CARES Psychology Internship Program aims to prepare doctoral candidates for careers as psychologists who are proficient in providing comprehensive evaluations and therapeutic interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities and/or mental health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, ADHD, PTSD) throughout the life span.
Designed in the Practitioner-Scholar Model, the program consists of varied training experiences to facilitate a smooth transition from doctoral study to professional functioning, through the acquisition of advanced clinical skills that integrate theory and practice. Interns receive intensive training in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), cognitive-behavioral therapy, diagnostic testing, and comprehensive report writing. Interns carry caseloads of children, adolescents, or adults, and provide services to groups and families.
CARES represents a diverse experience as we treat underserved populations of Chinese and Hispanic immigrant families along with the broad range of New York City residents. CARES’ programs employ multidisciplinary teams of Psychologists, Social Workers, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, and Psychiatrists. This approach affords interns a rich array of opportunities for collaborative learning and leads to a more holistic understanding of the individual from various facets.
Clinical Programs All Interns will be engaged in three of CARES’ programs – Early Intervention/Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Insurance Programs, Clinical Services, and Adult Day Habilitation.
Early Intervention/ABA Insurance program serves approximately 300 children and families each year. Early intervention services are provided to children from birth to 3 years, children treated in the ABA Insurance program will generally be school-aged. Services are provided in a variety of settings, including the child’s home or community locations. Methods include Discrete Trial Training, Natural Environment Teaching, and Social Skills Groups for children who are diagnosed with Autism. Interns receive rigorous training in the theory and application of ABA, provided by Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA) at the beginning of their internship year. After completion of the training, interns are assigned their own cases where they deliver behavioral services as well as provide counseling support for parents and caregivers.
Clinical Services - CARES operates two NYS licensed outpatient clinics, one for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (certified by OPWDD under Article 16), the other for individuals with mental health issues (certified by OMH under Article 31). The OPWDD clinic delivers comprehensive evaluations and therapeutic services for children and adults with known or suspected intellectual/developmental disabilities and the OMH clinic delivers services to children and adults with mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, disruptive behaviors, ADHD, and PTSD. Interns’ caseloads include patients in both clinics. This enriches the interns’ opportunity to deliver varied therapeutic modalities for individuals across the life span, supporting clients and their families, as well as learning to provide group interventions. In addition, interns develop clinical proficiency in the theories and methods of psychological assessment and diagnoses. They administer comprehensive diagnostic evaluations for individuals with Autism, Developmental Disabilities, and those presenting with a variety of mental health conditions.
Adult Day Habilitation program serves post-secondary school students with a variety of developmental disabilities in center and community-based settings. Community and day habilitation programs focus on developing and enhancing skills in areas such as activities of daily living, communication and social interactions, prevocational training, and self-advocacy. Interns are trained across community locations which can include recreational sites and trips to places of interest. In this program, interns are trained in providing individual and group therapy to decrease challenging behaviors, develop treatment plans to achieve personal goals, support individuals to participate in integrated community settings, and provide behavioral consultations.
Supervision and Didactics - Interns receive scheduled and intensive supervision, including two hours of individual supervision and two hours of group supervision, from licensed psychologists weekly throughout the internship year. In addition, interns receive one hour of weekly supervision from a BCBA to support their delivery of ABA with fidelity. Interns also attend didactic seminars. The robust schedule of didactic seminars is targeted to enhance the interns’ knowledge and skills in the areas of developmental disabilities, assessment, and mental health.