Your internship is here! What should you expect?
Congratulations! You made it this far and you are officially a school psych intern! This is an exciting time in your journey to becoming a school psychologist. But with all the excitement comes many questions and maybe even some nervous feelings. Let’s dive deeper into your internship year, discuss what you can expect, and what actions you can take to make it successful! If you are interested in watching a replay of the live recording where I discuss these topics, please click here.
Getting Acclimated to Your School Environment
Spend time getting acclimated to your school site since this is where you will learn most about becoming a school psychologist. Let’s review some simple ways you can do this!
- Spend a few minutes each day in general education classrooms of different age groups. Take note of developmental levels and perspectives and what classroom expectations are.
- Introduce yourself briefly to teachers, office staff, and other special education team members such as occupational therapists or speech pathologists. Making connections with others is key to a great working relationship.
- Spend time in special education classrooms. Ask yourself how they differ from the general education setting. Are classroom expectations different?
- What intervention programs does your school site have? Be sure to familiarize yourself with them.
- Some school sites may have a designated autism program or special day class for students with emotional disturbances. Take time to observe these classrooms to understand how these programs work.
- As you are becoming acclimated, write down questions you have. Schedule some time with your supervisor to get your questions answered.
Getting Organized and Understanding Your Supervisors Thinking Process
As you begin to spend time with your supervisor, observe their thinking process as they navigate different aspects of being a school psych. Take clear notes and keep them organized so they can be easily referred to in the future. Here are some things to consider.
- How does my supervisor communicate with other colleagues on site?
- How does my supervisor build rapport with parents and students?
- How does my supervisor organize him or herself the first week of school?
- How does my supervisor keep track of evaluations?
- What strategies are you personally finding effective?
- What doesn’t seem to work well?
If you are interested in accessing additional free resources that will help prepare you for your internship year, please click here.
Last month, we finished our 3rd annual Summer Boot Camp! If you did not have a chance to join, rest assured, we recorded everything! For those of you who are beginning your internship year, check out the “New Hire” tab after clicking the button below to access the replay of our 10 Q&A sessions for only $19!
Sessions were conducted with seasoned preschool, elementary, middle, high school, bilingual, and behavior school psychologists loaded with information about counseling, organization, behavior management, and answers to commonly asked questions that new school psych interns have. Check out these resources to start your internship year off to a great start! But hurry, as they are only available until October 31st!
