SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM HANDBOOK
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
TULANE UNIVERSITY
2009-2010 Academic Year
The Department of Psychology offers the School Psychology Training Program at Tulane
University. The program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association. For new
graduate students, completion of the Ph.D. program requires approximately five years
representing four years of course work and a year of internship. For students coming into the
program with a Master's degree in school psychology or a closely related field, prior course work
will be evaluated by the Department for possible transfer credit. The Department does not offer
a terminal Master's degree program in school psychology.
This handbook should be used as a program-specific supplement to the general information
provided in the Department’s Graduate Training Handbook. All of the information and forms
contained in this document can also be accessed online through the School Psychology
Program website.
Program Philosophy and Training
The School Psychology Program at Tulane University is an ecologically-grounded scientistpractitioner model of training. The Program emphasizes sensitivity to the ecological systems
surrounding the child, with a particular emphasis on the contexts of development and culture.
Specifically, the goal of our training is to prepare professionals who are sensitive to the complex
interplay of biological, cultural, economic, social, and psychological influences that contribute to
child development. The educational philosophy that serves as the foundation of this training
specifies that the development of expected competencies must be met through student
exposure to and engagement with multiple disciplines, research methodologies, and practice
contexts. We are firm in our commitment to produce broadly trained psychologists who possess
the requisite and unique skills necessary to further the knowledge base in psychology and
education and to provide professional services to a wide range of children and adolescents in
the variety of settings where they develop.
Through a variety of courses, students learn the knowledge base and methods for scientific
inquiry that allows them to broadly consider the influence of development, culture, and
ecological systems in their professional and research activities. These key foundational
components mutually inform the program goals related specifically to professional practice and
research. In brief, the goals of the training program are to build competence in assessment,
intervention and research, each mutually informed by consideration of the contexts of
development, culture, and other ecological systems. Applied skills are developed through year
long practicum placements. Practicum experiences are matched to student skill levels, with
students broadening their applied experiences as they develop new skills. Throughout the
practica, faculty members provide students with close supervision.
The School Psychology Program at Tulane has the advantage of being located within the
Department of Psychology. The resources of the Department are available to students, both in
terms of faculty guidance and supervision and in terms of physical resources such as
microcomputer and main frame computer facilities, videotaping equipment, and experimental
rooms for collecting data. There are ongoing research programs in the Department in areas of
psychology such as social, developmental, physiological, cognitive, quantitative, neuroscience,
and industrial/organizational. Students in the School Psychology Program may draw upon the
faculty in these areas in pursuing their interests. In addition, the Psychology Department
maintains affiliations with schools, hospitals, and clinics that provide a wide variety of research
and training opportunities with ethnically and culturally diverse populations.
Below are the substantive areas of professional psychology for which we prepare students to
enter the field. Each of the six training goals listed above is associated with specific
competencies expected of program graduates, which are outlined below.
1. Developmentally Informed Research and Practice. Program graduates will:
A. Understand normative development, including milestones and developmental
sequences.
B. Apply and integrate knowledge from other core psychological domains to understand
developmental processes.
C. Understand how developmental processes are influenced by and interact with culture
and context.
D. Utilize a developmental psychopathology perspective to understand maladjustment.
E. Understand developmental research methods and conduct ethical and developmentally
sensitive research.
2. Ecologically-grounded Research and Practice. Program graduates will:
A. Engage in research and practice that is sensitive to the microsystems that surround the
developing child.
B. Engage in research and practice that is sensitive to the mesosystem and strive to
strengthen the connections within that system.
C. Engage in research and practice that is sensitive to exosystem influences on child
development and strive to become advocates for change within those social structures,
as needed.
D. Engage in research and practice that is sensitive to macrosystem influences on child
development and understand the reciprocal relations between research, practice, and
social policy.
3. Culturally Informed Research and Practice. Program graduates will:
A. Recognize ethnicity and culture as significant factors in understanding psychological
processes and behavior.
B. Demonstrate an awareness of how one’s own cultural background, attitudes, values, and
biases influence psychological research and practice.
C. Be open to educational and training experiences and demonstrate a willingness to learn
about diverse cultures.
D. Recognize the limitations of their competencies and expertise.
E. Demonstrate an understanding of and respect for cultural differences in research and
practice and abide by APA’s Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research,
Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists.
4. Psychological Assessment. Program graduates will:
A. Engage in assessment as a method of hypothesis generation and testing.
B. Follow guidelines for nondiscriminatory, reliable and valid assessment as outlined by the
ethical guidelines of the APA and the NASP, as well as State and Federal laws.
C. Competently select, administer, interpret, and psychometrically evaluate psychological
tests to facilitate the design and evaluation of interventions.
D. Conduct developmentally, culturally, and ecologically sensitive interviews and
assessments with children, adolescents, and adults.
