Mary Ann Whalen, M.S. ’83, was named the 2016 Illinois State University School Psychology Supervisor of the Year at the Department of Psychology’s annual Alumni Day dinner, which took place October 7 at Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano.
Whalen has worked as a school psychologist for over 30 years for Bloomington School District 87, with most of her tenure as the school psychologist for Bloomington High School. She is also a practicum supervisor for a number of advanced Illinois State school psychology doctoral students.
Many Department of Psychology graduate and undergraduate students have chosen to “shadow” Whalen over the years for class assignments or to learn more about the profession of school psychology before enrolling in graduate school. Whalen has also participated in several panel discussions on the role and function of a school psychologist in a high school setting for the department’s introductory school psychology seminar.
The Department of Psychology also celebrated 25 years of its school psychology doctoral program at the October 7 Alumni Day Dinner.
In addition to serving as a clinical supervisor working directly with Illinois State school psychology students, Whalen works with psychosocial faculty practicum instructors in providing Department of Psychology students individual and group counseling and consultation experiences. More specifically, she has been instrumental in referring students from Bloomington High School for psychosocial services over the years.
Whalen also helps students in locating space to work and identifying high school age students for group and individual counseling, facilitates parental consent returns, and communicates with teachers and other staff regarding the training needs of our students. She is instrumental in scheduling and co-delivering presentations by the school psychology student organization, the Graduate Association of School Psychologists (GASP) during School Psychology Awareness Week. Whalen has also served as a member of the School Psychology Community Advisory Committee since its inception, attends regularly, and provides helpful input as to ways to improve the school psychology program.
“I had the pleasure of contributing to Mary Ann’s preservice training as a school psychologist, and I recall she was among our strongest students,” said Professor Mark Swerdlik, Ph.D., co-coordinator of the school psychology graduate program. “She has been an excellent role model and a consistent contributor to our training program in school psychology.”
