Field Experiences at Milestones – Fall 2014
The Milestones Field Experience is intended for psychology and neuroscience majors:
 Who enjoy working with children or teens!
 Who have planned activities for groups of children.
 Who’ve had experience helping children who demonstrate challenging behaviors improve their behavior.
 Who envision themselves potentially working in a career with children and families as a mental health
professional, social worker, or a teacher.
Field experiences are different than regular classes – we’ll meet as a class just once for an orientation. You’ll read an
assignment book & readings, and write reports but there aren’t any quizzes or exams. You’ll be challenged to apply
what you learn to help people. Read this entire packet carefully!
Our Field Experience Partner:
Milestones Clinical & Health Resources offers accessible, comprehensive, integrated community mental health and
behavioral support services for south central Indiana children and adolescents and for individuals with disabilities of
all ages. This semester:
(1.) Milestones is offering Incredible Years Behavioral Parent Therapy and Dino Club Child Social Skills Training
programs to families with young children with early onset conduct problems. The children have typically been
diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or are
anxious or depressed and need to learn social skills coping strategies. Children with ADHD have difficulty attending to
and remembering adult requests so they do not seem to be co-operative and they are often are delayed in their play and
social skills because of their impulsivity and distractibility. Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder often lose
their temper. They often argue with adults and actively defy or refuse to comply with adults’ requests or rules. ODD
children frequently deliberately annoy others and blame their mistakes or misbehavior on others. Children who are
anxious or depressed typically need help learning social skills. The goals of the Incredible Years parent and child
programs include decreasing negative behaviors and noncompliance with parents and teachers; decreasing peer
aggression; increasing children’s social skills and their understanding of feelings; increasing children’s conflict
management skills, and increasing school readiness and cooperation with teachers.

Dino Club Child Social Skills Training: Small groups experience the Child Dinosaur Social, Emotional, and
Problem-Solving Intervention which uses behavioral-cognitive therapeutic techniques and behavior modification
to teach children skills such as emotional regulation, problem-solving, friendship skills, and family diplomacy.

Incredible Years Behavioral Parent Therapy: Treating parents is crucial to the long-term emotional and social wellbeing of their child. In therapy parents learn how to create positive relationships with children, use praise and
incentives to increase positive behaviors; effectively set limits and use ignoring, timeouts, and natural and logical
consequences to decrease negative behaviors. They learn to teach their children to problem-solve; manage their
own frustration; use effective communication skills; and cope with common behavior problems.
(2.) Milestones is also offering other social skills groups including:


Destination Friendship (elementary and middle school children)
Older Teens Social Skills Group (16- to 20-year-olds)
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Application for Field Experiences at Milestones – Fall 2014
Instructions:
1) Read this entire application form - especially group descriptions & requirements - before you begin filling it in!
2) Complete this application by typing your answers directly into this Word doc. Be concise. Use as much space as needed.
3) Save e-versions of this application with a new filename using this format: “Yourlastname_MSApp_Fall2014.doc”.
For instance, if I were the one applying, my file would be called “Patton_MSApp_Fall2014.doc”.
4) Prepare a targeted cover letter and resume for this opportunity. Address the cover letter to Dr. Patton.
5) Save your completed cover letter/resume in ONE FILE in either *.doc, *.docx, or *.pdf format and use a filename with this
format: “Yourlastname_MSResume_Fall2014.doc”.
6) EMAIL YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION & COVER LETTER/RESUME TO DR. PATTON AT
hoffmanc@indiana.edu BEFORE 5:00 P.M. ON TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd
Keep your cell phone turned on and keep a close eye on your IU email over the weeks after applications are submitted.
You may be contacted for a phone interview during this time period. If you receive an acceptance, you’ll have 24-hours to
confirm that you will participate or the opportunity may be offered to another student.
Contact Information
Full Name:
Full IU Email Address:
Phone Number(s):
Basic Information
Year in school:
Cumulative GPA:
Major(s):
Minor(s):
Career(s) in which you are currently interested:
Read the group descriptions and requirements on the next pages very carefully! If you apply to a group, you are
committing to attend all orientation events, weekly sessions, and to complete any and all other requirements!