E. Integrate data from multiple sources to inform case conceptualization, differential
diagnoses, and treatment recommendations.
F. Communicate assessment findings and recommendations to clients, families, and other
professionals in both written and oral formats.
5. Prevention and Intervention. Program graduates will:
A. Understand the theoretical foundations and procedural strategies of various approaches
to interventions.
B. Conceptualize treatment goals and develop interventions based on assessment data
and the literature on empirically supported treatments.
C. Understand the roles of surrounding ecological systems on intervention efforts and
acknowledge that change is mutually influenced by developmental, ecological, and
social therapeutic interventions.
D. Select, design, and provide developmentally, culturally, and ecologically sensitive
individual psychotherapy and family/school based interventions.
E. Demonstrate competence in single-case research to monitor and evaluate treatment
progress, efficacy, and effectiveness.
F. Follow ethical guidelines of the APA and the NASP, as well as State and Federal laws,
in the provision of prevention, intervention, and consultation services.
6. Research and Evaluation. Program graduates will:
A. Demonstrate an understanding of various methodologies and statistics used in clinical,
educational, applied, and basic research.
B. Employ and critically evaluate single-case methodology in professional practice.
C. Demonstrate the ability to design, evaluate, and conduct research studies that are
sensitive to development, culture, and ecological systems.
D. Conduct nondiscriminatory research in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the APA
and the NASP, as well as State and Federal laws.
E. Contribute to new knowledge base within the fields of psychology and education.
Student Advisement
Students receive initial advisement from the Program Director. No later than the second
semester of the student's first year of study, students will select a major advisor. Students, in
consultation with the Program Director and their major advisor, will develop a plan of study for
their graduate training. Students in the School Psychology program need not complete the
formal SPEC plan outlined in the Department’s Graduate Training Handbook.
Coursework
The curriculum is designed to provide a broad-based knowledge of psychological research and
theory, as well as training in professional issues and skills. Both within the School Psychology
Program and within the Department of Psychology, classes at the graduate level are small and
are often conducted in a seminar format so as to actively involve students in the learning
experience. Course offerings and curriculum requirements are listed in Appendix A and a typical
course sequence is presented in Appendix B.
In the case of a graduate student entering with graduate-level work from another university, the
Program Director, in consultation with the other School Psychology faculty, will make
recommendations to the Graduate Training Committee by the end of the first semester as to
which courses taken elsewhere should be credited toward the Tulane doctorate. If the student
wishes to receive credit for a core course or other required course, the approval of the professor
teaching that course must be obtained before consideration is made by the Program Director.
With regard to other transfer credits, the Program Director will make a recommendation to the
Graduate Training Committee. The Graduate School Bulletin should be consulted for
regulations governing transfer credit for graduate courses taken at another university. Upon
recommendation of the faculty, the Department Chairperson will then write a letter of request to
the Graduate Dean who will make the final determination.
Research Requirement
Students are expected to be engaged in research during each of their four years of graduate
training. The faculty encourage active student involvement in the research process and students
are expected to join and attend the meetings of relevant professional and research
organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association, Society for Research on Child
Development, Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology). In addition, we encourage
students to seek out and take advantage of opportunities to co-author presentations and
workshops at professional meetings as well as journal articles and book chapters for
publication.
All students are required to complete a Master's thesis and Doctoral dissertation following
Departmental guidelines. The following are timelines for the completion of these requirements.
 Students are expected to complete the Master’s degree requirements before beginning their
third year of study. Students must complete their Master’s degree requirements no later
than the last day of classes the Fall semester of the third year of study.
 The faculty will review theses of students entering the program who have earned a Master's
degree elsewhere to determine if the theses satisfy departmental research requirements.
Students are referred to the Department’s Graduate Training Handbook for specific
procedural guidelines.
 Students are expected to propose their dissertation prior to leaving for internship. Ideally,
students will defend their dissertation prior to the internship year.
Preliminary Examination
Students are eligible to take the preliminary examination on recommendation from the
Department faculty once they have completed the Master's requirements. Students must
adhere closely to the research deadlines outlined in the previous section to take the preliminary
examination on schedule.
 Students are expected to complete the Master’s degree requirements before beginning their
third year of study so they can complete the preliminary examination during the third year of
study.
 The Master's degree requirements must be completed no later than the end of classes in
the Fall semester preceding the preliminary examination.
 All components of the preliminary examination must be completed by October 15th of the
fourth year of graduate study. Students who have completed the preliminary examination by
this deadline are eligible to apply for internship.
 Students who do not meet the October 15th deadline will not be eligible to apply for
internship until the following year.
The preliminary examination is composed of two components: a practice examination and a
research examination, each of which are described in detail below. Both components must be
satisfactorily completed before the student is judged to have passed the preliminary
examination.
