TRAINING PROGRAM IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY

    

Children’s Hospital of Michigan
APA- Accredited Predoctoral Internship Program,
 Match Number 136211
This internship is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association.  The accreditation status can be verified by calling the Commission on Accreditation at 202-336-5979

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

OPTIONAL ROTATIONS AND ELECTIVES

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON PEDIATRIC PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAM.  Program Match Number: 136211

1. ROTATION REQUIREMENTS, GOALS, AND DESIRED  COMPETENCIES

The Clinical Psychology Internship with an emphasis on Pediatric Psychology consists of two six-month rotations: (1) Hospital Rotation, and (2) Outpatient Rotation.  There are four interns; two complete the Hospital Rotation first and two complete the Outpatient Rotation first.  Intern preferences are taken into account in determining the order of completion of the rotations.  Throughout the year, the interns also maintain 3-4 hours of therapy per week (4-6 cases to maintain 3-4 hours), complete one inpatient consultation per week, and attend the following didactic seminars: Neuropsychology, Pediatric Psychology, and Core Professional Issues Seminar.   The interns receive approximately two to three hours per week of individual supervision and three hours per week of group supervision (pediatric psychology, child therapy, and family therapy group supervision).  They track their supervision on written monitoring sheets reviewed by the Director of Training monthly. The intern can tailor the program to meet specific training goals, in addition to the general goals outlined below.  For example, a recent intern has a strong interest in developmental disabilities.  This intern was able to find several developmental disability treatment cases, conduct AD/HD and neuropsychological evaluations of developmentally disabled children, do inpatient consultations on developmentally disabled children, and see a great number of such children in the Myelomeningocele, Endocrinology, and Diabetes Clinics.   Two years ago another intern tailored her program to meet her desire to gain experience with oncology patients.  Three years ago, an intern wanted to tailor her Neuropsychology experience to take her strong interest in ADHD into account; she arranged to do executive functioning assessments of children suspected of having ADHD in place of certain aspects of the standard Neuropsychology rotation.

 

HOSPITAL ROTATION

Description:

The interns each attend three medical specialty clinics for a half-day apiece per week.   Two of the four interns are assigned to each of the following blocks of clinics: (1) asthma, myelomeningocele, HIV or (2) renal, diabetes/ endocrinology, and sickle cell.   Children enrolled in these clinics are seen regularly by a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, dietitians, physical and occupational therapists, and recreational therapists.  The exact composition of the team varies from clinic to clinic.    Interns are assigned to a clinic block based upon preference, background, and supervisor judgment.   The intern learns to provide ongoing evaluation, consultation, and interventions regarding the impact of the specific illnesses upon the child’s functioning in school, in the family, and with peers.  During the psychology portion of the interview, the intern and supervisor assess adherence to medical regimens, school functioning, peer functioning, family functioning, and any relevant psychopathology; brief interventions are conducted when problems arise.  Training and supervision is “hands on” in the sense that the supervisor models conducting the interview with the child and family, then observes the intern conducting the interview, and gradually fades out his/her presence over the course of the rotation.  By the end of the rotation the intern is conducting the interview without the supervisor in the room.  In most clinics the intern and supervisor participate in team meetings reviewing the status of the patients seen in the clinic.  Interns then write brief reports of their patient contacts.

On the consultation liaison service, the intern responds to requests from hospital pediatricians to address the behavioral/ emotional problems of children admitted to Children’s Hospital for medical problems.   At first, the intern watches the supervisor conduct the consult.  Then, the intern conducts the consult while the supervisor observes and gives feedback.  By the middle of the year, the intern conducts the consult without the supervisor present and reviews the case with the supervisor afterwards.

Consultation requests include chronic illness adherence and adjustment issues, pain management, conversion and somatoform disorders, differential diagnosis of psychopathology, and family/ environmental concerns.  Many of these consults are for patients whom the interns have previously seen in the multidisciplinary clinics, allowing them the opportunity to learn about continuity of care from inpatient to outpatient settings.

OUTPATIENT ROTATION

Description:

The interns participate in five activities: (1) pediatric neuropsychology (6 months), (2) ADHD Clinic (3 months), (3) Rehabilitation Services (3 months), (4) Autism Clinic (6 months), and (5) inpatient consultation liaison (6 months).

