Introduction
The Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology (TIC), also referred to as the Consortium, consists of a number of cooperating agencies that offer a broad range of field experiences for qualified doctoral students in professional psychology. All participating agencies are described on this website. The University of Tennessee Educational Psychology and Counseling department plays a central role in administration, supervision and seminars.
The training program is individually designed but functions within the constraints required by funding commitments as well as needs imposed by didactic and clinical experiences. The program consists of a 2000 hour internship that is completed within a 12 to 24 month period. Each agency provides a number of different settings for the intern. Some interns may serve two concurrent agencies. Supervision, seminars, staff meetings, and additional selected learning experiences are an important component of the internship program. The program accepts applicants from doctoral students in school psychology. Preference is given to school psychology applicants from APA accredited programs.
This internship site agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking related information from any intern applicant. The Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology (TIC) is accredited through the Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, 750 First Street, NE, Washington, D. C. 20002-4242, Phone: 202-336-5979, Website: www.apa.org/ed/accreditation, E-mail: apaaccred@apa.org. TIC provides internships to applicants from doctoral programs in school psychology with appropriate practicum experiences in school psychology.
Statement of Diversity
The Consortium believes in recognizing and valuing diversity. A high value is placed on the dignity and worth of individuals regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs or socioeconomic status.
Multicultural experiences and issues are an important component of the internship experience at the Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology. The Consortium will strive to provide training experiences that increase competencies in cultural awareness. We are committed to cultivating awareness of racial, ethnic, religious, minority issues, gender issues, sexual orientation, geographic differences, and socioeconomic status. Multicultural experience opportunities will be integrated into the internship experience.
All organizations associated with the Coinsortium are required to be in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. http://www.tennessee.gov/education/civilrights.shtml
Long Term Diversity Plan
To insure that the consortium promotes diversity in its selection of interns, provides the interns with diversity within the supervisors of TIC and maintains a diverse perspective within its Board of Directors a long term plan for the promotion of diversity has been developed. The plan is:
1. Continuing the actions in place:
a. Continue to state the consortium's diversity policy in all publicly available material produced by the consortium.
b. Continue to distribute a diversity flyer at regional, state and national conferences when appropriate.
c. Continue to visit doctoral-level training programs when possible and discuss the diversity polices with prospective interns and program faculty.
d. Continue to provide current interns with diversity training within the in-service/didactic training process.
e. Continue to provide current interns with supervised opportunities to work with diverse student and adult populations (parents, professionals, volunteers, etc.).
f. Continue to promote qualified professionals' (with diverse backgrounds) involvement on the TIC's Board of Directors and as supervisors of the interns.
g. Continue to promote support of the graduates of the program in becoming licensed by the Tennessee Board of Healing Arts as school psychologists among those who plan to or do work in school systems of Tennessee under the certification/licensure process of the Tennessee State Department of Education so that they have the opportunity to become qualified APA accredited internship supervisors.
h. Continue to promote through training, experience and role-modeling the concept that every person has a unique positive contribution to make to society (children, parents, professionals, etc.) and recognizing that each individual's perceptual set, while diverse in itself, must be understood and valued in order for any intervention strategy to be fully effective.
2. Effective as of January, 2012, during the two days of interviews with TIC internship applicants, at least one hour each day will be devoted to discussing with the applicants TIC's diversity policies and strategies to promote both their skills and the diversity of the internship class, the supervisors and the consortium's board of directors.
3. Effective as of June 1, 2011, a fund-raising campaign is in place to obtain funds to subsidize licensure costs of TIC graduates who stay in the area serving children as school psychologists. The first phase of the campaign is to contact all former TIC interns and request a $10.00 plus donation from them for this purpose.
4. Effective as of May 1, 2011, the consortium will begin efforts to obtain foundation assistance to subsidize the cost of internship positions in school systems and related organizations.
5. Effective as of May 1, 2011, the consortium will develop strategies for adding a recent graduate of TIC to the Board of Directors who is licensed by the Tennessee Board of Healing Arts, has experience working as a licensed school psychologist, is currently working as a school psychologist and has demonstrated skills in effectively functioning with diverse populations with the goal of having such an individual elected to the Board of Directors by October 1, 2011.
6. Effective as of July 1, 2012, the Board of Directors will have established and implemented procedures for the full implementation of the Long Range Diversity Plan.
The Consortium
The consortium is a joint venture between the University of Tennessee School Psychology Program, Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative, Cherokee Health Systems, Knox County Schools, Monroe County Schools, Sweetwater City Schools, and Lenoir City Schools. The consortium follows all rules and regulations set by the Tennessee Department of Education.
The Consortium is an affiliated program with the University of Tennessee, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, Department of Educational Psychology & Counseling, School Psychology Program. As an affiliated program, the Consortium reserves one of its internship positions to a qualified University of Tennessee School Psychology Program graduate student who applies to the Consortium through the APPIC match process.
Educational Philosophy
The philosophy of the Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology follows the "Data-Based Problem Solving Model" in the implementation of psychological strategies within the school system environment. The "Data-Based Problem Solving Model" is avariant of the more general scientist-practioner model.
Mission Statement
The function of the Tennessee Internship Consortium in Psychology's is to provide a professional training experience in the specialty area of school psychology. This training experience is of the highest quality expected of an APA accredited program and is in full compliance with the rules and regulations set by the Tennessee Department of Education. The Consortium is dedicated to providing vital experiences to insure the interns' success in their chosen profession. Utilizing both school based and professional supervisors, the internship provides students with intensive supervision and comprehensive regular and special education program experiences with children across the age spectrum.
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