1. The Practice Examination. The practice examination involves a demonstration of the
knowledge of important content and process issues relevant to the practice of school
psychology. Students must receive a passing score on the National School Psychology
Examination (NSPE) to complete this component of the preliminary examination. The passing
score is set by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and may vary from year to year; it was
165 in 2008.
The NSPE is required for certification by most states and it is also required as part of the
National School Psychology Certification System. The NSPE is administered by ETS as part of
the Praxis program. Summary information on the content and format of the NSPE, as well as
sample test items, is provided on the ETS website: http://ftp.ets.org/pub/tandl/0400.pdf. The
NCSP is administered five times each year for a fee ($75.00 in 2006) and special
administrations of the exam are possible, upon request. Students are responsible for the
examination fee.
Once students have been approved to take the preliminary exam, they may take the NSPE at
the next available administration date. Online registration for the exam is available at:
http://www.ets.org/praxis/index.html. Once the student has registered for the exam, this
information must be filed with the Program Director (see Appendix C). The student must arrange
for an official score report to be sent directly to the Program Director. As noted above, all
components of the preliminary examination must be completed by October 15th of the fourth
year of study. Therefore, the Program Director must receive an official score report
indicating a passing score on the NSPE by October 15th of the fourth year. Students who
do not meet this deadline will not be eligible to apply for internship in the fourth year. Students
should consult the NSPE exam schedule and plan accordingly—score reports arrive
approximately 4 weeks after the test date.
2. The Research Examination. The research examination involves a demonstration of the
ability to integrate information and critically review a body of empirical research. The research
topic should be related to the area in which the student plans to conduct his or her dissertation
research. Students may select one of two options to complete this component of the preliminary
examination.
A. The Comprehensive (Comps) Paper
The comps paper is intended to assess depth of knowledge in the chosen area, and comprises
the preparation of a review article sufficient in quality and scope as to merit publication in
Psychological Bulletin or Psychological Review. Students are referred to APA’s publication
manual and the following two reference articles for specific strategies for writing a review article:
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1997). Writing narrative literature reviews. Review of
General Psychology, 1, 311-320.
Bem, D. (1995). Writing a review article for Psychological Bulletin. Psychological Bulletin, 118,
172-177.
Students should select a topic for the comprehensive paper in consultation with his or her
research advisor. The topic chosen should have a body of empirical research sufficient to
warrant a comprehensive review. The final decision regarding the appropriateness of the
breadth of the specific topic rests in the hands of the student’s Comps Paper committee.
Students pursuing this option must receive approval for the project (i.e., its topic, scope) from
the Comps Paper committee, although a formal proposal meeting is not required.
It is the responsibility of the student to form the Comps Paper committee, which must consist of
at least three regular faculty members from within the Department, including the student’s
research advisor. A form indicating approval of the general topic and committee membership,
along with a 1-page abstract outlining the scope of the paper, should be placed in the student's
file and a copy of the approval should be forwarded to the School Psychology Program Director
(see Appendix D).
The comprehensive paper should not have been prepared for any other Program requirement or
course, nor should it be simply an extension of a paper prepared for another course or
requirement. The form of the paper should conform to APA style. Because good papers are
potentially publishable ones, the paper must not be unwieldy in length. Papers containing more
than 60 pages of text (references and tables are not counted) would need specific justification.
The written comps paper may be prepared with input from the committee chair with respect to
theoretical background or conceptual issues. The student will provide a copy of the final paper
to each committee member no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 15th, at the start of the
student's fourth year.
The Comprehensive Paper committee will evaluate the paper and will schedule a meeting with
the student within a reasonable time period (ordinarily two weeks) after the student has
submitted the completed paper. Students who submit their papers during the summer will
receive no guarantees from their committee members that the paper will be reviewed prior to
the start of the Fall semester. The committee will design a set of questions that address the
comps paper and related areas. The student's responses to these questions may be written
independently as an examination or may be elicited during an oral defense, the former option
provided at the discretion of the committee. In the case of a follow-up written examination,
student responses to questions must be completed no later than 2 weeks following receipt of
commentary from the committee. The student must successfully defend the comps paper by
October 15th of the fourth year to be eligible to apply for internship that year. The criteria used to
evaluate the comps paper are based on guidelines from the APA Publication Manual (2001) and
include the adequacy of:
 Definition and clarification of the problem.
 Summary of previous investigations that informs the reader of the state of current research.
 Identification of relations, contradictions, gaps, and inconsistencies in the literature.
 Discussion of next step or steps in solving the problem. Specificity and clarity of the
description of the research skills and knowledge to be acquired and objective evaluation of
progress in each area.
Determination of a “pass” will rest on a 2/3 majority vote of the committee (i.e., at least two of
the three members of the committee must agree on passing or failing the paper). The
committee may require revisions of the document and an additional meeting prior to making a
decision regarding whether the student has passed this portion of the Preliminary Examination.
