Background: School psychology has played an important role in District 211 since well before the advent of P.L. 94-142. The district has long appreciated the contributions school psychologists make not only in addressing the educational needs of students with disabilities but in facilitating the education and development of all students. The district employs approximately 20 school psychologists in its five high schools and two therapeutic day school buildings. School psychologists have important and varied roles in District 211. They provide many clinical/counseling services in addition to the psychodiagnostic, special education-related duties, and other duties often performed by school psychologists. They also have significant oversight responsibilities, including chairing IEP meetings, serving as the local education agency (LEA) representative at those meetings, consulting with parents and staff members as to special education, mental health, and child protection laws, policies, procedures, etc. School psychologists provide a wide array of services including consultation, counseling, assessment, crisis intervention, prevention, in-service training, program development, and research. District 211 is committed to training school psychology interns as a contribution to the profession, to its future practitioners, and to the students and families that will be served by those District 211 teams. We welcome the opportunity to make this contribution, and we take seriously our obligation to provide a thorough, valuable, and rewarding training experience.
District 211 – High School Track (#113233)
One or more interns (one per site) will be placed at Palatine High School, Fremd High School, Conant High School, Schaumburg High School, or Hoffman Estates High School. The intern will also conduct therapeutic assessments (see below) and will serve a 20-day elementary/middle school rotation within the local elementary school district. Training opportunities are similar at the five high schools, and include the following:
Student Services Department: Although psychologists in District 211 work closely with staff in the Special Education Department, they are members of the Student Services Department and one Problem Solving Team (PST) within that department. The PSTs within each building are the primary vehicles through which a team consisting of a psychologist, social worker, group of school counselors, school nurse, and administrator facilitate all referrals for interventions across the continuum of services, including: individual or group counseling, support and education groups, full and individual evaluations, Section 504 Plans, classroom-based training sessions, peer counseling, peer mediation, and other services. Psychologist interns often receive student referrals for individual, group, and other interventions, including initial full and individual evaluations that are generated from PST. Such referrals are screened to ensure that the intern has the opportunity to work with students from a variety of socio-cultural backgrounds and with a variety of exceptional characteristics and psychological or other difficulties, etc. PSTs also devote time to review and analyze student data at key points throughout the year to identify trends in behavior, attendance, and academic performance and provide early, preventative support for students. Outside of weekly team meetings, PST members assist each other in responding to the range of needs that arise from the team caseload. Such needs include engaging in brief counseling for students to risk assessments and crisis intervention.
Student Services Department personnel also provide counseling and support group services to hundreds of students each semester. The psychologist intern will typically serve as a co-therapist for one or more groups that address themes such as emotion regulation, executive functioning, grief and loss, social skills, post-hospitalization/transition, and sexuality. Other groups with a more universal modality (e.g., Dialectical Behavior Therapy) are also often run. There are many opportunities to provide consultation to teachers, administrators, and other faculty members both in a structured and more fluid capacity.
Special Education Department: Psychologists also work closely with special education department teachers and teaching assistants and serve as Local Education Agency (LEA) representatives in IEP meetings. Psychologists spend a significant portion of their time engaged in consultation regarding classroom behavior (including the completion of FBAs and BIPs), the delivery of individual and group counseling minutes for special education students, developing IEPs, and with facilitating IEP meetings. Psychologist interns will also have the opportunity to work closely with specific, more restrictive and intensive special education programs as a programmatic therapeutic support as aligned with the intern’s interest. Psychologist interns will receive in-depth experience with the entire continuum of special education services in their home high school building and also typically grow significantly in their IEP development, team consultation, and meeting facilitation skills through their internship experience.
Building-Wide Consultation: Student services department members also play key roles on various building-wide committees and teams that shape building-wide procedures and inform Tier I and Tier II programming for students that align with best practices in mental health and education.. Recent examples include continuing to develop culturally responsive practices, developing trauma-responsive school communities, updating threat and suicide assessment and intervention practices, and participating in the development of wellness programming. Psychologist interns have the opportunity to participate as members of these teams and utilize their own graduate research backgrounds and prior experiences to assist with the ongoing process of broadening and refining supports for students.
