Psychology Practicum Training Program

Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) is an internationally recognized center of innovation in child and family mental health dedicated to promoting healthy development and psychological well-being across the lifespan. At YCSC, we place a high value on training and offer psychology practicum opportunities for students who are completing their doctorate degree in clinical or school psychology.

Practicum students train within a designated track for the year. Additional information about each track is provided below. Applicants are encouraged to indicate their interests/preferences among the following tracks.

• Child and adolescent outpatient psychotherapy
• Developmental disabilities: assessment and group therapy
• Early childhood treatment and evaluation (ages 0-8 years)
• Emotion and systems neuroscience (Ibrahim Lab)
• Pediatric neuropsychological assessment
• Pediatric psychology, neurology and chronic pain

All tracks are supervised by a fully licensed psychologist. Practicum training generally takes place July 1 through June 30 each year. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis. Incoming practicum students attend onboarding and orientation during the first weeks of July.

Applicants should plan to commit 10-15 hours to clinical care and responsibilities each week. To accommodate clients and their families, trainees must have some flexibility in their schedules, including allowing for one or two evenings to see clients each week.

Applicants must be enrolled in an APA-accredited clinical or school psychology PhD/PsyD program and have:

Good academic standing (transcript and/or reference required at time of interview)

Two years of graduate work completed (accepting students in their 3rd year and beyond)

Applications are accepted annually beginning in November for the following academic year, with a deadline in February. Interviews take place on a rolling basis, and final decisions are typically made by March, or sooner. Access the application.

• Practicum placements are unpaid.
• Background checks will be conducted for accepted candidates, including through the Department of Children and Families, Connecticut State Police, or other state background checks (as applicable).
• YCSC does not cover parking costs for interns, trainees, faculty, or staff. Parking is available through Yale University at a cost of approximately $75 per month, through the New Haven Parking Authority, or independent lots.

Please contact Jessica Mayo, PhD, with any related questions.

• Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychotherapy
• Developmental Disabilities: Assessment and Group Therapy
• Early Childhood (0-8 years old) Treatment and Evaluation
• Emotion and Systems Neuroscience (Ibrahim Lab)
• Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment
• Pediatric Psychology, Neurology and Chronic Pain

• Location: Yale Child Study Center Clinical Services, 350 George Street, New Haven, CT
• Schedule: Thursdays and Fridays
• Clients: Children and adolescents (age 0-19) who present with concerns related to developmental delay, chronic or acute trauma, mood or behavior disorders, anxiety, thought problems, and problems related to attention and impulsivity.
• Clinical care: This begins with a diagnostic intake, and is followed by the creation of a treatment plan, including goals for treatment that are co-created with the child and family. Families are typically recommended for weekly psychotherapy. Psychiatric evaluations are available as needed.

1. Treatment
• Psychotherapy clients: Practicum students typically see 4-5 clients per week.
• Supervision and Clinical support: To support students’ work and development, weekly individual supervision with a licensed clinical psychologist is provided, along with a weekly clinical rounds group. In addition to regular clinical trainings, additional opportunities for training in evidence-based interventions may be possible (see below).
• Responsibilities: Practicum students are expected to be the primary clinicians for their 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.
• Clinical intervention: Children and adolescents may be seen individually or with their caregivers/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 the clinic for any given session is ~70%.
2. Diagnostic evaluation and initial treatment planning: Children and adolescents who are referred for outpatient services complete an initial intake appointment that includes diagnostic evaluation and initial treatment planning. Practicum students in the child and adolescent track co-facilitate these evaluations and practice the valuable skills of clinical interview, conceptualization, diagnosis, feedback, and treatment planning. Each appointment lasts approximately 2 hours.
3. Possible opportunities/trainings in evidence-based treatments: Depending on student interest and clinic/supervisor availability, additional training opportunities may be available, including:
• Parent Management Training (PMT) – traditionally held on Fridays at noon
• MATCH
• SPACE
• Circle of Security

Weekly clinical opportunities/responsibilities

Students with a specialized interest in early childhood mental health and development may choose to specialize in treatment and assessment with children under 8 years old.

• Location: Yale Child Study Center Outpatient Services Clinic, 350 George Street, New Haven, CT
• Schedule: Tuesdays and Fridays
• Clients: Children under 8 years old who present with concerns related to developmental delay, chronic or acute trauma, mood or behavior disorders, anxiety, and problems related to attention and impulsivity.
• Clinical care: This begins with a diagnostic intake, and is followed by the creation of a treatment plan, including goals for treatment that are co-created with the child and family. Families are typically recommended for weekly psychotherapy. Psychiatric evaluations are available as needed. Assessment services including developmental evaluation are also available to families as needed.

