**Updated 9/7/2021** We regret to announce the TrueNorth site will not be recruiting an intern for the 2022-2023 year.
TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 (formerly NSSED) is a special education cooperative in the north shore suburbs of Chicago. It includes 18 member school districts that serve a total student population of 40,000 students and their families. The population tends to be mid to high SES with much diversity. Interns participate in functional, curriculum-based, and norm-referenced assessment in a context of data-based decision-making. Academic and behavioral functioning is assessed within an ecological framework. The internship position is a combination of time in a member school district, Glenview District 34, which serves students from early childhood through middle school, and TrueNorth’s activities in the areas of autism, behavior and systems-level change. Stipend: $20,000 and full benefits.
Internship description
The primary site that has supported a TrueNorth School Psychology Intern since 2008 is Glenview School District 34, Glenview, IL, www.glenview34.org/. School District 34 educates students in Early Childhood/Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade within their 8 schools (3 primary, 3 intermediate, 2 middle school). Interns work with their supervision team to more fully develop their internship activities based on their goals and the district’s needs. Regardless of the grade level, the intern will support teams of educators to problem solve to meet the needs of all the students.
Approximately two and a half days per week the intern will focus on services within Glenview’s schools. Within the school settings, the intern will engage in a variety of activities including conducting diagnostic psychoeducational evaluations, facilitating problem-solving, and co-leading social skills and other social-emotional interventions. Coaching, consultation and other professional development activities are also emphasized as supports to all educators across the district and the intern is encouraged to gain experiences across multiple buildings and their systems.
For approximately one to one and a half days per week, the TrueNorth site experience, will include engaging with The Professional Learning and Coaching Department. This department provides intensive coaching support across member districts, in one of which the intern will join the site supervisor to support goals and learning for that district. In general, professional learning and coaching includes supporting teams to develop instructional and behavior plans for students on the Autism spectrum and with social-emotional challenges, engaging in a diagnostic assessment framework for eligibility of autism, and developing social-emotional and classroom management programming at the district systems, classroom and individual student levels. In addition, interns have an opportunity to assist in the creation and delivery of professional development workshops with the TrueNorth supervisor and coaches team.
Interns receive ongoing training and continuous supervision from both licensed and certified psychologists focused on developing meaningful and effective intervention components through best practices in assessment, prevention/intervention, consultation and supervision. Training is focused on helping the intern develop collaborative relationships with educators, parents, and students.
In addition, each year there are opportunities for research regarding the effectiveness of interventions and student progress within the program. Opportunities for research and other interest areas are limited only by what is in the best interest of students. Interns may avail themselves of the many professional development opportunities afforded on a nearly daily basis throughout our cooperative at no cost.
Interns receive a stipend of $20,000 and a competitive benefits package as part of their compensation. The Interns hours are the same as the programs that they work in, typically 8:00-3:30 with some variation and follow the District calendar.
A typical week:
- 2 hours direct supervision with licensed psychologist
- 2 hours direct supervision with certified school psychologist
- 12 hours direct service (e.g., individual/group therapy, individual/group intervention)
- 12 hours indirect service (e.g., individual/systems level consultation, meetings)
- 4 hours report writing and other paperwork responsibilities
- 3 hours professional development activities
- 3 hours prep time (e.g., intervention planning, research, case notes)
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*Note that some of these site materials are still being updated to reflect the new agency title.
SUPERVISORS
Sarah Gebhardt, Ph.D., NCSP
Sarah Gebhardt, Ph.D., received her undergraduate degree from Albion College (MI), her Master’s of Science in school psychology from Miami University (OH), and her doctorate in school psychology from Lehigh University (PA). She is an ISPIC alumna and completed her internship at TrueNorth/ District 34 Early Childhood Placement. Dr. Gebhardt is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (IL) and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She has worked full time in Glenview School District #34 since 2013 as a school psychologist, and more recently as a district coach for student services. Other professional experiences include roles in higher education, classroom instructor for extended school year for students with low incidence disabilities, coach for executive function skills, and private practice.
Jillayne Bose-Deakins, Ph.D.
Dr. Bose-Deakins, a certified school psychologist, is currently in her fifteenth year at TrueNorth. Her primary role is a district services coach, which includes providing professional learning opportunities (e.g., workshop presentations, on-site coaching) to TrueNorth member districts in order to meet the needs of all students within a model of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Past experiences and roles within TrueNorth have been in the Education and Life Skills and SAIL programs as the Intervention Specialist to support academic and social-emotional programming for students with low-incidence disabilities and autism. Jill received her Master’s in Psychology and her doctorate in School Psychology at the University of Memphis and completed her internship with ISPIC at TrueNorth, North Shore Academy.