Therapeutic Assessments: During the course of the year, the psychologist intern will also complete a series of therapeutic assessments. Therapeutic assessments are a leadership opportunity in which in the intern coordinates and conducts the triennial re-evaluations of all District 211 students placed in private therapeutic day schools and residential facilities in collaboration with the therapeutic day school and residential facility personnel. These cases are typically clinically complex and provide interns with unique opportunities to further develop their case conceptualization and assessment skills. These cases also provide opportunities to interact and collaborate with inpatient, outpatient, residential, child protection, advocacy, and legal personnel and to observe intensive settings for very specialized student needs. In order to afford interns the opportunity of being supervised by psychologists with different styles and orientations, the supervision of therapeutic assessment cases may be provided by psychologists other than the intern’s primary supervisor.
Peer Consultation/Training Opportunities: Interns are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop their skills. All psychologists and psychologist interns meet on a monthly basis to share literature, ideas, and expertise related to assessment, intervention, prevention and research. In addition, all of the district’s psychologists meet monthly to address issues related to procedural, diagnostic, legal, ethical, professional, and other matters. Interns attend selected community-based seminars, workshops and professional association conferences during the course of the year and are included in all relevant trainings related to district-wide protocols and procedures relevant to psychologists.
Supervision: The intern is provided with a minimum of three hours of individual supervision per week; one with their building-based supervising school psychologist and two with the district-based clinical and school psychologist. Typically, particularly early in the internship, supervision provided by the building-based supervisor is far greater than one hour per week as ample opportunities exist (and occur) for additional supervision, collaboration, and interaction during the course of the typical week. Additional supervision and collaboration also occur with other psychologists working in the same setting. In addition, doctoral and specialist level interns and supervisors meet approximately once a month for group supervision and a seminar series designed to facilitate skill development with regard to counseling/psychotherapy, psychodiagnostic assessment, suicide assessment/crisis intervention, special education policies and procedures, how to write IEPs, BIPs, and psychological reports, etc.
Extracurricular Activities: Interns have the opportunity to become involved in extracurricular clubs, athletics, and other activities on a voluntary basis. There also may be opportunities to earn additional income coaching, sponsoring a club or activity, or chaperoning an activity.
Dedication of Time: A typical work week includes an even balance between assessment, intervention and consultation. A day may consist of: 1 hour of individual therapy, 1 hour of group therapy, 1 hour of supervision/collaboration, 1 hour of teacher consultation/team meeting, 2 hours of assessment and report writing, and 1 hour chairing or participating in IEP meetings.
Elementary Rotation: In addition to the D211 placement within a D211 high school the intern has the opportunity to participate in a twenty-day rotation in a local elementary (early childhood through junior high school) district. Opportunities exist to become involved in the district’s innovative MTSS supports, including the opportunity to help the school administer and analyze school-wide benchmarking data and participate in RtI evaluations. A rotation is also available within the local district’s early childhood program. This program includes a preschool experience for typically developing three- and four-year-old children while also providing services to children who have identified developmental delays or disabilities in one or more of the following areas: speech and language, social-emotional, motor, or intellectual. Interns in this placement also have the opportunity to participate in screenings to determine eligibility for early childhood services. Rotations are also available with the district’s elementary, junior high school and therapeutic day school settings.
Technical Support: The psychologist intern is issued a laptop computer, school iPad, and has access to all of the audiovisual, computer-related, technical and other hardware, software, and services available to all employees.
Training Materials and Equipment: The psychologist intern has access to all commonly used assessment instruments, technical manuals, and computer-scoring programs, including SB-5, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-III, WASI, WMS, DAS-II, MACI, YSR/CBCL/TRF, BASC-3, MMPI-A, MMPI-II, BRIEF-2, SRS-2, ASRS-2, Beck Youth Inventories, Thematic Apperception Test, etc. Electronic scoring is available for nearly all assessment and bilingual assessment materials are available for several rating scales.
