The assessment and treatment experiences provided interns participating on the Child, Adolescent and Family Therapy Track are varied, training venues designed to give interns experience with various aspects of psychopathology commonly encountered in children and adolescents hospitalized for psychiatric illness. In association with the Department of Psychiatry, interns are provided the opportunity to enhance their skills in general clinical practice with a pediatric, child and adolescent population. At the end of the internship year the interns will have acquired the basic abilities to provide competent care in a private practice setting under supervision, or function in a more specialized treatment setting such as a hospital, community mental health center or residential treatment facility specializing in child and adolescent psychiatric care. Interns will have the opportunity to refine their skills at conducting an initial assessment for history and mental status, in providing individual psychotherapy, group therapy, family therapy and discharge planning. They are also provided training opportunities in crisis stabilization and management of the suicidal patient, and will work with patients who experience physical, sexual and emotional trauma and or neglect. Interns collaborate with other treatment team members including the attending psychiatrist, the clinical coordinator and milieu therapists who supervise the daily flow of patient care activities. Inpatient caseloads vary depending on hospital census but range from 2 to 4 patients daily. Interns are also involved in making recommendations and developing an after care program which may or may not include follow-up aftercare with the treating intern. This model also allows frequent and accessible collaboration with the attending psychiatrist when medication management is also provided in-house.
In addition, interns attend inpatient psychiatry rounds, which are held weekly. The purpose of this meeting is for treatment and discharge planning, psychopharmacological management, teaching by the attending psychiatrists regarding patient psychopathology and coordination of care by all treatment team members. At this meeting, interns are expected to present and discuss patient and family dynamics and psychopathology as well as progress towards treatment goals.
The Department of Psychiatry accommodates psychology interns, second year doctoral level practicum students, post-doctoral psychology fellows and masters level clinicians completing internship requirements in the areas of marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling and developmental psychology. Interns are also provided the opportunity to supervise doctoral practicum students in assessment with patients that are referred for evaluation by psychiatrist on the unit. They provide training in test selection, administration and scoring as well as case conceptualization. The interns supervise the doctoral students in conjunction with his or her supervisor who has primary responsibility for the assessment.