No further opportunities for revisions will be provided; if the student does not pass this portion of
the exam even after revisions, the committee will make a decision about the student’s
continuation in the doctoral program. If the student is invited to stay on in the program, the
student will have to select a new topic and begin the process anew.
One copy of the approved paper must be put in the student's file in the Psychology Department
office. A second copy must be submitted for the general file of comprehensive papers in the
School Psychology Program Library. Some comps papers will be available to future students as
a model for their own papers.
B. The Research Grant Proposal
The research grant proposal is intended to assess depth of knowledge in the chosen area, and
comprises the preparation of a NRSA-grant proposal. Students are referred to the website of the
National Institutes of Health for preparation guidelines: http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm.
It is the responsibility of the student to form the Grant Proposal committee, which must consist
of at least three regular faculty members from within the Department, including the student’s
research advisor. Only those students who plan to submit the grant proposal may pursue this
option. Students should select a research project in consultation with his or her research
advisor. A formal proposal meeting is not required. A form indicating approval of the general
topic and committee membership, along with a 1-page abstract outlining the scope of the
proposal, should be placed in the student's file and a copy of the approval should be forwarded
to the School Psychology Program Director (see Appendix D).
The grant proposal should not have been prepared for any other Program requirement or
course, nor should it be simply an extension of a grant proposal prepared for another course or
requirement. The form of the proposal must conform to NIH guidelines regarding style and
length. The written grant proposal may be prepared with input from the committee chair with
respect to theoretical background, research design, and analysis.
The student will provide a copy of the final grant proposal to each committee member no later
than 5:00 p.m. on September 15th, at the start of the student's fourth year. Students who submit
their grant proposals during the summer will receive no guarantees from their committee
members that the paper will be reviewed prior to the start of the Fall semester. After all
members of the committee evaluate the written proposal, the committee will design a set of
questions that address the grant proposal and related areas. The student's responses to these
questions may be written independently as an examination or may be elicited during an oral
defense, the former option provided at the discretion of the committee. In the case of a followup written examination, student responses to questions must be completed no later than 2
weeks following receipt of commentary from the committee. The student must successfully
defend the grant proposal by October 15th of the fourth year to be eligible to apply for internship
that year. The criteria used to evaluate the grant proposal will be the same as those
recommended by NIH for review of NRSA applications and include the adequacy of:
 Objectives, design, and direction of the proposed research program.
 Specificity and clarity of the description of the research skills and knowledge to be acquired
and objective evaluation of progress in each area.
 Overall coherence and potential of the research training plan to provide the fellow with
individualized supervised experiences that will develop research skills.
 Clarity, completeness, originality, and significance of the goals of the proposed research and
training plans.
 Knowledge of relevant literature and current methods in the proposed research area.
 Proposed research training to serve as a sound foundation that will lead the applicant to a
productive career in mental health, drug abuse and addiction, alcohol abuse and alcoholism,
or the environmental health sciences research.
 Plans for the protection of human subjects, animals, or the environment, to the extent they
may be adversely affected by the research proposed.
 Plans to include women, children and minorities as subjects in research, if applicable.
 Plans to provide training in the responsible scientific conduct of research.
Determination of a “pass” will rest on a 2/3 majority vote of the committee. The committee may
require revisions of the document and an additional meeting prior to making a decision
regarding whether the student has passed this portion of the Preliminary Examination. No
further opportunities for revisions will be provided; if the student does not pass this portion of the
exam even after revisions, the committee will make a decision about the student’s continuation
in the doctoral program. If the student is invited to stay on in the program, the student will have
to select a new topic and begin the process anew.
One copy of the approved proposal must be put in the student's file in the Psychology
Department office. A second copy must be submitted for the general file of grant proposals in
the School Psychology Program Library. Some of these proposals will be available to future
students as a model for their own grant proposals.
The following table provides a summary of the research and preliminary examination timelines.
