We provide a well-rounded psychology training experience and offer two year-long, simultaneous tracks: Pediatric Psychology and Pediatric Neuropsychology. Activities in these tracks 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 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 Track

  • 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 these 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 
  • Requires participation in weekend on-call service
    • Interns receive training beforehand regarding Division’s weekend on-call service to the general medical floors.
    • In second semester, work with an attending to cover on-call for about 4 weekends
  • During typical business hours, in times of a “surge” in mental health needs in the Emergency Department, Psychology and interns may be called to assist.
     

Pediatric Neuropsychology Track

  • Emphasizes training in concert with the criteria set forth by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology.
  • Provides training in the practice of clinical psychology, with emphasis in neuropsychology, through supervised evidence-based patient care within the hospital setting supplemented by a didactic curriculum.
  • Involves major rotation of outpatient neuropsychological evaluation of acquired brain injuries and medical conditions that affect central nervous system functioning
    • Patients referred for neuropsychological evaluation include: 
      • Ages from 3-21 years
      • Presenting problems stemming from medical conditions such as: epilepsy, pediatric cancers, brain tumors, movement disorders, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, genetic disorders, and congenital CNS disorders
  • Involves minor inpatient neuropsychology rotation involving inpatient neuropsychological assessment.
    • Referrals can include:
      • Neurorehabilitation unit
      • Hospital-wide neuropsychological assessment and consultation
  • Provide intervention services within specialty clinics and multidisciplinary clinics which may include cystic fibrosis, craniofacial, pain, cardiac, autism, and/or hematology/oncology clinics.
  •  Requires conducting outpatient individual and group therapy programs with medically complex patients.

Both interns are also expected to engage in the following activities:

Outpatient therapy in various formats:

  • Leading 2 psychoeducational groups for parents and/or youth that can include: parents of children with ADHD; teens with chronic illness (i.e. CHIRP, Chronic Health and Illness Recovery Program); and their parents; Gender Support Group
  • Working in multidisciplinary clinics (MDCs), such as those relating to: opportunities include working with the clinics such as cystic fibrosis, chronic pain management, GI, 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 Diversity 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 lunches with the Training Director*
  • Monthly Pediatric Psychology Journal Club
  • Collaboration with the Center for Resilience and Wellbeing (CRW) in addressing Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs)
  • Monthly Trauma Rounds
  • Weekly one-hour Pediatric Grand Rounds presentations for all medical staff
  • Weekly one-hour Pediatric Neuroscience Grand Rounds
  • Weekly Epilepsy Conference
  • Continuing education seminars and conferences held by/for Phoenix Children's staff and residents throughout the year
  • Additional Didactic Training specific to tracks*
  • Monthly assessment case conference for Neuropsychology*
  • Regular meetings with assigned professional development mentor*

* Attendance is expected