Psychology Practicum Training Program

Thank you for your interest in the Yale Child Study Center, Psychology Practicum Training Program. The Yale Child Study Center is an internationally recognized center of innovation in child and family mental health and is dedicated to promoting healthy development and psychological well-being across the lifespan.

Our Center places a high value on training; accordingly, we are pleased to offer Psychology Practicum training opportunities for students who are completing their doctorate degree in Clinical or School Psychology.
Qualified candidates must:

• Be enrolled in an American Psychological Association accredited Clinical or School Psychology PhD or PsyD Program.
• Be in good academic standing (transcript and/or reference from placement coordinator will be required at time of interview).
• Have completed two years of graduate work within their graduate program (accepting students in their 3rd year and beyond). The Developmental Disabilities Track will consider graduate students entering their second year if they have completed assessment coursework and have prior ASD/DD experience.

• Specialty Training Tracks: We offer a variety of specialized training experiences (see track descriptions below).
• Timing: Practicum training generally takes place July through June. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis. Incoming practicum students should expect to attend onboarding and orientation in the first weeks of July.
• Supervision: All tracks are supervised by a fully licensed psychologist
• Weekly commitment: Although there is some variability, we anticipate that students will be able to commit 10-15 hours to clinical care and responsibilities each week. See additional details below. To accommodate our clients and their families, we ask that trainees have some flexibility in their schedules. Trainees providing treatment services as part of their placement should have one to two evenings available to see clients each week.

• Applications are accepted from December 1 through January 31 for each academic year.
• Interviews take place the end of January through mid-March. Final decisions about candidates are made by late March.
• Access the Application here

1. Generalist – Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Assessment
2. Early Childhood – Ages 0-5
3. Developmental Disabilities
4. Pediatric Psychology, Neurology and Chronic Pain

• The practicum placements listed above are unpaid.
• Background checks including Department of Children and Families and Connecticut State Police or other state background checks (as applicable) will be conducted for accepted candidates.
• Parking Information: The Yale Child Study Center does not cover parking costs for interns, trainees, faculty or staff. Parking is available through Yale University at a cost of $75 per month, through the New Haven Parking Authority, or independent lots.
• Contact Information: Please contact Jessica Mayo with any questions or issues accessing the application form.
  

Our Center places a high value on training; accordingly, psychology practicum students work under the supervision of a fully licensed and credentialed faculty member. Practicum students typically carry a caseload of about five to eight clients at a time. They are expected to be the primary clinicians for these clients, with clinical responsibilities including weekly provision of high-quality psychotherapy, case management (e.g., communication with schools, pediatricians, etc.), timely completion of documentation (e.g., progress and case management notes), and development of treatment plans. To support students’ work and development, we offer weekly individual supervision and a weekly clinical rounds group. We expect that students actively participate in these training opportunities. In addition to these regular clinical trainings, additional opportunities for training in evidence-based interventions may be possible.
Practicum training experiences for students within the Generalist Child and Adolescent Track include:

1. Psychotherapy - Practicum students in the Generalist Track typically carry a caseload of about 5-8 clients and receive 1 hour of individual supervision/week with licensed psychologist. Children and adolescents are referred for a range of presenting problems and may be seen individually or with their parents/families depending on clinical presentation and need. Cases are assigned as they come in. This means that a caseload will start small and build during the early weeks of practicum. The average “show” rate in our clinic for any given session is ~70%.
2. Comprehensive Psychological Assessment (ages 5+): Assessment experiences for children ages 5 to 18 includes a comprehensive evaluation that typically takes place over the course of about 4-5 appointments. Children present with a range of problems (e.g., specific concerns about learning, ADHD, mood problems, developmental delay, etc.). During assessment appointments, practicum students meet with the family/youth individually, or with their supervisor (depending on supervisor preference and client factors, e.g., insurance type). Our goal is for students to take the lead on test administration, scoring, writing, and feedback. Supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist. Students will meet weekly with their Assessment Supervisor when they have active assessment cases.

Depending on student interest and clinic/supervisor availability, additional training opportunities may be available.

1. Parent Management Training (PMT) - Training is traditionally Fridays ~12:00
2. MATCH – Training includes didactic learning sessions and bi-weekly group supervision 1:00 on Wednesdays
3. SPACE
4. Circle of Security

Our Center places a high value on training; accordingly, psychology practicum students work under the supervision of a fully licensed and credentialed faculty member. Practicum students typically carry a caseload of about five to eight clients at a time. Practicum students are expected to be the primary clinicians for these clients, with clinical responsibilities including weekly provision of high-quality psychotherapy, case management (e.g., communication with schools, pediatricians, etc.), timely completion of documentation (e.g., progress and case management notes), and development of treatment plans. To support students’ work and development, we offer weekly individual supervision and a weekly clinical rounds group. We expect that students actively participate in these training opportunities. In addition to these regular clinical trainings, additional opportunities for training in evidence-based trainings may be possible.