The interns spend 13-15 hours per week in pediatric neuropsychology.  They learn to select and administer neuropsychological test batteries to children and adolescents with various neurologic disorders.  They have the opportunity to observe intracarotid amobarbital procedures, language and motor mapping, and participate in multidisciplinary team evaluations of children undergoing epilepsy surgery.  They learn to write comprehensive neuropsychological test reports and conduct inpatient neuropsychological consultations.

The interns spend 4-5 hours per week in ADHD Clinic.  They participate in evaluations of children and adolescents suspected of having ADHD, learning, and behavior problems.  They administer and score a variety of tests and rating scales, and conduct differential diagnostic interviews with parents and children.  The supervisor is always in the room with the intern during the differential diagnostic interviews, and feedback is given on the spot.  The interns also learn to write comprehensive evaluation reports, with a particular emphasis on helping families advocate for school-based services.  Interns who wish to learn how to conduct adult ADHD evaluations can exercise this option for several of their cases.

During the 4-6 hours per week in the Rehabilitation Rotation, the intern conducts consultation, follow-up, brief therapy, and assessment of children hospitalized for traumatic brain injury, orthopedic problems, spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, and other rehabilitation issues.  The intern participates in the daily activities of the multidisciplinary teams on the inpatient Rehabilitation unit.

In autism clinic, interns participate for 4-6 hours per week in comprehensive assessments of children suspected of having autism spectrum disorders and/or developmental disabilities.  They have the opportunity to become acquainted with common measures used to assess autism spectrum disorders and developmental disabilities.  They participate in formulating and recommending educational and behavioral interventions for the children whom they have evaluated.

Interns will have the opportunity to attend school conferences and IEP Meetings to advocate for their patients during this rotation.  Supervision will be provided to prepare for school meetings.

The intern continues to conduct one inpatient pediatric consultation per week during the Outpatient Rotation.

During the fourth to sixth months of this rotation, the intern may elect to do either a 10-15 hour elective by reducing Neuropsychology time.  The available rotations and electives are listed earlier in this website.  For those interested in research, this is the time when they can pursue their interests; this involves establishing a collaborative research relationship with a faculty member and either working in the faculty members’ ongoing research or developing a small research project in a similar area of research.  For example, one intern arranged to work both with Dr. Ellis analyzing a portion of the data from her treatment trial of Multisystemic Family Therapy for diabetic youth and with Dr. Robin validating a measure of family interaction with youth who have Spina Bifida.

THERAPY ACTIVITIES

The intern conducts therapy for a minimum of 3-4 hours per week, which usually necessitates carrying 4-6  therapy cases at any one time throughout the internship.  By the end of the internship the intern is required to have completed and documented a minimum of 100 hours of direct patient contact for therapy.  These must include at least one child therapy, one family therapy, and one pediatric psychology case.   The supervisors will provide a pool of cases.  Interns can select therapy cases that are consistent with their interests.   It should be noted that members of the faculty are currently participating as therapists and/or investigators in research on the effectiveness and efficacy of the following therapies: cognitive behavior therapy for OCD in children, cognitive behavior therapy for adolescent depression, multisystemic family therapy for diabetic adolescents with noncompliance problems, motivational interviewing and related techniques for noncompliant asthmatic patients, and behavioral family systems therapy for adolescents with AD/HD.  It is also common for members of the faculty to serve as co-therapists with interns for the more difficult cases, such as eating disorder cases.  Interns with interests in these areas will have the opportunity to learn how to conduct these therapies.  In addition, there is the opportunity for interns to participate in HIV therapy and support groups and a summer camp program for HIV children.  The faculty emphasis empirically informed, evidence-based therapy and have a variety of manuals available.