Apply for ALL of the groups that you find interesting and that fit your schedule. You’ll only be assigned to one group.
The more groups you apply to, the better your chances of being accepted. If you’re applying for just one group, then type a “1”
below in the box to the left of the group’s name. If you’re interested in more than one group, type numbers in those boxes to rank
your preferences:
Dino Club (Younger Group, 4-6 yr. olds)
Older Teen Social Skills Group (16-20 yr. olds)
Dino Club (Older Group, 7-9 yr. olds)
Destination Friendship (8 and up)
Incredible Years
Mondays
Mondays
Tuesdays
Tuesdays
Thursdays
5:00-7:30 p.m.
4:30-6:45 p.m.
5:00-7:30 p.m.
5:00-7:15 p.m.
5:00-7:30 p.m.
CONTINUE ON THE NEXT PAGE
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INCREDIBLE YEARS CHILDREN’S GROUP - Thursdays 5:00-7:30 pm
Student volunteers for these groups will provide childcare for parents who will be attending a weekly Parenting Therapy session. The
parents are attending sessions so they can learn how to help their children reduce aggressive behaviors and increase their emotional
& social competence. The families include at least one child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, or who is anxious or
depressed. The siblings of the identified children will also attend. Children in IY groups typical range from age 3-12.
Providing childcare for this group is clinically-relevant public service – it demonstrates your desire to make mental/behavioral health
care available to children and families. Student volunteers who do a terrific job with an IY Children’s Group for a semester will have
preferential standing to become a Therapist’s Assistant if they apply for one in a future semester.
 You’ll work on a team with 4+ other college students to plan activities and apply behavior management techniques for the
children in your group. To make this a worthwhile experience, students must demonstrate initiative – successful teams will meet
independently between weekly sessions to problem-solve, discuss goals, and plan activities.
 Behavior Management: Student volunteers will purchase and read Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton’s book “The Incredible Years:
A Trouble-Shooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2-8 Years” - the book that summarizes the curriculum for parents
attending the Parenting Therapy group. Your goal will be to apply the principles you learn from the book to make a positive
impact on the behavior of children in your group, just as parents are challenged to do in Parenting Therapy.
 Activities: Many of the activities you’ll plan will be just for fun because play is essential to develop healthy relationships with
children. Other activities you’ll plan will complement and reinforce topics that are being presented in the Parenting Therapy
group - such as learning an emotional vocabulary, anger management, friendship skills, and family diplomacy.
 Contact with Therapist/Supervisor: Students will have just a few minutes to discuss their plans with the therapist before each
session and to ask questions after each session.
 Observing/Participating in Parenting Therapy: At least once during the semester, each student will have an opportunity to
observe a Parenting Therapy session and to assist the therapist by taking notes or by briefly presenting material to the parents
from the “Trouble-Shooting Guide”.
__  Type your initials here to indicate that you will be able to meet ALL of the following requirements if you are accepted for the
IY Children’s Group:
 You’ll add a 2-credit unit course to your schedule.
 You’ll read 5 brief articles about oppositional defiant disorder, strategies for managing challenging behaviors, and the
Incredible Years program for children & complete a pre-orientation assignment due via Oncourse on Friday, 9/12.
 You’ll attend a REQUIRED orientation on campus on Sunday, 9/14 from 1 - 4 p.m.
 You’ll purchase Dr. Webster-Stratton’s book, “Incredible Years: A Troubleshooting Guide for Parents of Children Aged 2
to 8” which contains the behavioral management strategies taught in the Parenting Groups – the strategies that you’ll be
challenged to apply when working with children.
 You’ll write 3 brief (3-5 page) reports during the semester about Dr. Webster-Stratton’s book and other articles.
