Year 2 practicum - newton, ma
Upon entering my second year at MSPP I have had to opportunity to do my field placement at a middle school in Newton, MA. I was able to successfully reach the goals I have set for myself at my practicum for this school year. My goals were to get acquainted to the school environment, attend IEP meetings, learn new assessment measures, and improve upon my individual and group counseling skills.
Getting acquainted with the school environment can be one of the most challenging aspects of coming into a new school system. One has to get to know the teachers, staff, and students. I have been able to build positive relationships with many of the teachers and guidance counselors who I consult with regarding my assigned cases. Also, I have been able to build positive relationships with the students I see individually as well as with the students that I see in the groups I assist with co-leading. Maintaining these positive interactions is important when working with the students, faculty and staff.
I was able to gain experience in testing cases as well. I have learned how to pull files to assign proper batteries for testing cases, administer different assessment tools, and write in-depth cohesive reports. Assessment tools that I was able to gain proficiency in scoring and interpreting including the: WISC-IV, BASC-2, BRIEF, Conners-3, MASC-2, CDI-2, ROCF, WRAML, D- KEFS, NEPSY, and the TAT. As part of my assigned testing cases I have also had the opportunity to present my results at IEP meetings.
Due to the high volume of students who have counseling on their service grid, my supervisor does many counseling groups. These groups cover a variety of different aspects such as coping skills, anxiety management, emotional expression and regulation, and social skills. I have had to opportunity to co-lead and lead some of these groups. I was able to
bring in new counseling activities as well as lead these activities in the groups. I have had to opportunity to learn about group planning and management, as well as see how groups form and evolve over the course of the year. Also, I have been able to gain experience in implementing different counseling techniques and activities in a group. I also have had to opportunity to build on my counseling skills in an individual setting by working with four individual counseling cases. I have seen two eighth graders since the beginning of the year on a regular, weekly basis. With these two girls we have worked on social relationships, managing frustrations and building self-confidence.
An unspoken goal has also been to improve my professionalism in the field. I feel that I have been able to accomplish all of the goals I have set up for myself throughout this year. I have had a number of great opportunities and experiences while at my practicum. Getting to know the students better this year has been a rewarding experience and I wish I could have been at my site more days out of the week so I would be able to see them all each week, which with the rotating schedule does not always happen. I have had wonderful supervision regarding my report writing and interpretation of measures, which has truly been an area of growth for me over the past year. My reports have developed into more detailed and cohesive interpretations of a student's functioning. My confidence in my role within the school grew throughout the year, which comes with the experience and in being present at the school more days out of the week.
Getting acquainted with the school environment can be one of the most challenging aspects of coming into a new school system. One has to get to know the teachers, staff, and students. I have been able to build positive relationships with many of the teachers and guidance counselors who I consult with regarding my assigned cases. Also, I have been able to build positive relationships with the students I see individually as well as with the students that I see in the groups I assist with co-leading. Maintaining these positive interactions is important when working with the students, faculty and staff.
I was able to gain experience in testing cases as well. I have learned how to pull files to assign proper batteries for testing cases, administer different assessment tools, and write in-depth cohesive reports. Assessment tools that I was able to gain proficiency in scoring and interpreting including the: WISC-IV, BASC-2, BRIEF, Conners-3, MASC-2, CDI-2, ROCF, WRAML, D- KEFS, NEPSY, and the TAT. As part of my assigned testing cases I have also had the opportunity to present my results at IEP meetings.
Due to the high volume of students who have counseling on their service grid, my supervisor does many counseling groups. These groups cover a variety of different aspects such as coping skills, anxiety management, emotional expression and regulation, and social skills. I have had to opportunity to co-lead and lead some of these groups. I was able to
bring in new counseling activities as well as lead these activities in the groups. I have had to opportunity to learn about group planning and management, as well as see how groups form and evolve over the course of the year. Also, I have been able to gain experience in implementing different counseling techniques and activities in a group. I also have had to opportunity to build on my counseling skills in an individual setting by working with four individual counseling cases. I have seen two eighth graders since the beginning of the year on a regular, weekly basis. With these two girls we have worked on social relationships, managing frustrations and building self-confidence.
An unspoken goal has also been to improve my professionalism in the field. I feel that I have been able to accomplish all of the goals I have set up for myself throughout this year. I have had a number of great opportunities and experiences while at my practicum. Getting to know the students better this year has been a rewarding experience and I wish I could have been at my site more days out of the week so I would be able to see them all each week, which with the rotating schedule does not always happen. I have had wonderful supervision regarding my report writing and interpretation of measures, which has truly been an area of growth for me over the past year. My reports have developed into more detailed and cohesive interpretations of a student's functioning. My confidence in my role within the school grew throughout the year, which comes with the experience and in being present at the school more days out of the week.
Katie Zofcin Newton, MA Field Log | |
File Size: | 347 kb |
File Type: | xls |