Premium
Evolving practicum issues in school psychology preparation
Author(s) -
Li Chieh,
Fiorello Catherine A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
psychology in the schools
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1520-6807
pISSN - 0033-3085
DOI - 10.1002/pits.20601
Subject(s) - practicum , credentialing , psychology , internship , context (archaeology) , licensure , school psychology , medical education , professional association , accreditation , pedagogy , professional psychology , professional development , public relations , political science , medicine , burnout , clinical psychology , paleontology , biology
Practicum experiences have been a critical aspect of the education and training of school psychologists at both the specialist and doctoral level. At the specialist level, the National Association of School Psychologists recently updated their standards for practicum, but the content, quality, and length of practicum vary tremendously across training programs. At the doctoral level, recent guidelines from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards allow for the emerging option to include practicum experience together with internship toward licensure requirements. However, this raises a number of questions unique to the context of school psychology training, including what hours and activities count, appropriate credentials for supervisors, appropriate sites for practicum experiences, what competencies are to be gained, and how to assess those competencies. The Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs has organized a task force to address issues of competencies and supervision in practicum experiences to inform recommendations and regulations regarding practicum experiences. This article summarizes the nature and context of these issues, and makes recommendations for school psychology training programs, national professional organizations, and credentialing organizations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.