Livingston County Special Services Unit (LCSSU) is a special education cooperative serving eleven school districts within Livingston County. Our teams of program supervisors, social workers, psychologists, teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, instructional teams, and vocational coordinators, as well as our director and assistant director, work cooperatively to support all students in the member districts. LCSSU is known for its progressive practices, such as early implementation of the problem- solving model transdisciplinary play- based assessments for early childhood services, and school-based mental health screening and services. Cooperative staff members are proud of our role in the implementation of academic and social emotional services through a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS).
Interns will find a great deal of flexibility to individualize their internship plan relative to their training needs and interests. There are a number of professional opportunities available that, when combined, can lead to a well-rounded internship experience. Interns have the opportunity to serve students across all levels of academic and social-emotional need. Although our schools are situated in a rural county, we enjoy a degree of student diversity with respect to socioeconomic status, family constellation, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation.
Within the schools, interns will have an opportunity to work with students across age and grade levels. Interns will participate in play-based early childhood screenings and transdisciplinary play-based assessments for preschool children. At least one day per week will be spent with elementary students. For these young students, services include screening and assessment, social emotional and academic intervention and teacher and parent consultation. Additionally, each intern will spend a minimum of one day per week in a secondary school. High school services will include social emotional screening, group and individual social emotional interventions, consultation, and serving on planning committees.
Some interns request placement in one of our specialized school programs. Our therapeutic day programs, Livingston County Academy and Crossroads Academy, serve children with disruptive behaviors and/or emotional disorders in Kindergarten through high school. Within these programs, interns may be involved in individual counseling, group counseling, conducting functional behavior assessments, and teacher consultation. Interns may also elect to work in SAILS, our program for students with communication disorders. This work often includes consulting with parents and teachers on applied behavioral analysis, discrete trial training and assistive technology.
The interns’ work day is from 7:30-4:00 on weekdays. Interns share a wide variety of current instruments, resources and technology within a common space at the cooperative. They are provided laptops, iPads, clerical support, and access to our assessment and intervention materials. Interns are required to provide their own transportation, but receive mileage reimbursement when traveling between schools and/or trainings. The stipend is $30,000 plus reimbursement for student insurance costs.
SUPERVISOR
Elizabeth Casper, Ph.D., currently holds credentials as a licensed clinical psychologist and a licensed school psychologist in Illinois. Dr. Casper earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a doctorate in school psychology, both from Illinois State University. She completed her predoctoral internship through ISPIC at LCSSU/Mental Health Resource Center. Dr. Casper has special interests in post-secondary services for students, data collection and management (e.g., universal screening and progress monitoring), and expanding social emotional interventions for all students across the tiers of service. Dr. Casper has served as the primary clinical supervisor for doctoral interns at LCSSU.
