Brown Clinical Psychology Training Consortium
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Developmental Disabilities
Site:
Developmental Disabilities Program
Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
Supervisors:
Lori L. McKinsey, Psy.D.
Rowland P. Barrett, Ph.D.
Fellowship Aims:
- To provide the Fellow with broad post-doctoral training in the areas of developmental disabilities and developmental psychopathology, specifically with child and adolescent populations within the community. This will include: (a) a complete and thorough understanding of the nature and types of developmental disorders including Autism, PDD-NOS, Asperger’s Disorder, Mental Retardation, Neurological Impairment, Dual-Diagnosis (e.g., mental retardation with concomitant psychiatric disorder), and Multiply Disabled (e.g., intellectually and/or sensorially and/or physically impaired with psychiatric disorder); and (b) an understanding of the full range of clinical services typically required by the developmentally disabled child.
- To provide the Fellow with a strong working knowledge of clinical research conducted with child and adolescent populations who present with pervasive developmental disabilities, mental retardation, neurological impairment and a broad spectrum of concurrent psychiatric, behavioral, learning, and family problems. Emphasis will be on the integration of clinical service provision and the conducting of applied research.
- To provide the Fellow with clinical training in functional behavior assessment, family assessment, behavior therapy, and community consultation as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team for the Hospital's nationally regarded Developmental Disabilities Program (DDP).
- To expose the Fellow to the administrative aspects essential to providing clinical service and conducting applied research within a home-based program for developmentally disabled children and adolescents.
Fellowship Timeline
This is a two-year Fellowship, starting September 1, 2007. The second year is contingent upon satisfactory progress during the first year.
Research, Academic/Didactic and Professional Training Activity Plan
Twenty percent of the Fellow’s time will be devoted to research, academic/didactic, and professional training experiences. The Fellow will participate in the following activities:
- Review of the Literature: The Fellow will complete readings on relevant historical and contemporary literature pertaining to theory, clinical practice, and research with developmentally disabled children and in developmental psychopathology. The Fellow also will be exposed to methodological/ pragmatic issues in conducting DD research. The Fellow also will become familiar with: (a) the major classes and types of drugs commonly prescribed for DD children, including specific drug action, clinical purpose, and possible side effects; (b) medical conditions commonly experienced by DD children and their role as an etiological mechanism in the development of emotional and/or behavioral disorders; and (c) the legal rights of DD children.
- Research Experience: The Fellow will engage in a research project involving treatment outcomes for children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders and developmental disabilities.
- Manuscript Preparation and Submission: The Fellow may collaborate on manuscript preparation and submission (e.g., book review, book chapter, refereed journal article) and/or panel/poster submissions at a regional or national conference with some aspect of developmental disabilities.
- Ad Hoc Reviewing: For those Fellows interested in learning about the editorial review process of manuscripts submitted to refereed journals, ad hoc reviewing opportunities may be made available with senior psychologists within the Department of Psychiatry (e.g., Dr. Rowland Barrett).
- Post-Doctoral Seminars: The Fellow will participate in the Post-Doctoral Seminar Series through the Brown University Post-Doctoral Training Program, the Grand Rounds Series, the General Child Track Seminar Series, and the Child Psychiatry Seminar Series.
- Licensure as a Psychologist: The Fellow will make application for licensure in the State of Rhode Island and work towards successfully negotiating all aspects of the licensure process. During the second training year, the Fellow will obtain licensure as a psychologist in the state.
Clinical Activity Plan
Eighty percent of the Fellow’s time will be devoted to clinically-related activities. In order to ensure that a high level of clinical training in the area of developmental disabilities is provided, the following activities will be required:
- Membership in the Developmental Disability Programs’s Home Based Therapeutic Services Program: The Fellow will actively participate in the intake of referred patients, treatment review meetings, I.E.P. conferences, discharge conferences, and post-discharge (follow-up) contact with patients, their families, and receiving community agencies and schools. The Fellow will also be assigned patients that attend the Developmental Disabilities Day Program and will participate in the Day Program’s multidisciplinary team, which includes Social Workers, Psychiatrists, S/L Pathologists, and Occupational Therapists.
- Behavioral Assessment: The Fellow will actively participate in the development, implementation, and supervision of home based functional behavioral assessments.
- Treatment: The Fellow will actively participate in: the development and implementation of behavior modification programs for children and adolescents, the development, implementation, and supervision of strategies for analyzing treatment effectiveness, and Parenting Effectiveness Training. The Fellow will also be provided with opportunities to engage in individual therapy with children/adolescents and/or family therapy and/or group therapy.
- Supervision: The Fellow will act as the primary supervisor for all of the Home Based Therapists assigned to his/her caseload of children and adolescents in the HBTS Program. In the role of primary supervisor, the Fellow will provide extensive training to the direct staff, specifically Behavior Therapy, The Triad of Symptoms in Developmental Disabilities, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, and other relevant trainings for direct care staff.
- Diagnostics: The Fellow will be given the opportunity to observe and participate in evaluations specific to Asperger's Disorder.
Supervision and Evaluation
Clinical supervision will be provided in the form of 2-3 hours of weekly individual supervision with a licensed clinical psychologist on site. An additional hourly block will be offered for academic/research supervision. The Fellow also will have access to several additional forums for direct and indirect supervision through optional participation in treatment review meetings with members of the multidisciplinary team.
Goals and learning objectives for the Fellowship will be developed collaboratively by the Fellow and Supervisors early on in the first year. At the midpoint and conclusion of the Fellowship, the Fellow and Supervisors will provide formal performance evaluations and evaluations of the program relative to the goals and learning objectives of the Fellowship.
Resource Requirements
The Fellow will be provided with the following resources:
- Office space on the Bradley campus
- Telephone
- A personal desktop computer with internet access
- Access to copying equipment