This elective is a part of the Internship in Clinical Psychology. This predoctoral internship is open to matriculated doctoral students enrolled in clinical or counseling psychology programs.
Interns in the Child Clinical Psychology Elective spend approximately half of their direct clinic services time in the Child Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic. This patient population is economically and culturally diverse and includes children and families with multiple psychological, social, and medical problems. Typical referral problems include anxiety disorders, depression/mood disorders, ADHD and parenting difficulties. Additionally, interns have the option of gaining experience in behavioral medicine by seeing children that are referred by various pediatric medical services, including gastroenterology and endocrinology through the outpatient clinic. The interns obtain closely supervised experiences in individual child therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, parent guidance interventions and family therapy. On average, interns see approximately eight to ten patients (individuals or families) per week.
Child interns also do a six-month, four-hour per week rotation providing service for adult psychiatric inpatients on a locked, inpatient psychiatric unit located on Blake 11.
Interns provide psychological and neuropsychological evaluations through the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program (LEAP). Interns become familiar with basic approaches to pediatric neuropsychological functioning of children and adolescents. Emphasis is placed upon the assessment of learning problems and developmental disabilities, but the interns also gain expertise in tests of emotional functioning and projective measures, as many of the referrals present with a mixture of learning, behavioral and emotional difficulties. On average, the interns perform two to three test batteries per month.
Interns gain experience throughout the year in school consultation and liaison. More specifically, the intern gains experiences in extrapolating the consultation process to school environments, examines child and adolescent development within the context of schools, and helps patients and families obtain appropriate educational services including 504 plans and individual educational plans (IEPs). In addition to this experience, interns are provided with numerous opportunities to consult with pediatricians, psychiatrists, and medical specialties within the hospital regarding psychological treatment and assessment of pediatric patients.
Child interns integrate research literature into their ongoing clinical and assessment practices. In addition, there is a strong history of child interns participating in ongoing research projects within the department of psychiatry and within specialty areas of medicine (e.g., neurology, endocrinology, behavioral medicine).
In addition to the internship core didactics, the following seminars are required:
For 80 years, Mass General's Psychiatry Department has provided the highest quality patient care through pioneering research.
Find information on psychiatry residencies, fellowships and other continuing medical education opportunities.
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This elective is a part of the Internship in Clinical Psychology. This predoctoral internship is open to matriculated doctoral students enrolled in clinical or counseling psychology programs.
