practicing in settings where the latter is the norm?

(Note: don't take the above to be at all hostile; I'm just genuinely curious why you're so strongly considering a school-community program, and one that seems like it might place you at a disadvantage, when you also seem very bent on practicing in non-school environments).

Edit: to answer your question, it's going to depend on the post-doc. Some will require that you complete a clinical or counseling degree, and even more will want you to have completed an APA- or APPIC-accredited clinical psych internship. Those that don't have these requirements may or may not be particularly highly-regarded, and thus may or may not actually help your chances of landing a job in a clinical setting.

 

[aagman01]

I briefly looked at that program when I was applying for doctoral programs (before I realized they have minimal to no funding for students). As I recall, the title was a semantic thing - the program emphasis is in training for work in school or community outpatient settings. Basically akin to what one could do with a straight doctoral degree in school psych or a combined clinical-school program. However, that generalized summary is based solely on my memory and not on examining the program itself. In my estimation, if you are gonna shell out bucks for a school psych program in the NYC area, might as well go NYC itself and go to a more respectable combined practitioner program like yeshiva or a phd at teachers college or fordham or something of that sort. Anyways, good luck!

 

[mcvcm92]

What is it about the school-community program that's drawing your interest, and why does it represent a better option for you than a clinical program, given your interest in practicing in settings where the latter is the norm?

(Note: don't take the above to be at all hostile; I'm just genuinely curious why you're so strongly considering a school-community program, and one that seems like it might place you at a disadvantage, when you also seem very bent on practicing in non-school environments).

Edit: to answer your question, it's going to depend on the post-doc. Some will require that you complete a clinical or counseling degree, and even more will want you to have completed an APA- or APPIC-accredited clinical psych internship. Those that don't have these requirements may or may not be particularly highly-regarded, and thus may or may not actually help your chances of landing a job in a clinical setting.

I would like to get school psychologist certification, but I still want the flexibility to work in clinical areas [ex. hospital] as well. I'm still in undergrad and am trying to narrow down options, so I'm still exploring any areas that interest me, hence why combined programs are particularly appealing as this point.

I briefly looked at that program when I was applying for doctoral programs (before I realized they have minimal to no funding for students). As I recall, the title was a semantic thing - the program emphasis is in training for work in school or community outpatient settings. Basically akin to what one could do with a straight doctoral degree in school psych or a combined clinical-school program. However, that generalized summary is based solely on my memory and not on examining the program itself. In my estimation, if you are gonna shell out bucks for a school psych program in the NYC area, might as well go NYC itself and go to a more respectable combined practitioner program like yeshiva or a phd at teachers college or fordham or something of that sort. Anyways, good luck!

Thanks for your advice!

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I would like to get school psychologist certification, but I still want the flexibility to work in clinical areas [ex. hospital] as well. I'm still in undergrad and am trying to narrow down options, so I'm still exploring any areas that interest me, hence why combined programs are particularly appealing as this point.

Gotchya. Your best bet for that is going to be to find a school program that will allow you to participate in various practica in clinical-type settings. That's what will make you more competitive for clinical internships, and (more importantly) is what will allow you to gain competence to practice in those settings and with those populations.

 

[mcvcm92]

Gotchya. Your best bet for that is going to be to find a school program that will allow you to participate in various practica in clinical-type settings. That's what will make you more competitive for clinical internships, and (more importantly) is what will allow you to gain competence to practice in those settings and with those populations.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[LETSGONYR]

Gotchya. Your best bet for that is going to be to find a school program that will allow you to participate in various practica in clinical-type settings. That's what will make you more competitive for clinical internships, and (more importantly) is what will allow you to gain competence to practice in those settings and with those populations.

This made me think of this question... is it possible/common for the opposite to be true? For people with a clinical degree to work in a school? Like... if someone got a degree in general clinical, or in child clinical, or in an assessment heavy program... would they be eligible for licensure as a school psychologist or to work in that setting?

I ask because honestly I'm not sure, heh. My hunch is that they would be able to work in that setting but would be licensed as a clinical psychologist, not as a school psych. Is that correct?

 

[FadedC]

I'm not sure about the specifics of what they are licensed/certified as, but I know that it is possible for a clinical psychologist to work in the schools and perform the duties of a school psychologist. I've met and been supervised by a number of them. I believe that they need to perform some form of internship/externship in a school based setting, and maybe take an extra class or two, and that gives them some form of certification that allows them to legally work in schools.

I believe that it's one of those things which isn't that hard to do if you make time for it when your getting your doctorate. But if you graduate without doing it, then your generally out of luck.

This made me think of this question... is it possible/common for the opposite to be true? For people with a clinical degree to work in a school? Like... if someone got a degree in general clinical, or in child clinical, or in an assessment heavy program... would they be eligible for licensure as a school psychologist or to work in that setting?

I ask because honestly I'm not sure, heh. My hunch is that they would be able to work in that setting but would be licensed as a clinical psychologist, not as a school psych. Is that correct?

 

[aagman01]

Attaining school credential is dependent on state doe regulations. These vary by state. In some states, it can be fairly direct and simple for a clinical psychologist to get a school credential, whereas in other states it can require completing an entire separate degree.

I'm not sure about the specifics of what they are licensed/certified as, but I know that it is possible for a clinical psychologist to work in the schools and perform the duties of a school psychologist. I've met and been supervised by a number of them. I believe that they need to perform some form of internship/externship in a school based setting, and maybe take an extra class or two, and that gives them some form of certification that allows them to legally work in schools.

