Psychology Externship/Practicum Training

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a field-placement (extern) training site for several local Clinical Psychology training programs.  All students applying to be externs at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center must do so through the training directors' offices at their respective educational institutions.  Externship applicants whose applications are not pre-approved by their training directors will not be considered, and their applications will not be reviewed.  Upon approval from the school's training director, students may communicate with the Harbor-UCLA Track Supervisors regarding their application.

Externships are currently offered in the following tracks:

CHILD/ADOLESCENT:

• Adolescent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Child Psychological Assessment
• Child and Adolescent Trauma Therapy
• Pediatric Clinics:  Psychological and Developmental Testing
• TIES for Families:  Psychological Assessment and Therapy

ADULT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Nature of Setting and Population Served

Externs rotate between both inpatient and outpatient settings including the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Clinic in Adult Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic, and the Acute Inpatient Unit (8 West). Externs provide cognitive behavioral therapies to adults in both individual and group formats.  All settings are interdisciplinary and patients are seen for empirically supported treatments.

Direct/Indirect Services

The externship aims to familiarize the extern with four evidence based treatments, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The externship is divided into two six-month rotations. 

    · The Inpatient rotation provides the extern with intensive CBT training with the severely and persistently mentally ill.  Externs lead inpatient and outpatient groups primarily using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and CBT for patients with psychoses.  Externs also typically carry 2  individual CBT patients, 2 DBT patient and 2 CBASP patients in the outpatient clinic while they are on the 8 West Inpatient rotation.

   · The second six-month rotation is in the CBT Clinic in the Adult Outpatient Clinic.  Externs typically carry 2 individual CBT patients, 2 DBT patients, and 2 CBASP patients.  Externs also lead 2-3 outpatient CBT-DBT groups including CBASP for chronic depression, DBT skills training group, ACT for chronic pain, CBT groups for insomnia, behavioral activation and anxiety disorders.

For both rotations, externs have the opportunity to be the teacher’s assistant for the CBT course, or serve as the junior editor of several international cognitive therapy newsletters

Additionally, externs develop a group research project to complete for the year. For the past several years, the projects have been reported at national and international conferences. Several are in preparation for publication.

Supervision and Training 

Primary supervision is provided by licensed clinical psychologists or postdoctoral fellows.  Required courses include the CBT course, the DBT team consultation and the CBT case conference.  The extern will be provided several required trainings at the beginning of the year including: a three day required training in DBT, a one day training in CBASP, and a one day training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.  Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.

Required Days

Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week.  Attendance is required at the CBT Core course (Mondays 9:30-11) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays 1:30-3:00) and the CBT Case Conference (Thursdays 1pm).  For individual DBT patients, the extern must make themselves available (within their limits) for supervised between session phone coaching for their patients. 

Additional information

Students applying for this position may have had previous psychotherapy experience providing direct services to adults. Completion of a course in CBT is preferable, but not required. Must have a distinct interest in Cognitive Behavioral Therapies.

ADULT PSYCHIATRY ASSESSMENT

Nature of Setting and Population Served.

Externs work in the adult outpatient clinic and on the inpatient psychiatric wards of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.  Typical inpatient stay ranges from 3 days to 4 weeks.  Patients, primarily from the Southwest area of Los Angeles County, are acutely mentally ill and in need of intensive treatment.  Most have schizophrenia or major affective illness.  Also represented are serious personality disorders and substance abuse.  The patient population includes adult men and women from a variety of ethnic groups.

Direct/Indirect Services

Externs administer, score and write the equivalent of 12 full test reports during the one year practicum.  A typical comprehensive battery consists of a WAIS-III, a Rorschach, a TAT, and an MMPI.  If desired, neuropsychological testing experience is also provided.  Although this is primarily an assessment placement, opportunities also exist to participate in the group therapy program on the ward and to treat outpatients in individual psychotherapy.

Supervision and Training

Primary individual supervision is provided by postdoctoral fellows or licensed psychologists.  Additional supervision is available from other faculty.  There are weekly teaching conferences and rounds on the ward.  A year-long course in advanced psychological testing (Thursday 12:00 – 1:00 pm) is required.  A year-long course in Neuropsychology (Thursday 10:30-11:45am) is recommended for this position.

