Welcome to Project BEAMS!
Behavioral, Emotional And Mental Health Supports in Schools: Collaborative Practices to Improve Special Educator & School Psychologist Training
What is Project BEAMS?
Project BEAMS will improve preservice preparation of school psychologists (SP) and special educators (SE) to serve diverse students with behavioral, emotional, and mental health challenges in California's public schools.
Project BEAMS involves SPs & SEs in interdisciplinary training and shared collaboration via:
1. Research-based courses in Autism, Ethics, & Applied Behavioral Analysis;
2. Seminars, where trainees discuss readings, give cross-disciplinary presentations,
and practice collaboration;
3. Clinical practicum experience, with paired SPs & SEs working together in classrooms
to provide intensive interventions;
4. Summer institutes, where SEs & SPs will learn about leading research (Day 1) and
build capacity around mental health services (Day 2);
5. Co-attendance at professional conferences.
Competencies include interdisciplinary knowledge & collaboration; enhanced communication & consultation; evidence-based interventions with cultural contexts for understanding behavior and mental health; and action research & data-based decision making.
This 5-year training project will support 14 cross-cohort SP & SE trainees annually (7 SP & 7 SE) for two, 2-year training cycles as they pursue their multi-year graduate-credential programs. Monthly stipends, BCBA supervision allowances, and conference monies are provided to support this specialty training ($11,500-$12,500 per year).
Scholar Testimonials
"BEAMS for me, has been a way to increase my collaboration skills, gain experience working in the classroom directly with students that have high behavioral or mental health needs, develop my own professional competency and service delivery all while making an actual impact for students in the field. BEAMS is so unique in the way it pairs school psychologists and special educators to work directly together. Individually, both of these professions can have a profound impact on students needing behavioral or emotional support. Coming together to collaborate, identify, and implement an intervention for those students all under the support of this grant are what makes it so truly impactful. In addition to all this wonderful work BEAMS does, this grant emphasizes true collaboration. The people I have met during my time on BEAMS will continue to be the ones I lean on in the future for support both in and out of the field." - Mo Salamah
“BEAMS has brought me closer to amazing colleagues that have taught me so much in the fields of school psychology and special education. I will definitely be keeping in touch with these intelligent individuals. I love all the professional development opportunities BEAMS has given me. My staff, students and I will forever be grateful for all of this wisdom in behavioral, emotional, and mental health supports.” - Alex Ng, SE, MA, BCBA
"Beams is a huge opportunity to gain training to better serve our communities and students in the school setting. Beams has allowed collaboration between teachers and school psychs that is unmatchable in providing feasible interventions in the classroom setting." - Sami Lauf, SE
"Participating in project BEAMS improved my knowledge of evidence-based behavioral interventions and mental health in schools. In addition, through a collaborative process with a special education teacher, I am able to learn more about ways to support the unique needs of diverse students." - Elenie Anteneh
Project BEAMS Application
Contact
Dr. Katina Lambros at [email protected] for grant application and information.