For more than 16 years, Dr. Rachel Team has helped shape the next generation of school psychologists. Dr. Team has poured her passion and experience for school psychology into Abilene Christian University’s online Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Psychology program. Her role in the program’s development has led to meaningful collaborations and relationships with educational organizations, forging a new pathway for students interested in school psychology.
Dr. Team is also a professor who teaches psychology on the residential campus. As a professor, she combines decades of field experience with a passion for student success, helping working professionals develop the knowledge and skills needed to support children, families and schools across Texas.
Outside of work, Dr.Team stays busy with her husband and three daughters. Her oldest daughter is currently a junior at ACU studying interior design, while her younger daughters remain active in school activities and competitive sports, including travel soccer.
An Invite Dr. Team Couldn’t Ignore
Long before she became a faculty member, Dr. Team was a student herself. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Abilene Christian University before pursuing graduate studies in school psychology at Texas A&M University. Her path back to ACU began unexpectedly when a friend reached out about a faculty opening.
“I told her no,” Team said with a laugh. “My plan was always to teach after I retired.”
However, her colleague encouraged her to visit ACU’s campus and meet the team before making a final decision. What began as a conversation soon became an opportunity she could not ignore. More than a decade and a half later, Team remains grateful she said yes.
“I love the flexibility of being a faculty member and the emphasis ACU places on student success,” she said.
Building the Online School Psychology Program
The need for qualified school psychologists has only grown in recent years. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, schools across the country experienced increased demand for mental health services while facing a shrinking pipeline of trained school psychologists. At the same time, the Texas licensing board enacted a rule change that would allow professionals with masters’ degrees to complete a certificate and become a licensed school psychologist.
In 2023, Region 20 Education Service Center (ESC-20) approached school psychology trainers in Texas to discuss solutions for the growing shortage. One opportunity emerged through retraining professionals who already held master’s degrees in related fields but needed additional coursework and clinical experiences to qualify for licensure.
“There were people who wanted to become school psychologists, but they couldn’t go back and complete another 60-hour degree program,” Dr. Team explained. While the need was clear, there were no programs in Texas specifically designed to address it.
That changed when ACU stepped forward.
“ACU was the only university willing to partner on the retraining program,” Dr. Team stated. “This is a huge need in our state.” Drawing on ACU Dallas’ expertise in online education and Dr. Team’s extensive experience in the field, ACU partnered with ESC Region 20 and the Center for Global Innovation Online to create a new pathway for aspiring school psychologists.
“We knew ACU was a good fit,” Dr. Team said. “With the knowledge and experience ACU already had with online learning, I knew we would be able to do this.”
The program is specifically designed for working professionals with experience in education. Rather than starting from the beginning, students build on their existing knowledge and classroom experience to complete the coursework and practicum requirements necessary for licensure in Texas.
“The learner is different,” Dr. Team clarified. “Many of our students are already professionals who have spent years working in schools. We can build from that foundation.”
Maintaining academic quality remains a top priority. Dr. Team emphasized the importance of readiness and academic quality in shaping school psychologists.
“We have to make sure students leave here ready to work with kids,” she said. “We can’t sacrifice the quality of their training. We have to figure out how to do school psychology training in the online world.”
Dr. Team’s Passion and Work In School Psychology
To accomplish that goal, Dr.Team and her colleagues have implemented innovative approaches to online learning that combine flexibility with hands-on skill development. Students participate in video presentations, synchronous projects and scenario-driven assignments designed to mirror real-world situations. The program also includes two three-day summer residencies in Abilene, where students travel to campus for skills assessments, professional training, and relationship-building with faculty and cohorts.
The residencies provide opportunities for faculty to evaluate student competencies while giving students valuable hands-on experiences that cannot be replicated entirely online.
“It gives us eyes-on and hands-on experience with our students,” Dr. Team shared.
The program continues exploring new technologies as well. One upcoming initiative will use artificial intelligence to create realistic student scenarios that allow future school psychologists to practice intervention strategies in a safe environment before entering the field. Students will interact with AI-generated scenarios, apply their training and receive feedback on their performance.
Meeting the Critical Need
For Dr. Team, however, the most exciting aspect of the program is not the technology. It is the impact.
“We have not had a positive net gain of school psychologists entering the field in 20 years,” she said. The first year for the online school psychology program currently includes 45 students. Over the next 2 years nearly 90 future school psychologists will soon enter schools across Texas.
“For the first time, we’ll actually be adding more school psychologists than we’re losing.”
That outcome represents more than workforce statistics. It means more students receiving mental health support, more families receiving guidance and more schools gaining access to qualified professionals.
“It is incredibly rewarding work,” Dr. Team said. “I love seeing our students across the state and knowing they’re making a difference.” As the program continues to grow, Dr. Team remains focused on the same goal that brought her to ACU years ago: helping students succeed while preparing them to serve others.
Through innovative learning experiences, strong partnerships and a commitment to excellence, she is helping address a critical need across Texas while ensuring the next generation of school psychologists is equipped to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and families.
To learn more about the online Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in School Psychology program, visit our website.