Opportunity Summary:

The Department of Psychology at Sheppard Pratt offers a predoctoral externship for students interested in child and adolescent assessment, including diagnostic and psychological evaluation and consultation to multidisciplinary teams. Trainees will be onsite for 16 hours per week gaining valuable experience in psychological testing and assessment under close supervision. They will participate in case conferences and didactics and have opportunities to observe the clinical work of senior psychologists. 

Opportunity Time Frame:

This is a 9–12-month externship, 16 hours per week, beginning in late August/early September and running through May-August.

Eligibility requirements:

Advanced students entering the 3rd or 4th year of a Ph.D. or Psy.D. program. Must have completed one assessment externship along with coursework in psychological assessment, including tests of intelligence, attention, memory, and learning.

Learning model:

Trainees have opportunities to observe test administration, clinical and parent interviews, and feedback sessions prior to conducting sessions independently. They work with supervisors to review history, chose appropriate measures, and make informed decisions throughout the evaluation process. Supervisors are on site and available to assist when patients are in the clinic. Trainees develop increased autonomy as skills increase. Opportunities exist for externs to interact with a variety of multidisciplinary teams across the institution based on their interests. Consultations to inpatient and residential programs are available. Trainees will be exposed to a wide range of ages, diagnoses, and presenting concerns and will learn to incorporate test data into comprehensive, thoughtful, and useful reports. They gain knowledge and experience conducting diagnostic interviews and administering, scoring, and interpreting many psychological tests. Individual supervision, weekly didactics, and a variety of workshops are provided.

Student expectations: 

Students should expect to enter a fast-paced clinical environment with opportunities to work with a wide-range of patients (ages 2-18) and other disciplines (psychiatry, OT, speech, social work). Externs will adapt clinical skills to meet the needs of patients and their families.