1. Psychotherapy - Early Childhood Practicum Students typically carry a caseload of about 5-8 clients who are under 5 years of age. They receive 1 hour of individual supervision/week with licensed psychologist. Young children are referred for a range of presenting problems and may be seen individually or with their parents/families depending on clinical presentation and need. Cases are assigned as they come in. This means that a caseload will start small and build during the early weeks of practicum. The average “show” rate in our clinic for any given session is ~70%.
2. Developmental Evaluation (Children 2-4 years old): For practicum students interested in working with young children, assessment experiences include participation on our multidisciplinary “mini-team,” held Tuesdays 9:00-11:00. This team meets with families weekly for about 5-6 weeks to assess their young child’s development (using tools including clinical interview, the Mullen or WPPSI-4, CELF 5, PLS, Vineland III, diagnostic play, school observation). The team includes Clinical and Developmental Psychologists, Speech-Language Pathologist, Social Work and Psychology Interns. Our goal is for practicum students to take the lead on test administration, scoring, writing, and feedback. Practicum students often lead an evaluation about 2-4x/year. When a student is not the “lead” clinician, there are opportunities to observe colleagues, and participate in ongoing discussion of clinical formulation and diagnosis. Supervision is available in the group setting with individual support available as needed.

1. Parent Management Training (PMT) - Training is traditionally Fridays ~12:00
2. Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) - Learning collaborative starting ~ September (Learning Collaborative includes 3 didactic learning sessions (2-3 days each), group supervision weekly, individual supervision weekly
3. MATCH – Training includes didactic learning sessions and bi-weekly group supervision 1:00 on Wednesdays
4. SPACE
5. Circle of Security

Training experiences include:

• Conducting diagnostic evaluations of children and adolescents with ASD and other developmental disorders in a multi-disciplinary Developmental Disabilities Clinic
• Training in specific diagnostic measures used to identify ASD (e.g., ADOS-2)
• Administering cognitive, adaptive, behavioral, and neuropsychological assessments (e.g., WISC-V, DAS-II, Mullen, Vineland-3, BASC-3, and BRIEF-2)
• Engaging in differential diagnosis through participation in multi-disciplinary team rounds
• Participating in parent feedback meetings
• Contributing to psychological assessment report writing

Two-day evaluations are conducted on Wednesday and Thursday mornings (extending into early afternoons), so availability at these times is required. For students who wish to gain additional hours, the practicum offers optional experience conducting research-based autism evaluations in Dr. James McPartland’s lab under the supervision of licensed psychologists.

Trainees will be able to take advantage of training opportunities offered by the broader Child Study Center community, including weekly rounds in the Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic, Child Study Center Grand Rounds, lab meetings and journal club meetings in the McPartland lab, and other didactic experiences at the Yale Child Study Center.

Second year doctoral students will be considered for this placement on a case-by-case basis, if they have completed doctoral level coursework in psychological assessment and have prior experience working with children with ASD or developmental disabilities.

Supervisor: Areti Vassilopoulos, PhD

This position offers the opportunity to work with children and adolescents who are experiencing a variety of chronic medical conditions, such as chronic headaches and migraines, epilepsy, functional neurological symptom disorders (FNSDs), somatic concerns, and related functional and adjustment difficulties. It is fantastic for an advanced graduate student interested in pediatric or health psychology, and working within a medical system. This practicum offers opportunities in multiple pediatric sub-specialty medical clinics, individual pediatric psychology sessions, as well as integration in the Comfort Ability Program workshop(s). Considering interest and availability, a combination of the below rotations can be selected:

1. Comfort Ability Program at Yale: Visit Site
   1. General Workshop: The Comfort Ability Program was created in 2011 and since has been disseminated internationally. At Yale, we provide the workshop virtually and in-person, every other month. As a practicum student on this rotation, you will:
      1. Support recruitment for upcoming workshops through conversation and brief screening of interested families
      2. Co-facilitate virtual and in-person workshops alongside attending psychologists and postdoctoral fellow
   2. Sickle Cell Pain Workshop: The Comfort Ability Program for Sickle Cell Pain was created through collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. It has since been disseminated nationally. At Yale it takes place in person every other month. You would complete the pain management lecture modules through Boston Children’s Hospital as part of training. Practicum students on this rotation co-facilitate the in-person CAP for SCP workshop with kids, teens, young adults, and their families.
2. Comprehensive Headache Clinic: Provide multidisciplinary intake assessments for children and adolescents experiencing chronic headaches or migraines, and their parents presenting for their Comprehensive Headache Clinic visit. In clinic services exist of brief consultations during clinic visits, primarily focused on pain management, psychoeducation, brief intervention, and motivational interviewing. Opportunity to carry short-term ongoing cases for follow up, using a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) approach and incorporating biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, biobehavioral relaxation strategies, mindfulness, and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), as indicated.
3. Comprehensive Epilepsy Center: The training goal of this rotation is to provide the practicum student with opportunities in administering psychological services as a member of a multidisciplinary Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. Psychological services provided include:
   1. Assessment of patient and families coping with epilepsy or functional neurological symptom disorder
   2. Individual and/or family CBT based treatment for children with epilepsy
   3. Consultation with medical team around patient and family coping with anti-epileptic drug side effects, epilepsy surgery, ketogenic diet, and any additional medical treatments.

Common referral issues include adjustment to illness, treatment adherence, managing medication side effects, child and parent coping with anxiety directly related to seizures, and assessment/treatment for co-morbid psychiatric issues such as anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues.