The focus of our program is to train psychology interns in the areas of pediatric health psychology, child and adolescent clinical psychology and clinical neuropsychology. A graduated program of training experiences is provided for predoctoral level psychology trainees. Our program is based on a Practitioner Scholar model, an integration of scholarship with experiential learning. Interns learn how to apply the science of psychology to clinical practice. The program includes exposure to knowledge and skills necessary for the completion of doctoral level training in professional psychology. From didactic seminars to shadowing experiences, interns are trained in a manner that is sequential, cumulative and graded in complexity. The intern's progression toward independent practice informed by science is closely monitored through supervision provided across all aspects of training, the importance of psychological research and the application of that research to practice emphasized.
The internship year begins with an orientation week during which time training supervisors present a description of the activities and requirements of each training setting. All interns are required to participate in training experiences involving psychological assessment, treatment and consultation-liaison service. In addition to these core-training requirements, interns are selected to participate in one of the three following yearlong specialized multidisciplinary training tracks: the Pediatric Health Track, the Child Adolescent and Family Therapy Track or the Neuropsychology Track. The Pediatric Health Track consists of two six months training rotations; the Developmental Disabilities Rotation and the Developmental Evaluation and Intervention Program Rotation. Beyond the core training experiences and specialized training tracks, interns are able to pursue their individual training interests through participation in elective multidisciplinary clinics and training teams. Training in this third area is available through the following subspecialty clinics and services: Craniofacial Clinic, Neurodevelopmental Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, the Bone Marrow Transplant Team and the Pain Management Team. Attendance at hospital multidisciplinary teaching rounds across services (e.g., Pulmonology, Oncology, Gastroenterology, etc.) is also encouraged. Efforts are made to accommodate interns' individual training interests and needs as long as the core and specialized training requirements are met.
Throughout the year, patients are assigned based on the presenting problem in order to expose interns to a full range of assessment (developmental, intellectual, processing, achievement, emotional, behavioral) and treatment (individual therapy, family therapy, group therapy) modalities, taking into consideration the intern's prior training and experience.