Presented By: Sarah Burger, PhD, ABPP-CN, Alexandra 'Sandy' Furlong, PhD, NCSP, Paula McCall, PhD, NCSP, Nicole Nafisi, BCBA, and Samara Way, PhD, NCSP

Event Schedule
10:45 - 11:00 am Check-in
11:00 am - 1:00 pm CE Presentation

Program Description
This presentation combines the professional guilds of clinical psychology, school psychology, applied behavioral analysis, and neuropsychology defining their scopes of practice, reasons for referrals, and interventions with school aged children. Participants will learn about the practice of psychology with school aged children and how to work with multiple interprofessionals for best practice team-based care. In addition, 504 and individual education plans (IEPs) will be defined along with how to best support school aged children and their families/supports toward highest success.

Program Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives

1. Define at least 2 roles and responsibilities of clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and school psychologists related to interventions with school aged populations.
2. Identify two differences between a clinical and educational diagnosis.
3. Discuss the differentiation between 504 plans and Individual Education Plans (IEP)s.
4. Describe the nature of integrated approaches when working in collaboration with special education teams and across disciplines. 

CE Credits
2 CEs

Meet our Speakers: 

Sarah Burger, PhD, ABPP-CN
Dr. Burger earned her bachelor’s degree in Intensive Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, graduating summa cum laude with honors in her college and high honors in her major. She went on to complete master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology, with identified speciality in Neuropsychology, from the University of Arizona. She completed her pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology and Adult Neuropsychology at the University of Arizona Medical Center, followed by a 2-year postdoctoral residency in Pediatric and Adult Neuropsychology with private practice placement at Neuropsychology Ltd. through the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium.
Dr. Burger is trained in pediatric, adult and geriatric neuropsychological assessment, and in evidence-based individual, couples, family and group therapy. Dr. Burger has been practicing as a licensed psychologist in Tucson since 2013, working initially for the group private practice where she completed her postdoctoral training (Neuropsychology Ltd.). Dr. Burger began working also as a contract psychologist for Triumph Counseling Services, Inc. part-time in 2014, completing neuropsychological evaluations on nights and weekends. Neuropsychology Ltd. was taken over by the Center for Neurosciences (CNS) in April of 2016, and Dr. Burger stayed on to work at CNS for a year and a half before leaving to open her own practice (A-Z Neuropsychology, LLC). Her contract work with Triumph is ongoing. In late 2020, Dr. Burger completed the board certification process in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), which is currently the highest level of specialty in her profession.
In her free time, Dr. Burger enjoys spending time at home with her husband and two daughters and playing soccer in a local women’s league. She also enjoys spending time in the kitchen, cooking and making intricate cakes for the people she loves.

Sandy Furlong, PhD, NCSP
Dr. Alexandra D. ‘Sandy’ Furlong is an Arizona licensed psychologist, as well as an ADE Certified and Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She is employed by the Yavapai County Education Service Agency to provide services to small rural school districts. In 1968, she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Michigan and went to work at the City News Bureau of Chicago. In 1970, while working for the Rock Island Argus in Rock Island, Illinois, she interviewed a dynamic young black man who had been hired by the school district to start a “drop in center” in an empty store front. This prompted her to earn a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in special education for children with behavior disorders. She then went to work as a clinical teacher on the inpatient unit at the University’s Child Psychiatry Service. In 1974, Dr. Mark A. Stewart asked her to chair a committee of three tasked with developing an inpatient program for children with autism. During this time she earned a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa. She with her family moved to Prescott in 1979 where she worked for West Yavapai Guidance Clinic and Prescott Unified School District before going into private practice. Her private practice included therapy for adults and children as well as Conciliation Court work in mediating parenting plans for divorcing couples. In 1997, she developed the Superior Court’s Parent Information Program when the Arizona State Legislature required that of all of the state’s family courts. In 1999, she went to work for the Yavapai County Education Service Agency.

Paula McCall, PhD, NCSP
Dr. Paula McCall is an Arizona licensed psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist who specializes in working with children and adolescents in her private practice, Next Step Psychology. Dr. McCall has previously worked as a special education teacher and a school psychologist. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology from Arizona State University and serves as an adjunct professor for the University of Arizona. Dr. McCall is passionate about providing parent education and school consultation in multiple areas including suicide prevention, and she has assisted multiple school districts in developing evidence-based suicide risk assessment procedures. Dr. McCall is especially passionate about providing free parent education on various topics of mental health in our youth, and she developed the Prepared Parenting series of in-person and virtual events to help serve this purpose.

Nicole Nafisi, M.Ed., BCBA
Nicole Nafisi is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in Arizona. She is the district BCBA for Gilbert Public Schools. Nicole obtained her undergraduate degree in Speech and Hearing Sciences in 2012 from Arizona State University and completed her master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis in 2015 through ASU as well. Nicole has been a Co-Instructor and Practicum Supervisor in the ASU graduate program for Applied Behavior Analysis since 2016. She is also the leader of the Arizona Association for Behavior Analysis’ (“AzABA”) Special Interest Group “ABA in Schools”.
Nicole has worked as a public school district behavior analyst since 2016. As a district behavior analyst, Nicole provides behavior analytic services in the public school setting to special education students preschool through 12^th grade, with an overall goal to educate the student in his or her least restrictive environment. Nicole’s role primarily consists of conducting Functional Behavior Assessments and Skill Based Assessments, developing Behavior Intervention Plans and individualized Skill Acquisition Programs, and training and overseeing implementation of ABA programming for teachers and school staff. She also provides opportunities for professional development in behavior analytic strategies for district employees.

Samara Way, PhD, NCSP
Dr. Samara Way is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and Arizona licensed psychologist with over twenty-five years of experience in special education. Samara obtained a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  During her career, Samara has worked as a school psychologist in Washington and Arizona, served as a training director of a nationally accredited school psychology program and was the coordinator of psychological services for a school district with 60+ school psychologists.
Currently, Samara is the Child Find Coordinator for Mesa Public Schools, supervising preschool evaluation teams and conducting developmental screenings and comprehensive assessments for early learners. She is a past president of the Arizona Association of School Psychologists (AASP) and the current Arizona delegate to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). 

The Arizona Psychological Association (AzPA) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. AzPA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.