Partnering Sites
Applicants are free to apply to as many of the internship opportunities described below as they would like. Each internship experience has a separate match code which can be ranked independently of one another in the match; however applicants need submit only one on-line application.
Crossroads Counseling/Grundy County Special Education Cooperative (Morris)
The internship position with Crossroads and Grundy County Special Education Cooperative (GCSEC) provides an experience rich in school-based service delivery and addiction treatment for adolescents. Crossroads, a multi-disciplinary behavioral health outpatient office, offers interns a range of opportunities in individual, group, and/or marital therapy and assessment of child/adolescent issues. GCSEC, located just south of I-80 and serving students in both rural and suburban areas, engages interns in consultation, assessment, intervention, prevention, education, as well as research and planning, in well-functioning RtI schools and a variety of unique programs for students with disabilities. Stipend: $15,000. More about this internship.
Deerfield & Highland Park High Schools (Highland Park)
Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools have a long history of excellence in education. The Learning Assistance Program operates under the flexible service delivery model. Interns work closely with parents who are very active in every aspect of the schools. Intern opportunities include individual and group counseling, intervention/consultation with staff and outside agencies, crisis intervention, and diagnostic assessment. Groups are offered to address freshman transition, eating disorders, divorce, COA, recovery, depression, grief & loss, and gender issues. Two District programs housed at Highland Park are the bi-lingual/ESL program and Life Skills. Bridge-Puentos program is available to all Hispanic students and it provides a full range of personal, academic, and college counseling. A Drop-In Center staffed by school personnel and professionals from the Jewish Children's Bureau addresses other mental health concerns. Stipend $20,000. More about this internship
Division of Disability Resources & Educational Services (DRES) at the University of Illinois/ Rural Champaign County Special Education Cooperative (Urbana/Rantoul)
DRES provides support services for over 1000 students with a wide range of disabilities attending the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The intern's responsibilities include diagnostic interviews, individual psychotherapy, group therapy, executive skills coaching, and neuropsychological assessments for a multi-culturally diverse clientele with physical disabilities, chronic medical conditions, acquired brain injury, learning disabilities, autism/Asperger’s, psychological disorders, and ADHD. Interns have opportunities to gain supervision skills and participate in research and training opportunities. Interns are also mentored by school psychologists during a half-time placement within the Rural Champaign County Special Education Cooperative where they also work with 11 rural districts in Champaign County. All 11 districts are implementing the Flexible Service Delivery model and Response To Intervention data is used to help determine special education eligibility. Districts have varying degrees of racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity. Some districts have a student population of which >60% receive free/reduced lunch. The cooperative also operates a behavioral development program, 8 life skills classrooms and 6 early childhood classrooms throughout Champaign County. Stipend: $18,000. More about this internship
The Hope Institute for Children and Families/Springfield Public Schools(Springfield)
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The Hope Institute for Children and Families/SIU School of Medicine Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics/Psychology(Springfield)
The Hope Institute for Children and Families/Springfield Public Schools Training Track 1
The Hope Institute for Children and Families [www.thehopeschool.org] is a Southern Illinois University Medical School-affiliated, multifaceted, non-profit organization offering Educational, Residential, Health, and Therapeutic services to children with a wide variety of exceptionalities and their families. Day educational services are provided to 130 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, various developmental disabilities, and serious emotional disturbance, while residential services are provided for more than 115 children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and various developmental disabilities. Clinical services across residential and educational programs include psychology, applied behavioral analysis, speech pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychiatric, neurology, pediatrics, nursing, special education and adaptive physical education.
The Autism Program [www.theautismprogram.org], operated by The Hope Institute for Children and Families, provides and conducts: (1) outpatient services inclusive of school consultation, assessment, and treatment of children with ASD and their families; (2) training to practitioners, educators, and physicians; (3) a significant amount of grant funded research specific to advancing the system of care and long-term outcomes of children and their families; and (4) a statewide network of providers and researchers collaborating to advance the System of Care for children with Autism and their families.
