The psychology intern spends approximately 50% of time in the Springfield Public Schools and 50% with SIU School of Medicine. Because school activities are limited over the summer, the intern will spend 3 days/week in the schools and 2 days/week at SIU during the school year. During the summer, the intern will spend 5 days/week at SIU. Interns will need to maintain their own malpractice insurance and health insurance.
SIU School of Medicine
SIU School of Medicine is guided by a clear mandate to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their present and future health needs through education, research, and service. Affiliations between SIU and Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital provide the valuable physical base for the clinical programs in Springfield. The psychology intern works within the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics, located in the St. John’s Pavilion and the St. John’s Women and Children’s Clinic. Interns will have their own clinic room with computer and phone access, along with a locked cabinet for record and other supply storage. Test kits and protocols are stored in a shared location where all psychology providers can access. Benefit time is not provided, but with appropriate notice, we can be flexible in arranging time away as long as internship duties and hours are fulfilled. More information about the Department of Pediatrics can be found at https://www.siumed.edu/peds.
Interns receive referrals from SIU Pediatrics faculty/attendings and residents, as well as other community physicians or agencies. They work with a population of children who are racially diverse, primarily from low-income households, and reside in Springfield or neighboring rural communities. Occasionally we receive referrals from more distant rural locations.
In the Developmental Continuity Clinic, interns provide developmental screening for at-risk infants and toddlers (age 6 months to 3 years). The remaining clinical time is spent in the Psychology Clinic providing psychological evaluations, therapy, and consultation services, with opportunities for expanding other services (e.g., behavior management groups for parents) according to the intern’s interest and availability. Both clinics are embedded within the main pediatric clinic area, which provides opportunities for consultation with medical providers in general pediatrics, neurology, genetics, GI, pulmonology, and others. We work closely with our developmental pediatrician for complex evaluations. Common referral concerns include Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, and adjustment issues. Interns are also involved in the clinical teaching of medical residents and students, and when schedules allow, they may also be involved in providing didactic presentations. There are also opportunities for involvement in research and/or Quality Improvement projects. The internship experience is organized to increase autonomy over the year, beginning with supervisor modeling during interviews and testing, interns performing these tasks under observation, and then subsequently seeing patients independently. Interns are responsible for all clinical documentation and communication to parents and referral sources. All documentation is reviewed and signed by the supervisor.
Standard clinic hours at SIU are from 8:00am-5:00pm with a lunch break. A typical week at SIU during the school year will be scheduled to include 2 hours of developmental screening and related documentation (usually with some down time for additional consultation/supervision), 2 hours of intake interviews, 4.5 hours of testing, 3 hours of therapy/parent consultation, and 2 hours of supervision. Additional time may be spent in teaching, attending didactics, and documentation. A typical week at SIU during the summer will be scheduled to include 2 hours of developmental screening and related documentation, 3-4 hours of intake interviews, up to 9 hours of testing, 6 hours of therapy/parent consultation, and 2 hours of supervision, again with additional time for teaching, attending didactics, and documentation. Note that show-rates vary and often leave additional time for documentation.
Springfield Public Schools
The school psychology staff of Springfield Public Schools has worked cooperatively with several universities over the years to provide quality internship experiences. The district takes pride in offering a variety of programs and internship experiences involved in meeting the needs of a diverse, urban student body, as well as a large private/parochial student population in the community for which special education diagnostics and services are provided. The district is committed to progressive, research-based practices designed to improve achievement for all students. Interns become involved in diagnostic, consultation, prevention, direct service, and crisis intervention roles while working in coordination with their school psychology supervisor. Throughout the year, activities are designed to promote increasing independence of the intern as deemed appropriate by both the supervisor and the intern. Experiences are also designed to offer a rotation of activities with other school psychologists in the district, therefore offering the opportunity to observe a variety of service models and professional styles. Interns can expect the following responsibilities/activities to be evident in their experience with Springfield Public Schools:
*consult with teachers and other school personnel in relation to behavior management, learning problems, and interventions
*provide individual psycho-educational examinations and/or curriculum based assessments, interpret those findings, and generate recommendations which will lead to meaningful experiences for the child
*participate as a team member in multidisciplinary educational staffings for determination of educational objectives and need for special education placement and/or supportive services
*provide direct service as appropriate to the needs of the students individually or as a group
*participate in parent education and the development of parent understanding of their child’s needs and academic/behavioral objectives
*become familiar with Response to Intervention/Multi-Tiered Systems of Support models
*become familiar with PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports), BIST (Behavior Intervention Support Team), and Restorative Practices (RP) using the district’s Braided Behavior Support System
*demonstrate professional growth and development through internship experiences, observation, and individual study
*demonstrate understanding and application of ethical and legal aspects of the practice of school psychology
*demonstrate effective organizational and record keeping skills,
*demonstrate effective oral and written communication techniques
A typical week for the school portion of the internship involves approximately:
8 hours assessment (traditional and CBM) and report writing
1 hour supervision
6 hours consultation/meetings in buildings
2 hours counseling
1 hour training/research
3 hours student/classroom observation
A typical day in the Springfield Public Schools is from 8:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. with time varying slightly depending on building assignments. Throughout the district, schools are in session from as early as 8:00 a.m. to as late as 3:30 p.m. Administrative staff of special education services is housed at a centralized location within the district. School psychology staff also operates from this central location and follow a daily schedule of time devoted to individual buildings. The fifteen school psychologists are typically assigned to 2 – 3 buildings each and operate on a weekly schedule that reflects full-days assigned to individual buildings. The typical school psychologist also has one day per week assigned for time in the central office. The school psychology intern has assigned office space in the central office, a Mac laptop, computer access, testing materials, and an in-district and ISPIC-related mileage reimbursement.
Please note, interns will be required to pass a background check (including criminal and drug-related offenses), submit proof of updated immunizations, and complete a 2-step TB test, prior to beginning appointments in August.
Supervisors
Anna Hickey, Ph.D., ABPP, is a certified school psychologist and licensed clinical psychologist with SIU. She is board certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SIU Edwardsville in 2006, a master’s degree in psychology from Illinois State University in 2008, and a doctorate in school psychology from Illinois State University in 2011. She completed her doctoral internship with ISPIC at the Livingston County Special Services Unit and remained at LCSSU to complete her postdoctoral training experiences. Dr. Hickey is currently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine, providing psychological evaluations, therapy, and consultation services in addition to educating medical students and residents in regard to children’s development and behavioral functioning.
