The education and training goals of our Postdoctoral Training Program in Professional Psychology are consistent with our aims to (1) prepare clinical psychologists for professional psychology practice at an advanced competency level and (2) provide them with advanced specialty level training. Postdoctoral residents in all areas of our program are provided with training in those content areas required for APA credentialing. These include: (a) diagnosing or defining problems through psychological assessment and formulation; (b) implementing psychological interventions; (c) consultation, program evaluation, supervision and/or teaching; (d) methods of scholarly inquiry and research; (e) professional issues and conduct, including legal issues, ethics, and professional standards; and (f) issues of cultural and individual diversity relevant to all of the areas above. Our overall training program goals are listed below.
Goal #1.
Prepare postdoctoral residents for professional psychology practice at an advanced level, with substantial understanding and skill pertinent to medical/legal issues, the practical resolution of ethical dilemmas, effective collaboration with other health professionals, issues of cultural and individual diversity relevant to psychology practice, and effective functioning in medical and managed care settings.
Goal #2.
(a) Prepare postdoctoral s for specialization, depending on each resident's background training and interest, in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology, or Adult Clinical Psychology.
(b) Develop advanced levels of specialty expertise in diagnosing and defining problems through clinical psychological assessment and formulation, the planning and implementation of psychological interventions, and consultation to health and other service providers (e.g., in hospitals, clinics, schools, and social service agencies).
Goal #3.
Develop depth of knowledge and substantial research expertise in an area of specialization, developing the capabilities needed to initiate and carry out scholarly inquiry and independent, programmatic research.
Goal #4.
Develop advanced understanding of the scientific basis for clinical psychological assessment and intervention and substantial experience in the meaningful integration of science and clinical practice.
Goal #5.
Facilitate growth of professional identity, development of teaching or supervisory skills, and participation in professional activities.
In addition to these overall training program goals, each of our areas of emphasis has additional goals for advanced general or specialty level training. An overview of each area and its additional training goals is provided below.
Objectives
1b. In areas where greater experience or knowledge is believed to be necessary prior to more advanced and autonomous training experiences, opportunities will be provided for the resident to (1) observe others conducting evaluations or psychological assessments, (2) read key references in designated areas, (3) observe case presentations at team meetings and case conferences, or (4) attend relevant seminars or courses.
Objectives
2b. Each resident will participate for a rotation in either the Neurology Cognitive Disorders Clinic or in the Psychiatry Developmental Disorders Clinic where they will participate in interdisciplinary teams conducting initial patient evaluations which integrate neuropsychological, neurological, neuroradiological, and psychiatric assessment data. Residents will participate alongside medical residents in these clinics, in assessing patients and discussing cases with supervision attending faculty.
2c. Residents will discuss interviews and initial case formulations with a clinical supervisor prior to completing the case formulation, written report, and feedback to the patient and family if appropriate. This discussion will initially occur immediately following the interview, allowing for follow-up questions, clarifications, or direct faculty involvement with the patient. As residents demonstrate increased clinical sophistication, initial case formulation and report writing may occur before formal case supervision.
2d. Residents will write reports of their evaluations in a timely manner, obtaining written or verbal feedback on the evaluation reports from a licensed clinical psychologist.
2e. Residents will attend weekly case conferences and present evaluation data and case formulations in this multidisciplinary setting several times during each training year. This will enable multidisciplinary consultation, case discussion, or recommendations for patient care as appropriate.
2f. Residents will attend and participate in weekly team meetings of the Neuropsychology Division, where assessment plans for upcoming patients are discussed and potential difficulties are resolved. Residents will present clinical case data in these meetings as time allows.
Objectives
3b. Each resident will become highly skilled in selecting, implementing, scoring, interpreting, and communicating findings from a broad array of psychological assessment instruments, including experience in each of the following assessment domains:
Personality Assessment [Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2, Rorschach, Symptom Checklist-90, etc.]
Adaptive Functioning and Other Standardized Assessment Instruments [Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Blessed Dementia Scale, Revised Memory Disorders Checklist, etc.]
Standard Neuropsychological Assessment Instruments [Halstead-Reitan Battery, Benton Tests, Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, etc.]
Computerized Neuropsychological Assessment Instruments [Microcog, Test of Variable of Attention, etc.]
Objectives
4b. Each resident will attend at least one regional or national scientific neuropsychological meeting during each year of their fellowship.
4c. Each resident will be encouraged to initiate at least one independent research project and/or training.
4d. Each resident will be a primary or secondary author on at least two published abstracts and at least one published manuscript by the end of their training period.