Interns in Track 1 are also are placed within the Springfield Public Schools, a flexible service delivery district, half-time. Springfield Public Schools District #186 [www.springfield.k12.il.us] is the ninth largest school district in the State of Illinois. Home to over 15,000 students, Springfield Public School District #186 has 36 schools which include 1 pre-kindergarten center, 24 elementary schools (grades K – 5), 5 middle schools (grades 6 – 8), 3 high schools (grades 9- 12), 1 alternative education school (grades 6 – 12) and 1 adult education center. There are also 24 non-public schools in Springfield, which serve approximately 6000 students. The students enrolled in our 36 public schools typify the diversity found in an urban school setting. Of the students enrolled in District 186 K-12 schools in the 2004 – 2005 school year, approximately 43% of the students represented ethnic or racial minorities.
Springfield Public Schools District #186 offers a comprehensive internship, which includes pre-K through 12th grade experience in a variety of general education, special education and alternative programs. District #186 has been chosen to participate in the Central Illinois ASPIRE grant and will focus on Response to Intervention/Flexible Service Delivery and its infrastructure with the support of Dr. George Batsche, Central Illinois ASPIRE consultant. Springfield District #186 is also proud to have been chosen as a state grant site for Tertiary level interventions in conjunction with our implementation of PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) throughout the district. Stipend $18,000 & benefits. More about this internship.
The Hope Institute for Children and Families/SIU School of Medicine Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics/Psychology Training Track 2
Collaborating with The Hope Institute for Training Track 2 is the SIU School of Medicine Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics/Psychology. All information about The Hope Institute and its training experiences are as above for Track 2. For their school-based experience, interns in Track 2 provide assessment, consultation, and intervention within the self-contained public school classrooms for children with behavioral and emotional disorders located on the campus of The Hope Institute.
SIU School of Medicine psychology intern is based in the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics/Psychology, and completes evaluations or provides treatment to children and adolescents who are referred by faculty and residents of department, and by affiliated community physicians. He/she can expect to work with cases involving infants/pre-schoolers with environmental and biological risk factors, children with various psychiatric disorders such as ADHD and emotional concerns, children with medical or genetic conditions, and parents needing training in behavioral intervention. The patient population is diverse racially and economically. The intern works collaboratively with residents on their Developmental Rotation and is supervised by a board certified, licensed psychologist. The intern also provides consultation to various resident clinics, as demand and time permit. Interns are assigned readings in response to clients’ presenting concerns. Archival data are available for intern research or he/she is encouraged to develop a project. The experience is organized for increasing autonomy beginning with supervisor demonstration, performing tasks under observation, and subsequently, more independent activities. The intern is responsible for write-ups (dictations) and communication to referring physicians and other professionals; these are reviewed and signed by the licensed supervisor. The intern attends the High Risk Nursery Developmental Continuity Clinic and the newly formed Children’s Evaluation Clinic (for children with complex medical and developmental concerns).
