The Child Study Center Psychology Fellowship seeks to provide a general clinical program with an emphasis on child clinical psychology. The program prepares professionals to successfully address the complexities associated with children who are psychologically vulnerable. Individuals trained at the Center learn to work within traditional and nontraditional settings, and to embrace diverse roles and responsibilities. An over-riding goal of the training program is to demonstrate to fellows, through a combination of practical and didactic experiences, that provision of mental health services to children requires intervention at multiple, interacting levels of influence.

Our program is aimed at candidates in clinical psychology who seek a coordinated two-year program which will meet their requirement for an APA accredited internship as well as provide preparation for licensure. The objectives of our program are designed to develop competencies across the following areas:

Treatment

• Treatment Competence (including psychotherapy and other forms of intervention)
• Knowledge of Service Delivery Models (including individual, family, in-home)
• Application of Theoretical Models (including developmental, behavioral, psychodynamic, family systems)
• Assessment and Evaluation (including any clinical practice area involving assessment and evaluation except psychological testing)
• Use of supervision (including preparation and approach to learning)

Assessment

• Psychological Assessment (including test selection, administration and scoring, interpretation and report writing)
• Introductory Neuropsychological Assessment (including test selection, administration and scoring, interpretation and report writing)
• Communication Skills (oral and written)
• Use of Supervision (including preparation and approach to learning)

Research

• Research Opportunities: Exposure to and participation in the formulation and implementation of applied child clinical research

Consultation

• Consultation Competence with Colleagues
• Consultation Competence Across Settings (including educational, medical, community)
• Use of Supervision (including preparation and approach to learning)
• Communication Skills (oral and written)

Knowledge

• Knowledge of Theoretical Models (developmental, behavioral, psychodynamic, family systems)
• Knowledge of Cultural and Ethnic Perspectives
• Knowledge of Psychological Disorders of Childhood
• Knowledge of Research (including clinical application)

Professional Development

• Ethical Standards
• Interpersonal Skills (with colleagues, parents, children, schools, agencies)
• Other Professional Conduct Standards (including adherence to agency standards, respect for all agency staff, promptness)
• Teaching and Supervision (including Models of Supervision)

The predoctoral training year focuses on implementation of clinical services in the community. Fellows evaluate and treat patients through the outpatient clinics of the Child Study Center. In addition, interns spend approximately 10-15 hours per week working in a specialized training area selected by them during the APPIC application process. Specialized training areas include 1) Autism, 2) Early Childhood, 3) Pediatric Psychology, and 4) Trauma and Children. Each training area provides clinical and research opportunities.

Approximately 50% of the second training year focuses on hospital-based evaluation and treatment of children with serious psychiatric illness. Fellows work as primary clinicians on a child or adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit and consult to the pediatric emergency department. The remaining 50% of training is dedicated to the specialized training area initiated during the predoctoral internship year. Continued clinical intervention with children and families, along with more intensive involvement in ongoing research projects, is highlighted in the specialized training area.

Program Outcomes

The Yale Child Study Center Psychology Training program was specifically designed to train leaders in the field of child psychology who will go on to careers in research, teaching, clinical services, and advocacy for medically underserved populations. The training model provides clinical and didactic training experiences which allow interns to work with underserved populations across a range of areas. Training experiences emphasize gaining expertise in areas of specialization (AOS), while participating in a generalist curriculum of psychological assessment, intervention, consultation, professional development, and research. These experiences increase access to clinical services and address the needs of underserved populations, including::

• Children exposed to violence
• Children with serious psychiatric illness
• Children with significant developmental disabilities
• Children with school-related problems
• Children diagnosed with serious physical illness

Each intern has an individualized course of study that incorporates didactic and clinical experiences. Interns are based at the Yale Child Study Center, but engage in multi-agency and multi-disciplinary collaborations through linkages with hospital and community based initiatives. Each intern remains for a second training year with increased emphasis on training within the area of specialization and hospital-based work. These experiences are designed to increase the workforce of culturally competent psychologists who can effectively work with, and teach others to work with, medically underserved populations.

This two-year integrated approach shows promise in developing a cadre of practitioners prepared to go on to provide leadership in the areas of clinical service, teaching, and research to medically underserved children and families. Thus far the model has demonstrated its success in a number of ways:

• One hundred percent of program participants work extensively with underserved populations, in both the generalist training curriculum and in their area of specialization, including working with children from Health Professions Shortage Areas (HPSAs).
• One hundred percent of program completers continue to work with underserved populations during their second year at the Child Study Center, including working with children from HPSAs.
• Career choices following completion of the two-year program model suggest that participants begin career trajectories which will enable them to make significant contributions as leaders in improving knowledge, skills, competencies, and outcomes both in the development of the health professions workforce and in the delivery of services to underserved populations.

Graduate Outcomes