At last, I see the light at the end of the tunnel! I am happy to report that I am done with my internship and the “full-time student mode” of being a school psychologist! Phew, the last three years have been crazy and have gone by so fast. Here are some things that I’ve learned as I finish up my internship year.
Ask Lots of Questions
Something that is unique about my internship experience is that I was the designated school psychologist in an elementary school… which definitely comes with its challenges. However, I think having such an active role helped me to really jump into learning how to do the job. With that said, I had to ask lots of questions that I probably wouldn’t have even thought to ask. This is the perfect time to ask your questions! Additionally, when I was in any meeting, I used that opportunity to maximize my time and ask some parent/teacher interview questions in reference to the referral questions. Sometimes it’s difficult to get parents’ and teachers’ time and input, so it’s better to get the information when they’re both present at a designated time. Also, for best practice, you should be asking lots of questions before jumping to do anything anyway. Plus, it is important to consult with others (supervisors, school staff, etc.) and continue to learn and gain clarity on different situations. IT’S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP!!!
Meetings, Meetings, Meetings
Speaking of meetings, something that I was not really prepared for was the number of meetings that I’d be attending. Like, it makes sense that I would be sitting in a lot of meetings, but I don’t know why I didn’t make that connection in my brain… but yeah, the meetings got to be a little draining. My “meeting survival kit” typically includes my laptop, water, and a pen. I take lots of notes on my laptop. It’s good for the report write-up to add teacher and parent input (multi-informant).
Organization
As I am in this role, I’m still learning how I like to do things. I feel like before this role, I was a pretty organized person. I knew where things were and how to utilize my space and resources to help me. But now that I have a caseload in addition to my internship portfolio requirements, I need to really tighten my organization. Make sure to keep track of sign-off dates, the 65-day timeline, and correspondents with parents and teachers. Trying to get rating scales back can be difficult…
Here are some links to items that make work a little more enjoyable, helpful, and :
- Fidget Toys Pack
- Kate Spade New York Clipboard Folio with Low Profile Clip, Professional Padfolio
- Pentel EnerGel RTX Retractable Liquid Gel Pen 0.5mm Fine Line Needle Tip Black Ink
- 40 oz Tumbler with Handle and Straw
I’m so thankful that I finished my internship and school psychology program (finally)! I am looking forward to what the next school year will bring me. Until then, I will take a well-deserved summer break LOL. Make sure to check out some more school psychology related blog posts here.
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