Required Days

· Required: Thursdays (9:30am – 4:30pm). 

· Preferred:  One or more other days, for a total of 12 hours minimum on site weekly.  Additional time for scoring, interpreting, and writing reports may be necessary, but need not be done on site.

Additional Information

This track requires relatively quick turn around time for assessment results.  Students should enter the practicum with a good grasp of testing procedures and basic interpretation as well as an understanding of psychopathology and personality theories.

BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE

Nature of Setting and Population Served

This practicum provides training in psychotherapy and psychodiagnostic assessment in behavioral medicine, specifically with outpatients seen on HIV Mental Health Services and the Women’s Behavioral Health Service.  Opportunities for brief Consultation/Liaison experiences with patients in the main hospital may also be available. 

Externs provide behavioral medicine treatments to medical patients presenting with primary psychiatric conditions and/or psychiatric sequelae impacting their illnesses; presenting problems range in severity from minor adjustment distress to major psychiatric disorder. This practicum serves poverty medicine patients and all settings are multidisciplinary in nature.  The ethnic backgrounds of the patients seen reflect the diversity in Los Angeles County.

Direct/Indirect Services

The practicum focuses on delivering outpatient psychotherapy (individual and group), brief psychodiagnostic assessment, and behavioral medicine treatments to patients from the following services:

• HIV Mental Health Services: A mental health clinic for patients infected with HIV, who range in illness from asymptomatic HIV seropositive to patients facing death from their illness. Patients include gay men, injection-drug users, and women. 

• Women’s Behavioral Health Service: A mental health service for female patients referred from among the following medical services:

§         Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic

§         Tumor (Gynecologic Oncology [Gyn-Onc]) Clinic

§         The Medical Foundation, Inc. (MFI) Obstetrics (OB) Clinic/Low-Risk Obstetrics

§        Special Obstetrics Program (SPOB)/High-Risk Obstetrics

§       Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Clinic (REI)

§       Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/Gyn) Inpatient Wards

• The Riley High School (RHS) for Pregnant Teens:  One of three Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) campuses for pregnant adolescents.  Family Medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (HUMC) has partnered with LAUSD in providing health services to these pregnant teens.  Externs are responsible for the implementation of psychological/psychosocial services at RHS.

Supervision and Training

Primary supervision and training is provided by licensed clinical psychologists with specialties in health psychology and behavioral medicine, as well as postdoctoral fellows undergoing specializations in these areas. Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision.  Externs will also interact with physicians and other medical staff who will act as preceptors.

Focus of training is on the provision of behavioral medicine treatments using empirically validated modalities and brief therapies. Additionally, externs will be expected to train in applicable psychodynamic approaches.  Externs will be required to attend a two-day Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training at the beginning of the year along with other County and Hospital trainings.  Other required seminars and courses will be announced over the course of the training year.

Required Days

Externs are required to be on site 20 hours per week.  Required days are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Schedules will be arranged on the need of the program and student’s availability.

Additional Information

Fluency in Spanish is highly desired for one position.  Students applying to this position should have prior experience in providing direct services to adults and good writing skills.  A TB test will be expected.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT PROGRAM

Nature of Setting and Population Served

The externs will work on the Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program (DDTP) at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.  This is a comprehensive treatment program that provides care for patients who suffer from both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders.  The patient population includes adult men and women from a variety of ethnic groups.

Direct and Indirect Services

Externs will do weekly individual psychotherapy and co-facilitate several groups.  They will also provide psychoeducation in groups and individual settings (topics include dealing with stress, job interview, relationship, and maintenance of healthy habits). They will also have the opportunity to perform initial dual diagnosis intakes and assessments.

Supervision

Primary individual supervision is provided by a licensed psychologist.  Additional supervision is from program psychiatrists, as well as psychiatric residents.

Training

The program has daily teaching rounds from 9:30 to 10:00 a.m.

Preferred/Required Days

Externs are required to be on site on three days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Prerequisites

Students applying for this position should have some prior experiences in providing direct services to psychiatric patients and/or substance abusers. Basic understanding of psychopathology and group process will be helpful.

FIELD CAPABLE CLINICAL SERVICES

Nature of Setting and Population Served.

Field Capable Clinical Services (FCCS) was created as the result of a partnership between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, the Department of Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA, and the South Bay Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is a “grassroots” advocacy and support organization run primarily by family members of persons with severe mental illnesses.  As the first of only two ISAs directly operated by the LACDMH, FCCS has been an innovative leader in providing services in a psychosocial rehabilitation model to members diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness who are high utilizers of psychiatric emergency and inpatient services. A primary feature of FCCS is that a multidisciplinary treatment team serves as the single fixed point of responsibility for enrolled clients or program “members.”  This means that, to the extent possible, the FCCS team retains primary clinical responsibility across time (24 hours per day, 365 days a year) and settings (inpatient, outpatient, and psychiatric emergencies).  The fixed point of responsibility also extends across virtually all domains of a program participant’s life.  Thus, the team attends not only to psychiatric symptoms, but also to helping members meet their needs in physical health, dental care, co-morbid substance abuse, housing, finances, education, work, social relationships, recreational activity, legal, and transportation.  This approach to service provision enhances continuity of care and helps insure that clinical decision-making always has the benefit of relatively complete and up-to-date information about the service recipient.

Direct/Indirect Services

Externs will be part of an interdisciplinary treatment team providing psychosocial rehabilitation services and DBT/CBT therapy for 2-3 FCCS members.  Externs will have the opportunity to co-facilitate a number of groups offered at FCCS, including CBT format Healthy Living.  In addition, Externs will participate in the DBT consultation team meetings, and the CBT seminar.  Depending on client enrollment in DBT program, externs may also be involved in leading DBT skills group.

Supervision

Primary supervision is provided by a licensed clinical psychologist and postdoctoral fellows.  Required courses include  DBT team consultation and the CBT seminar. Recommended conference is Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference.  In addition, the extern will be provided with a two day required training in DBT at the beginning of the year and a year long weekly didactic training in DBT.  Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.

Training

There are weekly teaching conferences and seminars.  A year-long Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference (Tuesdays 1:30-3:00).  A year-long course in CBT (Mondays, 9:30-11:00).  A year long DBT Consultation team meetings (Mondays 1:30-3:00)

Preferred/Required Days

Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week for the duration of the year.  Required: Mondays (8:30-4:30) and Fridays (8:30am – 4:30).  Recommended Tuesdays, 1:30-3:00.   Attendance is required at the CBT Core Course (Mondays, 9:30-11:00) and the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays, 1:30-3:00).  Attendance is recommended at the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Case Conference (Tuesdays 1:30-3:00).

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Nature and Setting and Population Served

The neuropsychological assessment experiences at Harbor-UCLA are offered via two distinct services, the Ambulatory Clinic and the Outpatient Clinic.  Despite the distinctions between these services, students in both interact with each other in didactics, clinical services, and research activities (optional).      

      Ambulatory Clinic: Three externs travel with the Director of the Clinic to a Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health Clinic on Tuesdays.  Each student conducts one neuropsychological assessment per month with the guidance and consultation of the supervisor.  Current sites include Down Town Mental Health in downtown Los Angeles, and Kedren Mental Health Center in Los Angeles.  The populations served encompass outpatients at mental health clinics with chronic psychiatric disorders (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar), often with current or past histories of substance abuse, learning disabilities, head trauma, and multiple cerebro-vascular risk factors. The patient population includes adult men and women from a variety of ethnic groups.  Assessments of Spanish-speaking individuals are available to those externs who speak fluent Spanish.   In addition, externs will conduct one neuropsychological assessment per month in the outpatient clinic (see description below).  Externs will also attend and participate in group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar on a weekly basis at Harbor-UCLA.  The preferred duration of placement is one academic year.