I believe that it's one of those things which isn't that hard to do if you make time for it when your getting your doctorate. But if you graduate without doing it, then your generally out of luck.

 

[mcvcm92]

I'm not sure about the specifics of what they are licensed/certified as, but I know that it is possible for a clinical psychologist to work in the schools and perform the duties of a school psychologist. I've met and been supervised by a number of them. I believe that they need to perform some form of internship/externship in a school based setting, and maybe take an extra class or two, and that gives them some form of certification that allows them to legally work in schools.

I believe that it's one of those things which isn't that hard to do if you make time for it when your getting your doctorate. But if you graduate without doing it, then your generally out of luck.

To second what Faded said, most states will just require someone with a clinical psychology doctorate to complete an internship in a school setting [ex. NY State asks for 600 hours] and they can get accredited as a school psychologist.

EDIT -- Actually, I just checked the NY State education accreditation website and one actually only needs 60 hours of graduate work in psychology, along with the school internship, to get accredited [along with other small stuff like fingerprints & attending child abuse seminar].

 

[aagman01]

are you sure about that. I remember looking that up before - and the requirements varied substantially by state. In some states, the amount of work a clinical psych had to do to gain the credential to work in the schools was minimal, whereas in other states it was qutie substantial (e.g. certain course work, certain number of practicum and internship hours in the schools)

To second what Faded said, most states will just require someone with a clinical psychology doctorate to complete an internship in a school setting [ex. NY State asks for 600 hours] and they can get accredited as a school psychologist.

EDIT -- Actually, I just checked the NY State education accreditation website and one actually only needs 60 hours of graduate work in psychology, along with the school internship, to get accredited [along with other small stuff like fingerprints & attending child abuse seminar].

 

[FadedC]

Well he just said that was true in most states, and after doing some research that seems to be correct. The most common requirement appearst to be 600 internship hours in a school. However there are definitely states out there that require a full school psych degree to work in schools. There also appear to be a small number of states with more vague requirements, such as just requiring 2 letters of recomendation that can speak to your school experience, but no actual extra course work/hours. Hopefully though you'd need some experience to get those letters?

are you sure about that. I remember looking that up before - and the requirements varied substantially by state. In some states, the amount of work a clinical psych had to do to gain the credential to work in the schools was minimal, whereas in other states it was qutie substantial (e.g. certain course work, certain number of practicum and internship hours in the schools)

 

[aagman01]

You can check out the requirements of the particular state(s) you plan to practice here,
http://www.nasponline.org/certification/state_info_list.aspx


Here are the listed requirements for the state of Virginia, for example. As you can see, the requirements appear (at least to my understanding) to make it difficult for a clinical psychologist to work in the schools as a school psychologist.

VIRGINIA

Accepts NCSP as a route to school based credential.

SEA Credential:
Pupil Personnel Services License: Must complete a state-approved program in school psychology at the master's degree level with at least 60 semester hours of graduate credit or hold the NCSP. Also requires an internship that is documented by the degree granting institution. No more than 12 hours of internship can be counted toward the 60 graduate semester hours required for licensure. The internship experience shall occur on a full-time basis over a period of 1 year or on a half-time basis over a period of 2 consecutive years. The internship shall occur under conditions of appropriate supervision, i.e., school based supervisor shall hold a valid credential as a school psychologist and non-school based supervisor shall be an appropriately credentialed psychologist. The internship shall include experiences at multiple age levels, at least one half of which shall be in an accredited school setting.
The Provisional License is a nonrenewable license valid for a period not to exceed 3 years issued to an individual who has allowable deficiencies for full licensure. Individuals must complete all requirements for a renewable license within the validity period of the license.

Well he just said that was true in most states, and after doing some research that seems to be correct. The most common requirement appearst to be 600 internship hours in a school. However there are definitely states out there that require a full school psych degree to work in schools. There also appear to be a small number of states with more vague requirements, such as just requiring 2 letters of recomendation that can speak to your school experience, but no actual extra course work/hours. Hopefully though you'd need some experience to get those letters?

 

[FadedC]

Yeah, as I said, some states require a full school psychology degree, and Virginia appears to be one of them. From what I can understand, it would not just be difficult for a clinical psychologist to work as a school psychologist there, it would be impossible.

You can check out the requirements of the particular state(s) you plan to practice here,
http://www.nasponline.org/certification/state_info_list.aspx


Here are the listed requirements for the state of Virginia, for example. As you can see, the requirements appear (at least to my understanding) to make it difficult for a clinical psychologist to work in the schools as a school psychologist.

VIRGINIA

Accepts NCSP as a route to school based credential.

SEA Credential:
Pupil Personnel Services License: Must complete a state-approved program in school psychology at the master's degree level with at least 60 semester hours of graduate credit or hold the NCSP. Also requires an internship that is documented by the degree granting institution. No more than 12 hours of internship can be counted toward the 60 graduate semester hours required for licensure. The internship experience shall occur on a full-time basis over a period of 1 year or on a half-time basis over a period of 2 consecutive years. The internship shall occur under conditions of appropriate supervision, i.e., school based supervisor shall hold a valid credential as a school psychologist and non-school based supervisor shall be an appropriately credentialed psychologist. The internship shall include experiences at multiple age levels, at least one half of which shall be in an accredited school setting.
The Provisional License is a nonrenewable license valid for a period not to exceed 3 years issued to an individual who has allowable deficiencies for full licensure. Individuals must complete all requirements for a renewable license within the validity period of the license.