SPCL 7931T Practicum in School Psychology and Counseling I

The Brooklyn College School Psychologist Graduate Program strives to meet our urban community’s need for highly competent, self-reflective, and compassionate school psychologists.  The program is committed to improving the educational experiences, and addressing the mental health needs, of all children in our richly diverse schools.

The School of Education at Brooklyn College prepares teachers, administrators, counselors, and school psychologists to serve, lead and thrive in the schools and agencies of this city and beyond. Through collaborative action, teaching and research, we develop our students' capacities to create socially just, intellectually vital, aesthetically rich and compassionate communities that value equity and excellence, access and rigor. We design our programs in cooperation with Liberal Arts and Sciences faculties and in consultation with local schools in order to provide our students with the opportunity to develop the knowledge, proficiencies and understandings needed to work with New York City's racially, ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. We believe that teaching is an art that incorporates critical self-reflection, openness to new ideas, practices and technologies, and that focuses on the individual learner's needs and promotes growth. Our collective work is shaped by scholarship and is animated by a commitment to educate our students to the highest standards of professional competence.

This course addresses the four areas described in the Brooklyn College School of Education’s conceptual Framework as follows:

• Collaboration: Through the readings, class discussions, and practicum experiences, activities school psychologist candidates are prepared to involve themselves in students’ lives by communicating assessment findings and counseling goals to families, teachers, administrators, and other support staff as well as consultation with school professionals and families. 
• Critical Self-Reflection and Reflective Practice: School psychologist candidates are expected to critically reflect on readings, class discussions and practicum activities. Over the course of the semester, students will reflect on their own assumptions about their practices, the students and families with whom they work, the communities in which they work, and their own development as professionals.  Critical self-reflection is a section in the daily logs written by school psychologist candidates.
• Social Justice: Over the course of the semester, the school psychologist candidates develop a deeper understanding of the quest for social justice. Through the understanding of the emotional lives of the children at their practicum site, they can be caring advocates and change agents for all their students and their families in pursuit of academic excellence and social equality.
• Diversity: School psychologist candidates demonstrate a capacity to understand students’ special populations, cultures and families at their practicum site and use this information as a basis for connecting professional practices to students’ experiences.

This course addresses a number of Domains of Practice set forth by NASP, as follows:

• Data-Based Decision-Making (Domain 1) School psychologists understand and utilize assessment methods for identifying strengths and needs; developing effective interventions, services, and programs; and measuring progress and outcomes within a multitiered system of supports. School psychologists use a problem-solving framework as the basis for all professional activities. School psychologists systematically collect data from multiple sources as a foundation for decision-making at the individual, group, and systems levels, and they consider ecological factors (e.g., classroom, family, and community characteristics) as a context for assessment and intervention.
• Consultation and Collaboration (Domain 2) School psychologists understand varied models and strategies of consultation and collaboration applicable to individuals, families, groups, and systems, as well as methods to promote effective implementation of services. As part of a systematic and comprehensive process of effective decision making and problem solving that permeates all aspects of service delivery, school psychologists demonstrate skills to consult, collaborate, and communicate effectively with others.
• Academic Interventions and Instructional Supports (Domain 3) School psychologists understand the biological, cultural, and social influences on academic skills; human learning, cognitive, and developmental processes; and evidence-based curricula and instructional strategies. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, use assessment and data collection methods to implement and evaluate services that support academic skill development in children. 
• Mental and Behavioral Health Services and Interventions (Domain 4) School psychologists understand the biological, cultural, developmental, and social influences on mental and behavioral health, behavioral and emotional impacts on learning, and evidence-based strategies to promote social–emotional functioning. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, design, implement, and evaluate services that promote resilience and positive behavior, support socialization and adaptive skills, and enhance mental and behavioral health.
• School-Wide Practices to Promote Learning (Domain 5) School psychologists understand systems structures, organization, and theory; general and special education programming; implementation science; and evidence-based, school-wide practices that promote learning, positive behavior, and mental health. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, develop and implement practices and strategies to create and maintain safe, effective, and supportive learning environments for students and school staff.
• Services to Promote Safe and Supportive Schools (Domain 6) School psychologists understand principles and research related to social–emotional well-being, resilience and risk factors in learning, mental and behavioral health, services in schools and communities to support multitiered prevention and health promotion, and evidence-based strategies for creating safe and supportive schools. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, promote preventive and responsive services that enhance learning, mental and behavioral health, and psychological and physical safety and implement effective crisis prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery.
• Family, School, and Community Collaboration (Domain 7) School psychologists understand principles and research related to family systems, strengths, needs, and cultures; evidence-based strategies to support positive family influences on children’s learning and mental health; and strategies to develop collaboration between families and schools. School psychologists, in collaboration with others, design, implement, and evaluate services that respond to culture and context. They facilitate family and school partnerships and interactions with community agencies to enhance academic and social–behavioral outcomes for children.
• Equitable Practices for Diverse Student Populations (Domain 8) School psychologists have knowledge of individual differences, abilities, disabilities, and other diverse characteristics and the impact they have on development and learning. They also understand principles and research related to diversity in children, families, schools, and communities, including factors related to child development, religion, culture and cultural identity, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, and other variables. School psychologists implement evidence-based strategies to enhance services in both general and special education and address potential influences related to diversity. School psychologists demonstrate skills to provide professional services that promote effective functioning for individuals, families, and schools with diverse characteristics, cultures, and backgrounds through an ecological lens across multiple contexts. School psychologists recognize that equitable practices for diverse student populations, respect for diversity in development and learning, and advocacy for social justice are foundational to effective service delivery. While equality ensures that all children have the same access to general and special educational opportunities, equity ensures that each student receives what they need to benefit from these opportunities.
• Legal, Ethical, and Professional Practice (Domain 10) School psychologists have knowledge of the history and foundations of school psychology; multiple service models and methods; ethical, legal, and professional standards; and other factors related to professional identity and effective practice as school psychologists. School psychologists provide services consistent with ethical, legal, and professional standards; engage in responsive ethical and professional decision-making; collaborate with other professionals; and apply professional work characteristics needed for effective practice as school psychologists, including effective interpersonal skills, responsibility, adaptability, initiative, dependability, technological competence, advocacy skills, respect for human diversity, and a commitment to social justice and equity.