The psychology intern works approximately 60% time with Hope School and 40% time in the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at SIU School of Medicine. SIU provides an office within St. John’s Pavilion, a laptop, access to e-mails/internet/EMR/ and dictation services. Interns maintain their own malpractice insurance coverage. The Intern may attend resident and medical student seminars when appropriate, grand rounds, journal club, other CME activities, and initially accompanies supervisor in various clinics. Stipend: $18,000 & benefits. More about this internship
ISU Psychological Services Center/Lab Schools(Normal)
The PSC is a unit within the Dept. of Psychology at ISU dedicated to service to the community, research and the training of graduate students. Services provided cover a wide range: from individual assessment and treatment at the Center to home-based or school-based assessment and treatment; and from group counseling at the Center to informal classroom or parent education groups or services provided in conjunction with community agencies. Under the umbrella organization are five services: The Academic Intervention & Consultation Service, The Autism Service, the School-Problems Service, The Child & Adolescent Intervention Service, and The College Learning Assessment Service. The intern receives training and supervision as they provide assessment, consultation, and intervention for school-aged children, their families and their schools. There are opportunities to provide supervision and engage in research as well. In addition, the intern provides school psychological services, with an emphasis on systems-level consultation, to the University's two laboratory schools. Stipend $18,500 & benefits. www.psychology.ilstu.edu/psc More about this internship
Livingston County Special Services Unit (Pontiac)
Livingston County Special Services Unit (LCSSU) is a cooperative located approximately 40 minutes northeast of Bloomington/Normal. The cooperative is known for its progressive practices and its history of training school psychology doctoral students. Having implemented "flexible service delivery" for many years, many of the cooperative's member districts have well-established RtI programs for academics and are interested in developing the three-teired model for social-emotional learning. The intern's training experience is individualized, but typically involves counseling in a school-based health center, serving as a coach to schools implementing Positive Behavior Intervention Supports, participating in transdisciplinary play-based assessments, and providing specialized programming for children with autism spectrum disorders. Stipend: $16,000 with benefits. More about this internship.
Maine East High School (Park Ridge)
Maine East High School is a language minority school which educates students who speak 50 different languages; 70% of students come from homes where English is not the primary language. The high school has a Family Center (which provides social work services including evening hours/programs for parents, educational workshops, and crisis intervention) and Medical Center (which provides basic medical services and mental health screening to students/families). The intern's case load is balanced with opportunities in both traditional and nontraditional assessment, individual and group counseling, and behavior and academic consultation. MEHS is a leader in the district's movement toward RtI allowing for interns to experience a problem solving model at the high school level. There are many opportunities to pursue individual interest due to the diversity of the population and programs. In particular, the intern may be a member of the crisis team, work with freshman in the advisory program, participate in the suicide awareness program, offer workshops for gifted/talented students, complete functional behavioral analyses, contribute to transitional services, provide counseling and classroom interventions, and complete initial and re-evaluation assessments. Stipend: $12,000. More about this internship
Niles Central (Skokie)
Niles Central is a Therapeutic Day High School for students with moderate to severe behavior and emotional disorders. As part of Niles Township High School District 219, Niles Central receives referrals from the two feeder high schools: Niles West and Niles North. The population of students is one of the nation’s most diverse in regards to socioeconomic, cultural, and racial backgrounds. Over one hundred languages are spoken in the Village of Skokie. Niles Central serves approximately 50 students in grades 9 through 12. The intern will be assigned a small case load for counseling that will take into account the intern’s individual experience and training needs. The intern will also be responsible for completing the re-evaluations to determine the students’ eligibility for special education and to assist in educational diagnostic decision-making. The intern will be provided training in the Crisis Prevention Institute as well as the Life Space Crisis Intervention model, which is a therapeutic model for children in crisis. Generally, an intern is assigned to supervise the Processing Center for one class period on most school days. The primary purpose of the Processing Center is to provide students with one-on-one support that may include guidance in developing higher level critical thinking skills that ultimately lead to positive changes and outcomes in their personal and academic behavior. A secondary and longer-term purpose for the Processing Center is to support students in developing more effective problem-solving skills and emotional coping mechanisms. Other activities include group therapy, teacher consultation regarding behavior and instructional interventions, writing IEPs, completing functional behavior analyses and behavior intervention plans, and participating in extracurricular activities. Interns will receive additional training at the elementary school setting. Niles Central collaborates with the Niles Township District for Special Education to provide this experience. The intern will work one full-day per week at NTDSE and will work in collaboration with the on-site school psychologist for support and supervision. Stipend: $16,000. More about this internship
Northern Suburban Special Education District (Highland Park)
NSSED is a special education joint agreement in the north shore suburbs of Chicago. It includes sixteen elementary and four high school districts that serve a total student population of 40,000 students and their families. The population tends to be mid to high SES with much diversity. Interns participate in functional, curriculum-based, and norm-referenced assessment in a context of data-based decision-making. Academic and behavioral functioning is assessed within an ecological framework. Interns often spend a portion of their time in the therapeutic day school, within a program for hearing-impaired students, and/or in a team of problem-solving coaches. Stipend: 17,000 and full benefits. More about this internship
Onarga Academy/Iroquois Co Special Education District (Onarga/Gilman)
Onarga Academy is a community-based residential treatment facility that provides a family-oriented, caring, therapeutic approach to treating boys ages eleven to twenty requiring treatment for psychiatric, psychological, behavioral, and sexually problematic behaviors. Onarga Academy utilizes a blend of cognitive-behavioral, developmental, family, psychological, psychiatric, and sexuality treatment interventions. Interns have the opportunity to be involved in psychological evaluations that utilize a full battery of instruments (including intellectual assessment, achievement testing, personality inventories, depression inventories, projective drawings and thematic apperception tests) clinical interview, and extensive history. Opportunities for experiences in play therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are available. The Nexus Educational Center is a private school operating on the Onarga Academy campus, with services for both regular education and special education needs.
