Kierra is joined by Shannon Martin and Dr. Thompson in a candid discussion of the assessment pipeline and the implications it has for School Psychologists. 

Dr. Miriam Eady Thompson is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) where she is also the Director of Mind and BehaviorAssessment Clinic (MBAC). Dr. Thompson is a licensed psychologist (MA-11267), a health service provider, and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). In 2009, Dr. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arizona, double majoring in Psychology and Spanish/Portuguese. In 2012, Dr. Thompson earned a Master of Arts in School Psychology and in 2016, she earned a Ph.D. in School Psychology (with a minor in Special Education and a specialization in Learning Disabilities) from the University of Arizona. During her doctoral training, Dr. Thompson completed an APA-accredited internship at the Multidisciplinary Evaluation & Consulting Center (MDC) at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. In 2017, following completion of her doctoral internship, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Neurodevelopmental Assessment of Young Children (NYC) at the Leon O. Brenner Center at William James College in Newton, Massachusetts. At the Brenner Center, Dr. Thompson administered a wide range of neuropsychological evaluations to children, adolescents, and adults. In 2018, she completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Boston Juvenile Court Clinic (BJCC) at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. At BJCC, she completed court-ordered psychological evaluations and worked closely with social workers, probation officers, attorneys, and judges.

Shannon Martin is a 3rd-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Maryland. Coming to the program as a nationally certified school psychologist, Shannon has more than 7 years of experience as a school psychologist in elementary and secondary public school settings. Her research interests include any/all ways that we can create schools/systems that support children with marginalized identities and their right to thrive. Shannon is also a mother and a registered yoga teacher.

Music credit:

Track: Nathaniel x BeatSmith VILLAIN - Perfect For Her

Music provided by Emza Design Studio