School Psychology

Tulane University, Department of Psychology

Training Goals

Our program emphasizes sensitivity to the ecological systems surrounding the child, with a particular focus on the contexts of development and culture. Through a variety of courses, students learn the knowledge base and methods for scientific inquiry that allows them to broadly consider the influence of development, culture, and ecological systems in their professional and research activities. These key foundational components represent the first three program goals and serve to mutually inform the remaining three goals related specifically to professional practice and research.  As indicated below, the goals of the our program include building competence in assessment, intervention and research, each mutually informed by consideration of the contexts of development, culture, and other ecological systems.  

1. Developmentally Informed Research and Practice.  Program graduates will engage in professional practice and research that is informed by an in-depth understanding of normative development. This knowledge base will support a conceptualization of development as an organized and hierarchical process that is influenced by, and in turn influences, cultural contexts and ecological systems surrounding the child.
2. Ecologically-grounded Research and Practice.  Program graduates will engage in professional practice and research that is ecologically-grounded.  Professional practice and research activities will take into account multiple domains of individual functioning and multiple ecological systems, as well as the interactions between them.
3. Culturally Informed Research and Practice.  Program graduates will engage in professional practice and research that is culturally informed.  Professional practice and research activities will acknowledge the dynamic nature of the cultural context and recognize that there are both culturally universal and culturally specific phenomena and constructs. Program graduates will abide by the APA’s Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change for Psychologists.
4. Psychological Assessment.  Psychological assessment is viewed as a dynamic and inherently therapeutic process that combines test-derived sources of information with contextual and historical data, relayed subjective experiences, presenting concerns, signs, and symptoms, observational data, and information provided from multiple informants to understand the person being evaluated, answer referral questions and develop a therapeutic plan (Meyer et al., 2001).  Program graduates will exhibit competency in the area of psychological assessment of mental disorders and learning disabilities, in addition to academic, interpersonal, and family functioning. They will abide by the ethical guidelines of the APA and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), as well as State and Federal laws in their assessment practice.
5. Prevention and Intervention.  Our philosophy of treatment is based upon the assumption that “…children’s problems are multiply determined and require interventions that address not only the children’s characteristics but also important contextual factors, as well as the interaction among child, family, and broader contextual influences… The goals …include improved functioning in both the intrapersonal and interpersonal spheres, reduction of maladaptive behaviors…” and reduction of subjective distress (Hughes, 1999; pages 745-746).  Program graduates will demonstrate competency in providing prevention and intervention services to individuals and families, with particular emphasis in the use of cognitive-behavioral, problem-solving and systems intervention techniques. Program graduates will abide by the ethical guidelines of APA and NASP, as well as State and Federal laws in the provision of prevention, intervention, and consultation services.
6. Research and Evaluation.  Research and evaluation activities are conducted with the goal of advancing new knowledge of psychological principles, causes of disorder and psychological distress, prediction of behavior, and the application and development of new technologies to promote behavioral change. Program graduates will demonstrate competence in the evaluation, analysis, and design of clinical and educational applied and basic research.  They will abide by the ethical guidelines of APA and NASP, as well as State and Federal laws in conducting research activities.

A copy of our programs Student Handbook can be found below:

School Psychology Program Handbook 2012 - 2013

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