The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on school psychology internship outcomes

• Published in: Psychology in the schools 2023-04, Vol.60 (4), p.1216-1233
• Main Authors: Morrison, Julie Q., Albritton, Kizzy, Bernstein, Elana, Davies, Susan C., Joseph, Laurice, Mezher, Katherine R., Reynolds, Jennifer, VanVoorhis, Richard W.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Behavior Modification; Competence; COVID-19; COVID‐19 pandemic; Employment Qualifications; Innovations; internship; Internship Programs; Internships; Intervention; Pandemics; Program Effectiveness; Psychological services; Racial inequality; Racism; School Psychology; Students; Supervisors
• ISSN: 0033-3085; 1520-6807
• DOI: 10.1002/pits.22829

The Ohio Internship Program in School Psychology was forced to adapt abruptly to the changing circumstances brought on by the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic beginning in March 2020. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the school psychology internship outcomes were negatively affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic in terms of supervisors' ratings of intern competencies, the number of students served by interns, and the outcomes of academic and behavior interventions supported by interns. Findings of the annual evaluation of the Ohio Internship Program in School Psychology for the school year directly affected by the pandemic (2020–2021) were compared to the findings for the year the pandemic began (2019–2020) and the 3 years before the start of the pandemic. The results provide evidence of gains in professional competencies and positive outcomes for students served by interns. The results also highlight racial disparities in the counts of students provided school psychological services during the pandemic. Implications for school psychology graduate preparation and practice are discussed. Practitioner Points 1. School psychology interns advanced their competencies and provided effectively support to students despite the upheaval created by the COVID‐19 pandemic. 2. The COVID‐19 pandemic created opportunities for innovation in school psychological training and practice. 3. Racial disparities were evident in the number of students provided school psychological services during the pandemic.