Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology
Encyclopedia
The Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, known as MSPP, is a graduate college of psychology founded in 1974. With nearly 600 students, MSPP offers 11 graduate academic degree programs and 1 academic graduate certificate across four departments, Clinical Psychology
, Counseling Psychology
, Organizational and Leadership Psychology, and School Psychology
. MSPP has three centers committed to social responsibility and community service .
These include the Brenner Center for Psychological Assessment and Testing, Freedman Center for Child and Family Development, and the Lucero Center for Latino Mental Health Program.
model integrates rigorous academic instruction with closely supervised clinical experience.
Students are in the field beginning in the first year. MSPP’s professional field education office provides support and consultation to each student to secure a field placement. This is possible due to the relationships between MSPP and more than 200 training sites- including social service agencies, schools, hospitals, community mental health centers, child guidance clinics, court clinics, college counseling centers, private agencies and corporate settings .
These on-site field experiences, each year of the academic program, are invaluable to the learning and training of MSPP students.
The Lucero Latino Mental Health Training Program is a concentration open to students from many of the graduate programs which offers a unique opportunity to be trained to address the specific mental health needs of Latino patients or clients . The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center, which sponsors the concentration in Latino Mental Health, was founded by the friends and family of the late Dr. Cynthia Lucero, a graduate of MSPP . Lectures and scholarships in Cynthia’s memory are also sponsored by the Lucero Center . The academic concentration provides relevant coursework and summer immersion programs in Costa Rica
and Ecuador
focused on improving Spanish language skills and exposure to Latino cultures through community service mental health work.
One distinguishing MSPP program is designed to Train Vets to Treat Vets . Recently awarded a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MSPP is working to recruit veterans and train them to meet the mental health needs of their fellow service men and women. This program is expanding quickly, due to a rising concern for the mental health needs of the veterans returning home. MSPP is a proud participant in the Veteran’s Administration Yellow Ribbon Program and provides matching grant assistance to eligible veterans .
One of MSPP’s current student veterans, Janice, explained her desire to pursue a degree with MSPP:
“My interest in psychology started in basic training when I began to meet so many different people from different places. I pursued my degree while in the service where my interest in families and military life/culture flourished. . . . A unique aspect of the MSPP community that drew me in was the Veteran population.”
Training in Child and Adolescent Mental Health enables graduates to serve this critically underserved population. Field placements with children and adolescents provide clinical experience and close supervision. MSPP offers an intensive specialization in our Clinical doctoral program called “Children and Families: Adversity and Resilience” . The School Psychology department has also expanded their program offerings to include both specialist training
and doctoral level training. These expansions have all been motivated by the desire to meet the mental health needs of children.
Counseling Psychology
Organizational and Leadership Psychology
School Psychology
, Massachusetts. One of the many reasons students choose MSPP is due to the close proximity to downtown Boston (about a 20 minute drive) and the broad access to a diverse number of field training sites serving a variety of populations.
One MSPP student blogger, Haneen, recently shared her love for Boston. Here is a sample from her blog, "Making a Decision: Location, Location, Location!"
“Yes, Boston is a big, thriving city! There is so much to do, right at your fingertips when living within driving distance of MSPP. There are numerous museums, shopping centers, and delicious restaurants. There is a diverse population, and a city atmosphere . . .
Beyond all these fun things, another draw of Boston is the academic atmosphere of this city. As there are so many universities in the area, anywhere you go in Boston you are likely to meet another student or come across a great library or place to study. Additionally, because of the academic atmosphere in this city, there are many great practicum, internship, and learning opportunities all around Boston. Overall, being in the Boston area is definitely a big benefit of coming to MSPP. There are so many great opportunities right at your fingertips both at MSPP and in Boston, in general.”
and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
. The MA/CAGS in School Psychology is an approved program by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
.
In addition, the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development, offers a range of continuing and community education courses. The community education courses held at the Freedman Center are designed for parents and families navigating the issues children of all ages confront. Some of this programming includes New Parents and New Mothers groups, along with Music and Movement classes .
The Freedman Center offers training opportunities for students from all MSPP graduate programs.
• MSPP Continuing Education Website (www.mspp.edu/ce)
• Freedman Center for Child and Family Development (http://freedman.mspp.edu/)
• Brenner Center for Psychological Assessment and Consultation (http://www.mspp.edu/community/brenner-center/default.asp)
• Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center (http://www.mspp.edu/community/lucero-center/default.asp)
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
, Counseling Psychology
Counseling psychology
Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health...
, Organizational and Leadership Psychology, and School Psychology
School psychology
School psychology is a field that applies principles of clinical psychology and educational psychology to the diagnosis and treatment of children's and adolescents' behavioral and learning problems...
. MSPP has three centers committed to social responsibility and community service .
These include the Brenner Center for Psychological Assessment and Testing, Freedman Center for Child and Family Development, and the Lucero Center for Latino Mental Health Program.
Experiential Education
At MSPP, the experiential educationExperiential education
Experiential education is a philosophy of education that describes the process that occurs between a teacher and student that infuses direct experience with the learning environment and content. The term is mistakenly used interchangeably with experiential learning...
model integrates rigorous academic instruction with closely supervised clinical experience.