Program Requirement
Ideal Timeline
Program Deadline
Masters Thesis
Prior to beginning the 3rd year
End of Fall semester of the 3rd year
Preliminary Examination
End of Spring semester of the
3rd year
Practice exam completed by
September 15th of the 4th year
Research exam turned in to
committee by Sept 15th of the 4th
year
Research exam defended by
October 15th of the 4th year
Dissertation
Defend dissertation prior to
internship year
Defend dissertation proposal before
internship year
Internship
Begin in the 5th year
Begin in the 6th year
Those students who have completed all coursework and internship requirements but who have
not completed the dissertation will be required to register for Dissertation Research. According
to the policy set by the School of Science and Engineering
(http://www.sse.tulane.edu/pages/documents/SSETuitionScholarshipPolicy.pdf), registered
students will be required to pay for 3 credit hours reflecting Dissertation Research. Tuition is
projected to be $5850.00 for the 2009-2010 academic year, but tuition cost is subject to
increase each year. Following internship or the loss of a teaching assistantship, tuition cost for
Dissertation Research will be billed according to the following schedule:
First academic semester (following internship/loss of TA):
Second academic semester:
Third academic semester:
Fourth academic semester:
100% tuition scholarship
65% tuition scholarship
35% tuition scholarship
No tuition scholarship
Practicum Experiences
Students are placed as externs at a practicum site during each of their four years of training. By
the end of their training, students typically will have acquired at least 1000 hours of supervised
practicum experience. Practicum experiences are organized around the specific training
objectives of the Program and reflect a graduated progression through increasingly integrated
and independent experiences. Practicum experiences are designed to train our students how to
conduct assessment, intervention, and evaluation activities in a developmentally, culturally, and
ecologically sensitive manner. Practicum sites have been selected to provide our students with
exposure to the diversity of the greater New Orleans area.
First year practicum experiences focus on building interviewing and assessment skills. Second
year practicum experiences expand assessment skills to include behavioral assessment and
externs get their first intervention experiences, including behavioral intervention and cognitivebehavior therapy. The primary focus of third year practicum experiences is the provision of
prevention and intervention services, with a secondary focus on continued assessment
experience. Fourth year externs gain experience providing diverse psychological services in
community-based settings. Students have a voice in shaping their practicum experiences,
especially within the third and fourth years. If there are particular skills students would like to
acquire or particular types of clients students would like to work with, those preferences should
be communicated to both the off- and on-site supervisors at the beginning of the academic year.
Students should carefully track their practicum experiences each semester. The School
Psychology Program website contains a link to a tracking form similar to those used by APPIC
to log their practicum activities.
Practicum experiences are supervised by psychologists at the site as well as by faculty (off-site)
supervisors. We believe it is a valuable training experience for students to receive supervision
from both supervisors and to learn how to navigate between professionals who may have
somewhat different theoretical orientations and/or practice approaches. Expectations of
students and the responsibilities of the on- and off-site supervisors are outlined in practicum
guides for each site. Students and faculty review and sign these guides as the “starting off
point” at the beginning of each academic year. Student practicum performance is evaluated
annually by both supervisors and those evaluations are reviewed with the student (see
Appendix E).
In addition to the individual supervision, group supervision occurs once a week and involves all
students and training faculty. Case presentations by students are the primary focus of these
meetings, with a discussion of assessment, diagnostic, and treatment issues, outcome
evaluation, and professional, ethical and legal aspects of cases. Students select cases for
presentation in consultation with their faculty practicum supervisor. The format of the
presentation should also be discussed with the faculty supervisor but should generally follow the
format provided in Appendix F. Students typically supplement clinical case information with
resources and information drawn from the scientific literature. All students are expected to
actively participate during the group supervision of a case.
Students have access to assessment materials, scoring programs, and intervention resources
through their sites and through the School Psychology Library. The Library is in room 3021 of
Percival Stern Hall and can only be accessed by school psychology graduate students and
faculty through the use of keypad combination. Students must place a $25.00 deposit each
semester to access the Library. Deposits are returned in full at the end of the academic year
unless materials have been lost. In that event, the replacement cost of materials is deducted
from the general deposit pool, so that each student receives a partial refund of his or her
deposit.
Evaluation of Student Performance
Students receive formal feedback regarding progress in the program on an annual basis. First,
the entire School Psychology Program Faculty meets to review student progress in five areas:
academic performance, practicum and professional competence, research progress,
professional activities, and teaching assistant performance. These meetings are informed by
evaluations from the on-site and off-site practicum supervisors, the research advisor, and the
faculty member for whom the student served as TA in addition to the course grades for the
academic year. At the meeting, student performance in each of the five areas is ranked by
consensus on a likert scale (outstanding to unsatisfactory) and qualitative comments are
provided by the relevant faculty. Second, the program director, with input from the major
advisor, compiles this information into a feedback letter for each student that outlines strengths
and weaknesses within each of the five areas. Individual meetings are scheduled between the
program director and each student in which the letters are reviewed and a copy is provided to
the student. The student may also receive letters from the Department of Psychology providing
commendation or corrective feedback as necessary.
More immediate feedback is provided to students during the course of the academic year as
needed. Faculty members make every effort to give timely feedback regarding student
performance (e.g., after exams, during practicum activities, etc.). Students also have the
responsibility to ask faculty members for feedback if they are unclear where they stand
regarding certain performance criteria or expectations.