Iroquois Mental Health Center (IMHC) is located in Watseka, IL, 90 miles south of Chicago in Iroquois County. Iroquois County is the third largest county in the State of Illinois with 1,116.43 square miles of land area. It is primarily rural with an estimated 2006 population of 30,598. Those not living in the rural areas are located in the approximately seventeen small towns in the County. Iroquois Mental health Center provides mental health and addiction treatment services to over 1,000 adults, children and adolescents annually. The service area includes five counties in east central Illinois and four in west central Indiana.
The Iroquois Special Education Association (ISEA) is a co-op serving a large rural area in Iroquois County which includes six school districts. Since the co-op serves several districts the intern will have the ability to serve all age groups, including early childhood through high school. The central office is located in Gilman; ISEA revolves around a central team of professionals including school psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists,
and school social workers. Collaboration and team studies are emphasized and provide the intern a wide variety of experiences.
School psychology interns work under the supervision of a clinical psychologist at Onarga Academy and within the Iroquois County Mental Health Center's children's program. They are under the supervision of certified school psychologists during their nine month rotation with the Iroquois County Special Education District. Stipend: approximately $20,000, benefits available. More about this internship
Township High School District 211 Palatine High School and Hoffman Estates High School (Palatine)
Township High School District 211 includes five high schools that serve approximately 13,000 students in grades 9-12 in the Palatine, Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates and surrounding communities northwest of Chicago. All five high schools have received the United States Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Secondary Schools Award, and Palatine High School has been recognized twice. Palatine was one of only 10 schools nationally to be named a “New American High School” by the U.S. Department of Education in 2000. Three schools – Palatine, William Fremd, and Schaumburg High School – were named among the “Top 99” high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
Palatine High School (PHS) opened as the first high school in the Palatine-Schaumburg Township area in 1875. It now serves 2,700 students in the northernmost part of District 211. PHS is a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse public high school. PHS is well known for its innovative special education programs for orthopedically impaired, cognitively disabled, emotionally disturbed, and other students with significant needs. The diversity of the community and school, the significant needs of some of its students, and the willingness of the PHS student body and faculty to provide an accepting and caring environment for the students create a fertile training ground for psychologists and other professionals.
Hoffman Estates High School (HEHS) was built to house an enrollment of 2,500 students and was opened in 1973 as a freshman-sophomore high school in Schaumburg Township, the fifth of five high schools within District 211. Today, it serves 2,144 students in grades 9 through 12. HEHS is the most racially/ethnically diverse school in District 211 (47.9% White; 12.4% Black; 20.1% Hispanic; and 17.3% Asian/Pacific Islander). HEHS provides a full continuum of services for special education students with cognitive disabilities, autistic spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, and other significant educational needs. It is also well known, however, for its Core Academic Program, Peer Leader Program, Chemical Education Team, Peer Counseling, and other innovative regular education initiatives.
