PsyD in School-Community Psychology

The School-Community PsyD Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to create a broad and welcoming social ecology in the PsyD Program. We bring in speakers who represent diverse voices and viewpoints, addresses student needs, and empower all students to engage their voices to promote equality for all.

The mission of the Psy.D. Program in School-Community Psychology is to prepare practitioners who are leaders and innovators in school psychology. A hallmark of our scholar-practitioner program is integrating the science and practice of school psychology and community psychology into a unified empirically-based practice framework. Furthermore, understanding, acknowledging, and considering diversity in all forms is foundational to our training. Increasingly, schools, community-based organizations, the community at-large, and families are an interdependent network that when working effectively maximize the development and well-being of children and families. The broad and intensive training of our graduates uniquely position them in this role.

The PsyD Program at Hofstra University has a strong commitment to respecting and understanding individual differences, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness throughout all aspects of our program. As an APA Accredited Health Services Psychology Program, we embrace APA’s broad definition of diversity, “including, understanding and valuing differences in individual and group characteristics such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, age, (dis)ability status, and sexual orientation.” Understanding, acknowledging, and considering diversity in all forms is foundational to our training.

Acceptance and celebration of diversity are integral to our social ecology and are valued among faculty, staff, and students. Our students are prepared to work with a broad array of children and families, particularly those from marginalized, disempowered, and disenfranchised groups. Training culturally competent school and health service psychologists requires awareness, understanding, respect for diversity and inclusivity, and the development of practice skills throughout the program. Therefore, all courses, practica, specialty clinics, and internships strongly emphasize the role of diversity and individual differences in promoting maximal development and well-being among children and families.

Recognizing the more voices our students hear, the greater their appreciation of multiple world views and distinct understandings of school and community psychology scholarship. To meet this goal, professionals from outside the PsyD program facilitate a robust series of colloquia, workshops, and other training programs. Having noted professionals share their research, practice, and insights to expand the voices to which our doctoral students are exposed is an integral part of our program.

In addition to training within a culturally sensitive framework, we believe that our program is best served when our faculty, staff, and students reflect and celebrate the diversity of society at large. Therefore, we are fully committed to training students from underrepresented, disempowered, and marginalized groups to ensure adequate representation among school and community psychologists.

The PsyD program provides students with a number of opportunities for tuition remission:

• Scholarship for PERCC PsyD clinic training and involvement
• Clinic Coordinator scholarship- awarded to the 3rd year clinic coordinators of PsyD clinics
• TA opportunities for program classes 
• Undergraduate teaching opportunities