APPENDIX A
CURRICULUM OFFERINGS AND REQUIREMENTS
PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS
Biological Bases of Behavior (3 hours required)
Psyc 704
Animal Behavior
Psyc 709*
Physiological Psychology
Psyc 710
Psychopharmacology
Human Learning/Cognitive and Affective Bases of Behavior (3 hours required)
Psyc 703
Cognitive Neuroscience
Psyc 747
Cognitive Psychology
Social Bases of Behavior (3 hours required)
Psyc 700*
Social Psychology
Human Development/Individual Behavior (3 hours required)
Psyc 702*
Child Development
Human Exceptionality and Cultural Diversity (6 hours required)
Psyc 716*
Children of Color
Psyc 740*
Developmental Psychopathology
Research Design and Statistics (11 hours required)
Psyc 609*
Intermediate Studies in Experimental Design (4-credit course)
Psyc 611*
Intermediate Statistics and Experimental Design (4-credit course)
Psyc 613
Multivariate Analysis
Psyc 711
Advanced Experimental Design
History and Systems of Psychology (3 hours required)
Psyc 618*
History and Systems
DEVELOPMENTAL SPECIALIZATION
(3 hours required)
Psyc 712
Psyc 715
Psyc 737
Psyc 739
Psyc 744
Psychology of Early Childhood
Advanced Adolescent Psychology
Cognitive Development
Infancy
Advanced Seminar in Developmental Psychology
PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
(4 hours required)
Psyc 723*
Psyc 768*
Professional Issues in Psychology (1-credit course)
Seminar in Professional School Psychology
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
(21 hours required)
Assessment Courses
Psyc 761*
Psychological Assessment I: Cognitive and Academic Assessment
Psyc 762*
Psychological Assessment II: Personality and Psychodiagnostic Assessment
Psyc 763*
Behavioral Assessment and Intervention
Intervention Courses
Psyc 769*
School-Based Mental Health
Psyc 764*
Family Therapy
Psyc 766*
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Psyc 781*
School Consultation
PRACTICUM
(24 hours required)
Psyc 782*
Practicum in School Psychology (register for eight consecutive semesters)
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS
(6 hours required)
Psyc 662
Edu
Edu
Informal Learning
_________________________________
_________________________________
Louisiana certification standards provide that educational foundations coursework
will include: "(1) knowledge of the administration and organization of the school system,
(2) knowledge of the social, philosophical, legal, and cultural issues in education, (3)
knowledge of current theories regarding the acquisition of reading skills which include
familiarity with current techniques for the teaching of reading, and (4) knowledge of the
etiology and instruction/treatment of exceptional children.”
Psyc 998
THESIS
Master's Research (not assigned credit hours)
Psyc 999
DISSERTATION
Dissertation Research (not assigned credit hours)
Psyc 783*
INTERNSHIP
School Psychology Internship (not assigned credit hours)
NOTE: * denotes required courses
APPENDIX B
EXPECTED COURSE SEQUENCE
Fall—2009
761
Psychological Assessment I
740
Developmental Psychopathology
609
Statistics
723
Professional Issues in Psychology (1-credit)
782
Practicum
Spring—2010
761
Psychological Assessment II
709
Physiological Psychology
611
Statistics
782
Practicum
Fall—2010
763
Behavioral Assessment and Intervention
716
Children of Color
702
Developmental Psychology
613
Statistics
782
Practicum
Spring—2011
766
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
768
Professional School Psychology
769
School-Based Mental Health
782
Practicum
Fall—2011
764
Family Therapy
781
School Consultation
710
Psychopharmacology
715
Adolescent Psychology (must take 715 OR 739)
747
Cognitive Psychology (must take 747 OR 703)
782
Practicum
Spring—2012
700
Social Psychology
662
Informal Learning (education specialization)
739
Infancy (must take 715 OR 739)
782
Practicum
Fall—2012
XXX
Education Specialization
782
Practicum
Spring—2013
618
History and Systems
703
Cognitive Neuroscience (must take 747 OR 703)
782
Practicum
APPENDIX C
NOTIFICATION OF REGISTRATION FOR THE
NATIONAL SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY EXAMINATION (NSPE)
Name:_____________________________________
Year in program:_____________________
Date:______________________
Date of Thesis Defense:_____________
Date registered to take the National School Psychology Exam:________________________
I have made arrangements for the score report to be sent to Tulane: Yes
No
I have completed the research component of my preliminary exam:
No
Yes
____________________________________
Student signature
____________________________________
Program Director signature
________________________
Date received
APPENDIX D
NOTIFICATION OF THE TOPIC, FORMAT AND COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
FOR THE RESEARCH COMPONENT OF THE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
Name:_____________________________________
Year in program:_____________________
Date:______________________
Date of Thesis Defense:_____________
Format of research component of prelim exam: _______NRSA grant proposal
_______ Comprehensive literature review
Title of research paper or grant: ________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
_____ 1-page abstract attached
Committee Membership and signatures:
_________________________________
_________________________________
Major Advisor (printed name)
Major Advisor (signature)
_________________________________
_________________________________
Committee Member (printed name)
Committee Member (signature)
_________________________________
_________________________________
Committee Member (printed name)
Committee Member (signature)
_________________________________
_________________________________
Committee Member (printed name)
Committee Member (signature)
APPENDIX E
EVALUATION OF STUDENT PRACTICUM PERFORMANCE
TULANE UNIVERSITY
Evaluation of Student Practicum Performance
Date/Term: __________________________
Student: __________________________________________
Site Name: __________________________
Supervisor: ________________________________________
In comparison to other students at a similar level of training, please rate the above named student on the
following performance objectives using the descriptors below:
Mastered Objective:
Student demonstrated the performance objective 100% of the time.
