The School Psychology Program at New Mexico State University is housed in and administered through the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology (CEP). Our program is guided by the standards of the American Psychological Association and the National Association of School Psychologists. We are currently in the process of seeking accredited by both APA and NASP.
Mission
The mission of the school psychology doctoral program is to prepare school psychologists as scientists, practitioners and advocates for mental health and social justice in health service psychology settings, including public schools. The program addresses state and national shortages of personnel who are fully credentialed to serve the needs of children with disabilities. The primary goal of the school psychology program is to prepare scholars to become problem-solvers with the essential entry-level competencies to serve in the schools and agencies that serve school age populations. The program develops 3 major components: 1) Knowledge of psychological and educational foundations, 2) skills in data-based decision-making, assessment, consultation, intervention and research, and 3) the capacity to apply knowledge and skills to promote mental health and development and prevent school failure and other disabling conditions. Specifically, the program accomplishes the following goals.
- Prepare and graduate highly qualified school psychologists to meet the academic and psychological needs of infants, toddlers, children, youth and their families from diverse backgrounds (i.e., high need children with disabilities).
- Increase the number of personnel who demonstrate the competencies needed to provide high-quality instruction, evidence-based interventions and services for children with disabilities.
- Retain scholars in a high quality-preparation program to increase the numbers of school psychologists including scholars from bilingual and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.
- Provide the workforce needed to meet state licensure for Level 3 school psychologists.
Degree Granted
Program graduates receive the PhD degree, which is advanced preparation in school psychology.
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The School Psychology Program Faculty
Click on a name or use the menu to the right to access a description of individual faculty members, or for contact opportunities. You may also use the “Contact” feature on the menu to e-mail the program director for further information.
- Lisa Peterson, PhD Program Coordinator
- Elsa Arroyos, Interim Department Head and EdS Program Coordinator
- Jiayi Wang, School Psychology Faculty Member