WHAT TYPE OF INTERN ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Often, applicants ask us what type of intern are we looking for?   First, we are looking for interns who have learned the basic assessment and therapy skills.  We look seriously at the number of administrations of basic IQ and achievement test, the number of child and adolescent therapy cases, and the number of integrative reports on your application.  Applicants with fewer than 10 WISC-IV, fewer than 10 achievement test administrations, and fewer than 10 integrative reports will not receive interviews because we do not want to be teaching basic testing skills during an internship; we are looking for achievement tests such as the WIAT II or the Woodcock Johnson.  Applicants with fewer than 10 child and/or adolescent therapy cases are unlikely to receive interviews because we don’t want to be teaching basic therapy skills.  We consider your work experience as well as your practicum experience in determining whether you have sufficient testing and therapy experience to succeed in our internship.  Second, we look for a demonstrated interest in pediatric psychology, beyond an interest in child and adolescent psychology.  The candidates whom we interview have done a practicum or research in a pediatric health care setting, have Master’s Theses or Dissertations on child health-related topics, and/or have volunteered in hospitals or clinics.   Applicants without such experiences usually do not receive interviews in our setting.  Simply writing about your interest in pediatric psychology in your application essays is insufficient; you must have proven your interest by the work you have already done in order to receive an interview at Children’s Hospital of Michigan

EVALUATION PROCEDURES

There are two methods of evaluation: (1) Performance ratings. At the end of the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth months of the internship, each supervisor completes a written evaluation of each intern.  The three and ninth month evaluations are considered “Progress Reports,” while the six and twelve month evaluations are considered definitive evaluations of intern performance.  All of the items on these forms contain five-point Likert scales where 3 or higher is satisfactory.  These evaluations specifically assess the extent to which the intern has met all of the goals, objectives, and competencies of the training program as outlined later on this website.  To graduate from the program, an intern must obtain satisfactory ratings (3 or higher) on all items from all supervisors at the six and twelve month evaluations.  All evaluation are reviewed by the supervisors with the interns, signed by both the interns and supervisors, and forwarded to the Director of Training. 

(2) Competency Checklists.  At the end of six and twelve months, each supervisor observes the intern’s performance of the competencies which follow from our goals listed below, using Competency Checklists.  These checklists are tailored to each clinical activity.  The supervisor computes a score for the percentage of required competencies that the intern exhibits.  Scores of 80% or higher are required on all checklists for an intern to graduate from the internship. 

The Director of Training sends feedback letters to the interns’ graduate programs at the end of six and twelve months.  Each intern anonymously evaluates each supervisor at the same time intervals, and also evaluates the program at the six and twelve month intervals.  All of the evaluations are reviewed by the Director of Training and the Training Committee, who recommend annual changes in the program based upon this feedback.

GOALS, OBJECTIVES, COMPETENCIES

The overall goals of the internship are to prepare the intern for entry-level practice in the field of pediatric psychology and/or for advanced fellowship training in pediatric psychology or pediatric neuropsychology.  From this overall goal follow nine specific goals, each with specific objectives.  We have organized these goals according to the competency-based model of professional education which is becoming more widespread throughout the field of professional psychology.  We have listed goals, objectives and specific competencies which the intern must display to graduate from the internship.  We have referenced the types of evaluation instruments we use and the thresholds for successful performance that we require.

Goal #1: Develop competency in assessment.

Objective(s) for Goal #1: (A)  Demonstrate intermediate to advanced skills in selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting the following types of psychological tests/ measures: intelligence, visual-motor skills, attention, adaptive behavior, empirical measures of child behavior problems, and measures of health behavior.  (B) Demonstrate beginning to intermediate skills in selecting, administering, scoring and interpreting tests of neuropsychological abilities: verbal and visual memory, receptive language, expressive language, problem solving, processing efficiency, and manual motor tests. ( C)  Exhibit intermediate to advanced interviewing skills gathering a psycho-social history, conducting a differential diagnostic interview, formulating a case, making an appropriate DSM-IV and/or DSM-PC diagnosis, assessing health and risk behaviors and health outcomes, and assessing family interaction.

Competencies Expected: Given an assessment question, the intern selects the correct tests or questionnaires, establishes rapport, administers the test/ measures according the instructions in the manual, accurately scores the test/measures, correctly interpret the results, provides feedback to the parents and child, and composes a well-written report.  Given a referral question asking whether a child has a DSM-IV TR disorder or a DSM-PC disorder, the intern conducts an accurate and thorough differential diagnostic interview.  The intern reviews the DSM-IV TR and/or DSM-PC  criteria for all relevant disorders, takes careful psychosocial, medical, and developmental histories, reaches a conclusion, and clearly presents it to both the supervisor and afterwards the parents. Then, the intern composes a well-written report.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations, (2) Competency Checklists.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: Ratings of 3 or higher on all relevant items of the Six & 12 Month Performance Evaluation.  Greater than 80% on the Competency Checklists.

