View source for Kristina Murdock and Casey Smith

<div id="content_view" class="wiki" style="display: block"><span style="display: block; text-align: center">Our School Psychology Internships</span><br />  I’m Kristina Murdock and I completed my internship at Long Branch High School with Mr. Flint. And I’m Casey Smith and I completed my internship at Ocean Township High School with Ms. Burns. Both Long Branch and Ocean Township High School serve students who range from the age of 13 to 18.<br /> <br />  The primary role of a school psychologist is to assess student’s developmental and cognitive abilities, identify any factors which may affect behavior and academic performance and provide diagnosis of developmental, intellectual and learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. School psychologists work collaboratively with a Child Study Team to create and maintain an individual educational program or IEP. The child study team provides parents, teachers and most importantly the students with a variety of learning related services. A typical Child Study Team consists of a psychologist, a learning disabilities consultant, social worker and oftentimes, a speech or language therapist.<br /> <br />  As an intern at Long Branch High School, I was able to sit in on IEP meetings and observe all of the classroom placements available for students, such as in-class support, a self-contained learning disability classroom and the moderate cognitive impairment classroom. My favorite part of my internship was observing the similarities and differences in the classrooms. I was able to complete student observation reports, specifically concerning students who needed re-evaluation. I was also able to see a child interviewed about a bullying incident and shadow the school psychologist at the elementary and middle school as well.<br /> <br />  In addition to those duties, a typical day at my internship site consisted of observing the school psychologist administer psychological tests such as the Woodcock Johnson, WISC and WAIS. After scoring and interpreting the testing, I worked with the school psychologist to adapt and edit IEPs for the students. I often sat in on IEP meetings where we discussed progress and future direction for the student with their parents, teachers, and even their coaches.<br /> <br />  Kristina: My little piece project was creating a poster I placed in the Child Study Team Office about what to do if you are bullied or witness bullying. After observing a student being interviewed about a bullying incident, I wanted to provide a poster with positive messages and advice for students. My hope is that students will view the poster and feel more comfortable reporting inappropriate behavior in the future.<br /> <br />  Casey: For my “Little Piece” project, I set up giving trees around the school, each with paper ornaments on them listing gifts requested by families in need. On the week before the holidays, Student Clubs will collect, wrap and drop off the gifts. I wanted to provide students with the control to make a difference in their own community and discover what they can do to improve the life of others.<br /> <br />  Kristina: This experience has affected my life professionally because before taking my Field Experience class, I never considered school psychology as a career. I decided to try something new and I ended up loving the school setting. This internship has confirmed my interest in graduate school and I am definitely considering school psychology as my concentration.<br /> <br />  Personally, this experience has changed my life by giving me a lot more confidence in myself and my abilities. I feel like I’ve become more independent and have strengthened emotionally. I was very nervous to begin my first internship and now I feel like I can do anything. The internship confirmed my love for psychology and I an looking forward to finding another internship. I found myself waking up early excited to go to my internship, which has never happened to me before.<br /> <br />  Casey: Through my internship, I gained experience working in a professional school setting. I was exposed to the importance of being organized and working within deadlines. Attending the IEP meetings with the teachers and parents meant that I needed to be fully briefed on the history of the child, their condition, and their academic progress. Overall, I gained a better hands-on understanding of psychological concepts and was able to see the importance of psychological assessment.<br /> <br />  I have personally grown through my internship and had such a positive experience. It reassured my love for psychology and that I chose the right major. I want to work with children, and now feel more confident about working with children who are intellectually disabled. I have gotten a better understanding of how children and adolescents behave and have decided to pursue a degree in Mental Health Counseling or School Counseling. </div>