Curriculum
Child and Adolescent Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Curriculum
The fellowship program is structured to be a full-time, one-year training experience; an optional second year may be considered. Each fellowship year begins on July 1, but exceptions may be made for an August 1 start date to accommodate variation in predoctoral internship end dates. Postdoctoral fellows work five days per week between the hours of 8am and 5pm, including at least one late evening per week. Hours worked per week generally range from 40-45. There is no "on-call" coverage. The fellowship program has an emphasis on clinical child and pediatric psychology and focuses on evidence-based services. Postdoctoral fellows work with a range of clinical presentations, as well as largely underserved patients and families. Clinical services and training activities are conducted in-person, following safety guidelines, and via virtual/telehealth platforms.
Both brief and longer-term outpatient and day treatment interventions, in group and individual formats, are available. Measurement-based care is emphasized. Postdoctoral fellows work collaboratively with a team of providers (e.g., medical residents/fellows, nurses, pediatricians, social workers, licensed professional counselors, psychiatrists, etc.), and are actively involved in clinical teaching and supervision.
- Postdoctoral fellows dedicate time to direct service activities related to assessment, intervention, consultation, and inter-professional collaborations.
- Postdoctoral fellows may gain experience and expertise with a range of clinical child-presenting problems, including disruptive behaviors, anxiety, depression, trauma, and suicide and self-harm.
- Postdoctoral fellows may gain experience and expertise with a range of pediatric psychology presenting problems, including primary care, pain, obesity, adolescent medicine, eating disorders, and inpatient consultation/liaison.
- The amount of time that is devoted to direct service delivery varies, with a range of 12-16 hours of face-to-face services per week.
- Supervision of junior trainees and colleagues is also a critical part of clinical service requirements.
- Upon successful completion of the fellowship program, requirements are expected to be met for licensure in the state of Texas.
- Postdoctoral fellows are expected to take the EPPP by the end of their first year of fellowship.
- Postdoctoral fellows can spend 10-15% of their time in research activities.
- Postdoctoral fellows will be expected to complete a scholarly activity (e.g., poster or manuscript submission, conference talk, quality improvement project, program development proposal, etc.).
- Postdoctoral fellows participate in a monthly scholarly seminar to support them in meeting their scholarly requirements and receive mentoring by faculty who are engaged in similar scholarly activities.
- TTUHSC Lubbock is a part of two state-wide research networks that may be of interest
to postdoctoral fellows:
- Texas Childhood Trauma Research Network
- Texas Youth Depression & Suicide Research Network
Child and Adolescent Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Didactic Calendar
Didactics occur on Tuesday afternoons (from 1:00 to 5:00pm) each week; there are also monthly Friday afternoon didactics (at 1:00pm). Further, invited speakers occur sporadically throughout the training year. On average, fellows receive 4-5 hours of didactics per week. Didactics are interdisciplinary (e.g., fields of psychiatry, psychology) and include trainees at different developmental levels (e.g., students, residents/interns, fellows, faculty members). Fellows are encouraged to attend didactics in person in order to facilitate connection and relationships with other learners and faculty members within the department. All Tuesday didactics are focused on child and adolescent populations. When there is a fifth week in a month, the child and adolescent learners and faculty get together to spend quality time with each other and give back to the community. Examples of these events include packaging food donation boxes, making meals at Ronald McDonald House, and serving at Lubbock Impact (focused on free food, clothing, medical, and spiritual care). Friday didactics are for learners across all department training programs.
Didactics focused on evidence-based assessment and intervention:
- Child Case Conference: discussion of case presentations, biopsychosocial case formulations, assessments, differential diagnoses, and interventions
- Complex Case Conference: discussion of case presentations, biopsychosocial case formulations, assessments, differential diagnoses, and interventions for cases that are complex or need new perspective from colleagues
- Psychotherapy Seminar: discussion of theory and mechanisms of action in evidence-based treatments
- Disease Specific Topics: a 4-part series focused on one mental health disorder. The first two weeks of the month focus on diagnosis and treatment. On the third week, learners engage in a Problem-Based Learning assignment, where they work in groups to solve an open-ended vignette. The last week of the series is an additional “special topic” related to the mental health disorder.
- Grand Rounds: in depth discussion regarding a special topic of expertise
- Morbidity and Mortality Conference: a critical examination of system processes related to assessment, treatment, and overall care in order to plan for or avoid trouble-spots in the future
Didactics focused on general competencies related to health service psychology:
- Supervision Seminar: development of skills related to consultation, supervision, and teaching
- Ethics Seminar: application of ethical principles and decision-making to vignettes
- Professional Development Seminar: discussion of relevant topics, such as licensure, career goals, compassion fatigue, and interview preparation
- Connections Curriculum: discussion of individual and cultural factors in thoughtful ways to increase our connections with others
Didactics focused on scholarly inquiry:
- Journal Club: critical examination of research articles, conclusions, and clinical implications
- Research Group: accountability and support for completion of scholarly requirements
Additional Unstructured Didactic Opportunities:
- American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/education-career#cetrain
- FIU Center for Children and Families: effectivechildtherapy.fiu.edu
- TTUHSC Events: https://events.ttuhsc.edu/
- TTUHSC offers monthly Grand Rounds that learners are encouraged to attend as schedules allow.
- Guest speakers are scheduled throughout the training year.
- Learners are encouraged to participate in workshops and conferences.
Postdoctoral fellows receive at least two hours of individual face-to-face supervision per week from licensed psychologists. Supervision methods include group supervision, review of documents, live observations, review of video/audio taped sessions, and more. Supervision is provided by licensed psychologists who carry professional practice responsibility for the cases being supervised.
Core TTUHSC supervisors:
- Tarrah Mitchell, Ph.D., LP
- Natalie Scanlon, Ph.D., LP
Affiliated TTU supervisors:
- Caroline Cummings, Ph.D.
- John Cooley, PhD
- Jonathan Singer, PhD
Informal evaluations are conducted throughout the year. Formal evaluations are conducted at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months of the fellowship. Evaluations are based on core competencies and serve to identify strengths and growth areas. Each clinical supervisor rates the fellow’s knowledge base and professional practice on structured rating forms. Evaluations are shared with the fellows so that goals can be defined and refinements can occur. There will also be regular opportunities for fellows to provide feedback on supervisors.
Postdoctoral fellows will receive and review a document outlining the rights and responsibilities of the program and the fellows related to due process and grievance procedures.