Jack Kent Cooke Grant Provides Scholarships for Twice-Exceptional Students
The Belin-Blank Center is grateful to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation which has awarded
the Center with a grant to promote services for twice-exceptional students, who
are academically gifted students with learning, behavioral, emotional, and/or social
impairments. This new grant will provide scholarships for twice-exceptional students
in grades 2 through 11 to participate in summer programs at the Belin-Blank Center.
For a full listing of summer programs, visit the
summer programs website.
Assessment
Comprehensive assessments are available at the Belin-Blank Center’s Assessment and
Counseling Clinic (ACC) to determine the ability and achievement profiles of gifted
and talented students, to examine career and area-of-study options, to identify
the possible presence of a disability and/ or social-emotional concern, and to help
parents and educators determine a student’s psychosocial and educational needs.
This assessment typically includes obtaining background information from the family
and school, clinical interviews with students and parents, observation, and psychological/
educational testing.
Counseling
Counseling sessions for gifted and talented students and their families are also
available at the ACC. These sessions are designed to assist students and their families
with adjustment and emotional difficulties that may be related to the students’
giftedness, talents, or twice-exceptionality (a gifted learner who also has a co-existing
disability).
Outreach and Consultation
A variety of consultation services are offered to parents of gifted and talented
students. Topic areas for consultation are diverse, and can include obtaining academic
acceleration options, planning for post-secondary education, and obtaining diagnostic
second opinions. The ACC staff is available on a limited basis to provide outreach
services to child psychology and education professionals.
Training
The Assessment and Counseling Clinic (ACC) provides training opportunities in psychoeducational
assessment, counseling, and consultation for pre- and post-doctoral-level supervisees
from specialty areas in school, counseling, and clinical psychology, and promotes
services for gifted and talented populations through these training opportunities.
The ACC training program meets the guidelines of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists
and Code of Conduct (APA, 2003), Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (ACA,
1995), Principles for Professional Ethics and Guidelines for the Provision of School
Psychological Services (NASP, 2000), and Standards for Educational and Psychological
Testing (AERA, ACA, & NCME, 1999).
Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace
Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace of Scottsdale, Arizona, have been outstanding advocates
for gifted students. The ACC was made possible by a generous gift from them. It
was the aspiration of Henry B. and Jocelyn that gifted children and their families
would have opportunities to receive counseling services. This Clinic is a testament
to their vision and generosity and is named in their honor.