Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

CHKD’s pediatric psychology training track involves year-long core experiences with consult-liaison and outpatient services. This track will provide an opportunity to work with a variety of medical populations, including inpatient pediatric rehabilitation, pain and palliative care, gastroenterology, neurology, hematology/oncology, intensive care, and trauma. The fellow will receive training in assessment and consultation within a tertiary medical/clinical setting as well as additional experiences with more traditional brief and/or long-term intervention or assessment outpatient cases. The fellow will be responsible for working with interdisciplinary teams and the patients referred to each of these service areas. In addition, fellows may supervise trainees and provide educational opportunities to other professionals in the healthcare system. 

Primary Rotation(s): 

While on the Consultation Liaison team, fellows will work with the Psychiatry/Psychology Consultation and Liaison (CL) team which provides inpatient consultation to the medical units at CHKD. The Psychiatry/Psychology Consultation Liaison team includes psychiatry and psychology attendings, psychiatry and psychology postdoctoral fellows, psychology practicum students and medical residents. Our CL team is fully integrated with psychiatry and cases are triaged together. The Psychiatry/Psychology CL team works very closely with the Mental Health Assessment Team (MHAT) and 7D Integrated Health Unit and round together daily. Consults are requested by attending physicians, residents, nurses, or other health care practitioners for children who are hospitalized due to a medical need and are experiencing concomitant psychological symptoms. Referral questions range widely and include assessment and disposition planning for behavioral emergencies, assisting with adjustment to new diagnosis, diagnostic clarification for potential somatic symptoms disorders, proving target symptom reduction for pain and somatic symptom and related disorders, facilitating problem-solving to address medical regimen adherence concerns, assessment and targeted intervention for acute stress reactions, and leading a family-based treatment approach to treat eating disorders. The fellows work with interdisciplinary teams including medical attendings and house staff (medical residents and fellows, medical students), nurses, social workers, child life specialists, and case managers. Depending on the medical need, physical and/or occupational therapists, dieticians, pharmacists, and other specialists might also be involved. Fellows may have the opportunity to provide education and support to the medical residents and fellows in both informal and formal presentations. 

While on the outpatient portion of the track, the postdoctoral fellow will provide outpatient services to patients with medical diagnoses and/or co-occurring mental health diagnoses. The children served by the psychology fellow will have a primary focus on the provision of evidence-based intervention to children and families with a broad range of complex medical and co-occurring psychological/ psychiatric diagnoses (e.g., oncology, genetic disorders, diabetes and other endocrine disorders, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette’s, and tic disorders, somatic symptoms and related disorders). The fellow will have an opportunity to work with their supervisor to focus on specific interventions and diagnoses. The fellow will conduct clinical intake evaluations and develop and deliver treatment plans consistent with each child’s mental health needs. Fellows will have the opportunity to provide intervention to patients and families and collaborate closely within a multidisciplinary team including specialty attendings, child & adolescent psychiatrists, medical and other allied healthcare professionals, and schools. Referrals for outpatient therapy are from physicians in our healthcare network or as continuity patients from patients seen by the consultation liaison team. This provides the unique opportunity to coordinate with a patient’s larger healthcare team through the electronic health record. Additionally, the fellow may conduct psychological testing to evaluate relevant domains related to cognitive, achievement, executive functioning, social communication, and emotional/behavioral functioning. Integration of data from various sources, development of diagnostic conceptualizations, and tailored treatment recommendations will culminate in a comprehensive evaluation report and therapeutic delivery of feedback. 

Mini-rotations/Elective: 

Additionally, the fellow may select an elective experience (4-8 hours per week) within a specialty area to cultivate a niche skill set. Previous examples of elective experiences have included rotations with neuropsychological assessment, sleep medicine, pain and palliative care, and primary care/General Academic Pediatrics which have involved assessment and consultation of mental health needs and brief treatment, if indicated, integrated with the medical providers. These are typically discussed and identified during interview/selection process