Achieved Objective:
Student demonstrated the performance objective at least 80% of the time.
Failed to Achieve Objective:
Student demonstrated the performance objective less than 80% of the time.
Not
applicable
Failed to
Achieve
Objective
Achieved
Objective
Mastered
Objective
X
1
2
3
B. Conscientious, punctual, and attentive
to detail
X
1
2
3
C. Meets difficult situations with selfcontrol
X
1
2
3
D. Demonstrates good judgment
X
1
2
3
E. Communicates & listens effectively
X
1
2
3
F. Shows respect, concern, and
sensitivity in interactions with staff and
clients
X
1
2
3
G. Displays initiative and
resourcefulness
X
1
2
3
H. Demonstrates awareness of sources
of potential bias and influence on
practices
X
1
2
3
I. Demonstrates an awareness and
respect for multidisciplinary and
cultural variations in practice
X
1
2
3
X
1
2
3
I. Professionalism
A. Professional appearance and
deportment
II. Psychological Assessment Skills
A. Engages in psychological assessment
as a method of hypothesis testing.
Not
applicable
Failed to
Achieve
Objective
Achieved
Objective
Mastered
Objective
B. Follows guidelines for
nondiscriminatory, reliable and valid
assessment.
X
1
2
3
C. Competently selects, administers,
interprets, and psychometrically
evaluates tests to facilitate
assessment and design of
interventions.
X
1
2
3
D. Conducts developmentally, culturally,
and ecologically sensitive interviews.
X
1
2
3
E. Utilizes a developmental
psychopathology perspective to
understand maladjustment.
X
1
2
3
F. Integrates data from multiple sources
to inform case conseptualization and
differential diagnosis.
X
1
2
3
G. Communicates assessment findings
and recommendations in written and
oral reports.
X
1
2
3
A. Understands the theoretical
foundations and procedural strategies
of various approaches to interventions.
X
1
2
3
B. Establishes rapport with clients and
continues to develop working alliances.
X
1
2
3
C. Conceptualizes treatment goals and
develops interventions based on
assessment data and the scientific
literature.
X
1
2
3
D. Understands the roles of surrounding
ecological systems on intervention
efforts.
X
1
2
3
E. Understands that change is mutually
influenced by social, ecological, and
developmental therapeutic
interventions.
X
1
2
3
X
1
2
3
III. Prevention and Intervention Skills
F. Selects, designs, and provides
culturally, developmentally, and
ecologically sensitive individual
therapy and family/ school-based
interventions.
Not
applicable
Failed to
Achieve
Objective
Achieved
Objective
Mastered
Objective
G. Demonstrates competence in singlecase research to monitor and evaluate
treatment progress and effectiveness.
X
1
2
3
H. Follows ethical and legal guidelines in
the provision of intervention services.
X
1
2
3
X
1
2
3
B. Responds positively to supervision
suggestions and demonstrates a
willingness to learn.
X
1
2
3
C. Recognizes limits of competencies
and expertise.
X
1
2
3
IV. Supervision
A. Reviews material prior to supervision
and develops good questions.
V. Comments
A. Student's Strengths:
B. Student's Weaknesses:
C. Goals for Continued Professional Development:
Evaluator's Signature: ___________________________ Date: ___________________
Student's Signature: ____________________________ Date: ___________________
(Student's signature indicates only that the evaluation has been discussed with the student)
APPENDIX F
GROUP SUPERVISION PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS
Disclaimer: It is important to note these suggestions and ideas are just that: some suggestions and ideas.
There are no standard formats or guidelines for making presentations of clinical activities (case
conference, group supervision, case presentation, rounds, etc.) issued by the APA or any other
psychological organization. Nor will these ideas be the only approach that you will come across in your
careers. Here are some guidelines to help you get a little better prepared and organized for when you
present during group supervision.
