Field Placements and Clinical Training

Fieldwork and clinical training are integral to your study in school psychology, preparing candidates to be empathic professionals skilled at treating patients from diverse backgrounds and with different behavioral, emotional, academic and other conditions.

For more information, please refer to the Field Placement Handbook.

Clinical Externships

Students are required to complete a 500-hour externship in a clinical or community mental health setting in their third year. This field placement provides students with experience working with children, adolescents, families or adults with myriad academic, behavioral, emotional, and other conditions. The externship offers meaningful training opportunities for diverse activities, such as intakes, evaluations, counseling and psychotherapy, consultation, therapeutic group work, family therapy, and participation in interdisciplinary team activities. Externships have included, but are not limited to the following sites:

• Derner Hempstead Child Clinic
• Neuropsychologic Associates PLLC
• Pace University Counseling
• Pilgrim Psychiatric Center
• Psychological Diagnostic Evaluations
• Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center
• Stony Brook University of New York (CAPS)
• Wavelengths Psychology

Practicum Training

During the fourth year of doctoral study, students are required to complete a year-long, school-based practicum. The school psychology doctoral practicum, in concert with APA and NASP guidelines, is designed to provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their skills in an applied school setting. The practicum experience is specifically designed to prepare students for internship and ultimately, to work effectively with children, families, educators, and community mental health agents. Practicum activities are designed to systematically integrate theory, techniques, empirically supported practices, research, ethics, and professional behaviors. Practicums in school settings have included, but are not limited to the following sites:

• Baldwin Unified School District
• Farmingdale School District
• Mineola Middle School
• North Babylon UFSD
• Valley Stream Central and Elementary School Districts
• West Babylon School District
• Westbury High School

Internship

The internship is the culminating clinical experience of the PsyD program starting in the fourth year of study. The internship provides students with a comprehensive, supervised and carefully monitored and evaluated experience allowing them to continue developing all program competencies and skills for independent practice. A full-time school internship can be coordinated in one or two schools, which will be full-time and will require 1,750 hours. Internships in school settings have included, but are not limited to the following sites:

• Baldwin Unified School District
• Farmingdale School District
• Mineola Middle
  School
• North Babylon UFSD
• Valley Stream Central and Elementary School
  Districts
• West Babylon School District
• Westbury High School