      Outpatient Clinic: Two to three externs complete neuropsychological assessments on site at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.  In general, this consists of two to three comprehensive neuropsychological assessments per month, and weekly attendance and participation in group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar, although duties, expectations, and tailored experiences will vary depending on each student’s level of expertise (i.e., beginning vs. advanced; see below).  The outpatient assessment clinics are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Testing of participants in ongoing research studies may be scheduled for days other than Tuesday or Wednesday.  The preferred duration of placement is one academic year.  With regard to assessment, we utilize a fixed/flexible battery approach, process observations, and qualitative assessment methods.  Also, we see a broad spectrum of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, as we are a primary referral for Psychiatry, Neurology, and Neurosurgery at Harbor-UCLA.  Additionally, we receive referrals from other hospitals and mental health clinics.  Most of our clients are adults with multiple medical and psychiatric co-morbidities.  Research opportunities are available and strongly encouraged for students pursuing careers in neuropsychology.

>     Beginning Externship Placement

• Qualifications: Good writing skills and basic working knowledge of the WAIS-III /WAIS-IV and other tests.
• Duties/obligations: Two to three comprehensive neuropsychological assessments per month, weekly attendance and participation in group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar.
• Expectations: Develop technical proficiency in administration and scoring of core tests, demonstrated adequate report writing and interviewing skills, show a solid understanding of diagnostics, and demonstrate a basic ability to recognize deficit patterns across neuropsychological tests. 

>     Advanced Externship Placement

• Qualifications: Strong report writing skills and proficiency with the WAIS-III/WAIS-IV and other core tests.
• Duties/obligations: Two to three comprehensive neuropsychological assessments per month, peer supervision, and weekly attendance and participation in group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar.  Advanced externs are also invited to participate in other didactic offerings (e.g., medical case conferences, research seminars, etc.).   
• Expectations: Develop the ability to modify test batteries to meet client/referral needs, demonstrate strong report writing, interviewing, and diagnostic skills, and develop pattern analysis skills for a more advanced understanding of neuropsychological test data.

* Please note that beginning and advanced level placement are available for either the Ambulatory Clinic or the Outpatient Clinic.

Direct/Indirect Services

Externs administer, score and write short reports (~6-10pp.) for 2-3 neuropsychological batteries per month.  Each battery involves 4-6 hours of testing and typically includes the WAIS-III/WAIS-IV, WMS-III/WMS-IV (selected subtests)Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Trail Making Test or Color Trails, Controlled Oral Word Association (F, A, S, & Animals), Ruff Figural Fluency, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Test, Boston Naming Test, Finger Tapping, Hand Dynamometer, and the MMPI-2.  Please note that additional tests will be administered as needed and the tests listed above may be updated and/or replaced.  

Supervision and Training

Supervision of off-site cases and all Spanish-speaking cases on site is conducted by Dr. Marcel O. Ponton.  Clinical and research assessments conducted at Harbor-UCLA are supervised by Dr. Matthew J. Wright.  Attendance and participation in weekly group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar is required.

Required Days

>    Ambulatory Clinic:

•   Tuesday for testing

•   Thursday (9:30 – 11:45 a.m.) for group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar

>     Outpatient Clinic:

•    Tuesday or Wednesday for testing

•    Testing of research participants can be scheduled for other days

•    Thursday (9:30-11:45 a.m.) for group supervision and the neuropsychology seminar

*  Additional hours for a total of 12 hours minimum.

Prerequisites

Students need to have good writing skills and working knowledge of the WAIS-III/WAIS-IV and other tests.

ADOLESCENT COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

Nature of Setting and Population Served

This clinic provides training in evidence-based, cognitive behavioral treatment for adolescents (ages 12-18). Modalities include individual and group therapy.

Direct/Indirect Services

The clinic focuses on teenagers with depressive symptoms, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicidality.  Treatment models include cognitive therapy, general cognitive behavioral models, and dialectical behavior therapy. The DBT program is one of the only adolescent DBT  programs in the Los Angeles area and offers both individual therapy and DBT skills groups to adolescents with suicidality/self-injury who exhibit emotional  dysregulation and traits associated with Borderline Personality Disorder.  The clinic also focuses on adapting evidence-based treatment approaches for use with community populations.

