Seven School Psychology PhD candidates – Brooke Browarnik, Trish Franklin, Leslie Hart, Katie Scott, Kelly Smyth, Kelly Thompson, and Samantha Turnbull – were matched with APA-accredited internships.

To become a licensed psychologist, all school psychology doctoral students must have completed an internship. Internships accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) are highly sought out, yet a large number of applicants go unmatched. In 2016, almost thirty percent of applicants were not matched with an APA-accredited internship.

Read below to see where each of the seven will be interning and their experiences of the process.

Brook Browarnik
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Cypress, TX

What was the application process like?
Have you ever seen “The Shining”? It was a lot like that. But I had tons of support from my professors and cohort!

How do you feel about being matched?
Relieved — I’m so happy to have matched!

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
I’ll be working in a school district.

Will you be at one specific site?
I’ll “float” between three to four schools.

How do you feel about moving to Texas?
Yee haw!

Trish Franklin
Nebraska Internship Consortium
Lincoln, NE

What was the application process like?
It was stressful for the most part. It was really fun to look at all the different programs and visit places for interviews, but there was a lot of waiting. We started working on application materials in August and interviews were in January

How do you feel about being matched?
Very, very happy. Having an accredited internship makes licensure a lot easier.

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
I’ll be working with kids who have pediatric feeding disorders. My program is in the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at the Munroe-Meyer Institute (which is part of the University of Nebraska Medical Center) so a lot of the kids we serve have autism, but we work with other kids that have issues with feeding due to developmental, behavioral, or medical concerns as well.

Will you be at one specific site?
Primarily yes, but my internship is part of a consortium, so I’ll have a chance to visit some of the other sites and programs as well.

How do you feel about moving to Nebraska?
Very excited! I love going to new places. I’ll have to get used to the cold though 🙂

Leslie Hart
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Cypress, TX

What was the application process like?
The application process was equal parts stressful and interesting. It’s really neat to be able to search a nationwide database to see how you can build on the foundational skills we’ve learned here at the University of Tennessee. ​That said- it’s also stressful to get interviews, not get interviews, and pay for everything in between.​

How do you feel about being matched?
Matching was an incredible relief. ​It feels like a step in the right direction.

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
I’ll be working ​as a Predoctoral Intern ​at the Cypress-Fairbanks ​I​ndependent School District with the ​Department of ​Psychological Services. I’ll be helping students across different settings and learn the ropes of being an effective school psychologist. ​I’m particularly excited for opportunities to build counseling skills both with students and with families. I walked away from the interview feeling like the staff at Cypress-Fairbanks emphasize the training of their interns across all the different areas of school psychology. I’m excited to join the next year’s cohort and join a training-focused internship program!

Will you be at one specific site?
No – I’ll be splitting time across different schools within the same district. ​

How do you feel about moving to Texas?
I’m incredibly excited to move to Texas and forget everything I ever knew about snow.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
As much as I’m excited for the next adventure, I’m incredibly grateful for all my amazing practica and supervision here in Knoxville.

Katie Scott
Tennessee Internship Consortium
Loudon, TN

What was the application process like?
The application process was overall very stressful. We had to be extremely organized and on top of things in order to meet all of the required deadlines. The finances involved with applying to multiple sites was also a major stressor!

How do you feel about being matched?
I was both thrilled and entirely relieved to be matched with an APA-accredited internship!

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
As the Cherokee intern, I will have the opportunity to work with several Head Start programs throughout East Tennessee as a behavioral consultant. I will also have opportunities working in the schools as a psychologist and in the KLASS Center as a clinician.

Will you be at one specific site?
No – I will be a part-time Cherokee Health Intern and a part-time KLASS Center Intern, so I will have a very diverse internship experience!

How do you feel about staying in Tennessee?
I am excited to remain in Knoxville and finally call Rocky Top my “home sweet home!”

Kelly Smyth
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Cypress, TX

What was the application process like?
The process was long and stressful – with tons of waiting in between phases. But thankfully, the cohort worked together throughout the whole process and made it a bit more manageable.

How do you feel about being matched?
Very excited – this is the culmination of our graduate program and it feels really good to have all my hard work pay off with this internship.

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
Traditional school psych duties, but also some specific work with the autism and ADHD populations. Additionally, we will get the chance to conduct some parent training activities that I am very excited about as well.

Will you be at one specific site?
No – I will be assigned to several different schools within the school district I will be working for.

How do you feel about moving to Texas?
Excited and nervous. The moving process is not my favorite and moving across the country is a little overwhelming. But my fiance is coming with me and we are very excited about our next adventure together.

Kelly Thompson
Tennessee Internship Consortium
Loudon, TN

What was the application process like?
The application process was a little time consuming and nerve wracking. Counting all of my hours of experience took a lot of time, but thankfully our cohort helped each other when we had questions or were unsure of how to complete the application.

How do you feel about being matched?
I feel very thankful and excited to get started!

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
I will be working as the school psychology intern for Sweetwater County Schools.

Will you be at one specific site?
Yes, I will be placed in Sweetwater County Schools.

