Diversity Of Diagnoses And Student Learning Experiences In An On-Campus School Psychology Assessment Center: Future Directions And Focus

Journal of Multicultural Affairs, Nov 2017

School Psychology Assessment Centers (SPAC) developed at the University-level are crucial in developing competent school psychologists. While many models on how to develop mental health centers are in existence, a new model exists for creating a SPAC on a University campus that is specifically designed to serve the diverse surrounding community and postsecondary students (see Ellis-Hervey et al., 2016). The community’s needs were reviewed, including missing service links in the region, and identification of potential clients who would benefit most from services provided. Senior students who work with clients in the SPAC gain assessment skills and build supervision skills through close interactions and consultation with junior students. New goals of the SPAC is to develop and implement academic, behavioral, social skills and therapy/counseling services.

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Diversity Of Diagnoses And Student Learning Experiences In An On-Campus School Psychology Assessment Center: Future Directions And Focus

Journal of Multicultural Affairs Diversity Of Diagnoses And Student Learning Experiences In An On-Campus School Psycholog y Assessment Center: Future Directions And Focus Nina M. Ellis-Hervey Ph.D. 0 1 2 N.C.S.P. 0 1 2 L.S.S.P. 0 1 2 P.L.P. Stephen F Austin State University 0 1 2 0 1 2 Ashley Doss B.S. 0 1 2 MAIO-Cert Stephen F. Austin State University 0 1 2 dossan 0 1 2 @titan.sfasu.edu 0 1 2 DeShae Davis-Gatti M.A. 0 1 2 0 Part of the Child Psychology Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Education Commons, and the School Psychology Commons Tell us how this article helped you 1 Juliet Aura BS/P Stephen F. Austin State University 2 Stephen F. Austin State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/jma Diversity of Diagnoses and Student Learning Experiences in an On-Campus School Psychology Assessment Center: Future Directions and Focus Nina M. Ellis-Hervey, Ashley Doss, DeShae Davis-Gatti, and Juliet Aura Stephen F. Austin State University School Psychology Assessment Centers developed at the University-level are crucial in developing competent school psychologists, as they advance from graduate training into ethical practitioners. Training at the graduate level provides students with the opportunity to engage in understanding the needs of the surrounding communities in which they are located. The National Association of School Psychologist (NASP) Ethical Principles (2010), state that school psychologists present an “ongoing responsibility and support the development of healthy schools, families, and communities while also contributing to the knowledge and research base, mentoring, teaching, and supervision of future psychologists” (Ellis-Hervey, Doss, Davis, & Bradford, 2016, p. 1) . While many models on how to develop mental health centers in general are in existence (see: IDCFS, Utah State, Oklahoma State, etc.), a new model exists for creating a School Psychology Assessment Center on a University campus that is specifically designed to serve the surrounding community and postsecondary students by providing services such as assessments, diagnoses, and recommendations for interventions (see Ellis-Hervey et al., 2016) . This paper will identify, discuss, and examine how a School Psychology Assessment Center at a University may present the opportunity to reduce barriers common in poverty-stricken and ethnic majority communities. The School Psychology Assessment Center (SPAC) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) was developed in 2013 by Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey. Currently, the SPAC has been in operation for two and a half years, serving an average of 15 to 20 clients per year, shared between two to three graduate students supervised by faculty and staff during the final stages of their program (SFASU School Psychology Doctoral Program). The mission of the SPAC is to provide “affordable, quality mental health assessment and care to the campus, community and area residents” (School Psychology Assessment Center, 2016, para. 1) . These services are provided through assessments, measuring psychological, emotional, behavioral, social, academic, and occupational functioning of clients. The SPAC was originally developed to address potential links missing in the training process of school psychologists at SFASU (Ellis-Hervey et al., 2016) . Established within the School Psychology program, the SPAC offers clients within the community a service open to the public as well as providing graduate students with the opportunity to practice and refine skills under direct supervision licensed psychologists. A primary component to development of the SPAC at SFASU was identifying needs within the community, school, and environment in which the Clinic would be housed (Ellis-Hervey et al., 2016) . Overall, the community’s needs were reviewed, including missing links in the region, and identifying potential clients who would benefit the most from services provided. Understanding the services that are already available within the community is a key component to recognizing outreach services as it provides clinicians with a way to make partnerships to existing services, provide additional supports, and fill in gaps that may be identified by what is available within the community. Partnerships were created through the SPAC at SFASU that included the Department Chair of Human Services, the Dean of the College of Education, Director of Disability Services, Dean of Student Affair, the University Medical Center Director, and the Director of Counseling Services, examining how to provide services through the program that provided opportunities of rigorous training for graduate students as well as comprehensive and quality-ensured services to the greater community (Ellis-Hervey et al., 2016) . The SPAC at SFASU was designed to assist students in the acquisition and application of services rendered to the public while also benefiting the surr (...truncated)


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Nina M P.L.P. L.S.S.P. N.C.S.P. Ellis-Hervey Ph.D., Ashley MAIO-Cert Doss B.S., DeShae Davis-Gatti M.A., Juliet Aura BS/P. Diversity Of Diagnoses And Student Learning Experiences In An On-Campus School Psychology Assessment Center: Future Directions And Focus, Journal of Multicultural Affairs, 2017, Volume 2, Issue 2,