Goal #2: To develop competency in psychotherapy, completing a minimum of 100 direct contact therapy hours by the end of the internship.

Objective(s) for Goal #2: (A) Display intermediate to advanced skills in empirically supported interventions, including child, adolescent, and pediatric individual therapies. (B)  Demonstrate intermediate to advanced skills in empirically supported, evidence-based family therapy, including parent training, strategic/ structural interventions, and behavioral family therapy.

Competencies Expected:  For children presenting with Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, AD/HD, ODD, CD, parent-child relationship problems, or any chronic illnesses, the intern: (1) establishes rapport with the child and parents, (2) collects information regarding the presenting problem, antecedents, consequences, history, and all other relevant circumstances, (3) consults with any relevant school or medical personnel, (4) conceptualizes the case, (5) selects an empirically- supported individual or family therapy approach for treating the problem, (6) reads the manual and tailors the approach to the particular child’s circumstances, (7) implements the manualized intervention, and (8) evaluates the effectiveness of the intervention, making adjustments as needed.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations.  (2)  Competency Checklists- intern submits tapes of therapy sessions for the supervisor to review, using these checklists.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: Ratings of 3 or higher on all relevant items of the Six & 12 Month Performance Evaluation.  Greater than 80% on the Therapy Competency Checklist.

Goal #3: To develop intermediate understanding of and intervention skills for the treatment and prevention of chronic illness in children and adolescents.

Objective(s) for Goal #3: (A) Develop familiarity with models of coping with chronic illness and  psycho-social issues related to chronic illness.  (B) Demonstrate a thorough understanding of at least three specific illnesses, along with a general understanding of other major chronic illnesses.  ( C) Assess a child and family’s coping with chronic illness, related school, peer, and family problems, and the health behaviors necessary to treat and/or prevent problems related to the illness. (D) Intervene to encourage appropriate illness management, illness prevention, effective illness coping, and resolution of associated school, peer, and family problems. (E) Document the assessment and intervention in a succinct, well-written note.

Competencies Expected:  The intern describes the challenges of coping with a chronic illness and the relevant psycho-social issues.  The intern describes in depth the medical and psychological aspects of at least three specific chronic illnesses.  Given a child with chronic illness and his/her family, the intern succinctly interviews them regarding their adherence to the required illness management routine, associated stressors, associated school, peer, and family issues.  Given deficits in any of the areas covered by this interview, the intern provides brief, evidence-based family and individual interventions to improve illness management, school functioning, peer relationships, and family interactions.  The intern then writes a brief note clearly and accurately documenting the assessment and the interventions.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations.  (2) Competency Checklists.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation  and 80% or higher on the relevant Competency Checklists.

Goal #4: To develop intermediate to advanced skills in working with multi disciplinary teams in a family-centered care model.

Objectives for Goal 4: (A) Demonstrate respect for opinions and information provided by other disciplines, such as medicine, social work, dieticians and nursing staff.  (B)  Demonstrate the ability to seek out information from family and team members and integrate it into assessment and treatment plans. C) Demonstrate the ability to provide feedback to family and team members in a constructive manner.

Competencies Expected:   Intern exchanges information and interacts with all other members of multi-disciplinary teams in a polite, respectful, and genuinely interested manner.  During team meetings the intern describes the results of assessment/ interventions with the child and family to the other members of the team in concise, precise terms, integrating it with other team members’ comments.  The intern asks other team members relevant questions and integrates the answers into the summaries of the patient interactions given to the family, at the team meetings, and in the intern’s written clinic notes.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation.  (2) Intern Competency Checklists.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation and 80% or higher on all Competency Checklists.

Goal #5: To identify appropriate assessment/ treatment methods and techniques for diverse populations and different types of psychopathology, incorporating cultural and individual diversity in this process.

