"I was someone who always knew I wanted to work with kids," says Shannon Ryan. She had her eyes set on something a little outside the box, not in a classroom setting, and not even necessarily in a school setting.  

Ryan remembers, during her high school years, being drawn to child-focused work. She received her first exposure to school psychology as an academic area of focus while studying under a professor as an undergraduate student exploring the predictive validity of early literacy screeners to long-term reading outcomes. This passion for research and clinical work was then funneled through mentors.

Upon arriving at Temple University for her doctoral studies, Ryan, who earned her PhD in school psychology from Temple's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) in 2020, recalls working with Nate von der Embse (now at University of South Florida) on social emotional screening. She also fondly recalls working with Lorraine Savage in the university's Student Success Center as a peer academic coach, supporting students with individual education plans in high school as they transitioned to college. It was Jean Boyer, she says, who encouraged her to gain exposure to opportunities in a non-traditional school role, leading to Ryan engaging in an extra practicum experience.

Later, she worked under Laura Pendergast examining the validity of a common mental health screener for students to see whether the measure contained any bias on behalf of the teachers who were filling it out. She found that teachers' own levels of stress and anxiety did not influence how they perceived these things in students, and that teachers tend to pick up more on disruptive behaviors through observation. Ryan says this research inspired her to conduct more psychometric studies that impact the assessment of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Ryan uses a multi-faceted approach when conducting ADHD evaluations today. This can include collecting a full developmental, educational and medical history, behavioral observation, rating scales, and having the student, parents, and teachers participate in questionnaires and interviews. This comprehensive evaluation incorporates multiple viewpoints and perspectives to arrive at the most accurate result, she says.  

Currently working as a licensed psychologist in the Center for the Management of ADHD in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Ryan calls herself a bit of an anomaly because she is a trained school psychologist, now a licensed psychologist, and is working in a clinical setting. Her professional experiences are multi-faceted, and Ryan says the school psychology training she received at Temple is innately tied to the clinical and diagnostic work with children that she does today.

"School psychologists are trained to make data-based decisions," she says. "All of the tests I use now are tests I was first exposed to in the psychoeducational clinic at Temple. These experiences and tools I acquired at Temple were foundational and are directly relevant to what I use now."  

Ryan notes that it's been "a true journey" from research to clinical work. One of the pivotal moments she points to is working on the Organizational Skills Training-Tier 2 (OST-T2) study, funded by the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences and directed by Jenelle Nissley-Tsiopinis, Jen Mautone, and Tom Power. The purpose of this project was to evaluate a child skills training program to improve organization, time management and planning  skills in Philadelphia area schools.  

"I love bringing evidence-based practice and data-based decision-making into the community," she says. "The OST-T2 grant is a great example of how you have evidence-based interventions that we know work in a clinical setting, and you can take them to schools to make them reasonable, feasible and impactful in real-world circumstances. That's the heart of what school psychology is."  

One component of her work includes offering family-based and individual treatment of ADHD and disruptive-behavior disorders through CHOP's ADHD Center. Ryan says she works with clinical psychologists, other school psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, behavioral health staff, teachers, and patients and families both for therapy and for assessments.

Ryan is also passionate about being an educator in the field. She taught as an adjunct in the CEHD for two years, and currently works with school and clinical psychology externs, psychiatry fellows and interns at CHOP. She also serves on CHOP's American Psychological Association-accredited internship training committee.  

"I've always loved to teach—it's my favorite part of what I do," Ryan shares. "It gives warmth and life to my work."

When thinking of students and new school psychologists stepping into their professional careers, Ryan says, "It's definitely worth it."  

"With three months to finish my dissertation, I remember thinking, Will I ever get there? Now, I truly do my dream job every day. I get to wake up and do the job I've wanted to do since I was a little kid—to work for a medical center that people in the community believe in and think highly of. And I get to train and grow the next generation of science practitioners in my field. And I get to bring in really high-quality therapy and intervention strategies to families who may not otherwise be able to access care in other places."

A strong connection to the community—to the neighbors and to her peers—drives Ryan forward. Thinking of her cohort, Ryan notes, "I still have a group chat with the people I started the program with in 2014. These are the people I turn to for support still, that I'm collaborating with on clinical questions."  

On the students, families and schools in the communities she serves, Ryan can't hold back. "This has been—I don't even know how to say—my absolute favorite part of my work at CHOP," Ryan shares.

Currently, Ryan is engaged in the final year of data collection on the Partnering to Achieve School Success (PASS) Project, under the direction of Mautone and Power at CHOP. This project, funded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), "brings evidence-based ADHD behavioral health treatment to low-income and underserved families by offering team-based care in primary care offices throughout the Philadelphia area," according to Ryan. She notes that it is crucial for school psychologists to meet families where they are with culturally responsive care. The PASS Project works through integrated care teams including school and clinical psychologists, primary care providers, social workers, children, and families, including multigenerational families.  

"I get to bring in really high-quality therapy and intervention strategies to families that are on public health insurance and may not otherwise be able to access care," she shares. "It scratches that same itch that I have as a school psychologist, because I always wanted to work where families actually were and intervene in places that could really help all kinds of kids."

Through her work, Ryan demonstrates how the impact of school psychologists extends far beyond school walls, transforming entire communities. Reflecting on her journey, Ryan shares, "I'm truly a part of Philadelphia and proud to make an impact on the families and communities I serve."