Amanda Allen will be an assistant professor of school psychology after earning her doctorate degree and completing a clinical experience at one of the largest school districts in the country.

Allen came to Mizzou via Springfield, Missouri, and she earned her master’s degree at Mizzou as well. During the last phase of her doctoral internship, she has been working with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami, Florida.

“It’s been a really incredible experience to be in the fourth largest school district in the country,” Allen said. “The diversity is just so rich in this community, and it’s been really interesting to navigate the pandemic as a school psychologist through all of this.”

Allen will join the faculty of Florida International University this fall. Her research focuses on the early identification and intervention for youth who demonstrate emotional and behavioral risk, and she specializes in working with youth, families and educators. She acquired experiences in psychological service delivery in several K-12 public schools and at the Center for Evidence-Based Youth Mental Health while at Mizzou.   

“With my dissertation, it was an idea that came to me my first year on a Mizzou Alternative Breaks trip,” Allen said. “During this trip, graduate students provided training to teachers while undergrads taught their students, and I saw how frustrated teachers were when they didn’t have the strategies to support kids with mental health problems in the classroom. It was a big project, but I had so many people in my corner who just encouraged me to keep going and believe that I was doing something that matters and makes a difference. To be on the other side of that is so fulfilling.”