1. Treatment: Early childhood practicum students typically carry a caseload of about 5-8 clients who are under 8 years of age. They receive one hour of individual supervision per week with a 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 the clinic for any given session is ~70%.
2. Developmental evaluation (children 2-5 years old): For practicum students interested in working with young children, assessment experiences include participation in a multidisciplinary “mini-team,” held Tuesdays from 9:00-11:00 a.m. This team meets with families weekly for about 5-6 weeks to assess the 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, a speech-language pathologist, and social work and psychology interns. Practicum students actively participate in team discussions and co-facilitate test administration, scoring, writing, and feedback. Practicum students often lead an evaluation about twice per 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.
3. Diagnostic evaluation and initial treatment planning: All YCSC outpatient services begin with an initial intake appointment that includes a clinical interview and behavioral observations. Families provide information about biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to their concerns and/or presentation. During this intake appointment, caregivers are provided with an initial diagnosis and collaborate with the clinician to create an initial plan for treatment. Practicum students have opportunities to co-facilitate these evaluations and practice the valuable skills of clinical interview, conceptualization, diagnosis, feedback, and treatment planning. Each appointment lasts approximately 2 hours.
4. Possible trainings in evidence-based treatments: Depending on student interest and clinic/supervisor availability, additional training opportunities may be available, including in:
   1. Parent Management Training (PMT) – traditionally held on Fridays at noon
   2. Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) – learning collaborative typically starting in September, including three didactic learning sessions (2-3 days each), group supervision weekly, individual supervision weekly
   3. MATCH – includes didactic learning sessions and bi-weekly group supervision at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays
   4. SPACE
   5. Circle of Security

Weekly clinical opportunities/responsibilities

Training experiences include:

• Conducting diagnostic evaluations of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (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
• Co-facilitating a weekly social skills group

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 McPartland's lab under the supervision of licensed psychologists.

Trainees are able to take advantage of training opportunities offered by the broader YCSC community, including weekly rounds in the Developmental Disabilities Clinic; YCSC Grand Rounds; lab meetings and journal club meetings in the McPartland lab; and other didactic experiences at YCSC.

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 track is ideal 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. Practicum students work with children and adolescents who are experiencing a variety of chronic medical conditions, including chronic headaches and migraines, epilepsy, functional neurological disorders (FNDs), sleep/insomnia challenges, somatic concerns, neuromuscular conditions, and related functional and adjustment difficulties. Considering interest and availability, a combination of the following rotations can be selected.

Pediatric Psychology Clinic in Neurology: The goal of this rotation is to provide the practicum student with opportunities to deliver short-term, targeted, health behavior interventions to families referred from all of child neurology. Typical referrals include chronic pain management, headache management, FND treatment, adjustment to illness, and sleep interventions. Psychological services provided include CBT, retraining and control therapy (ReACT), ACT, motivational interviewing, and targeted health behavior interventions.

Comprehensive Headache Clinic: Practicum students on this rotation provide multidisciplinary intake assessments for children and adolescents experiencing chronic headaches or migraines – and their parents – presenting for their clinic visit. In-clinic services consist of brief consultations during visits, primarily focused on pain management, psychoeducation, brief intervention, and motivational interviewing. There is also an 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.

Comfort Ability Program (CAP) at Yale, Sickle Cell Pain (SCP) Workshop: The CAP for sickle cell pain was created through a collaboration between Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. It has since been disseminated nationally. At Yale, it typically takes place in person every other month. Practicum students on this rotation complete pain management lecture modules through Boston Children’s Hospital as part of training and then co-facilitate CAP for SCP workshops with children, adolescents, young adults, and their families.

Supervisor: Karim Ibrahim, PhD

The Ibrahim Lab offers an opportunity for an advanced extern student with a focus on assessment. Research in the Ibrahim Lab is patient-oriented and focuses on understanding brain networks of emotion regulation in children. The externship includes training in diagnostic assessments for child mental health, autism, emotion regulation, and childhood adversity and resiliency.

Students in the Ibrahim Lab are part of a multidisciplinary research team with a range of training opportunities (assessment, diagnostic measures, translational neuroscience research) and regular mentoring. This is an in-person training experience with the possibility of hybrid for certain assessments. There are also opportunities for dissertation research. Learn more about the Ibrahim Lab.