 You’ll submit a brief report at the end of each week via the Oncourse Forums describing your use of behavioral
management strategies in each session and the topics of activities planned/accomplished by your team that week.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you will be able to meet the following requirements for IY GROUP:


You must be available to attend an orientation at Milestones on Saturday, 9/13 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
You must be available every Thursday evening from Thursday 9/18 thru Thursday, 12/11 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of a class (or other commitment) and your start time at Milestones. You’ll be
expected to arrive early for the sessions every week. Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of your session at Milestones
and the start of a class (or other commitment). It is not appropriate to expect to be able to leave a few minutes early to get to your
next commitment.
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DINOSAUR CLUB THERAPIST’S ASSISTANT – Mondays or Tuesdays, 5:00-7:30 p.m.
Dino Club student volunteers will assist a licensed therapist during one therapeutic session each week. You get to observe and
participate in presenting the Incredible Years Child Dinosaur Social, Emotional, and Problem-Solving curriculum to a small group of
children ages 4-7 or a small group of children ages 8-11. The Incredible Years Child Intervention uses behavioral-cognitive
therapeutic techniques and behavior modification to teach children skills such as emotional regulation, problem-solving, friendship
skills, and family diplomacy. These skills are all presented from a positive skills building perspective that is non-shaming and esteem
enhancing.
The children you will work with will tend to have been diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder or to be anxious or depressed and need to learn social skills coping strategies. All of the children in these
groups tend to exhibit very challenging behaviors and have, therefore, been referred to small group therapy at a mental health center
by daycare providers, teachers, therapists, social workers, or pediatricians.
The therapist will select exercises and video vignettes from the Dino Club curriculum; college student volunteers will help children
participate in activities in ways that utilize each child’s unique strengths and interests. Students who assist with Dino Clubs do not
need to meet between weekly sessions to plan activities.
Student volunteers will read Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton’s book “The Incredible Years: A Trouble-Shooting Guide for Parents of
Children Aged 3-8 Years” – the book that serves as the curriculum for parents attending the Parenting Therapy group. Your goal, in
reading this book, will be to recognize these behavior management techniques as the core of the therapist’s skill set and apply the
principles yourself to make a positive impact on the behavior of children in your group.
__  Type your initials here to indicate that you will be able to meet ALL of the following requirements if you are accepted
to Dino Club for either Monday or Thursday nights:
 You’ll add a 2-credit unit course to your schedule.
 You’ll read 5 brief articles about oppositional defiant disorder, strategies for managing challenging behaviors, and the
Incredible Years program for children & complete a pre-orientation assignment due via Oncourse on Friday, 9/12.
 You’ll attend a REQUIRED orientation on campus on Sunday, 9/14 from 1 - 4 p.m.
 You’ll purchase Dr. Webster-Stratton’s book, “Incredible Years: A Troubleshooting Guide for Parents of Children
Aged 2 to 8” which contains the behavioral management strategies taught in the Parenting Groups – the strategies that
you’ll be challenged to apply when working with children.
 You’ll write 3 brief (5 page) reports during the semester about Dr. Webster-Stratton’s book and other articles.
 You’ll submit a brief report at the end of each week via the Oncourse Forums describing your use of behavioral
management strategies in each session and the topics of activities planned/accomplished that week.
MONDAY EVENING DINO CLUB (Young, 4-6 yr. olds)
TUESDAY EVENING DINO CLUB (Older, 7-9 yr. olds)
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able
to attend an orientation session at Milestones on Saturday, 9/13
from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able
to attend an orientation session at Milestones on Saturday, 9/13
from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able
to be at Milestones every Monday evening from Monday, 9/15
thru Monday, 12/8 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (with the exception
of Thanksgiving Break).
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able
to be at Milestones every Tuesday evening from Tuesday, 9/16
thru Tuesday, 12/9 from 5:00 – 7:30 p.m. (with the exception of
Thanksgiving Break).
Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of a class (or
other commitment) and your start time at Milestones. You’ll be
expected to arrive early for the sessions every week. Allow at
least a 30-minute gap between the end of your session at
Milestones and the start of a class (or other commitment). It is
not appropriate to expect to be able to leave a few minutes early
to get to your next commitment.
Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of a class (or
other commitment) and your start time at Milestones. You’ll be
expected to arrive early for the sessions every week. Allow at
least a 30-minute gap between the end of your session at
Milestones and the start of a class (or other commitment). It is
not appropriate to expect to be able to leave a few minutes early
to get to your next commitment.
CONTINUE ON THE NEXT PAGE
4
DESTINATION FRIENDSHIP GROUP (8 yrs and up) - Tuesdays 5:00-7:15 pm
Student volunteers will assist a licensed therapist during one therapeutic session each week. Destination Friendship groups are
based on an innovative curriculum that utilizes research-based strategies and activities to support the development of friendship
skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Clients who participate in this group will tend to have poor social skills and
social anxiety. The skills/knowledge that clients will gain include: cooperation, hidden rules of friendship, conversation skills
(initiating, greetings, endings, etcetera), empathy, perspective taking, organization of thought, self regulation, relaxation, and self
esteem building.
__  Type your initials here to indicate that you will be able to meet ALL of the following requirements if you are accepted
to this group:
 You’ll add a 2-credit unit course to your schedule.
 You’ll contact Dr. Patton to arrange an on-campus orientation some time during the week of 9/22.
 You’ll purchase an assigned book - “Destination Friendship: Developing Social Skills for Individuals with Autism
Spectrum Disorders or Other Social Challenges”.
 You’ll write 4 brief (5 page) reports during the semester about the assigned book and other articles. The assignments will
be due close together early in the semester so that you have an overview of the program goals & activities so that you can
use what you’ve learned to support the therapist in planning and carrying out activities.
 You’ll submit a brief (1 page) report at the end of each week via the Oncourse Forums describing activities
planned/accomplished that week.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able to attend an orientation session at Milestones on
Tuesday evening 9/16 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able to be at Milestones every
Tuesday evening from 9/23 through 12/9 from 5:00-7:15 p.m. (with the exception of Thanksgiving Break).
Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of a class (or other commitment) and your start time at Milestones.
You’ll be expected to arrive early for the sessions every week. Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of your session at Milestones and
the start of a class (or other commitment). It is not appropriate to expect to be able to leave a few minutes early to get to your next commitment.
OLDER TEEN SOCIAL SKILLS GROUP (16-20 yrs) - Mondays 4:30-6:45 pm
Student volunteers will assist a licensed therapist during one therapeutic session each week. The older teen social skills group will
consist of 16-20 year old males and females that struggle with social skills. Many of the clients are on the autism spectrum or may
have a mild intellectual disability. The group topics will include communication, friendship skills, dating, coping with transitions,
coping with frustration, being assertive, hygiene, and possibly other life skills like cooking a meal. We will try to see if a
community outing can be part of group this year. The interns will be responsible for conducting group sessions a long side
therapist, planning of some group activities, and writing group session notes.
__  Type your initials here to indicate that you will be able to meet ALL of the following requirements if you are accepted
to this group:
 You’ll add a 2-credit unit course to your schedule.
 You’ll contact Dr. Patton to arrange an on-campus orientation some time during the week of 9/22.
 You’ll write 4 brief (5 page) reports during the semester from assigned chapters and articles.
 You’ll submit a brief (1 page) report at the end of each week via the Oncourse Forums describing activities
planned/accomplished that week.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able to attend an orientation session at Milestones on
Monday evening 9/15 from 5:00 – 6:45 p.m.
__  Type your initials here to indicate you WILL be able to be at Milestones every
Monday evening from 9/22 through 12/8 from 4:30-6:45 p.m. (with the exception of Thanksgiving Break).
Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of a class (or other commitment) and your start time at Milestones.
You’ll be expected to arrive early for the sessions every week. Allow at least a 30-minute gap between the end of your session at Milestones and
the start of a class (or other commitment). It is not appropriate to expect to be able to leave a few minutes early to get to your next commitment.
CONTINUE ON THE NEXT PAGE
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Relevant Coursework
List the NAMES and numbers of all classes you’ve taken that are relevant to this field experience – to child development,
families, behavior or mental disorders or therapies; the semester you took the course; and grade received for each. You may list
classes in which you are currently enrolled.
