UIC, Dept. of Psychiatry

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Internship in Clinical Child Psychology
Seminars

A variety of seminars, presentations, workshops, and discussion groups are provided to enhance clinical practice and clinical research skills. Many seminars are scheduled early in the training year when the clinical and research demands are less. Seminars are led by psychology, psychiatry, and social work faculty. Some seminars are shared with adult psychology interns, child psychiatry fellows and social work interns. The seminars focus on the development of core skills in clinical practice and applied research with children and families and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills to encourage life-long learning and continued scholarly inquiry.

Required Seminars

Assessment and Testing (Dr. Dyson): This is a 10-week, 1 hour per week seminar involving study of assessment and interviewing skills, and case presentations. Diagnostic categories, assessment instruments, and other assessment issues are covered. The seminar has three goals: (1) to orient interns to their consultant role to the IJR outpatient clinic staff, (2) to review test validity issues relevant to the most common diagnostic and prognostic questions, and (3) to provide a forum for faculty input and education regarding the assessment of actual cases seen by the service. Each intern presents one case per year for group discussion.

Cultural Awareness (Dr. Adil): This is a year-long seminar that meets weekly for 10-weeks, 1 hour per week, and monthly for the remainder of the year. The seminar focuses on a variety of cultural factors, such as, economics, race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and education as they impact clinical practice. The goal of the seminar is to provide a forum for the discussion of cultural issues as they relate to interns� clinical research and practice with inner-city, minority children and families.

Family Therapy (Dr. Baptiste): This is a 12-week, 3 hour per week seminar. The first hour presents empirical literature regarding family influences on child development, the relation between families and other systems, and the efficacy of family therapy. The second and third hours will teach basic concepts of family therapy through the use of live supervision.

Group Therapy (Dr. Baptiste): This a 6-week, 90 minute per week seminar which provides an overview of theories and techniques of group therapy especially relevant to urban populations. This seminar will incorporate experimental activities in which trainees will have opportunities to practice leading parent, child and multi-family groups.

Psychology Clinical Case Seminar (Drs. Harrow, Atkins, & Grossman): This a 12-month, 90 minute per month clinical seminar. Interns from both the child psychology and adult psychology programs attend this seminar. Each month, an intern presents a current or recurrent clinical case (usually involving treatment or assessment) and receives questions and feedback from faculty and fellow interns. Each intern presents once a year.

School and Community Consultation (Drs. Madison, McMiller, and Atkins): This is a 10-week, 1 hour per week seminar. The goal of this seminar is to introduce students to factors associated with the successful practice of school-based mental health consultation. Through directed readings and case examples, students are presented with models for case-centered consultation and programmatic consultation to schools. The seminar focuses specifically on issues associated with school-based consultation to low income urban communities.

Ongoing Meetings and Seminars

Psychiatry Grand Rounds: This is a 9-month, once a month, ninety minute presentation by a prominent speaker to the entire department.

Department of Psychiatry Colloquia: Each week, there is a one and one-half hour meeting that is designed to meet educational needs of faculty and trainees. One weekly session per month is devoted to discussion of a faculty member's current research, one week's meeting is devoted to a case presentation and discussion, and the third is devoted to discussion of a clinical, research, or policy issue of current interest to the faculty.

Other Opportunities

IJR often invites prominent leaders of various disciplines to visit and sponsors conferences. Interns can avail themselves of these opportunities as time and interest permit. There are many other opportunities to hear prominent speakers due to our location within a medical center, a large university, and a large city. Interns can attend training seminars, special meetings of research and interest groups, and various other conferences that occur during the year.

OTHER RESOURCES

IJR has a Media Department that has substantial resources and a trained staff. There are treatment and observation suites equipped for live supervision, videotape recording and playback, and facilities for studio production, editing, and interformat tape duplication. The Media Department has an audio and videotape library that includes presentations by many of the leading therapist, in the country. Check out of various pieces of audio, video and film equipment is readily accessible. Media staff are available for consultation and for training beyond the orientation provided new personnel. The facilities of the University of Illinois Library of the Health Sciences and other libraries in the University of Illinois at Chicago Campus also are available to interns. Each intern is provided a PC to use during their training year linked to the University and department network with extensive statistical and other packaged programs available as well as Internet access and e-mail.

Because IJR houses the Division of Child Psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago, we have available all of the common educational and training opportunities available in a large university and a major medical center. In addition, due to Chicago's rich training environment and its role as a major meeting site for professional meetings, there are numerous opportunities for pursuing training interests beyond those directly offered by us.