This track involves the following:

1. Cognitive testing (WASI, NIH toolbox)
2. Diagnostic assessment of child psychopathology (K-SADS)
3. Autism assessment (ADI-R)
4. Preparation of comprehensive reports of psychological/diagnostic assessments
5. Presentation during a lab meeting each semester (e.g., literature review, findings) to develop science communication skills
6. Training in administration of a wide array of parent- and child-report measures of emotion and social functioning as well as childhood stress exposures, adverse childhood experiences, protective factors/resiliency, and emotion regulation
7. The neural bases of emotion regulation and use of fMRI for clinical research purposes
8. Didactics including departmental grand rounds, in-house trainings, and seminars on career and professional development
9. A range of child mental conditions including disruptive behavior disorders and autism spectrum disorder
10. Participation in weekly lab meetings
11. Minimum commitment of 10 hours per week for the full academic year

Applicants for this track are required to submit additional information, including contact information for 2-3 professional references and a deidentified comprehensive report.

Supervisor: Mary Best, PhD

The Pediatric Neuropsychology Program at YCSC is located at 350 George Street, New Haven, CT. This clinic provides neuropsychological assessments for children and adolescents (ages 5-22) typically referred from pediatric clinics throughout YNHH. Many patients are referred by neurology and neurosurgery clinics for concerns about the cognitive effects of seizure disorders, concussion, spina bifida, pre- and post-transplant, and myriad genetic syndromes as well as general questions about developmental delays. Most patients are evaluated in one day and complete a comprehensive battery of cognitive ability, memory, attention and executive functioning, visual perceptual skills, speech and language, academics, and social-emotional functioning if appropriate.

Neuropsychology practicum students work under the supervision of a fully licensed and credentialed faculty member and are expected to be in clinic two days per week. Practicum students typically carry a caseload of four cases per month They are expected to be the primary clinicians for these clients, with clinical responsibilities including administering full test battery to fidelity, scoring all measures and timely documentation (e.g., progress notes), and preparing a report draft. Eventually, students will also complete the parent interview and provide feedback to family. To support students’ work and development, weekly individual supervision is offered, along with a weekly clinical rounds group. Students are expected to actively participate in these training opportunities. Prospective trainees applying to this track are typically in a neuropsychology PhD program or school psychology PhD program with a neuropsychology concentration.

Supervisors: Chelsea Morgan, PsyD, and Kelly K. Powell, PhD

Overview

Advanced doctoral students interested in specializing in the assessment of young children with neurodevelopmental disorders are encouraged to apply. Applicants need to have previous assessment experience and a strong interest in early development. This practicum placement focuses on assessments through the Toddler Developmental Disabilities Clinic and collaboration with the NICU GRAD Program, serving children with complex developmental and medical needs.

Training experiences

• Join a collaborative team of clinical psychologists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and psychology trainees dedicated to providing comprehensive diagnostic evaluations across clinical settings.
• Participate in comprehensive, interdisciplinary diagnostic evaluations for toddlers and preschoolers with or suspected of having neurodevelopmental delays or disorders, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder, language and communication disorders, motor delays, global developmental delays, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and stereotypic movement disorder, etc. Families may present with specific developmental concerns and behaviors or broader diagnostic and treatment questions.
• Provide developmental assessments for young children ages 12 months to three years, as well as cognitive evaluations and brief emotional-behavioral screenings for preschoolers (ages 4–5) enrolled in NICU GRAD.
• Learn to administer and interpret standardized assessments, including:
  • Developmental measures (e.g., Bayley-4, Mullen)
  • Cognitive assessments (DAS-II, WPPSI-IV)
  • Social-communication and behavioral assessments (e.g., ADOS-2, CARS2)
  • Adaptive assessments (e.g., Vineland-3)
  • Emotional-behavioral screening tools (e.g., BASC-3, BRIEF-Preschool)
• Engage in case conceptualization through active participation in interdisciplinary team rounds.
• Participate in parent feedback sessions, delivering diagnostic results and individualized recommendations.
• Prepare written diagnostic summaries and reports integrating developmental, medical, and behavioral data.
• Collaborate with pediatricians, early intervention providers, and schools for continuity of care.
• Gain understanding of the family experience post-diagnosis, including challenges in accessing services and navigating systems of care, to inform clinical recommendations and support planning.
• Learn how to integrate research and clinical practice.

Additional opportunities (when available)

• Observe/participate in evaluations in Spanish
• Observe young children engaged in ABA at local clinics
• Participate in selective research experiences through the Social and Affective Neuroscience of Autism Lab

Training and professional development opportunities

• Weekly rounds in the Developmental Disabilities Clinic
• YCSC Grand Rounds and didactic seminars
• Opportunities to shadow other specialty clinics and research-based autism evaluations