School Psychology Externship Guidance!

[spo0fyspoof]

Hi All!

In September I will start my externship at a fairly well-funded and reputable public school (I believe I will be placed in the middle or elementary school). I just want to hear from other school psychologists , or school psychology externs, what I can do that may stand out. Or, if there is anything I can do that school psychologists wish they saw more from their school psychology externs. Any other guidance is also appreciated! Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SchoolPsycho]

It is hard to give specific advice without knowing the details of your placement, but here are some things that I received positive feedback on in my school placements, and that I also appreciated when supervising practicum students in schools:

1) Do more than test and place. I assume you'll be doing a lot of psychoed evals, and of course you should focus on making these high quality. But doing evals won't get you remembered. Carve out opportunities for academic and behavioral consultation. Start informally if necessary. Pop in on teachers during plan time and briefly check in on a case. Walk and talk in the hall with teachers and help them problem solve an intervention. Eat lunch in the teacher's lounge so you get to know people. Since you are only there for a year, it is important to actively work to build their confidence that you are willing and able to do more than test and write reports. Think of it as building your brand at the school - you need to show them they can come to you for effective solutions.

2) Chip in on the little things. Teachers are constantly asked to do a thousand little things to make schools function, whether it be planning a field day, creating bulletin boards, or recess and lunch duty. You can earn some serious brownie points by chipping in and helping with these things. You are more likely to stand out to supervisors, teachers, and administrators for doing these extra things than if you are another faceless extern who they only see at meetings.

3) Follow up and follow through. Whether you are doing an eval, counseling, or a consultation case, make a point to follow up with teachers and administrators after the case is complete to see how things are going. They appreciate it. It also gives you another chance for informal trouble shooting. As for following through, never ever make a promise you don't know that you can keep. Broken promises make you stand out in a bad way.

Overall, just remember that teachers talk to administration, and administration talks to your supervisors. If teachers are singing your praises, it will filter back to your supervisors in a positive way.

 

[spo0fyspoof]

It is hard to give specific advice without knowing the details of your placement, but here are some things that I received positive feedback on in my school placements, and that I also appreciated when supervising practicum students in schools:

1) Do more than test and place. I assume you'll be doing a lot of psychoed evals, and of course you should focus on making these high quality. But doing evals won't get you remembered. Carve out opportunities for academic and behavioral consultation. Start informally if necessary. Pop in on teachers during plan time and briefly check in on a case. Walk and talk in the hall with teachers and help them problem solve an intervention. Eat lunch in the teacher's lounge so you get to know people. Since you are only there for a year, it is important to actively work to build their confidence that you are willing and able to do more than test and write reports. Think of it as building your brand at the school - you need to show them they can come to you for effective solutions.

2) Chip in on the little things. Teachers are constantly asked to do a thousand little things to make schools function, whether it be planning a field day, creating bulletin boards, or recess and lunch duty. You can earn some serious brownie points by chipping in and helping with these things. You are more likely to stand out to supervisors, teachers, and administrators for doing these extra things than if you are another faceless extern who they only see at meetings.

3) Follow up and follow through. Whether you are doing an eval, counseling, or a consultation case, make a point to follow up with teachers and administrators after the case is complete to see how things are going. They appreciate it. It also gives you another chance for informal trouble shooting. As for following through, never ever make a promise you don't know that you can keep. Broken promises make you stand out in a bad way.

Overall, just remember that teachers talk to administration, and administration talks to your supervisors. If teachers are singing your praises, it will filter back to your supervisors in a positive way.

Thank you! So helpful! Especially reminding me that all of the little things do count. To give some more details, it is a middle school (I'll just say middle school because it's the most likely placement) of about 550 students, in the White Plains/Upstate area in NY.

The only thing I am hesitant in is the part with following up with teachers. I feel as if teachers already have so much on their plate that they may actually find me annoying if I email them for just one or two specific students. Do you have any experience with that?

 

[singasongofjoy]

Thank you! So helpful! Especially reminding me that all of the little things do count. To give some more details, it is a middle school (I'll just say middle school because it's the most likely placement) of about 550 students, in the White Plains/Upstate area in NY.

The only thing I am hesitant in is the part with following up with teachers. I feel as if teachers already have so much on their plate that they may actually find me annoying if I email them for just one or two specific students. Do you have any experience with that?

You can word an email in a way that does not imply that they must reply to you. For example, you can just say something simple like "I appreciated the opportunity to work with you on X. Just wanted to let you know that I'm happy to meet with you or come observe in the classroom (or whatever you want to say) to see how things are going if you think that would be helpful going forward - if so, just let me know." Or something more elegant than that, but you get the point.