Universal Psychology Postdoctoral Directory

Elements of quality clinically focused postdoctoral training

Clinical Child Psychology with emphasis on Pediatric Psychology Service

The Pediatric Psychology Service Fellowship offers a 1-year full time postdoctoral training that combines inpatient consultation-liaison services to Holtz Children’s Hospital and outpatient treatment through the Miami Transplant Institute (MTI), under the leadership of service director, Dr. Melisa Oliva and attending psychologist, Dr. Natasha Poulopoulos. The pediatric fellow will also have the option to engage in applied clinical research, as preferred during the training year. Through our devotion to health service training and patient care, the Clinical Child - Pediatric Psychology Service Fellowship training program has been awarded full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation (CoA) of the American Psychological Association (APA). According to 2022 statistics, our program is 1 of 8 fellowship sites in the United States that are accredited in Clinical Child Psychology. 

Holtz Children’s Hospital is one of the largest children’s hospitals in the southeast United States, treating children throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Located at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center, it is known worldwide for the outstanding team of pediatric specialists experienced in treating children with all types of needs; from routine care to life-saving procedures. Holtz Children’s Hospital is among the nation’s best children’s hospitals, according to the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings. The Miami Transplant Institute is a world-class transplant center that offers life-saving transplant, support, and rehabilitation programs to children and adults facing organ failure. MTI has ranked as the #1 transplant center in the United States two years in a row. Embedded training at MTI will take place during pediatric transplant clinics and mental health services are based on a specialty care model.

Training in this Specialty Practice Area emphasizes the relationship among behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, cultural and biological aspects of health and disease in order to promote wellbeing, prevent illness and aid in the rehabilitation process. The candidate selected for the Pediatric Psychology Service fellowship will gain specialized clinical experience in pediatric psychology, including adjustment to new or chronic medical illness, preparation for medical procedures/surgery, end stage organ disease, conducting solid organ pre-transplant evaluations, trauma, end of life issues, eating disorders, somatic symptom and related disorders, pain management, anxiety, depression, poor adherence to medical and psychiatric treatment, safety assessments, and multidisciplinary collaboration with medical teams.

This Specialty Practice Area consists of three (3) emphasis areas, which run simultaneously: 

1. Pediatric psychology consultation-liaison to inpatient medical

Pediatric psychology consults are requested by medical staff across a number of pediatric specialties including solid organ transplant (liver/intestine/multivisceral, kidney, heart, and lung), nephrology, gastrointestinal, cardiology, pulmonology, intensive care, orthopedics, trauma, neurology, and general pediatrics teams. The pediatric fellow is exposed to patients ranging in age from infancy to young adulthood as well as their families. Consultations encompass a wide variety of issues, including adjustment to chronic illness/recurrent hospitalization, pre-transplant evaluation and post-transplant management, pain management, non-adherence, somatic symptom and related disorders, anticipatory anxiety, regimen adherence/pill swallowing, illness-related challenges to quality of life (peers, academics, loss of independence), end-of-life/palliative care, patient-staff communication issues, parental support/bereavement, and acute stress/reaction to trauma and body disfigurement as a result of injury/treatment. Our approach is multidisciplinary and we work closely with teams comprised of medical interns/residents/fellows/attendings, surgeons, social workers, physical, occupational and speech therapists, child life specialists, music therapist, nurses, child and adolescent psychiatry 2nd year fellows, and ethicists. We attend particular team’s rounds as needed or requested to provide feedback on patient care and coordination (e.g., trauma and solid organ transplant rounds, nephrology rounds and selection committee, GI transplant selection committee, pediatric bioethics committee, etc.) In addition, the Pediatric Psychology Service is an official part of the Pediatric Palliative Care Team (PediPals). We work with a culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse patient population and staff. While the emphasis of consultation is on assessment and providing recommendations to the family and medical team, there are also many opportunities for brief, solution-focused interventions as well as longer-term, intensive interventions as a large portion of our patients remain in the hospital for several days to many months and/or have chronic conditions requiring frequent inpatient admissions.

2. Outpatient therapy through pediatric MTI clinics

In addition to inpatient consultation-liaison, the pediatric fellow will be integrated into the Miami Transplant Institute’s pediatric clinics utilizing a specialty care model. The fellow will have exposure to conducting routine psychological pre-transplant evaluations and solution-focused brief therapy as well as triage cases and provide referrals for longer-term treatment. The fellow will also be expected to carry approximately 2-4 outpatient cases in the MTI clinic with a longer-term therapeutic pediatric psychology focus. In addition, the fellow will have the opportunity to carry transplant cases initially consulted on in the hospital through to the outpatient therapy setting.

3. Pediatric Psychology Service didactics

In addition to providing services at Holtz Children’s Hospital, and pediatric MTI clinics, the pediatric psychology fellow will also be involved in the following pediatric focused didactics: 

1. Pediatric Psychology Consultation-Liaison Seminar

Facilitators: Melisa Oliva, Psy.D. & Natasha Poulopoulos, Ph.D.

The Pediatric Psychology Service fellow, along with the pediatric intern, participate in a 60-minute Pediatric Psychology Consultation-Liaison Seminar totaling 11 sessions during the training year. This seminar provides an opportunity to discuss timely journal articles and evidence-based practices regarding all topics related to being part of an inpatient pediatric consultation-liaison service. Topics range from foundational (e.g., the role of the C/L team, working within a multidisciplinary team) to skills-based learning with particular populations that the service is routinely consulted on (e.g., working with transplant patients, pediatric medical traumatic stress, pain management, somatic symptoms and related disorders, etc.). In addition to these topics, the fellow will have the opportunity to present on a topic and a case that they have been involved in consultation and treatment in the hospital setting. This provides the fellow the opportunity to present and teach interdisciplinary team members.

2. Pediatric Palliative Care (PediPals) Multidisciplinary Meeting

Facilitators: Patricia Cantwell, M.D., Chief, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Director, Pediatric Palliative Medicine; Amanda Alladin, M.D., PICU and Pedipals Attending & Kimberly Juanico, RN, BSN, CHPPN, Pediatric Palliative Care Nurse Coordinator

The Pediatric Psychology fellow takes part in the Pediatric Palliative Care rounds once a week with multidisciplinary team members through Holtz Children’s Hospital, including the Pediatric ICU Director and attending, Palliative Care Team Coordinator, medical students/residents/fellows rotating through the Palliative Care Service, Child Life, Music Therapy, Pastoral Care, and Hem-Onc psychologist and trainees. Current hospitalized patients with chronic or life-limiting illnesses are discussed as well as problem-solving/formulating interdisciplinary plans to improve care and quality of life.

3. Pediatric Grand Rounds & Pediatric Staff Conference

Facilitators: Pediatric Chief Medical Officer & Pediatric Chief Medical Resident

Optional weekly formal academic presentations about various topics in pediatrics presented by local and nationally known speakers. Attended by pediatric attendings and trainees (medical students, interns, residents and fellows). Meets for 60 minutes every week. 

The fellow can also participate in seminars and special conferences that are offered in the medical center at the discretion of the fellow’s supervisor. The fellow will work within a multidisciplinary team, including close collaboration between psychology and medical staff and trainees. The fellow will be provided the opportunity to teach multidisciplinary trainees in pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology and other disciplines. The fellow will receive two hours of individual supervision and mentorship will be provided in teaching, supervision, research, and overall career and professional development.