The Audrey Hepburn Children’s House is legislatively designated, by the State of New Jersey, as a Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Center (RDTC) for child abuse and maltreatment. The program resides in the Department of Pediatrics at Hackensack University Medical Center. The Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital and the Audrey Hepburn Children’s House are in the forefront of pediatric care given to child maltreatment victims. The Children’s House has a staff of clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, creative arts therapists, board certified child abuse pediatricians, nurses and nurse practitioners. The AHCH provides direct service and consultation to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) within the Department of Children and Families, the Office of the Attorney General, local Prosecutors’ Offices, the Juvenile and Family Courts and other referred families within the northern five counties in New Jersey. The AHCH has over four thousand five hundred (4500) patient visits a year. Interns will provide assessment and treatment to youth as well as their adult caregivers referred to the center due to concerns of child maltreatment and Child Protection Services (CPS) involvement. Experiences of maltreatment include, but are not limited to, sexual abuse, physical abuse, negelect, psychological maltreatment, exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), and exposure to substance abuse. Ages range from infants to the geriatric population. Moreover, based upon the geographic location, the AHCH provides services to a diverse population. Many of our clients have experienced significant exposure to ACEs, derive from various countries across the globe, vary in religious and cultural practices, and speak several languages.
The aim of the training program is to provide Interns with advanced clinical training in both general and forensic psychological practice, with an emphasis on trauma and child maltreatment. Completion of the program requires a minimum of 2,000 hours of supervised clinical experience and learning over the course of the one-year contract. The training year is structured to provide a progressive experience such that Interns are expected to have mastered competencies which are key to effective functioning as general clinicians, trauma specialists, and forensic psychologists. These competencies are both foundational (e.g. professional values, attitudes and behaviors, reflective practice/self-assessment, scientific knowledge and methods, communication and interpersonal skill, ethical and legal practice, individual and cultural diversity, interdisciplinary systems) and functional (e.g. assessment/ diagnosis/conceptualization, intervention, research) in nature. Interns will conduct evaluations, provide treatment, participate in clinical discussions, collaborate with multidisciplinary partners, contribute to community outreach and prevention programs.