The Educational & Psychological Training Center (EPTC)

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Rm 316 Educational Science Bldg.
1025 W. Johnson St.
Madison, WI 53706
608-265-6120

Philosophy and Purpose

The Educational and Psychological Training Center (EPTC) is a student training facility in the School of Education. The primary mission of the EPTC is to train students in the delivery of services to persons experiencing learning, behavioral, psychosocial, or vocational difficulties. In this context, the EPTC promotes the research of new and better clinical practices and serves individuals, couples, families, and community organizations. The counseling psychology, rehabilitation psychology, school psychology, and special education programs play central roles in the EPTC by developing and maintaining innovative and effective professional training practices that promote relevant research activities and provide a service to the University and Madison communities.

Types of Services

EPTC activities may include clinical services, teaching seminars, supervision of clinical practice, clinical staffing, colloquia, and other sponsored activities. The EPTC may also sponsor clinical training activities that take place in the community, such as outreach consultation and intervention in homes, schools, and community agencies.

Administration

The Director of the EPTC is appointed by the Dean of the School of Education on a rotating basis from the three major cooperating departments in the School.The EPTC also has an executive committee, which includes faculty representatives from counseling psychology, rehabilitation psychology, school psychology, and special education as well as a student member.

Facilities

The EPTC accommodates live observation and/or audiovisual recording of practice activities with individual and small groups. Training and supervisory activities may also be conducted in the shared space. EPTC records are maintained in a central, secure location, by a program assistant. Computer stations are available for interpretive test reports and student record-keeping activities. Test and assessment materials are also kept in a secure area and are available for faculty, staff, and students of the participating programs.

Counseling Psychology

The Department of Counseling Psychology provides counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults. Individual, couple, group, and family counseling are provided by master’s and doctoral level graduate students who are supervised by faculty. The Department emphasizes a developmental and systemic approach to problem solving, academic difficulties, career issues, developmental crises, relationship issues, adjustment to transitions, and general life stress issues. Special programs for intervening with at-risk children and young adults are operated. The interventions for students (K-12) are designed to link home, school, and community. In this “ecosystemic” approach for at-risk students, there are three primary components utilized:

• School-based interventions including individual and group experiences.
• Community interventions which might include at-home visitations, community center outreach, and special projects with Family Service programs.
• Individual and/or family counseling, training seminars, and primary supervision at the EPTC.

Rehabilitation Psychology

Rehabilitation psychology and rehabilitation counseling involve the provision of assessment, counseling, life planning, and job placement services for people with disabilities and other special needs, including physical illnesses and disabilities, developmental disabilities, psychiatric disorders, and alcohol and other drug abuse. EPTC resources are used to provide training opportunities for students in the provision of services including:

• Psychological assessment to document the presence of disabilities and the identification of adaptation issues.
• Vocational assessment to identify career alternatives that are consistent with an individual’s strengths, limitations, and needs.
• Assessment of the impact of disabilities on earning potential and life functioning to facilitate the determination of compensation awards for work related or personal injuries.
• Counseling regarding career and life planning and disability-related issues.
• Identification of resources to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
• Job placement for people with disabilities.
• Consultation to service providers to guide their efforts in serving individuals with disabilities.
• Consultation to employers and others regarding reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

School Psychology

Services available to children and their families include evaluations of intellectual and academic skills, assessment and remediation of learning difficulties, social-emotional evaluations, parent-counseling and education, individual and group therapy, services for talented and gifted students, and assessment of preschoolers. Specific services include:

• Behavioral consultation to schools and community agencies concerning child management and instructional interventions.
• Consultation to parents of children at risk and children with disabilities concerning strategies for improving social and academic functioning.
• Educational assessment of children ages 3 through 21 years.
• Assessment and remediation of learning and interpersonal difficulties.
• Intellectual and social-emotional evaluations.
• Assessment of potentially gifted or talented youth.
• Group interventions for children with significant social skills deficits and friendship problems.
• Parent training workshops for parents desiring improved child management skills.

Special Education

The special education area of the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education offers degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The undergraduate special education teacher certification program is cross-categorical. Graduates are prepared to teach students with learning disabilities (LD), cognitive disabilities (CD), and emotional-behavioral disabilities (EBD). Special education students are prepared to provide a wide range of instructional services to individuals with a variety of disabilities. Preparation includes developing and implementing Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs), conducting educational evaluations, assessing and remediating academic foundations, social development and independent living skills. The master's degree is individualized to meet the needs of each student and can be earned independent of, or combined with, the teacher certification program. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree prepares future leaders in research, college teaching, and service.

The Mental Health and Education Resource Center on Children and Adolescents

The Mental Health and Education Resource Center on Children and Adolescents is a unique information resource that is a collaboration of efforts between the University's Medical School and School of Education. The goal is to provide quality information and services for families struggling with child-related problems. The Center also strives to serve education and mental health professionals who are working with children and families.

Wisconsin Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology

The Wisconsin Internship Consortium in Professional Psychology (WICPP) is a formalized predoctoral internship program for doctoral students in counseling psychology, rehabilitation psychology, and school psychology. The WICPP is coordinated by the EPTC and involves more than 10 community agencies and facilities. Licensed psychologists at these sites provide supervision for a wide range of clinical and related activities. The EPTC helps students to arrange these placements, provides for quarterly evaluations, and offers a weekly seminar for students enrolled in the internship program. Students also receive a certificate of completion at the end of the program. Since its creation in 1994, more than 25 students have completed their predoctoral psychology internships under the auspices of the WICPP.

College Student Assessment Services (UW-Madison Campus)

The Student Assessment Services (SAS) provides psychoeducational evaluation of college students on campus who suspect they may have disabilities that interfere with their leaning. Activities include conducting intake interviews, administering and interpreting academic and intellectual assessment, report-writing, and consultation with the student, faculty, and the McBurney Disability Resource Center. Although the SAS collaborates with other individuals and agencies, the university student has primary responsibility for advocacy.

Comments or Problems: webcentral@education.wisc.edu.
Site designed/maintained by External Relations Office

© Copyright 2006 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System