Physical Facilities: The psychologist intern has a private office, phone, voicemail, etc. Conference and group counseling rooms are easily accessible. The schools are located on 60-acre campuses, with modern, well-equipped facilities including libraries, auditoriums, swimming pools, gymnasiums, athletic fields, tracks, tennis courts, music practice rooms, tutoring centers, weight rooms, faculty cafeterias, and vocational laboratories.
Clerical Support: The in-building special education clerk is the primary clerical assistant for the psychologist staff and psychologist intern, but other department clerical assistants provide support, as-needed. Secretarial and support staff members perform varied roles including providing support to schedule parent conferences, IEP meetings, individual/group counseling sessions, and other appointments for the intern.
Compensation & Benefits: The internship stipend is $28,000 and psychologist interns are provided with a full benefit package available to all certified staff members that includes life insurance, flexible spending plans, and the opportunity to choose from a variety of health insurance plans. Psychologist interns are also provided the opportunity to participate in the district-wide annual health screenings.
District 211 – Academy Track (#113234)
One intern will be placed at the District 211 Higgins Education Center. The Higgins Education Center is comprised of three programs: Academy-South, New Endeavors and the Adult Transition Program – South (see below). The intern will also conduct therapeutic assessments (see below) and will serve a 20-day elementary/middle school rotation within the local elementary school district.
Academy-South (ASOU)
Academy-South is a public therapeutic day school program designed to meet the needs of students with significant emotional and behavioral disabilities. The mission of Academy-South (ASOU) is to establish a positive and supportive learning community which strives to foster the consistent fulfillment of high academic and behavioral expectations, in which all students succeed. ASOU facilitates the growth of positive peer and adult relationships, appropriate social skills, and the acceptance of personal responsibility for behaviors and choices. The culture of the program expects that all members of the learning community will facilitate student transition into productive and constructive adulthood.
District 211 Academy-South utilizes the principles of Positive Peer Culture (PPC). PPC provides a common set of values and vocabulary for both staff and student use. The program helps promote and monitor student growth. In an effort to reduce out-of-school suspensions and increase direct academic and social-emotional instruction, a Supported Learning Center (SLC) room was created and staffed during all periods of the school day. The SLC has created a small, calm, learning room where students receive individual attention and emotional supports.
All staff at Academy-South are trained annually in verbal de-escalation strategies and physical management of students in crisis using the Crisis Prevention Institute training curricula.
The intern would have the opportunity to work directly with a school population of approximately 35-40 students who have significant emotional and behavioral disabilities. Responsibilities include conducting initial evaluations and reevaluations to determine special education eligibility, the creation, revision of behavioral intervention plans including the completion of the functional behavioral analysis, and assisting in manifest determination meetings. The intern will provide individual and group therapy to students at Academy-South and will work directly with a number of community agencies including the local hospital/education liaison, police consultants, SASS workers, DCFS, etc. An intern can expect to play an interventionist role in school crises as they arise and be fully familarized with suicide assessment, threat assessment, and mandated reporting. .
The ISPIC intern will report to and be supervised by an onsite school psychologist. The intern will also participate in weekly supervision with the district’s clinical/school psychologist, Nate Elzinga or Brian Lazzaro. The intern will be responsible for taking a leadership role in completing therapeutic assessments and will participate in Peer Consultation/Training Opportunities (see above), in addition to serving a 20-day rotation within the local elementary/junior high school district.
In addition to the intern’s primary responsibilities, the intern will also have exposure to additional therapeutic programs at the Higgins Education Center. This includes D211 New Endeavors, whose mission is to establish a positive and supportive learning community in which the students enrolled will develop the academic, emotional, and life skills to support success in life and daily living skills beyond high school. The culture of the program facilitates the growth of positive peer and adult relationships, appropriate social skills, and the acceptance of personal responsibility for behaviors and choices. The culture of the program also expects that all members of the learning community will facilitate student transition into productive and constructive adulthood.
