Supervision
Supervisors are assigned based upon function, such that there is typically a different supervisor for each function. For example, Dr. Robin supervises all of the AD/HD Clinic evaluations, while Dr. Rothermel supervises all of the neuropsychological evaluations and the Rehabilitation Services. As a result, interns receive supervision from the entire faculty over the course of the training year. Interns receive four hours of supervision per week. At least 2 hours of this time involves individual supervision. During supervision, treatment plans, progress notes, case summaries, and assessments will be reviewed, along with an in-depth discussion of each case. Other case examples may be utilized for discussion purposes. Individual and cultural differences as related to assessment and treatment will also be reviewed. Group supervision of therapy cases is provided through the three group supervision meetings listed below. Interns often supplement the group supervision of their therapy cases with individual supervision with the faculty.
The director of internship training has an open door policy, meaning interns are free at any time to discuss concerns or problems with the training director. The interns also meet twice per month with Dr. Georgia Michalopoulou, Chief of Staff, for an open-ended meeting to discuss any issues which arise.
Seminar/Group Supervision/Case Conference Activities
In addition to the Core Professional Issues Seminar, which all of the Wayne State University Psychology Interns participate in, interns in the Clinical Psychology Program with an Emphasis on Pediatric Psychology will participate in the following seminars and case conferences:
1. Pediatric Psychology Didactic Seminar- this weekly seminar involves presentations by faculty members and outside speakers on a variety of topics related to chronic illness, pediatric psychology, and psychopharmacology. A physician from Children’s Hospital typically makes a presentation on a particular chronic illness one week; a psychologist then makes a presentation on the psychosocial aspects of the same chronic illness the next week. All of the chronic illnesses included in the clinics which the interns attend are covered in this manner, along with many other topics such as evidence-based interventions for pediatric psychology problems. Drs. Rosenberg and Leleszi provide psychopharmacology lectures.
2. Pediatric Psychology Group Seminar- this is a group supervision and case discussion of the interns’ pediatric psychology therapy cases. Conducted by Dr. Deborah Ellis, this seminar also includes didactic information on evidence-based interventions.
3. Pediatric Neuropsychology Seminar and Case Conference- this weekly seminar focuses on developing skills in the interpretation of cognitive deficiency patterns from test data (including the WISC-IV and neuropsychological tests). The format is to practice blind interpretation of data derived from a library of cases collected by the supervisor. Dr. Robert Rothermel leads this seminar. Each intern is expected to direct one seminar meeting with a presentation of didactic material related to a topic in pediatric neuropsychology.
4. Child Therapy Group Supervision- this is a group supervision and case discussion of the interns’ child therapy cases. Dr. Mike Butkus conducts this meeting.
5. Family Therapy Group Supervision- this is a group supervision and discussion of the interns’ family therapy cases. It also includes a small amount of didactic presentation. Dr. Robin leads this meeting.
6. Child Psychiatry and Psychology Case Conference- once a month, on Wednesday from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM, all of the psychology and psychiatry trainees and faculty at Children’s Hospital of Michigan participate in a case conference led by Dr. David Rosenberg. Difficult child and adolescent cases are presented and discussed. Lunch is provided for this case conference. Each intern will present one case in the conference.
Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds- once a month, on Tuesday from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM, nationally known researchers and clinicians in the field of Child Psychiatry and Psychology present a Grand Rounds on their research and clinical practice. Lunch is provided for this case conference. Previous speakers have included Dr. William Pelham, Dr. Barbara Geller, Dr. Christopher Kratochvil, Dr. Catherine Lord, Dr. Joseph Biederman, and many others.
Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences Grand Rounds- weekly, from September to June, on Wednesdays, 1 PM to 2:30 PM.
An addition, the interns participate in several regional conferences such as The Michael Golds Memorial ADHD Conference and conferences sponsored by The Michigan Psychological Association. The interns also receive training in Motivational Interviewing through a full-day seminar.
Mentoring System
By the end of the first month of the internship, the Director of Training asks each intern to select a faculty member as a mentor. The intern and mentor meet regularly throughout the year to help guide the intern on making decisions regarding Post-Doctoral Fellowships, jobs, career issues, and any personal issues which arise.
Research Training
Because the demanding internship curriculum is a full-time endeavor, there are no requirements for interns to conduct scientific research. However, as noted above, a new Research Elective is now available during the outpatient rotation.
Interns will have opportunities to achieve this goal through attendance at Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds, discussion of the relationship between science and clinical practice during seminars, preparation of presentations for Pediatric Psychology Didactic and Neuropsychology Seminars, and their utilization of various databases and libraries in the Detroit Medical Center and Wayne State University School of Medicine. If an intern wants to participate in faculty research, there are ample opportunities to do so through the Research Elective. Major clinical research is underway in our Department on the following topics: effectiveness of CBT and medication for treating OCD in children, effectiveness of CBT and medication for treating depression in adolescents, the neurobiology of OCD, adolescent depression, and AD/HD, the genetics of AD/HD, the effectiveness of Multisystemic Family Therapy for treating noncompliant adolescents with diabetes and adolescents with HIV, the use of motivational interviewing with asthma patients, validation of measures of parent-adolescent conflict and interactions, and a variety of neuropsychological topics.
Supervision Training
During the core professional issues seminar there will be didactic presentations on supervision processes. We have arranged an optional supervision experience for interested interns. They can supervise Wayne State University Clinical Psychology doctoral students conducting a small number of evaluations of children and adolescents for learning, attention, and behavior problems. Dr. Robin provides supervision to the intern regarding the supervision of the graduate students.