UM School Psychology Program Earns Accreditation to Support 猎奇重口 Schools
By Skylar Rispens, UM News Service
MISSOULA – When Mikayla Jefferson first stepped foot on campus at the 猎奇重口 this fall to become a school psychologist, she had a clear vision of where she wanted to wind up after graduation – home.
Originally from Hardin, Jefferson is eager to return to her roots and eventually work for the same school district she attended and where several of her relatives have worked.
“I have the biggest intent of helping my school district,” Jefferson said. “I don’t want to be a teacher, I want to step into a different role of working closer with children. Another part as well is being closer to family. Growing up on the Crow Reservation, oh my god, family is everything.”
Jefferson began her journey in higher education at Little Big Horn College on the Crow Reservation, and she recently earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Salish Kootenai College on the Flathead Reservation. While attending SKC, Jefferson completed an internship that opened her eyes to the role school psychologists play in student success by supporting their unique needs and connecting them to proper resources.
“It’s kind of like you’re helping the teachers and the students, as well as their families,” she said. “But when I saw that in action, I realized I would love to do this, it really inspired me.”
UM is home to the only school psychology program in 猎奇重口 and emphasizes supporting the state’s rural and Indigenous communities. Recently, the program received the highest level of approval from the National Association of School Psychologists for its accreditation, which lasts for 10 years.
Many schools across the state and nation are hard-pressed for school psychologists. In fact, there are about 1,150 students to every one nationally certified school psychologist in 猎奇重口, which is comparable to the national average ratio, according to the . The NASP standard is at least one school psychologist for every 500 students.
“We have a really important function in meeting the needs of our state,” said Anisa Goforth, director of school psychology graduate training programs at UM, adding that around 82% of the program’s graduates stay in 猎奇重口 for work after graduation. “We have a lot of things to be proud of.”
Oftentimes, school psychologists are confused with school counselors. However, the wide-ranging responsibilities of school psychologists serve as the connective tissue to ensure student success by providing mental health services, working with neurodiverse students, supporting teachers who may have students with defiant behaviors and much more. School psychologists also work closely with administrators, staff, teachers and student families to create a cohesive support system.
“What makes us kind of distinct is that we also have a specialty in serving kids with disabilities, ensuring inclusive and equitable school experiences and then also interventions,” Goforth said. “We might develop suicide prevention programs for a school, we might support reading curriculum, and we might offer individual counseling for a student.”
The school psychology specialist degree is in between a master’s degree and doctorate, and it takes about three years to complete, Goforth said. The first two years are full of coursework and clinical experiences before students spend a year in a full-time supervised position in a school.
Jefferson is spending her first semester in the program learning about the general education setting at an elementary school in the Missoula County Public Schools district. In the spring, she will start her clinical experiences, focusing on students who struggle with reading. Next year, she’ll spend the entire school year under the supervision of a school psychologist, providing evaluations and interventions to support student mental health.
Once she completes the program, Jefferson hopes to land a job with Hardin Public Schools, which has buildings spread across nearly 60 miles.
“The No. 1 thing I would love to do is just connect more with children and their parents,” Jefferson said. “My main passion is finding those supports for children in schools. That’s what I’m really looking forward to is helping children – Native or not – find their support systems to help them understand that this person is in your corner.”
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Contact: Dave Kuntz, UM director of strategic communications, 406-243-5659, dave.kuntz@umontana.edu