District 211 New Endeavors utilizes the Michelle Garcia-Winner Social Thinking curriculum. The Social Thinking curriculum provides a common set of vocabulary for both staff and student use. The New Endeavors program helps promote and monitor student growth in all academic areas including vocational skills, and social skills. A level system in which students can earn privileges and rewards is implemented, as well as, daily self-reflection monitoring of student academic, social, and personal skills.
Additional information regarding the D211 Academy Track opportunities and responsibilities are as follows:
Therapeutic Assessments: During the course of the year, the psychologist intern will also complete a series of therapeutic assessments. Therapeutic assessments are a leadership opportunity in which in the intern coordinates and conducts the triennial re-evaluations of all District 211 students placed in private therapeutic day schools and residential facilities in collaboration with the therapeutic day school and residential facility personnel. These cases are typically clinically complex and provide interns with unique opportunities to further develop their case conceptualization and assessment skills. These cases also provide opportunities to interact and collaborate with inpatient, outpatient, residential, child protection, advocacy, and legal personnel and to observe intensive settings for very specialized student needs. In order to afford interns the opportunity of being supervised by psychologists with different styles and orientations, the supervision of therapeutic assessment cases may be provided by psychologists other than the intern’s primary supervisor.
Peer Consultation/Training Opportunities: Interns are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop their skills including on-site consultation opportunities to district-wide and community consultation opportunities. All psychologists and psychologist interns meet on a monthly basis to share literature, ideas, and expertise related to assessment, intervention, prevention and research. In addition, all of the district’s psychologists meet monthly to address issues related to procedural, diagnostic, legal, ethical, professional, and other matters. Interns attend selected community-based seminars, workshops and professional association conferences during the course of the year and are included in all relevant trainings related to district-wide LEA protocols and procedures.
Supervision: The intern is provided with approximately three hours of individual supervision per week; one with their building-based supervising school psychologist and two with the district-based clinical/school psychologist. Typically, particularly early in the internship, supervision provided by the building-based supervisor is far greater than one hour per week. Ample opportunities exist (and occur) for additional supervision, collaboration, and interaction during the course of the typical week. Additional supervision and collaboration also occur with other psychologists working in the same setting. In addition, doctoral and specialist level interns and supervisors meet once a month for group supervision and a seminar series designed to facilitate skill development with regard to counseling/psychotherapy, psychodiagnostic assessment, suicide assessment/crisis intervention, special education policies and procedures, how to write IEPs, BIPs, and psychological reports, etc.
Extracurricular Activities: Interns have the opportunity to become involved in extracurricular clubs, athletics, and other activities throughout the district on a voluntary basis. There also may be opportunities to earn additional income coaching, sponsoring a club or activity, or chaperoning an activity within the district.
Dedication of Time: A typical work week includes an even balance between assessment, intervention and consultation. A day may consist of: 2 hours of individual therapy, 1 hour of group therapy, 1 hour of supervision/collaboration, 1 hour of teacher consultation/classroom observation/intervention, 2 hours of assessment and report writing, and 1 hours chairing or participating in IEP meetings.
Elementary Rotation: In addition to the D211 placement within a D211 public therapeutic day school the intern has the opportunity to participate in a twenty-day rotation in a local elementary (early childhood through junior high school) district. Opportunities exist to become involved in the district’s innovative RtI initiative, guided in part by their IASPIRE (Illinois Alliance for School-based Problem-solving & Intervention Resources in Education) grant. The intern has the opportunity to help the school administer and analyze school-wide benchmarking data, and participate in RtI evaluations. A rotation is also available within the local district’s Early Childhood Program. This program includes a preschool experience for typically developing three- and four-year-old children while also providing services to children who have identified developmental delays or disabilities in one or more of the following areas: speech and language, social-emotional, motor, or intellectual. Rotations are also available with the district’s elementary, junior high school and therapeutic day school settings.
Technical Support: The psychologist intern is issued a laptop computer, school iPad, and has access to all of the audiovisual, computer-related, technical and other hardware, software, and services available to all employees.
