Core Competencies of the School Psychologist

The PsyD in School Psychology Program is based on the Practitioner-Scholar model of training that was developed at the 1973 Vail Conference on Levels and Patterns of Professional Training in Psychology. The goal of the Practitioner-Scholar model is to develop and produce practitioners informed by research as well as practitioners whose training prioritizes the acquisition of practical and hands-on-experiences.

The PsyD in School Psychology Program provides a comprehensive plan of advanced studies that integrates respect for diversity and social justice in theory and practice, basic and advanced psychological principles, consultative and interventionist skills, data-based and problem-solving approaches, and scholarly and research-based learning that moves forward the field of school psychology and the practice with students who are deaf and hard of hearing. School psychologists who are skilled in the delivery of multiple services in a variety of settings (schools, private practice, hospitals, clinics, universities, etc.)

The aims and competencies of the PsyD in School Psychology Program are interconnected with APA’s Standards of Accreditation, NASP’s graduate education training standards, and the program specific aims and competencies. To achieve its aims and competencies, the program is built on two connected goals consistent with the training of health service providers: Professional-Wide Competencies (skill that are key to the preparation for the practice in health service psychology), and Discipline-Specific Knowledge (knowledge that is the basis of identity as a psychologist with focus as a health service provider) as outlined by the Standards of Accreditation of the American Psychological Association through the framework of a scholar-practitioner training approach

Program Specific Aims:

1. Produce highly competent and qualified doctoral-level school psychologists to meet the complex challenges related to issues of inclusion, equity, and diversity and to serve in a diverse society with a subspecialty in working with the deaf community in a variety of settings in their post graduate careers as practitioners and contributors to the field.
2. Prepare doctoral level school psychologists to serve the educational, social, and mental health needs of individuals using contemporary research knowledge or evidence-based practices and interventions.
3. Produce doctoral-level school psychologists with the breadth and depth of training in: Theory and practice of school psychology, consultative approaches and mental health interventions, data-based and problem-solving approaches, knowledge of deaf issues in schools and families, and scholarly and research-based knowledge and skills that advance the field of school psychology and practice with children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.

The above program aims and goal to train candidates with an expertise in deafness is framed within four Program Specific Competency areas listed below. Training and performance-based assessment for special competency goals occurs across the curriculum and throughout the program.

Program Specific Competencies: Candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.

1. School psychologists who demonstrate cultural competencies across multicultural, multiethnic, bilingual (ASL/English) context who have a subspecialty in working with children who are deaf, hard of hearing, and children and families of diverse backgrounds.
2. School psychologists who can demonstrate skills and apply scientifically based knowledge or theoretical and empirically based data to conceptualized and solve increasingly complex academic or behavioral problems and who can design, implement, and appraise individual, group, family, or community mental health interventions and educational services to support and create safe and health environments.
3. School psychologists who demonstrate understanding of mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and families, and develop psychological assessment and intervention plans to address these challenges while acknowledging the impact of biological, social, cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic factors on the learning and behavior of children and their families.
4. School psychologists who can perform professional duties in accordance with NASP and APA ethical principles.