Objectives for Goal 5:   (A) Develop knowledge about, an appreciation for and sensitivity to diversity and cultural factors in clinical work, using the ADDRESSING Framework (Hays, 2008): Age/ generational, Developmental Disabilities/ Disabilities Acquired, Religion and Spirituality, Ethnic and racial identity, Socioeconomic status, Sexual orientation, Indigenous heritage, National origin, and Gender.  (B) Take the ADDRESSING Framework into account when conducting assessments, therapy, and consultations.

Competencies Expected: Intern describes how people of diverse backgrounds according to the ADDRESSING Framework view mental health services.  Intern establishes a strong therapeutic alliance with a range of patients with diverse backgrounds.  Intern conducts assessment with sensitivity to diversity/ individual differences.  Intern conducts therapy with sensitivity to diversity/ individual differences.  Intern conducts consultation with sensitivity to diversity/ individual differences.  Intern describes the impact of the interaction between his/her own cultural/ ethnic background and that of the patient on the goals and process of therapy and consultation.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations. (2) Relevant items of the Competency Checklists

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation.

Goal #6: To develop consultation- liaison skills.

Objectives for Goal 6: (A) Demonstrate ability to review inpatient medical charts and obtain information about the consult request from medical, nursing, and other allied health professionals. (B) Demonstrate ability to interview children and families efficiently, formulating a working diagnosis and treatment plan. C) Communicate diagnostic information and findings to other professionals and parents in a sensitive, respectful, timely, and clear manner.

Competencies Expected: Given an inpatient consultation request, the intern talks to the referring medical staff and reviews the chart to clarify the consult questions.  The intern interviews and child and the family, then formulates a case conceptualization and reviews it with the supervisor.  The intern makes verbal and written recommendations to the patient, family and referring medical staff.  If appropriate, the intern carries out a brief therapeutic intervention with the patient.  The intern conducts the consultation within 24 hours of receiving it.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies:  (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation.

Goal #7: Develop an understanding of the administrative roles, duties, and functions that psychologists serve in the health care field, including managed care issues, supervision, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, and program/ policy development, along with the theories and methods underlying each.

Objectives for Goal 7. (A) Compete clinical forms in a timely and thorough manner. (B) Maintain professional relationships with medical staff, supervisors, peers, support staff, & patients. ( C) Demonstrate flexibility required in a medical setting.  (D) Understand methods of supervision.  (E) Understand methods of program evaluation and quality improvement.

Competencies Expected: Intern writes reports, intakes, treatment plans, progress notes, discharges, and other clinical paperwork thoroughly and within time frame specified by each supervisor.  Intern interacts appropriately with medical staff, supervisors, peers, support staff, and patients.  Intern describes methods of supervision of psychology trainees.  Intern describes methods of mental health program evaluation.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation.

Goal #8: Develop an understanding of and commitment to ethical codes and laws/ regulations/ standards governing the practice of psychology.

Objectives for Goal 8: (A) Apply relevant sections of the APA ethics as relevant to particular therapeutic and consultative issues that arise. (B) Act in accordance with HIPPA. ( C) Act in accordance with other relevant laws such as the child abuse reporting laws.

Competencies Expected: Given an ethical dilemma with a particular clinical situation, the intern locates and summarizes the relevant portion of the APA ethics, discusses it with the supervisor, and acts in accordance with it.  The intern summarizes the major features of HIPPA and the child abuse reporting laws and acts in accordance with them.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations and intern discussion of ethical and legal issues during case conferences.

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the Six & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation.

Goal #9: Understand strategies of scholarly inquiry and the relationship between science and practice.

Objectives for Goal 9: (A) Demonstrate knowledge of empirically/ evidence- based interventions. (B) When presented with a novel clinical problem, search the literature for an evidence-based assessment/ intervention approach to the clinical problem. ( C) Integrate scientific research with clinical cases in presentations to peers, supervisors, and colleagues.

Competencies Expected.  Intern locates manuals for evidence based interventions for major child/ adolescent/ pediatric presenting problems and summarizes the manuals.  Intern describes how to determine whether a given intervention is evidence-based.  Intern reviews relevant research and provides references to it during case presentations in seminars and/or in front of the entire Department.