NAME OF THE CLASS (& number) – Semester Taken (Fall/Spring/Summer & Year) – Grade
Experience with Children
What previous experience(s) have you had working with children? List the roles you’ve played (babysitter, daycare provider,
volunteer at a preschool, camp counselor or…). For each role, list the ages of children with whom you’ve worked and your
responsibilities while providing care.
ROLE – AGES – RESPONSIBILITIES:
What experience do you have working with groups of children? What size(s) were the groups and what activities did you lead for
the groups?
YOUR ANSWER:
IMPORTANT: What types of challenging behaviors have you managed while working with children? Describe 3 different kinds
of behavior challenges you’ve encountered, the age of the child(ren) in question, and your problem-solving responses to each
behavior. Was there change in the behavior as a result? (Example: At daycare, 7-year-olds Jason and Christopher regularly got
into arguments that turned into physical fights - typically when the group was finishing one activity and moving on to the next.
We initially tried…, and then we decided to also… Over the next few weeks I saw that…).
TYPE OF CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR – CHILD’S AGE – YOUR RESPONSE – CHANGE?
1.
2.
3.
Have you had experience with children who are higher than the norm in terms aggression or oppositional behavior? Do you have
any experience with children with behavioral or mental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD);
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD); an Autism Spectrum Disorder (Aspergers/Autism); or with anxiety or depressive disorder?
YOUR ANSWER:
Teamwork
It’s important that you are able to demonstrate initiative and to build friendly, professional relationships with the students who’ll
be working on your team. To get the most out of this experience you’ll need to maintain a positive attitude, to challenge and
support each other; and to negotiate differences of opinion. Briefly describe past situations in which you’ve been able to plan and
accomplish tasks with a team of peers.
YOUR ANSWER:
CONTINUE ON THE NEXT PAGE
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Commitments / Availability for Fall 2014
How many credit hours are you CURRENTLY enrolled in this semester (include semester-long & 8-weeks courses)?
YOUR ANSWER:
There are no prerequisite courses required to enroll in P457 – first years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors are welcome. IF
you’re invited to participate in the Milestones Field Experience, you will be required to enroll in a 2-credit unit course (P457).
If you enrolled in P457 for 2-credit units, how many credit hours would you be enrolled in this semester in total? Would you plan
to adjust your schedule by dropping a class?
YOUR ANSWER:
Fees: If you are currently registered for 12-16 credits you will not incur any cost to add P457, but if you drop a class you will
incur a fee. If you’re currently enrolled in fewer than 12 credits or in 17 or more credits then you will be charged tuition / fees to
add P457. Are you aware of the tuition / fees that you will incur? Questions? Contact Student Central or PBS Advising
http://studentcentral.indiana.edu/register/index.shtml or http://www.indiana.edu/~psyugrad/advising/advising.php.
YOUR ANSWER:
What other obligations will you have during the Fall semester in terms of part-time jobs, internship experiences, volunteering,
student or community groups? Indicate the total number of hours per week you’ll be dedicating to these activities.
YOUR ANSWER:
Are there any dates during the semester (other than Thanksgiving Break) that you will not be available to work at Milestones?
Exactly which dates? For what reason(s)?
YOUR ANSWER:
Milestones Clinic is located at 550 South Adams Street, Bloomington, IN 47403. That’s about 2.0 miles from campus. What
transportation will you use to arrive at the clinic before your group starts in all kinds of weather? If you are going to take a bus,
check the bus schedule before you answer this question.
YOUR ANSWER:
References
List 3 references below – people who know you well. List each person’s full name, how they know you (employer, professor,
volunteer coordinator…), and provide their current email and phone number. Do not use family members or friends as references
unless you do not have any other references. Tip: Contact anyone you list to ask them if it is okay to list them as a reference and/or
to let them know about that you’ve applied for the position.
Name – Relationship to You (Employer, Professor, Supervisor) – Current Email & Phone Number
1.
2.
3.
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