Supervision and Training

Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision. Primary supervision is provided by licensed clinical psychologists and post-doctoral fellows. 

Required Days

Externs are required to be at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center on Mondays and Thursdays, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  Required courses include Evidence-Based Treatments for Common Child and Adolescent Disorders (Mondays, 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.), the DBT Case Consultation Team meeting (Mondays, 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.), and the DBT Skills Training Course (Thursdays, 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.).  The extern will also be required to participate in a two-day intensive training in DBT at the beginning of September.

Additional information

Applicants should have a strong interest in working with adolescents and in learning evidence-based psychotherapy aproaches.  Prior experience working with adolescents and/or experience with CBT is preferable, but not required.

CHILD PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

Nature and Setting and Population Served

Externs provide cognitive and personality assessment batteries to children and adolescents within the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic.  Externs who speak fluent Spanish may elect to offer some assessments in Spanish.

Direct/Indirect Services

Externs administer, score, and write reports for 8-10 youth per year. Each battery involves an individually tailored set of assessment instruments. Typical referral questions involve cognitive functioning, assessment of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, or differential diagnostic issues. Typical administrations involve a clinical interview, at least one test of cognitive functioning, a test of academic achievement, youth self- and adult-report instruments of children’s functioning, and some projective or personality instruments. School observations and attendance at IEP meetings are encouraged. Feedback sessions to referral sources (e.g., psychiatrists, therapists) and parents/guardians are required.

Supervision and Training

Supervision is conducted by Dr. Janine Shelby, postdoctoral fellows, and adjunct faculty.  Attendance at the weekly psychology assessment seminar (Thursday mornings) is required.  Weekly individual supervision is also required.

 Required Days

Thursday, Psychological Assessment Seminar (10:00 to 11:00 am). Schedules are flexible, but trainees are expected to provide at least 16 hours per week of total work time, including test administration, scoring, and report-writing.

Prerequisites

Students need to have excellent writing skills, as well as working knowledge of the WISC-IV and other cognitive assessment instruments.

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT TRAUMA THERAPY

Nature of Setting and Population Served

This clinic provides training in evidence-based and evidence-informed treatments for traumatized youth (ages 2-18) and their parents or guardians.  In addition to client cases referred from the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic, clients are also referred from both the inpatient pediatrics unit of the hospital and the Child Crisis Center, where children receive forensic medical examinations and/or interviews. Treatments involve a variety of treatment approaches and modalities, including individual trauma-based CBT and/or play therapy, collateral therapy for caregivers, and family therapy.

Direct/Indirect Services

The clinic assists youngsters who have survived traumatic events, including physical and sexual abuse, community violence, motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, or trauma-related bereavement. The overarching treatment philosophy emphasizes developmentally sensitive research-based treatments.  Youth response to treatment is measured using standardized self- and caregiver-report instruments.

 Supervision and Training

Trainees will receive both individual and group supervision. Primary supervision is provided by Dr. Janine Shelby and a postdoctoral fellow.  Required courses include the Evidence-Based Treatments for Common Childhood Disorders seminar (Mondays 1:00-2:30 p.m.) and the Trauma Treatment Seminar (Thursdays 9:00-10:00 a.m.). Individual supervision includes live supervision of select cases and weekly individual meetings. Opportunities for other seminars and courses are available.

 Required Days

 Externs are required to be on site a minimum of 16 hours a week.  Attendance is required at the above-described courses (Mondays and Thursdays).

 Additional information

Students applying for this position must be psychologically prepared to tolerate their own exposure to children retelling tragic histories of child abuse. Support and supervision are provided to assist the trainees in addressing their own reactions to children who have been abused.

PEDIATRIC CLINICS: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL TESTING

Nature of the Setting and Population Served:

This training opportunity exposes students to the field of Pediatric Psychology including assessment, psychological testing, and consultation services for infants and young children with a wide array of medical and psychological disorders.  Students work in the hospital outpatient Pediatric Clinics for Infants of Substance Abusing Mothers (ISAM), and Child Development.  In addition, children whose mothers are enrolled in the Options for Recovery Drug Treatment Program at Harbor are served.  Students work on interdisciplinary teams with medical and psychiatry staff.