Evaluation Forms Used for Expected Competencies: (1) Three, Six, Nine, & Twelve Month Performance Evaluations

Minimum Thresholds for Achievement for Expected Competencies: 3 or higher on relevant items of the 6 & Twelve Month Performance Evaluation

TRAINING FACULTY

Below is a list of the core Training Faculty and their areas of supervision.  More information about each Faculty Member can be found by clicking on Training Faculty.

1. Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D.  Director of Training.  ADHD Clinic, family therapy supervision, Endocrinology Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, Myelomeningocele Clinic, inpatient consultation liaison.

2. Kara Brooklier, Ph.D.  Autism training.

3. Michael Butkus, Ph.D. Inpatient consultation liaison, child therapy supervision.

4. Deborah Ellis, Ph.D.  pediatric psychology therapy supervision, mentor.

5. Jill Meade, Ph.D.  HIV Clinic and HIV group work.

6. Jocelyn McCrae, Ph.D.  Sickle Cell Clinic

7. Georgia Michalopoulou, Ph.D. Chief of Staff. Administrative meetings, mentor.

8. Sylvie Naar King, Ph.D. Motivational Interviewing training and supervision.

9. Robert Rothermel, Ph.D.  Neuropyschology.

10. Preeya Taormina, Ph.D. Asthma/Allergy Clinic, Renal Clinic, inpatient consultation liaison.

The interns also participate in seminars and lectures with our three child psychiatry faculty members and several other psychology faculty members:

1. David Rosenberg, M.D.  Chairman of Child Psychiatry and Psychology.  Directs Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds and Child Psychiatry and Psycology Case Conference

2. Jimmie Leleszi, M.D.  Lectures to interns on end-of-life issues, inpatient consultation liaison.

3. Claire Stroker, M.D.  Provides consultation to the Ambulatory Pediatrics Clinic.

SUPERVISION

Supervisors are assigned based upon function, such that there is typically a different supervisor for each function. For example, Dr. Robin supervises all of the AD/HD Clinic evaluations, while Dr. Rothermel supervises all of the neuropsychological evaluations and the Rehabilitation Services.   As a result, interns receive supervision from the entire faculty over the course of the training year.  Interns receive four hours of supervision per week.  At least 2 hours of this time  involves individual supervision.  During supervision, treatment plans, progress notes, case summaries, and assessments will be reviewed, along with an in-depth discussion of each case.  Other case examples may be utilized for discussion purposes.  Individual and cultural differences as related to assessment and treatment will also be reviewed.  Group supervision of therapy cases is provided through the three group supervision meetings listed below.  Interns often supplement the group supervision of their therapy cases with individual supervision with the faculty. 

The director of internship training  has an open door policy, meaning interns are free at any time to discuss concerns or problems with the training director.  The interns also meet twice per month with Dr. Georgia Michalopoulou, Chief of Staff, for an open-ended meeting to discuss any issues which arise.  

SEMINAR/GROUP SUPERVISION/ CASE CONFERENCE  ACTIVITIES

In addition to the Core Professional Issues Seminar, which all of the Wayne State University Psychology Interns participate in, interns in the Clinical Psychology Program with an Emphasis on Pediatric Psychology will participate in the following seminars and case conferences:

1.       Pediatric Psychology Didactic Seminar- this weekly seminar involves presentations by faculty members and outside speakers on a variety of topics related to chronic illness, pediatric psychology, and psychopharmacology.  A physician from Children’s Hospital typically makes a presentation on a particular chronic illness one week; a psychologist then makes a presentation on the psychosocial aspects of the same chronic illness the next week.  All of the chronic illnesses included in the clinics which the interns attend are covered in this manner, along with many other topics such as evidence-based interventions for pediatric psychology problems.  Drs. Rosenberg and Leleszi provide psychopharmacology lectures.

2.       Pediatric Psychology Group Seminar- this is a group supervision and case discussion of the interns’ pediatric psychology therapy cases.  Conducted by Dr. Deborah Ellis, this seminar also includes didactic information on evidence-based interventions.