1) What is the reason for the case conference? - You need to conceptualize the reason or major
purpose of the case conference before you even choose a case (or cases) to present. Case
conferences are given for a variety of purposes. "Because it's a requirement…" does not suffice as a
reason for your case presentation. Some reasons include:
a) To get feedback from professional or expert audience members on treatment or diagnostic
questions
b) To illustrate an interesting, rare, or unusual diagnostic presentation
c) To demonstrate a specific assessment or treatment technique used
d) To highlight changes in functioning pre- and post- intervention, development, or course of illness
(including deteriorating courses)
e) To illustrate the relationship between assessment or diagnostic data and subsequent treatment
decisions or processes or outcomes
f)
To demonstrate any specific principle of doing treatment - the possibilities are virtually endless,
but here are some examples:
i) dealing with the suicidal patient
ii) coping with an ethical challenge –for example: reporting suspected child abuse
iii) the role of racial or ethnic differences between client and therapist
iv) empathic failure and coping with counter-transference
v) client's religious ideology and secular therapy
vi) the importance of assessing substance abuse potential in the treatment of personality
disorder
vii) the impact of the academic calendar on treatment interruption and termination
viii) the role of medication management in the psychotherapeutic process
2) Structuring the case conference. Select one (or at most two) of these reasons as the focus of your
presentation. Everything else you say should reflect back to this purpose in your presentation.
Organize your presentation around the points you are illustrating, and try hard to come back to it at
the beginning, middle, and end of your talk. Information to present should include:
a) The purpose of your case presentation
b) The reason for referral and presenting problem (including the client's own chief complaint). A
single initial sentence or two with the critical demographic description and referral will serve to
place the case in space and time….e.g. "Today I will be describing the case of an 18 year-old
white, female, college student who presented with a history of severe panic attacks associated
with test-taking anxiety. I am describing her treatment to illustrate the use of written homework
assignments as an adjunct to face-to-face discussion during her weekly individual cognitivebehavioral therapy. I saw this client one year ago for a total of 26 weeks at the ERC."
c) A description of relevant initial presenting data including, but not limited to:
i) Intake process and initial interview
ii) Rationale for the evaluation process
iii) Data from psychological testing
iv) Information acquired from collateral contacts or interviews
v) Developmental and social history
vi) Treatment history
d) Summary of client psychodynamics and characterological aspects of personality
e) Etiological factors - it is wise to present your hypotheses concerning etiological factors that may
contribute to the presenting illness. These factors may include proximal factors - such as medical
or psychosocial stressors - as well as remote events that are thought to contribute to the
presenting problem. These may include relevant developmental (perinatal and on), family history
(socialization and genetic), and socio-cultural factors.
f)
Diagnostic impression at initial phase of treatment - if the diagnosis is not clear then you will need
to embark on a discussion of differential diagnostic possibilities and their relative order of
likelihood.
g) Prognosis at the initial phase of treatment and whether that has changed if treatment has
progressed. Prognosis should be specific to the patient, not to the diagnosis itself. Issues such as
the patient's previous response to past treatments, known comorbidity, premorbid adjustment,
social support, motivation for treatment, etc. should inform you about prognosis for the individual
case.
h) Treatment plan including selection of treatment techniques and goals
i)
Overview of the treatment and conceptualization of its relative efficacy and problems. Include a
statement about the number and frequency of sessions if not already stated, and if it is a case in
progress, an estimation of where in the process you think you may be (initial phase, middle, near
termination phase, etc.)
3) Do a little research - remember the scientist-practitioner ideal? Review the literature for relevant
studies on the topic of your case conference. Consider providing your audience with relevant
references or sources for additional information about the topic you are presenting. Use the literature
to assist in introducing your presentation.
4) Content of the presentation and other aspects of its structure depend upon the reason you have
selected for your case presentation. Select illustrative individual sessions or issues to demonstrate
your point. Some examples might be:
a) Reading the process notes of a pivotal session that illustrates how you managed the upcoming
crisis over the therapist and client separating during Spring Break
b) Describing the evolution of a re-occurring dream as it was related to you by your client who
suffered from PTSD
c) Showing the MMPI profiles from a series of patients with substance abuse, pre- and postintervention
d) Reading some examples from the food diary kept by a client with an eating disorder.
5) What a case conference is NOT.
a) NOT an evaluation of your expertise or skill as a clinician. (You are a beginner. We do not expect
you to be expert clinicians. It is an evaluation of your ability to present your ideas clearly, to think
clearly and synthetically about clinical issues, to be open to feedback, and to demonstrate your
emerging professionalism.)
b) NOT an opportunity to drag out or parade the private contents of your patient's disclosures in a
blow by blow account of every session. The focus should be on you in the sense of presenting an
idea, principle or point about your clinical work. The case material should be selected to illustrate
your purpose, not to distract from it.
c) NOT yours and yours alone. If possible, your supervisor and you should review your presentation
beforehand. It is also preferable for your supervisor to be present when you give your conference.
d) NOT a battle of theoretical ideologies or personal agendas. Whatever the audience does with the
material is not ultimately your responsibility. You can shape audience feedback by being
prepared with specific discussion questions and fielding comments maturely.