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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative training model for preservice doctoral-level school psychologists; a model focused on the development of organizational consultation skills and grounded in collaborative university-school partnerships. We describe how faculty have shaped the graduate training experiences for preservice school psychologists and have developed partnerships with public school districts to promote student behavioral health through professional development and consultation to educators faced with building a multi-tiered model of behavioral supports in their school. In partnership, we have researched the implementation of school-wide interventions. We provide descriptive data to demonstrate our recursive process for program improvement and the overall satisfaction of graduate students and over fifty school partners over a span of eight years.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sara Anne Whitcomb
Sara Anne Whitcomb is an Associate Professor of School Psychology in the Department of Student Development at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research and clinical interests relate to organizational consultation and social-emotional and behavioral assessment and intervention. She directs the Advanced Practicum in Organizational Consultation.
Sarah Fefer
Sarah Fefer is an Associate Professor of School Psychology in the Department of Student Development at the University of Massachusetts. Her research and clinical interests involve supporting students with challenging behavior across home and school contexts using positive behavior supports.
Sheera Hefter
Dr. Sheera Hefter Ph.D., NCSP is a psychologist in the Boston Public Schools, Department of Behavioral Health in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to traditional school-based practice in evaluation, counseling, and consultation, as part of her role, Sheera is a school-based internal coach for the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model, a member of the district crisis team, and the university supervisors committee.
Maria Santiago-Rosario
Maria Santiago-Rosario Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Oregon. She completed her doctorate degree in school psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has expertise in SWPBIS, having served as a school and district coach for suburban school districts in Massachusetts. Her research primarily focuses on school discipline equity, professional development, culturally responsive classroom-management, and school-family partnerships.