Students are in the field beginning in the first year. MSPP’s professional field education office provides support and consultation to each student to secure a field placement. This is possible due to the relationships between MSPP and more than 200 training sites- including social service agencies, schools, hospitals, community mental health centers, child guidance clinics, court clinics, college counseling centers, private agencies and corporate settings .
These on-site field experiences, each year of the academic program, are invaluable to the learning and training of MSPP students.
Special Areas of Concentration to Meet Society’s Changing Needs
As a college of psychology, MSPP is committed to training students to meet the needs of underserved populations .The Lucero Latino Mental Health Training Program is a concentration open to students from many of the graduate programs which offers a unique opportunity to be trained to address the specific mental health needs of Latino patients or clients . The Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center, which sponsors the concentration in Latino Mental Health, was founded by the friends and family of the late Dr. Cynthia Lucero, a graduate of MSPP . Lectures and scholarships in Cynthia’s memory are also sponsored by the Lucero Center . The academic concentration provides relevant coursework and summer immersion programs in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
focused on improving Spanish language skills and exposure to Latino cultures through community service mental health work.
One distinguishing MSPP program is designed to Train Vets to Treat Vets . Recently awarded a grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MSPP is working to recruit veterans and train them to meet the mental health needs of their fellow service men and women. This program is expanding quickly, due to a rising concern for the mental health needs of the veterans returning home. MSPP is a proud participant in the Veteran’s Administration Yellow Ribbon Program and provides matching grant assistance to eligible veterans .
One of MSPP’s current student veterans, Janice, explained her desire to pursue a degree with MSPP:
“My interest in psychology started in basic training when I began to meet so many different people from different places. I pursued my degree while in the service where my interest in families and military life/culture flourished. . . . A unique aspect of the MSPP community that drew me in was the Veteran population.”
Training in Child and Adolescent Mental Health enables graduates to serve this critically underserved population. Field placements with children and adolescents provide clinical experience and close supervision. MSPP offers an intensive specialization in our Clinical doctoral program called “Children and Families: Adversity and Resilience” . The School Psychology department has also expanded their program offerings to include both specialist training
Specialist degree
-The Specialist degree in the Commonwealth of Independent States:The specialist degree was the only first degree in the former Soviet Union and currently is being phased out by the bakalvr's - magister's degrees....
and doctoral level training. These expansions have all been motivated by the desire to meet the mental health needs of children.
MSPP Academic Programs
Clinical PsychologyCounseling Psychology
- Counseling Psychology, MA
- Counseling Psychology and Community Mental Health, MA
- Counseling Psychology and Primary Care, MA
- Forensic and Counseling Psychology, MA (Blended)
Organizational and Leadership Psychology
- Leadership Psychology, PsyD (Blended)
- Applied Psychology: Higher Education Student Personnel Administration, MA (Online)
- Counseling Psychology and Global Mental Health, MA
- Organizational Psychology, MA (Blended, Online)
- Executive Coaching, Graduate Certificate (Blended)
School Psychology
Location
MSPP is located in the West Roxbury neighborhood of BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts. One of the many reasons students choose MSPP is due to the close proximity to downtown Boston (about a 20 minute drive) and the broad access to a diverse number of field training sites serving a variety of populations.
One MSPP student blogger, Haneen, recently shared her love for Boston. Here is a sample from her blog, "Making a Decision: Location, Location, Location!"
“Yes, Boston is a big, thriving city! There is so much to do, right at your fingertips when living within driving distance of MSPP. There are numerous museums, shopping centers, and delicious restaurants. There is a diverse population, and a city atmosphere . . .
Beyond all these fun things, another draw of Boston is the academic atmosphere of this city. As there are so many universities in the area, anywhere you go in Boston you are likely to meet another student or come across a great library or place to study. Additionally, because of the academic atmosphere in this city, there are many great practicum, internship, and learning opportunities all around Boston. Overall, being in the Boston area is definitely a big benefit of coming to MSPP. There are so many great opportunities right at your fingertips both at MSPP and in Boston, in general.”
Accreditation
MSPP is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is the largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United States. It is the world's largest association of psychologists with around 154,000 members including scientists, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. The APA...
and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
. The MA/CAGS in School Psychology is an approved program by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)
National Association of School Psychologists
The National Association of School Psychologists is the major national professional organization for school psychologists in the United States...
.
Continuing and Community Education
MSPP offers Professional Continuing Education for Psychologists, Social Workers, Nurses, Mental Health Counselors, School Psychologists, Counselors, Other Mental Health Professionals, Educators, businessmen and women, Psychotherapists, and the community.In addition, the Freedman Center for Child and Family Development, offers a range of continuing and community education courses. The community education courses held at the Freedman Center are designed for parents and families navigating the issues children of all ages confront. Some of this programming includes New Parents and New Mothers groups, along with Music and Movement classes .
The Freedman Center offers training opportunities for students from all MSPP graduate programs.
External links
• School Website (http://www.mspp.edu/)• MSPP Continuing Education Website (www.mspp.edu/ce)
• Freedman Center for Child and Family Development (http://freedman.mspp.edu/)
• Brenner Center for Psychological Assessment and Consultation (http://www.mspp.edu/community/brenner-center/default.asp)
• Dr. Cynthia Lucero Center (http://www.mspp.edu/community/lucero-center/default.asp)