Two full-time, 12-month psychologist intern positions will be available for the 2009-10 school year. The intern’s primary placement will be at Palatine High School or Hoffman Estates High School. Each intern will also serve as a member of the Specialized Assessment Team (see additional information) and will serve a 20-day elementary/middle school rotation within the local elementary district. Stipend: $18,000 plus benefits. More about this internship
Park Ridge/Niles Community Consolidated District 64 (Park Ridge)
Park Ridge/Niles District serves 4,200 students K-8. It has consistently received awards for its educational programming, and one of its middle schools is currently an AIMS Demonstration School. Within this district, the School Psychology Intern engages in a range of activities including, but not limited to assessment, counseling, and consultation. There are opportunities to provide services in an early education center, therapeutic day school, and a high school setting with a linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse student body. The stipend is $16,000. More about this internship
Streator Elementary (Streator)
Streator Elementary District #44 serves a community of 22,000, nestled by the Vermillion River just south of Starved Rock State Park. It is a PreK-8th grade district with just under 2000 students in five buildings. There are 26 special education programs ranging from Communication Disordered and Cognitive Disabilities to Integrated Learning Disabilities and Early Childhood Programs. Streator Elementary continues to develop its’ full range of comprehensive services, highlighting Integrated programs, Co-teaching, and problem-solving intervention teams. District staff includes two school psychologists, with the Director of Special Services being a Ph.D. licensed Clinical/Neuropsychologist. The internship can offer opportunities at the local feeder high school, community mental health organizations, psychiatric hospitalization programs, a Clinical private practice, and others. The internship covers all fees for attendance at statewide workshops, regular workshops provided by the Special Education Cooperative, and for the Illinois School Psychology Conference. A wide-variety of possible school, clinical, and neuropsychological experiences and training are available. A stipend of $12,000 is paid for a five day 40 hour work week. The internship site is designed to offer a level of independence yet with full support as an active part of building based teams emphasizing assessment by intervention (the RTI model). More about this internship
Timber Ridge Therapeutic Day School (Arlington Heights)
--Note: Timber Ridge will not be recruiting interns for the 2010-2011 training year--
Timber Ridge (formerly known as Westbrook School) is a K through 8 Therapeutic Day School for students with severe behavior and emotional disorders. As part of the Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization (NSSEO), it receives referrals from northwest suburban communities. Since these students may come from a variety of neighborhoods, Timber Ridge serves a diverse population in terms of socioeconomic, cultural, and racial backgrounds. Educating approximately 100 students, Timber Ridge is one of the largest public school therapeutic facilities for special education within the state of Illinois. Timber Ridge employs 6 full-time psychologists and 1 full-time social worker. The resources of the NSSEO Cooperative provide opportunities for contact with psychologists working with every IDEA designated eligibility category. Psychology interns function as team members with classroom teachers and aides in providing a full range of psychological assessment and intervention services. Stipend: $16,000 More about this internship
Washburne Middle School (Winnetka)
Carleton W. Washburne School is a 7/8th grade middle school in Winnetka, Illinois. The focus of education at Washburne is on the students’ intellectual growth with attention to their emotional, social, physical and cultural development. The role of the school psychology intern is to become a member of the mental health team and a resource to our faculty and students. The intern performs duties such as psycho-educational evaluations, attending MDCs, consultations with teachers, counseling individual students, developing behavior plans and crisis intervention. Problem-solving about at-risk students with teachers, administrators, social workers and the psychologist is an important role for the intern and takes place at weekly meetings during the school year. Interns participate in teaching a unit about culture, stereotypes and self-respect and in implementing a curriculum about depression and suicide prevention, as well as being involved in the ongoing development and research for the mental health curriculum. Experiences in elementary and high school settings are also part of the internship. Stipend $20,000 with option to purchase medical benefits. More about this internship