THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WORK UNDERGRADUATE AND PRESERVICE DIVISION UNIT OF STUDY 1. Unit of Study EDMT 5009 School Psychology Practicum 2. Credit Points 4 3. Coordinator Dr Susan Colmar 4. Other Supervising Staff Ms Cheryl Herden and Ms Roslyn Isles 5. Teaching Time/Schedule 20 days in the school setting, 1 or 2 days Week 1, 5 days for 3 weeks, 1 week x 3 or 4 days plus Applied Research Psycholgy attendance 6. Offering Schedule Every year, Semester 2 7. Background and Rationale The school psychology and professional studies units will include structured time in a variety of school settings with this formal, credit-bearing practicum culminating in an assessment of performance-based indicators, with headings as listed in this first psychology practicum; specifically, leading to progress towards mastery of the outcomes. Students can develop some of the skills in a variety of other experiences including during their teaching practicums (eg. classroom management knowledge), applied research (eg. administration of standardised tests for assignments), special education practical observations and participation, as well as in the school psychology practicum. The responsibility for demonstrating progress towards mastery of the performance indicators will be both on the student and their two practicum supervisors (field and tertiary [university]), with this specific practicum designed to provide applied learning opportunities for each individual student. This school psychology practicum will focus upon developing more advanced assessment, psychological and behavioural intervention skills, and liasing with children and adolescents, teachers and parents to facilitate change in the classroom environment to support students with special needs and special challenges, particularly behavioural and/or mental health needs. This practicum will focus upon awareness, understanding and, where there is an appropriate opportunity, achievement of satisfactory skill levels, as indicated in the detailed evaluation protocols on all the practicum outcomes. 8 Outcomes The outcomes below are presented as headings only, with a brief indication of the relevant components; with detailed outcomes provided separately to supervisors and students. The student will be evaluated on a five point scale and will perform at a level deemed satisfactory; thus at Level 3 or above on the scale or equivalent qualitative evaluation, given they have had the opportunity to engage in the skill area. In specific circumstances a rating at Level 2 on one outcome area will be acceptable. Students need to meet requirements for this unit but do not receive a grade. Successful completion of this unit of study is assessed by a field supervisor evaluation protocol, a detailed interview protocol with the student and both supervisors, a detailed observation of the student by the tertiary supervisor, and by a final collation by the Course Coordinator ensuring that appropriate progress has occurred towards final outcomes during this initial school psychology practicum. 8.1 PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION INCLUDING INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
2 Seeks and is responsive to feedback provided by the supervisor Asks relevant and insightful questions Shows awareness of and adherence to DET policy and protocol Fosters and maintains productive relationships with other professionals Shows awareness of confidentiality issues 8.2 INTERVIEWING SKILLS AND CONSULTATIVE SKILLS Establishes rapport Demonstrates active listening, including maintaining an appropriate focus. Maintains effective and respectful relationship with client. Demonstrates collaborative consultation skills with education colleagues Demonstrates good exploration and clarification skills in relation to interactive and systemic factors 8.3 ASSESSMENT SKILLS Demonstrates awareness of a variety of assessment methods Is aware of the rationale for assessment (the question being asked) Understands rationale for choice of assessment method (why this is a good way to find the answer) Can select suitable methods for defined purposes Is aware of limitations of assessment methods 8.4 WRITING SKILLS AND RECORD KEEPING Demonstrates competence in note-taking and record-keeping Able to compile appropriate case-notes Understands the rights of students and their parents/carers to information, records and reports Understands the ethical and legal basis of confidentiality of records Writes reports at a professional standard following Sattler s (2007) guidelines 8.5 COUNSELLING AND THERAPEUTIC SKILLS Demonstrates good exploration and clarification skills Shows congruency between verbal and non-verbal behaviours Demonstrates awareness of factors related to culture, age, ability and other aspects of diversity Shows knowledge of and/or interest in a range of approaches to counselling and therapeutic work
Is appropriately sensitive to and aware of child/adolescent choice within counselling contexts 3 8.6 CASE MANAGEMENT AND INTERVENTION SKILLS Can formulate and analyse presenting problems Demonstrates ability to plan relevant intervention Demonstrates ability to evaluate intervention. Demonstrates an awareness of, and sensitivity to, issues related to gender, discrimination, own value judgements and biases, culture, disability, religion and race 9. Content This unit is designed to consolidate and build on skills learned in School Psychology 1 and 2 and Professional Studies (Psychology) 1 and 2. Supervised practice for twenty days in school settings will be provided by a cooperating school counsellor, who is the field supervisor, with external supervision from a member of the University staff, the tertiary supervisor. Detailed breakdowns of the possible content of the outcome areas, a letter, a summary of requirements and an evaluation form will all be provided to the students, field and tertiary supervisors. There will be one preparatory and several regular debriefing seminars in which students will be able to reflect on and self evaluate their practical experience. Students will complete a case study in the area of behaviour/mental health issues with an appropriate child and with permission of the student and/or their parents. Students will begin to develop a psychology portfolio of activity sheets, resources, reports, protocols and similar items. 10. Relationship to Existing Course. This unit of study is a one within a new method program within the Master of Teaching (Secondary). This practicum should lead to satisfactory progress towards completion of the outcomes listed, given opportunity to engage in the skill area, see details about the assessment of students, as meeting or not meeting requirements. 11. Assessment Assessment of the outcomes will be based on the expert judgements by field and tertiary supervisors in discussion with the student. Daily activity sheets will be filled in and signed by the field supervisor confirming both attendance and completion of a range of activities. Students will begin to develop a psychology portfolio covering the final performance outcomes due at the end of the program. Students will work under the supervision of both university staff and field school counsellors. Each practicum experience will include time for reflection and formative feedback. Evidence of mastery of an outcome may be added to the portfolio at any time during the MTeach program. Assessment of the outcomes will be based upon specified criteria for each outcome (1 to 5 scale with 5 being the mastery with a high level performance). [Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] The portfolio will include evidence across the six required outcome areas and may include: references from supervisors, teachers and other counsellors with permission, items such as transcribed interviews, minutes of meetings, intervention plans, outlines of the referral process, lesson plan for parenting skills evening session, case study, progress notes, etc with permission, a transcribed interview with analytical review, case study reports and other reports completed direct observation forms, functional behavioural analyses, confirmation of administration of psychological and educational tests as evidenced by copies of protocols (photocopy with student s name removed)
