Program Purpose and Philosophy
The doctor of psychology (Psy.D.) program in school psychology at
the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP) of
Rutgers,
The State University of New Jersey prepares doctoral level
psychologists for professional practice with children and youth in
schools and other community settings. We emphasize integration of
scientific knowledge with innovation in the delivery of psychological
services to individuals, families, groups, and organizations.
The School Psychology Program is based on the
Psy.D./practitioner-scholar model of training, initially developed at
the 1973 Vail Conference on Levels and Patterns of Professional
Training in Psychology. This model places primary emphasis on
delivery of psychological services and on the evaluation and
improvement of services. The Program emphasizes professional practice
based on an understanding of research-supported knowledge in the
discipline. The program supports a view of professional school
psychology practice that is guided by knowledge of the theory and
research related to school psychology and by data-based decision making
in the practice setting.
The School Psychology Program educates and trains graduate students
to think psychologically and systematically about the nature of
schooling, using a science-based approach to the design,
implementation, and evaluation of practices, programs and services at
the individual, group, and organizational levels, in order to support
the emotional, social, and academic development of students in
schools. School psychology faculty members believe that school
psychological service delivery should be grounded in research findings
that professional practices or programs are likely to contribute to
beneficial results for clients. In addition, faculty members believe
that decision-making about initiating, maintaining, modifying and
terminating practices, programs and services should be data-based and
therefore reflective of the individual needs and goals of clients.
Throughout the program's curriculum, theoretical and research
foundations are integrated with practice issues and didactic training
is integrated with field experiences, in part to emphasize the
relationship between science and practice.
Faculty members of the School Psychology Program educate and train
students to provide school psychological services that are referenced
to educational and psychological needs and are evidence-based,
culturally sensitive, collaborative and coordinated with other school
practices, and informed by literature on systems and organizational
functioning. The Program promotes use of an approach to professional
practice that includes data-based clarification of needs and concerns,
in which evidence is evaluated in terms of its technical reliability,
validity and scientific meaningfulness, and the practitioner seeks to
understand the problem or task within a theoretical framework. The
social/organizational context is understood as a critical dimension of
professional service delivery. Evaluation of the results of
professional activity is seen as an essential component of professional
practice. Social responsibility of the school psychologist is also
emphasized as it relates to issues such as diversity.
School psychologists trained in this manner will understand: a) how to
provide effective research-based interventions for individual students
with an emphasis on addressing emotional, social, and/or behavior
problems that impede learning; and b) how to work with teachers, school
administrators, and other stakeholders to develop classroom, school,
and other learning environments that promote healthy psychological
development and educational achievement.
