Licensed Psychologist  License to practice psychology in Pennsylvania required

The Institute for Behavior Change staff provide services under the supervision of licensed professional psychologists.  As members of a private psychology practice group called The Network for Behavior Change, these psychologists sign an agreement  to abide by the same rules and regulations as do the employees of The Institute for Behavior Change and agree to assume "full and personal responsibility" for all of the services rendered by supervisees who operate under the scope of their practice.

    Program Specialist    Masters degree, with training & expertise in diagnostic educational testing is required

Under the supervision of a Licensed Psychologist and a Certified School Psychologist, the Program Specialist administers, scores and interprets the results of diagnostic testing for children in public and private schools, and consults with school faculty, administration, and parents/guardians of students regarding special education regulations and other matters germane to the delivery of special education services to appropriately qualified children.  Using computerized scoring software and other report-authoring aids, the Program Specialist will create literate, highly individualized reports of the strengths, weaknesses and needs of each child evaluated, including specific recommendations for educational, behavioral and social-emotional interventions as appropriate, and delivers these reports in draft form for review and approval by a Certified School Psychologist and licensed professional psychologist. 

    Behavior Specialist   Masters degree, with training and expertise in clinical (behavioral) psychology is required

Behavior Specialists deliver EPSDT ("wrap-around") services by developing written treatment plans to guide the child's treatment process, under the direct and ongoing supervision of a licensed professional psychologist.  They have Masters degrees and at least one year of experience providing behaviorally-based treatment to children and adolescents, and meet with Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) providers once weekly to assure that all aspects of the child's treatment program are understood by the TSS provider and that appropriate interventions are being used.  The Behavior Specialist revises the Treatment Plan as necessary, in close collaboration with parents or guardians and teachers, throughout the treatment authorization period, and facilitates the Quarterly comprehensive re-evaluation and reauthorization of treatment that is required under EPSDT regulations. 

 

Note:  For reasons that remain obscure, Behavior Specialists in Philadelphia are required to have at least two (2) years of post-graduate experience, but everywhere else in Pennsylvania, only one year of prior experience working with children (as a TSS provider, for example) is required. 

    Mobile Therapist   Masters degree, with training and expertise in clinical or counseling psychology is required

Mobile Therapists deliver EPSDT services by visiting the child at home or in school to deliver on-site psychological counseling, and working closely with parents and teachers to enable them to respond more therapeutically to the child and help the child achieve age-appropriate social and emotional functioning goals as quickly as possible.  In effect, a Mobile Therapist is a psychotherapist with a Masters degree and at least one year of experience providing counseling to children and adolescents who makes "house calls" under the direct and ongoing supervision of a licensed professional psychologist.

    Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) provider   BA degree in psychology, education or other Human Service field is required

Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) providers deliver EPSDT Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Services (BHRS, "wraparound" services) by working 1-on-1 with a child or adolescent in the child's home, school or community to deter the child from behaving inappropriately, to teach the child how avoid inappropriate behavior, and to assist parents in helping their children to develop more successful, healthy and age-appropriate emotional coping and behavioral skills.  TSS providers are supervised once weekly by a Masters-level mental health professional.  15 hours of pre-service training, and three to six hours of face-to-face observation during TSS service delivery by a Masters level mental health professional is required of all TSS providers before they can work independently with children.  In Chester County, all TSS providers and their supervisors are required to receive 15 additional hours of training in Autism Spectrum Disorders, and all TSS providers are required to obtain 20 hours of additional training annually.  TSS supervisors in Chester County are required to obtain an additional eight hours of supervisory training.  The Institute for Behavior Change (IBC) provides all of the preceding training in weekend seminars offered periodically.  Attendance is open to potential and current IBC staff, to parents of children served by IBC staff, and invited guests.