School Psychology (SPY)

Practica and Internships

Download the Practicum and Internship Manual in pdf format.

Four of the required six practica must be taken through the School Psychology Clinic. Students are encouraged to take additional practica in settings congruent with their career objectives. Although a single faculty member will be designated as the primary instructor for a practicum, students will have access to all faculty for supervision and consultation as needed. The practicum taken during the summer of the first year is designed to prepare new students for the following year of clinical work. Students will serve as assistants in the clinic where they will be mentored in clinic operations, and they are expected to acquire some beginning testing competencies. Students then perform the second year practicum duties on a full year basis thus creating a "real world" work schedule. In addition, they will respond to emergencies or client requests during holidays and vacation periods as needed. The SPY Clinic has close working relationships with schools, which ensures that students develop a strong understanding of the nature of psychological services for school aged children.

Readiness to Apply for Internship (Students admitted in Fall 2003 or after)

In addition to being a student with good standing in the doctoral program, students admitted in Fall 2003 or later must defend their dissertation prospectus by October 15th before they may apply for internship.

The fifth year internship includes 1000 hours of service in an accredited school setting or equivalent. Normally students will accrue these hours at their APA approved and/or APPIC site. SPY faculty will determine if an internship site adequately meets this requirement.

For more information on Practica and Internships, please see the School Psychology Clinic Manual

Local Training Opportunities

A partial list of sites where students have obtained practicum experience prior to seeking their full year predoctoral internship follows. Numerous other professional settings that serve as training sites are not listed.

School Psychology Clinic (UGA)

Director, Jonathan M. Campbell, Ph.D.

Download the School Psychology Clinic: Policies and Procedures Manual in pdf format.

The School Psychology Clinic at the University of Georgia offers comprehensive psychological services for infants and toddlers, preschool and school-age children, and adolescents throughout the State of Georgia and southeast region. Additionally, education and training are provided through parenting workshops and consultation. Physicians, mental health service providers, and educators are instrumental in referring parents who are concerned about developmental issues, learning problems, attention deficits, or behavioral functioning of their children. Comprehensive evaluations are completed to provide diagnostic information and assist in counseling and group intervention services which are available at the clinic or through collaborative arrangements in the College of Education, local schools, or community agencies. All clinical services are provided under the supervision of a licensed psychologist.

We offer a full range of psychological testing and treatment for children of all ages. Typical problems seen include...

Developmental status
Learning problems
Behavior problems
Attention problems (ADHD)
Gifted evaluations
Social and Emotional problems

Our fees are based on a sliding scale according to family income.

For more information, please contact the clinic at (706) 542-4265 or the Clinic Director at (706) 542-4363

UGA - Athens-Clarke County Schools Partnership

A. Michele Lease, Ph.D. The School Psychology Clinic at the University of Georgia offers an intervention practicum under the auspices of the University of Georgia-Athens Clarke County Partnership. Advanced practicum students provide a number of psychological services at Gaines Elementary School, one of the UGA/ACCS Partnership schools. A number of services are provided as part of this practicum.

Individual Therapy: Practicum students meet with Gaines students in individual therapy sessions. Gaines students are referred due to social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems that interfere with learning, the classroom environment, and/or individual growth.
Behavioral Consultation: Students work collaboratively with teachers to address concerns including classroom management issues, behavior management problems and discipline, peer interaction difficulties and social interactions, among other issues that impact children's classroom success.
Parent education and training: Students assist in fostering home-school collaboration by offering parent education groups that acknowledge strengths of families, while providing an opportunity for parents to learn from each other.
School Crisis Response: Students undergo training that is provided for the school system crisis response team and serve as members of that team during actual crisis events.
Therapy Groups: Students serve as co-leaders of therapy groups. Possible groups include those with mood and/or anxiety disorders, aggression problems, or social withdrawal as the primary referral issue.

Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry

Nadine Kaslow, Ph.D.

Practicum opportunities are available as part of a variety of research programs associated with Emory University affiliated hospitals and clinics. Experiences with neonatal intensive care, sickle cell, outpatient mental health, childhood leukemia, and numerous other presenting problems are available.

Emory Autism Resource Center
Emory University School of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry

Gail McGee, Ph.D.

Practicum opportunities are available through the Emory Autism Resource Center (EARC) that include: (a) the provision of behavioral modification and special education services in EARC's inclusive preschool setting, Walden; (b) family therapy services in EARC's behaviorally-based Family Program; and (c) opportunities to observe EARC's Diagnostic and Evaluation Clinic. At present, two upper-level school psychology doctoral students are completing a year-long practicum rotation with EARC.

Medical College of Georgia
Child Neuropsychology Service

Morris J. Cohen, Ed.D.

Practicum and internship opportunities are available as part of specialized training in child neuropsychology for students within the Ph.D. program in School Psychology. Students receive supervised experience with children and adolescents with numerous neurological syndromes and diseases including epilepsy, tumor, sickle cell, traumatic brain injury, neurocutaneous syndromes, and stroke, among others. Students are also encouraged to pursue involvement in neurology, psychiatry, pediatric, and neurosurgery rounds in addition to being actively engaged in research in the Child Neuropsychology Service.

Neuropsychological Assessment and Intervention Practica
Department of Neuropsychology
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

Kathleen O'Toole, Ph.D.
Training Coordinator

Through a colloborative arrangement with the Department of Neuropsychology at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, students may participate in advance practica opportunities. In the Department of Neuropsychology, there are three neuropsychologists, one psychometrist, and two post-doctoral associates. The assessment practicum can be arranged in one of three rotations. The first rotation is outpatient, in which the student can assess children with a variety of neurological and developmental disorders. The second rotation is in Rehabilitation, which can be inpatient or partial-hospitalization. The inpatient component offers training in working with children with brain injury in a hospital unit setting. The partial-hospitalization setting, or Day Rehabilitation Program, offers experience with children with a variety of acquired brain injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, brain tumor and infectious diseases, who are well enough to be discharged from the hospital but not ready to retun to school. Finally, there is a combination epilepsy/outpatient rotation, in which the student can work with inpatients and outpatients who have epilepsy. These patients may be preparing for epilepsy surgery or having their epilepsy monitored as inpatients. If the student completes an assessment practicum and would like therapy experience, there are opportunities to complete a therapy practicum with teenagers with brain injuries. The focus is on cognitive and affective treatment of issues that arise as a result of brain injury. The practicum offers both individual and group treatment opportunities. This practicum is reserved for those students who first complete the assessment practicum.