School Psychology Internship

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The school psychology internship program occurs in a series of phases of increasing independence. Interns are expected to progress from a dependent relationship with their supervisor, to a collaborative relationship with their supervisor, ending the year able to function with supervised independence as expected of an entering first-year psychologist. The speed that interns progress through these phases is based upon the background knowledge and individualized competencies that interns bring to our program.  

Primary Placement

Throughout the internship year, the intern is assigned to a primary site supervisor and begins immersion into his or her supervisor's school assignment. Three to four days per week are spent with this primary site supervisor, especially at the beginning. Interns will first shadow and observe the practice of their supervisors. As their competency and confidence builds, they will be expected to take on case components and roles with increasing independence. By the final phase of training, interns are expected to function with independence within a school building, with oversight from their supervisor.   

Secondary Rotations

In addition to the primary assignment, interns participate in a broad range of secondary rotations across different types of settings within MNPS. These secondary rotations are selected based on intern interest and need, and could include the following types of rotations:  

  • Autism assessment team  
  • Exceptional education behavior consultation team  
  • English-learner assessment  
  • Early childhood assessment  
  • Special day school for behaviorally-based disabilities  
  • Special day school for medically-fragile students with significant impairments  
  • Four-year-old preschool early learning centers  
  • Alternative placements (e.g., ALC )  
  • Alternate tier placements (e.g., high school, middle school, elementary school)  
  • Crisis or threat response  
  • Neuropsychological assessment  

Reading Rotation  

Secondary rotations are in addition to the NASP required main rotations of pre-K, elementary, middle and high school.   These main rotations last for at least six weeks, or a minimum of 50 hours.  In addition, interns are expected to complete at least two secondary rotations per semester.  Secondary rotations can be as short as 1 day or up to 30 hours. Finally, all interns will complete approximately 30 hours of an English Language Lerner rotation as well as 30 hours (or more if completing an intervention case/consultation case at this rotation) in a reading rotation with a dyslexia specialist.  Availability of secondary rotations can be dependent on other departments availability to collaborate and/ or COVID 19 restrictions.    

Didactic Curriculum

Fridays are reserved for didactic training, group supervision, and research progress. The MNPS internship curriculum is designed to expand the knowledge base of the intern, fine tune interpersonal skills, enhance problem solving, and integrate discrete skills into a coherent professional role.  In addition, didactics focus on improving the interns' understanding of conceptualization of cases and strengthen the commitment of the intern to professional, social, and ethical responsibility.  Didactic instruction is conducted within a seminar format and includes a review of a range of topics that apply to the professional practice of school psychology. 

Stipend

MNPS currently offers 2 paid internship per year through the department. This stipend is paid at a rate of $15.00 an hour for up to 7.5 hours per school day (approximately 22,000 currently). The paid internship is dependent on an affiliation agreement between the university and MNPS as well as the budget being approved by the board of education, which usually happens in the spring and summer. In addition, we are constantly seeking additional funding methods; however, these methods, such as grants, are not usually known until later in the current school year. Finally, in the past, interns have secured their own funding, usually via a grant.  

Internships within MNPS are competitive, as we provide supervision, experiences, and training that many other districts strive to achieve. Interviews are typically held in January and February at a MNPS school, although based on current district rules the interview may be virtual due to COVID-19.  

For More Information 

For more information on School Psychology Internships in MNPS: