The program provides a well-rounded psychology training experience in Pediatric Psychology. Activities include: 

  • Assessment
  • Outpatient individual, family, & group therapies
  • Outpatient clinics
  • Inpatient consultation/liaison

Over internship year, all interns are expected to conduct:

  • 1 Neuroscience Grand Rounds
  • At least 3 didactic case presentations
  • At least 2 therapy groups

Interns will have 14-18 clinical contact hours per week. with all these activities adding up to 2000 hours over the course of year. 
 

Track Experiences

Pediatric Psychology Experience

  • Emphasizes working with medically hospitalized patients, their families and treatment teams
  • Involves year-long experience with the inpatient Consultation/Liaison (CL) service 
    • Work with multidisciplinary teams across the hospital, which can include: medical physicians/fellows/residents/students; nurse practitioners; physician assistants; nurses; mental health therapists; social workers; Child Life specialists; inpatient school teachers; art, music, and/or pet therapy
    • Patient populations can possibly include, depending on intern’s interest, census, and the attending’s availability:
      • Eating disorders
      • Acute or chronic pain
      • Chronic illness
      • Adjustment to a medical condition
      • Challenges with treatment adherence 
      • Pre- and post-solid organ transplant
      • Problems after serious accident or traumatic brain injury
      • End-of-life concerns
      • Cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU)
      • Neonatal intensive care (NICU)
    • Provide brief interventions with patients often involve training in skills for coping with complex medical conditions, behavioral reinforcement, pain management strategies as well as the brief assessment and treatment of anxiety and/or depression 
    • Interns attend care conferences in which psychosocial impressions are presented and treatment recommendations are made. 
  • Involves year-long work in outpatient medical clinics
     

Interns are expected to engage in the following activities:

Outpatient therapy in various formats

  • Leading 2 psychoeducational groups for parents and/or youth that can include but are not limited to: teens with chronic illness (i.e. CHIRP, Chronic Health and Illness Recovery Program); and their parents; Comfort Ability Program (CAP) workshops
  • Working in multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs), such as those relating to: opportunities include working with the clinics that may include but are not limited to GI/feeding, cleft and craniofacial, comprehensive pain, dermatology, spina bifida.
  • Outpatient follow-up therapy related to comorbid medical and behavioral health issues, such as conduct problems, anxiety, or depression. 
  • Opportunities to provide supervision and training to pre-doctoral practicum students
     

Other training experiences include:

  • Weekly one-hour Intern Didactic Training Seminars with staff and outside professionals on clinical/ethical/assessment/medical/professional issues*
  • Monthly one-hour case seminar discussion/presentation*
  • Monthly Health Systems Seminar*
    • Including topics such as:
      • Social and Political Determinants of Health
      • Cultural Humility and Considerations in Supervision
      • Reflective Practice for Introspection for the Self and Personal Biases
  • Collaboration with community partners (local nonprofits and schools)
  • Comfort Ability Program (CAP) workshops for adolescents with chronic pain and/or chronic illness and their parents
  • Monthly Pediatric Psychology Journal Club
  • Monthly Trauma Rounds
  • Weekly one-hour Pediatric Grand Rounds presentations for all medical staff
  • Weekly one-hour Pediatric Neuroscience Grand Rounds
  • Continuing education seminars and conferences held by/for Phoenix Children's staff and residents throughout the year
  • Additional Didactic Training specific to track*
  • Regular meetings with assigned professional development mentor*
     

* Attendance is expected