How do you feel about staying in Tennessee?
I am very excited about staying in Tennessee. My husband grew up in Knoxville and we have family in town as well. I have grown to love Knoxville and am very happy to stay in Tennessee.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I am excited to get more experience in the school setting!

Samantha Turnbull
Tennessee Internship Consortium
Loudon, TN

What was the application process like?
The application process was complex and tedious.

How do you feel about being matched?
I am excited and relieved to have been matched with an APA-accredited internship.

What type of work will you be doing at your internship?
I will be working full-time at Lenoir City Schools doing activities that a typical school psychologist does in the schools.

Will you be at one specific site?
I will be at Lenoir City Schools four days a week and will receive supervision one day a week.

How do you feel about staying in Tennessee?
I am really excited to stay in Tennessee. After being here for four years, Tennessee has become my new home.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?
I am glad that I finally get to apply everything that I have learned during this program on internship next year.

School Psychology

Elizabeth is currently seeking her PhD in school psychology. Originally from Hendersonville, TN she received her BA in psychology, MS in educational psychology, and a graduate certificate in grief, loss, and trauma all at the University Tennessee. She joined the School Psychology program in 2011. We asked her to reflect on some of her past and current experiences. Read her responses below.

Awards

• Richard W. Yoakley Fellowship – 2014 | Fellowship given by the Yoakley family to support a local school psychology student.
  

Accomplishments

Roles/Positions

• Editorial Assistant for the Journal of Evidence-Based Practices for Schools – 2013-2015
• GTA Academic Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences – 2012-2015

Publications

• Bell, S. M., Taylor, E. P, McCallum, R. S., Coles, J. T., Hays, E. (2015). Comparing prospective twice-exceptional students to high-performing peers on high-stakes tests of achievement. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 1-24. doi:10.1177/0162353215592500
• Dissertation: “Academic Outcomes in Higher Education for Students Screened as Twice-Exceptional: Gifted with a Learning Disability in Math or Reading” Steve McCallum chair

Presentations

• Hays, E., Browarnik, B., McCallum, R.S., Bell, S. M. (2015). Higher education outcomes for students screened as twice-exceptional. Presented at the annual convention for the National Association of School Psychologists, Orlando, FL.
• Coles, J., Hays, E., McCallum, R. S. (2015). The relationship of educators’ perceptions and knowledge of cognitive testing. Presented at the annual convention for the National Association of School Psychologists, Orlando, FL.
• Hays, E., & Skinner, C. H. (2014). Randomized criteria and dependent group contingencies to reduce class-wide disruptions. Presented at the Mid-South Regional Conference on Psychology in the Schools, Chattanooga, TN.
• Browarnik, B., Durall, E., Hays, E., Coles, J. (2014). Comparing prospective twice-exceptional students to high-performing peers on high stakes tests. Presented at the annual conference for the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C.
• Hays, E., Coles, J., McCallum, R.S., Walpitage, L. (2013). Pre-service teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of intelligence tests. Presented at the annual conference for the Tennessee Association of School Psychologists, Nashville, TN.
• Miller, K. C., Hays, E., Bell, S. M., McCallum, R.S. (2012). Predictive validation of CBM data slopes using varying time intervals. Presented at the annual conference for the National Association of School Psychologists, Seattle, WA.

Refer to Curriculum Vita for more details

Current Occupation

Intern
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, Cypress, Texas

I work with students in both general and special education. My primary roles are behavioral consultation, assessment, and pre-referral intervention for behavioral, social, and academic concerns. I also provide individual and group counseling to students. I also have opportunities to practice evidence-based interventions in the Family Counseling Clinic.

Personal Interests

In my spare time I love to build wooden furniture. I always like to have a project going on on the side, and over the past few years I’ve built enough furniture to completely furnish my apartment. My favorite thing that I have built is my secretary desk. I also enjoy taking my dog Lyla to the dog park and spending time with my family, friends, and boyfriend.

Future/Vocational Goals

After finishing my internship, I plan to become nationally certified as a school psychologist. While I am excited to start working in the schools, I like that this degree has also prepared to me to pursue licensure as a psychologist, which would give me the option of working in a clinic focused on assessment, behavioral intervention, and consultation.

What would you tell an incoming student who joins the program?

I would encourage new school psychology students to be proactive about seeking out supplemental experiences beyond the core practicum requirements. While I think it is important to avoid over-committing, I would encourage students to gain as much breadth as they can in their exposure to different populations, settings, and experiences. I also would encourage students to work as a team with the other students in their cohort; it’s a lot easier that way.

What sold you on this program?

One thing that really stood out to me about this program was the efficiency. When I met with the current students on my interview day, almost all of them were on track to finish their degrees within 5 years. Anxious to work as a practitioner, I loved that the program was set up to push me to work hard so I could get out into the field. I could see how student-focused the faculty were, and I felt like I could trust them to help me make the most out of my time in graduate school. Entering our fifth year, all four students in my cohort have defended our dissertations and feel prepared for our internships.