Didactic Training
Interns in the Child Clinical Psychology specialty track (CT) attend all intern seminars, supervision seminars, didactic presentations and lectures that are part of the general intern track. Additionally, Child Clinical Psychology track interns attend:
- A monthly interprofessional child case consultation meeting. Interns discuss child cases that present with challenging ethical, assessment, consultation and treatment considerations.
- A monthly Scholarly Works and Activities Group (SWAG) meeting. Interns and faculty discuss ongoing and new scholarly projects and research related to children and families at CAMC.
- A child developmental seminar precepted by Dr. Jessica Talley (Child Psychiatrist). The seminar is for first-year residents and Child Track psychology interns. Topics covered include: developmental theorists, developmental milestones, development of the brain, prenatal development/teratogens, cognitive development, physical development, socioemotional development, neurodevelopmental disorders and developmental considerations for assessment and treatment (both psychological and psychiatric). It is a mix of didactic style and interactive sessions, with the learners being active participants.
Application Process
Applicants in the CT follow a parallel process to those applying for the general internship track, though they are interviewed primarily by the core faculty members.
Funding for Positions
Funding for interns in the CT is identical to the General track, such that the CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine is the sponsor. Internship faculty leaders continue to work closely with the CAMC Institute for Academic Medicine to ensure continued funding, since this aligns with the CAMC IAM strategic goals of improving access to child behavioral health treatment.
Faculty
Jessica Luzier, PhD, ABPP, serves as the Training Director for this track. Chantel Weisenmuller, PhD, Jillian Keener, PsyD, Jennifer Hughes, PhD, and Jocelyn Brown, PsyD, work closely with interns in the Behavioral Medicine Department. Interns also learn alongside psychiatry residents and receive training from our Child Psychiatry faculty, especially Jessica Talley, MD. Finally, there may be opportunities for interns to work in more ancillary ways with psychology faculty in child psychology adjacent rotations.
Core faculty for the CT includes:
- Jessica Luzier, PhD, ABPP
- Chantel Weisenmuller, PhD
- Jillian Keener, PsyD
- Jocelyn Brown, PsyD
- Jennifer Hughes, PhD
Required Rotations
The required rotations are unique to the CT, with some overlap with the required rotations for the general internship.
Outpatient Psychotherapy Rotation:
Interns on the CT primarily provide specialized, evidence-based treatments in the CAMC Behavioral Medicine Department. These include Parent Child Interaction Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Based Treatment, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Adolescents and working on interprofessional teams (e.g., eating disorders, DBT). CT interns are in the Behavioral Medicine Department for three to four days per week. Interns work with a caseload that includes diversity in age, presenting concern, and treatment modality, with some latitude given interns' interests and training goals. Supervisors Dr. Luzier and Dr. Weisenmuller work with CT interns to ensure training goals are met within the parameters of the treatments we provide in the Department.
CT interns may also opt to provide outpatient care to children/adolescents at the CAMC Family Resource Center, under the supervision of Dr. Hughes and Dr. Brown, in a more limited capacity (e.g., one-half day per week).
Child and Adolescent Psychological Assessment:
Interns on the CT complete at least 10 child or adolescent integrated reports during the training year. These assessments are supervised by Dr. Brown, Dr. Keener and Dr. Weisenmuller. An integrated report is operationalized similarly to the APPIC requirements; reports assess two or more different domains (e.g., cognitive and personality) in the same assessment.
A variety of assessment types, ages and presenting concerns are available to the CT interns. Dr. Brown most often received referrals for younger children ages 3 to 5 for assessment of autism spectrum and ages 6 to 14 for learning, cognitive and executive function concerns. Dr. Brown also administers the ADOS, among other specialty tools (e.g., WISC, WIAT, WPSSI, DKEFS, Children's Memory Scale, BASC, Child Development Inventory, Adaptive Assessment System). Interns may have opportunities to work with Drs. Keener and Weisenmuller providing psychological diagnostic clarification evaluations for 18 - 23 year-olds. Finally, CT interns may wish to participate in forensic assessment of children with Dr. Weisenmuller. Neuropsychological assessment experience is not available for the Child Clinical Psychology specialty track.
Psychological Consultation Rotation:
Interns on the CT participate in Pediatric specialty clinics alongside medical specialist colleagues, supervised by psychologists Dr. Brown and Dr. Hughes. CT interns work with their supervisors for four and a half day clinics each month for the duration of the intern year, with some flexibility in which clinics and the frequency of consultation. CT interns meet regularly with the faculty psychology supervisor to discuss cases in clinic, consultation methods and treatment plans.
Options for consultation clinics include:
- FACES clinic for cleft affected children (consistently the second Friday of the month)
- Hematology/oncology - weekly clinic options
- Pulmonology - weekly option
- Cystic fibrosis - weekly option
- Endocrinology - weekly option
- Neurology - weekly option
- Gastroenterology - weekly option
- Adolescent health - weekly option
Important: In contrast to the General Psychology Internship, there will be no Inpatient rotation requirement.