an intervention plan, notes on a theoretical perspective, a transcription of counsellor s session/s with reflective analysis, papers and reports from other units. 4 During this school psychology practicum, each student will be visited and assessed by a university supervisor as well as being assessed by their field supervisor. In addition, each student must pass their school psychology practicum in relation to the key elements of the final practicum outcomes; thus, on a five point scale a student must either be moving towards awareness of, knowledge of or be exhibiting a skill (depending on the area) with a midpoint rating on a five point scale, 3, except in specific circumstances a 2 may be acceptable, or be above this level, or have had insufficient opportunity to learn the skill. A checklist of the outcomes is provided to both supervisors as outlined in School Psychology Practicum. A satisfactory or above rating on this checklist, agreed with by the field and university supervisors, will be necessary for a student to pass the practicum. The course coordinator will confirm the student meeting requirements for the unit based on all information and make the final decision. 12. Delivery/Teaching Mode There will be a period of block placement of twenty days school based practicum and regular feedback seminars with discussions of the students' experiences. Supervision of test administration/interview by a school counsellor and /or university staff will also be a component of the delivery of this unit. Students will attend four days a week for five weeks and attend practicum seminars on the fifth day each week. 13. Will these changes necessitate a change to the Resolutions for degrees in our Faculty (Preservice) Handbook? No 14. Library Impact No specific impact A short reading list will be provided. Tests and other assessment instruments specifically for the program are in the Faculty s Psychological and Educational Test Library. 15. New Handbook Entry EDBT **** School Psychology Practicum Credit points: 4 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 20 x one day in school placement and two practicum seminars x 1 hour Assessment: 1x set of final performance ratings (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) and 20x daily activity sheets (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) and 1x phase 1 of portfolio (satisfactory/unsatisfactory). Prerequisites: Successful completion of School Psychology and Professional Studies (Psychology) Units of Study in Masters of Teaching program (for full-time students), as prescribed in the program entry requirements for School Psychology method. Variation with permission of the coordinator may be allowed. The school psychology practicum allows students the opportunity to learn about the profession of school psychology as part of the training program. The School Psychology Practicum focuses on working as a school counsellor under the supervision of university staff, who are all registered psychologists and field school counsellors. The role of the school counsellor includes counselling children and adolescents with problems, assessing children and adolescents with problems, and developing intervention programs for those with learning and behaviour challenges, liasing with parents and teachers to enhance the classroom and home learning and psychological environments, and developing prevention programs for at risk students. 16. Short/Indicative Reading List Esquivel, G. B., Lopez, E. C., & Nahari, S. G. (Eds.). (2007). Multicultural handbook of school
psychology: An interdisciplinary perspective. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum Associates. Gutkin, T., & Reynolds, C. R. (Eds.). (2009). The handbook of school psychology (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Gysbers, N. C, & Henderson, P. (2001). Comprehensive guidance and counseling programs: A rich history and a bright future. Professional School Counseling, 4, 246-256 Jimerson, S. R., Oakland, T. D., & Farrell, P. T. (Eds.). (2007). The handbook of international school psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Kaufman, A. S. (2000). Intelligence tests and school psychology: Predicting the future by studying the past. Psychology in the Schools, 37(1), 7-16. Lee, S. W. (Ed.). (2005). Encyclopedia of school psychology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Thomas, A., & Grimes, J. (Eds.). (2008). Best practices in school psychology, V. Bethesda, MD: PLUS National Association of School Psychologists. Psychology Board of Australia, PsyBA within AHPRA advice NSW DET School Counsellor Handbook online Students will be encouraged to examine current issues of The Australian Journal of Psychology, Australian Psychologist and In-Psych all publications of The Australian Psychological Society, and journals and newsletters from the Australian Guidance and Counselling Association, AGCA/now APACS, Australian Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools 17. Specify links between unit content and delivery with Board of Studies syllabi and DET policy (e.g. student welfare): The students will have covered detailed work on BOS syllabi in their pedagogical and methodology courses. This knowledge will be used in work with students with difficulties in learning and behaviour in finding strategies to obtain syllabus outcomes. The DET policies for school counsellors will have been covered in an earlier and/or concurrent course. In this practicum there will be opportunity to revise and extend the students' knowledge of the DET policies. The knowledge of DET policy particularly in regard to student welfare, student discipline, special education and child protection will be important in relation to this unit as well as knowledge of policies specified in the School Counselling Handbook. 18. Describe the use of ICT in this unit By this stage of their two-year degree course it is expected that the students will be using a wide range of ICT applications in all their work. In particular they will have assisted young people and their families to access on-line help programs as well as using email, teleconferencing and audio and video resources for students who are unable to attend face to face interviews. This will be applicable for students in isolated communities, students with disabilities precluding school attendance for a period of time such as those with mental health medical or physical problems. They will also become aware of, but will not use computerised assessment techniques, test scoring programs, report generators and begin to develop skills in carefully evaluating the usefulness of those resources. 19. Links with schools The whole 20 days of this practicum will be conducted in schools, with the regular seminars supporting the students work in schools being focussed on in-school work. 5