The psychology internship program is offered by the Department of Psychology at Phoenix Children's Hospital. The program is APA accredited and we are a member of APPIC. The primary goal of the program is to train interns in the core competencies needed to be a skilled psychologist working with children, adolescents, emerging adults, and families in a medical setting. The psychology interns provide empirically supported assessment, intervention, and consultation for our patients. Our doctoral internship program offers simultaneous training in assessment as well as inpatient and outpatient interventions with patients who have medical and/or psychological conditions.
Our internship offers two tracks. One track will emphasize pediatric neuropsychological assessment. This track affords training in concert with the criteria set forth by the Houston Conference on Specialty Education and Training in Clinical Neuropsychology. Clinical activities include a major rotation during the first half of the year for 3 days per week at our Avondale satellite. This rotation involves outpatient neuropsychological evaluation of pediatric patients ranging in age from 3-21 years who present with acquired brain injuries and medical conditions that affect central nervous system functioning. These include pediatric cancers, brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, stroke, genetic disorders and congenital CNS disorders. The intern will also participate in a minor inpatient neuropsychology rotation during the second half of the year involving inpatient assessment with referrals from the neuro-rehabilitation unit, pediatric epilepsy monitoring unit, as well as hospital-wide neuropsychological consultation. Other activities during the second half of the year include participation in outpatient clinics (usually hem/onc and spina bifida), facilitating outpatient group programs (PMT for parents of children with ADHD, helping parents and teens enhance executive functioning, illness recovery (CHIRP), etc.) Interns will carry an outpatient psychotherapy caseload throughout the year.
Our Pediatric Psychology track emphsizes consultation/liaison psychology. Patients frequently seen on this service include those with pain, complex chronic illnesses, extended hospital stays, disordered eating, medically unexplained symptoms, adjustment to recent diagnosis, and non-adherence to medical regimen. Interns provide brief assessment and training in skills for coping with medical conditions, anxiety and/or depression, or pain management strategies. These interns also participate in outpatient services such as cystic fibrosis, pain, gender, IBD, and/or hematology clinics along with outpatient psychotherapy. These interns will also complete a minimum of four psycho-educational evaluations over the course of the year.
Our program embraces cultural and individual diversity and strives to recruit interns representative of diverse personal and demographic characteristics. We offer monthly diversity seminars forcused on health equity and social justice. All trainees are encouraged to participate in our community activism project aimed at interesting under-represented minority high school students in careers in mental health. Interns may participate in the hospital diversity and inclusion committee. The mission of the committee is for our graduate medical education community to reflect the diversity of the larger world that we serve and that it will foster a culture of inclusive excellence. Candidates likewise, should have experience and the desire to work with diverse groups of children, adolescents, and families.
Additionally, integration of science and practice, ethical practice, communication and interpersonal skills, supervision, and the development of professional values and attitudes are addressed during the training year. Further, there are opportunities for supervision of junior trainees and scholarly inquiry. The Psychology Department also trains psychology practicum students, psychiatry fellows and medical residents, and pediatric psychology fellows/residents.
We will provide training in tele-therapy and the use of the Phoenix Children's Hospital telehealth system (e.g., Zoom). Inpatient intervention and much outpatient assessment is conducted in-person following rigorous hospital safety protocols.
The Psychology Department also offers a one year post-doctoral residency (fellowship) in pediatric psychology. The residency is affiliated with the Arizona Psychology Training Consortium and , thereby, a member of the Association of Psychology Post-doctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).
