School
Psychology Graduate Program
Philosophy, Mission, Goals, and
Objectives
The Towson University
Graduate Program in School Psychology is dedicated to producing school
psychologists who are well prepared to function independently in a
growing and evolving profession. Graduate students in school psychology
are trained to view themselves as part of the larger school system and
to make their contributions relevant to the goals of the institutions in
which they are employed. The program emphasizes early intervention and
the use of data-driven, systematic problem-solving to address the needs
of children and adolescents in the school setting. Students are trained
to provide consultation to teachers, families, and administrators and to
provide direct counseling and intervention to children and adolescents.
As part of the intervention process, we believe in the importance of
teaching our students to evaluate the outcomes of their services to
ensure that they are effective.
Students are trained to
conceptualize “assessment” in a comprehensive manner that extends beyond
a search for pathology within a student. To this end, they are trained
to complete traditional and nontraditional assessments and to utilize a
variety of methods to evaluate intellectual, academic, behavioral, and
social/emotional characteristics of students and the learning
environment. They are trained to complete multidimensional evaluations
that address the specific reason for referral and that are linked
directly to recommendations for intervention. The program promotes the
use of intervention and evaluation techniques that are empirically sound
and sensitive to the diverse population of students that school
psychologists serve. Students learn and comply with the ethical
principles of psychologists and with legislation relevant to children in
school environments.
Program Overview
The Graduate Program
in School Psychology at Towson University is fully approved by the
National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). Students who
graduate from NASP- approved programs are eligible for individual
certification as Nationally Certified School Psychologists (pending
successful completion of the national certification examination) and are
recognized as having a high caliber of training and field experiences.
Students who graduate from our program are also eligible for
certification as school psychologists in the state of Maryland, pending
successful completion of the national certification examination.
Students are expected
to complete 63 credits hours in order to obtain the Masters (MA) degree
and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS). All coursework must be
completed prior to beginning the Internship. A Masters Comprehensive
Examination that samples levels of student expertise in pertinent
domains is required in order to receive a Masters degree and must be
completed successfully before a student begins the Internship. All CAS
candidates are required to submit a professional portfolio during the
last semester of their internship.
The program strives to
be sensitive to the needs of working adults who are obtaining advanced
degrees by offering classes during the late afternoon and evening and
during summer months.
Skills and Competencies of Graduates
The goal of the School
Psychology Program is to produce students who possess competencies in
the following areas:
1. Understanding
basic principles of psychology and human development contributing to
normal and atypical development of children;
2. Understanding
and assessing the culture and norms of schools in order to optimize
entry into schools and make important contributions to the school
system;
3. Conducting
ecological evaluations of classroom and school environments as well
as psychological evaluations of children and adolescents who present
with academic, behavioral, social and/or emotional difficulties to
assist in placement decisions and to provide recommendations that
address the reason for referral;
4. Planning
and implementing empirically sound interventions, and using data to
evaluate the effectiveness of those interventions;
5. Counseling
individual students and groups of students and providing evidence of
the effectiveness of such counseling;
6. Providing
individual and systemic consultation services to families, teachers
and administrators with a focus on improving professional/family
collaboration;
7. Serving
as members of multidisciplinary problem-solving and special
education teams and taking leadership roles on those teams;
8. Developing
awareness of and sensitivity to cultural differences among all
clients, including parents, teachers and students;
9. Planning
and conducting action research to answer specific questions within
the school environment;
10.
Providing in-service programs to assist school staff in
understanding and applying psychological principles and techniques
to improve the academic and behavioral functioning of students;
11.
Serving as change agents to improve the quality of education for all
students with whom they work;
12.
Adhering to the legal and ethical guidelines for our profession
throughout training and practice.
Susan M.
Bartels, Ph.D., NCSP, Program Director
Colleen Stover, Graduate
Assistant
Towson
University
Psychology
Building 103
Towson, MD
21252
Phone:
410-704-3070
Fax:
(410)-704-3800
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