3.       Pediatric Neuropsychology Seminar and Case Conference- this weekly seminar focuses on developing skills in the interpretation of cognitive deficiency patterns from test data (including the WISC-IV and neuropsychological tests).  The format is to practice blind interpretation of data derived from a library of cases collected by the supervisor.   Dr. Robert Rothermel leads this seminar.  Each intern is expected to direct one seminar meeting with a presentation of didactic material related to a topic in pediatric neuropsychology. 

4.       Child Therapy Group Supervision- this is a group supervision and case discussion of the interns’ child therapy cases.  Dr. Mike Butkus conducts this meeting.

5.       Family Therapy Group Supervision- this is a group supervision and discussion of the interns’ family therapy cases.  It also includes a small amount of didactic presentation.  Dr. Robin leads this meeting.

6.       Child Psychiatry and Psychology Case Conference- once a month, on Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, all of the psychology and psychiatry trainees and faculty at Children’s Hospital of Michigan participate in a case conference led by Dr. David Rosenberg.  Difficult child and adolescent cases are presented and discussed.  Lunch is provided for this case conference.  Each intern will present one case in the conference.

7. Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds- once a month, on Tuesday from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, nationally known researchers and clinicians in the field of Child Psychiatry and Psychology present a Grand Rounds on their research and clinical practice.   Lunch is provided for this case conference.  Previous speakers have included Dr. William Pelham, Dr. Barbara Geller, Dr. Christopher Kratochvil, Dr. Catherine Lord, Dr. Joseph Biederman, and many others.

8. Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Grand Rounds- weekly, from September to June, on Wednesdays, 1 PM to 2:30 PM.

An addition, the interns participate in several regional conferences such as The Michael Golds Memorial ADHD Conference and conferences sponsored by The Michigan Psychological Association.  The interns also receive training in Motivational Interviewing through a full-day seminar.

MENTORING SYSTEM

By the end of the first month of the internship, the Director of Training asks each intern to select a faculty member as a mentor.  The intern and mentor meet regularly throughout the year to help guide the intern on making decisions regarding Post-Doctoral Fellowships, jobs, career issues, and any personal issues which arise.

                                                 RESEARCH TRAINING

Because the demanding internship curriculum is a full-time endeavor, there are no requirements for interns to conduct scientific research.  However, as noted above, a new Research Elective is now available during the outpatient rotation. 

Interns will have opportunities to achieve this goal through attendance at Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds, discussion of the relationship between science and clinical practice during seminars, preparation of presentations for Pediatric Psychology Didactic and Neuropsychology Seminars, and their utilization of various databases and libraries in the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University School of Medicine.  If an intern wants to participate in faculty research, there are ample opportunities to do so through the Research Elective.  Major clinical research is underway in our Department on the following topics: effectiveness of CBT and medication for treating OCD in children, effectiveness of CBT and medication for treating depression in adolescents, the neurobiology of OCD, adolescent depression, and AD/HD, the genetics of AD/HD, the effectiveness of Multisystemic Family Therapy for treating noncompliant adolescents with diabetes and adolescents with HIV, the use of motivational interviewing with asthma patients, validation of measures of parent-adolescent conflict and interactions, and a variety of neuropsychological topics.

SUPERVISION TRAINING

During the core professional issues seminar there will be didactic presentations on supervision processes.   We have arranged an optional supervision experience for interested interns.   They can supervise Wayne State University Clinical Psychology doctoral students conducting a small number of evaluations of children and adolescents for learning, attention, and behavior problems.  Dr. Robin provides supervision to the intern regarding the supervision of the graduate students.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

If you have additional questions about the program after reading this description, feel free to E mail or call Dr. Robin using the contact information given below.    You may also want to explore the following related websites:

Children’s Hospital of Michigan:   http://www.chmkids.org/chm

The Detroit Medical Center    http://www.dmc.org/

The City of Detroit   http://www.ci.detroit.mi.us/

COMPLETE AND SUBMIT ONLINE AAPI APPLICATION MATERIALS TO:

Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D.
Director of Psychology Training
Department of Child Psychiatry and Psychology
Children’s Hospital of Michigan
3901 Beaubien Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48201

Phone: 313-966-0602
Fax: 313-993-0282
E mail: arobin@med.wayne.edu
Program Match Number: 136211