 Direct and Indirect Services

Students have direct exposure to children and families to provide assessment services.  Students may also have the opportunity to conduct dyadic therapy with young children and their caregivers.  Students administer, score and write test reports for standard batteries of psychological tests.  Extensive training on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-III is provided.  Students are involved in patient history taking, medical charting, and feed back of test results.

 Supervision and Training

Individual supervision is provided by Dr. Traci Critton.  Group supervision may be provided in case conferences through Child Psychiatry.  Opportunities to attend various seminars including neuropsychology are available as are weekly medical and psychiatric grand rounds lectures.

 Required Days

Training begins the first week of September and ends the last week in August.  Students are required to be on site on Mondays and Fridays (16 hours per week,) and time spent preparing and writing test reports is additional.  An additional day may be required; scheduling is based on program need and student availability.

 Additional Information

Fluency in Spanish is highly desirable for one position.  Students need to have good writing skills and minimum of classroom exposure to child assessment.  A TB test as well as evidence of current immunizations is required.

TIES FOR FAMILIES: PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT AND THERAPY

Nature of the Setting and Population Served

The South Bay TIES for Families is a Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health clinic located within a mile of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in an office suite setting.  The program is affiliated with and based on the UCLA TIES for Adoption model that promotes the successful adoption of foster children when return to their biological parents or relatives is not possible.  The population of children served includes children (0-18 years) with special needs, including prenatal substance exposure and  histories of neglect or abuse. A key feature of this program is that services are offered as children are transitioned from foster care into adoptive homes, a vulnerable period for families that presents opportunities to promote attachment and prevent problems from escalating. The model includes services prior to adoptive placement, during the transition from foster care to adoption and post adoptive services.  TIES Staff includes psychologists, post-doctoral fellow, clinical social workers, developmental pediatrician, and a child psychiatrist. Services available include: (1) medical consultation (2) medication management and psychiatric consultation by a child/adolescent psychiatrist, (3) developmental and psychological, psychiatric testing, (4) individual/family therapy, (5) home visits, (6) manualized and process-oriented parent and child support groups, including the Incredible Years program for parents and children, and (7) infant mental health program that includes promising practice interventions such as the Mindful parenting program, a dyadic infant/toddler and parent group intervention.

 Direct and Indirect Services

Students have direct exposure to children and families to provide assessment and therapy.  Students administer, score and write test reports for standard batteries of psychological tests (cognitive, academic achievement, personality, socioemotional, neuropsychological).  Training is also provided for the Bayley Scales of Infant Development with opportunities to observe and administer infant/toddler assessments.  Students are involved in client history taking, medical charting, treatment (individual, family and group), feedback of test results, home visits and multidisciplinary team consultations with prospective adoptive parents and Department of Children and Family Services social workers.  Students learn about clinical issues related to trauma, attachment, foster care and adoption as well as legal and systems issues related to children who are wards of the court.

Supervision and Training

Individual supervision is provided by the clinical and assessment director, Scott Hartman, Ph.D. and post-doctoral fellow.  Program Director, Karen Rathburn, Ph.D., will provide individual supervision and training in infant mental health and assessment.  Group supervision and case conferencing is provided by supervisors and multidisciplinary staff. Courses on site include Narrative Therapy or Principles of Buddhist Psychology, Infant and Early Child Development, and various other lectures on topics related to foster care and adoption. Opportunities to attend various seminars offered on campus at Harbor-UCLA include child/adolescent psychological assessment, neuro-psychology, trauma, cognitive behavioral therapy, the Rorschach, etc., as well as weekly medical and psychiatry grand rounds lectures.

Time Required

Training begins the first week of September and ends the second week in August. Students are required to be on site for a minimum of 16 hours a week, however, time spent preparing and writing test reports will be additional.  Schedule to be arranged based on program need and student’s availability.