Consultation in Educational Settings

Catalog description

Prepares students to consult with teachers, administrators, parents, and other professionals about academic, behavioral, social-emotional, and programmatic issues. S PSY 561 Consultation in Educational Settings (3) This course will be an advanced graduate seminar which will be offered in the fall semester by the School Psychology program. Topics will include: (a) the history of consultation; (b) a review of the major consultation models (mental health, behavioral, instructional, organizational development); (c) research literature on consultation; (d) application of the consultation models in practice; (e) cross-cultural consultation; and (f) ethical and legal issues in consultation. Students completing this course will have a solid grounding in consultation theory and research as well as supervised experiences consulting with educators. Final grades will be based on a number of criteria including classroom participation, analyses of daily readings, a mid-semester examination, a final paper, written logs of consultation activities, regular attendance, and active participation in classroom discussions and activities. Although a mandatory course for advanced graduate students in School Psychology, the course will also be a useful addition to the training of other graduate students who will be consulting with parents or teachers around psycho-educational issues. To benefit from the course, students should have some prior training in assessment and intervention. Prior to working with educational professionals, students will participate in role-plays and simulations to hone their skills. Actual consultation sessions will be videotaped and students will also be expected to critically analyze the videotapes as part of the process of self-improvement and to demonstrate their ability to learn from their own mistakes.