Training Materials and Equipment: The psychologist intern has access to all commonly used assessment instruments, technical manuals, and computer-scoring programs, including SB-5, WISC-V, WAIS-IV, WIAT-III, WASI, WMS, DAS-II, MACI, YSR/CBCL/TRF, BASC-III, MMPI-A, MMPI-II, BRIEF-2, SRS-2, ASRS-2, Beck Youth Inventories, Thematic Apperception Test, etc. Electronic scoring is available for nearly all assessment and bilingual assessment materials are available for several rating scales.
Physical Facilities: The psychologist intern has a private office, phone, voice mail, etc. Conference and group counseling rooms are easily accessible.
Clerical Support: The in-building special education clerk is the primary clerical assistant for the psychologist intern, but other department clerical assistants provide support, as-needed. Secretarial and support staff members will vary but may support scheduling parent conferences, IEP meetings, individual/group counseling sessions, and other appointments for the intern.
Compensation & Benefits: The internship stipend is $28,000 and psychologist interns are provided with a full benefit package available to all certified staff members that includes life insurance, flexible spending plans, and the opportunity to choose from a variety of health insurance plans. Psychologist interns are also provided the opportunity to participate in the district-wide annual health screenings.
Please Note:
Prior to beginning an internship with Township High School District 211, the intern is responsible for submitting the following additional documents as part of the Township High School District 211 hiring process: university documentation explaining Intern requirements, resume, transcripts (if available), and a copy of driver’s license. The intern is also responsible for completing the D211 Board Policy Forms (Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy, Abuse and Neglected Child Reporting Act Acknowledgement Form, Sexual Harassment Policy), DCFS Form, and Employee Demographic Information Form. Lastly, the intern will be responsible for submitting fingerprints, which will be completed by D211.
SUPERVISORS
Dr. Brian R. Lazzaro
Dr. Lazzaro is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and licensed clinical psychologist who has been serving “at-risk” students at the District 211 Academy-South program for 16 years. He completed his Master’s and Doctorate in School Psychology at Loyola University Chicago. District 211 supported a year-long sabbatical which allowed Dr. Lazzaro to complete his doctoral ISPIC internship at the NSSEO Timber Ridge therapeutic K-8 day school in Arlington Heights, Illinois under the supervision of Dr. Dennis Simon. At the Higgins Education Center, he supports school-wide social-emotional educational programming as well as intensive individual counseling, behavioral supports, and plans. Dr. Lazzaro contributes to the broader field of education as a National Association of School Psychologists Leader and member of the national School Safety & Crisis Response Committee. He is a co-author of the PREPaRE curriculum which is a national and international curriculum for educators wishing to strengthen their school crisis prevention, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery capacities. More recently, Dr. Lazzaro also co-authored the book: The PREPaRE Model: School Crisis Prevention and Intervention. Dr. Lazzaro completed his Postdoctoral Fellowship under the supervision of Dr. Bob Ingraham, licensed clinical psychologist.
Dr. Nate Elzinga
Dr. Elzinga is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and licensed clinical psychologist who received his doctoral training in school psychology from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. During his doctoral training experiences, Dr. Elzinga had the opportunity to practice in both school and hospital settings and maintains an active interest in a variety of aspects of both school and clinical practice. Dr. Elzinga’s thesis and dissertation research focused on the bullying/victimization experiences of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, a population he continues to work closely with. Following graduate school, Dr. Elzinga completed his internship through ISPIC and District 211 at Schaumburg High School and then continued to also completed his post-doctoral supervision while being employed in District 211. As a psychologist in District 211, Dr. Elzinga works at Schaumburg High School where his responsibilities include providing individual and group therapeutic supports to students with a range of backgrounds and needs, completing individual evaluations for initial and continued eligibility for special education services, coordination of Section 504 plans and services, consultation with school staff, facilitating IEP meetings, and completing systems-level work. Dr. Elzinga also serves as a district-level team member involved in the creation of comprehensive psychodiagnostic reports linking adolescents and young adults with supports and services through the state of Illinois.
