11/1/2025              A request from Denisse Ochoa, MA, M.Ed., doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at William James College:

Students and Colleagues,

My name is Denisse Ochoa, and I am a fifth-year doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at William James College. I am writing to request your participation in my School Psychology focused dissertation, which will help fulfill the requirements for graduation.

 

Study Purpose:

This study explores the experiences of current School Psychology graduate students, focusing on the gap between diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) expectations before and after entering their program. We aim to understand how these experiences impact your sense of belonging.

 

Eligibility Criteria:

• Currently enrolled in a National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) accredited School Psychology program (EdS, MA, MS, CAS, CAG, or PsyS.) in the United States.
• You identify as part of a historically marginalized racial, ethnic, and/or linguistic (REM) group.
• You are 18 years or older.

Participation Details:

If you choose to participate, you will fill out an eligibility survey (5 minutes or less) and be asked to voluntarily share your experiences related to DEI within your academic program in a 60-90-minute interview via Microsoft Teams (camera-on & proof of enrollment required). As a token of appreciation for your time, you will receive a $25 gift card for your participation.

 

How to Get Involved:

If eligible to participate, please start by completing this survey. After submitting your responses, you’ll be directed to schedule a time to meet with me.

 

Questions? Email me at denisse_ochoa@williamjames.edu with the subject line “Study”.

-

Denisse Ochoa, M.Ed., M.A.

5th-Year Clinical Psychology Psy.D. Student

William James College*

Pronouns: She/Her/Ella (what’s this?)

A request from Katie Centi, MA/CAS, NCSP, doctoral candidate at Alfred University: 

Hello Amazing School Psychologists!

My name is Katie Centi, and I am a doctoral candidate with Alfred University in New York. I am also a school psychologist, school psychology adjunct professor and am trained in Somatic Experiencing trauma therapy and Internal Family Systems. I have worked in the schools for 13 years in New York, California, and Texas. My research project is evaluating the perception of school psychologists in the area of trauma-informed practices. This will include training (both in graduate programs and during employment), knowledge and practices at your sites, and current needs at your sites to implement trauma-informed practices.

I am looking for practicing school psychologists from across the nation to complete this survey with any level of experience and training in trauma-informed practices. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete and if you complete it by October 30th, you will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card to treat yourself or purchase some needed school psych materials!

The link to the survey is here:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=A6TdlWAQOketv7wXBjc_pgDkNc6mQCNOgjPAeNsdT8RUOEJTOUtNU1VHT0ZQWERaUDMzREU2MU9POC4u

Once you click on the link, it will direct you to the informed consent for your review and approval. After consent is submitted, the survey will begin.

Thank you so much in advance for your time and knowledge! I’m excited to find out the results of this survey and hope to use this data to share some amazing trauma-informed practices with you all!

A request from Oksana Huk, Psy.D., NCSP, school psychology internship coordinator at Iona University: 

The consensus study is being conducted to determine the degree of competence in various tasks, work activities, and components of knowledge required for graduate students’ entry to practicum, internship, and practice.  As part of this process, participants will also be asked to identify whether these various areas represent foundational (i.e., permeate all areas of practice for every school psychologist) or functional skills (i.e., processes and contexts through which work of school psychologists is carried out). Collecting this information will help us better understand competencies required for the field of school psychology and how it can apply to graduate training. Possible outlets of dissemination may be professional conferences and refereed journals.

Qualified professionals are

- 18 years of age or older and
- a certified school psychologist and/or university-based practicum/internship school psychology supervisor

Participation in this study should take about 20-25 minutes to complete. The survey can be completed on a computer, tablet, or mobile device. Participants will be provided with an opportunity to 1) receive the results, to 2) enter a raffle to win a $15 gift card to Amazon, and/or 3) to be sent information about future studies. 

Participation in this online survey involves risks similar to a person’s everyday use of the Internet. There are no additional risks to individuals participating in this survey beyond those that exist in daily life. The decision to participate or decline participation in this study is completely voluntary, and participants have the right to terminate participation at any time without penalty. Participants may skip any questions they do not wish to answer. If participants do not wish to complete this survey, they may just close their browser. Participation in this study is confidential as data are averaged and reported in aggregate. Confidentiality will be maintained to the degree permitted by the technology used. No guarantees can be made regarding interception of data sent via the Internet by any third parties. Once participants complete and submit the survey, we are unable to extract anonymous data from the database should they wish it withdrawn. 

Study Link

If you need any additional information regarding this research project, you may email me, Oksana Huk, at ohuk@iona.edu. For questions about rights as a research participant, you may contact the university’s Institutional Subjects Review Board Iona University, Dr. Tricia Mulligan 914.633.2429 or via e-mail at tmulligan@iona.edu.  You may also contact the university’s IRB chair, Dr. Mary Jane Skelly at 914.633.2382 or via email at mskelly@iona.edu.

A request from Taylor York, doctoral student in school psychology at the University of Alabama: 

We are conducting a survey as part of a research project at the University of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Sherbrooke. This project is investigating how school psychologists think about, plan, and complete assessments in schools. Your response will help us understand what school psychologists think about psychoeducational assessment, and how assessment plays a role in our professional identity. 

If you are a practicing school psychologist who completes assessments as part of your job duties, we would greatly appreciate your participation. After completing the survey, you will have the opportunity to submit your name to receive one of five $20 Amazon gift cards. You can access this survey by following this link: https://universityofalabama.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_39286uAlTpTEcse

This survey is voluntary and confidential, and should take no longer than 20 minutes.  The research conducted in this survey has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at The University of Alabama.  There are no foreseeable significant risks associated with your participation in this study.  If you have any questions, please reach the study lead at lasnider@ua.edu. Questions related to the IRB process at The University of Alabama can be directed to (205) 348-8461 or via email at rscompliance@ua.edu.