Pediatric Psychology Internship Program
Program Overview
Philosophy and Goals
The Pediatric Psychology Internship Program in the Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital (MWPH) is designed to provide broad clinical, educational, and research experiences to interns who are dedicated to pursuing a career in pediatric psychology.
Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital has a strong commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to training. We believe that training pediatric psychologists in the medical setting increases the interns’ understanding of medical culture, language, and issues. In addition, direct training in the medical setting teaches interns the skills necessary for effective collaboration and teamwork, as well as assisting in the development of familiarity and comfort with acute and chronic medical and developmental conditions. Our philosophy of training is reflected in the range of programs which serve as the core to our internship. These programs reflect the practitioner-scholar model, emphasizing the contributions of research findings to the practice of psychology.
The major goal of our internship program is to contribute to the development of well-rounded and competent pediatric psychologists. It is our belief that this is best achieved both by developing a solid base of skills in the areas of assessment, intervention, and consultation, as well as by acquiring specialized skills with a wide range of pediatric populations. We have designed our program to achieve this goal, and we have developed site-specific goals and objectives for our interns that are consistent with our training mission. Our intent is that clear site-specific goals and objectives enable interns to understand program expectations as well as what is required to become effective and capable pediatric psychologists. Our training model places a strong emphasis on the development of knowledgeable psychologists who integrate current theories and research into the practice of psychology. We expect our trainees to demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and professional responsibilities of practicing professional psychology and to show respect for diversity and demonstrate multicultural competence in their work with children and families.
Our pediatric psychology internship program is designed so that upon completion of the training year the intern will:
- Integrate current theories and research in the field of pediatric psychology with the practice of professional psychology
- Possess strong diagnostic skills with a range of assessment procedures that can be applied to a wide variety of problems and populations
- Demonstrate competence with different psychotherapeutic orientations and techniques for intervention
- Acknowledge and respect ethical and professional issues, including issues of diversity and multi-cultural factors
- Acquire the knowledge and competence to function as a pediatric psychologist in a variety of settings
- Appreciate the roles of other disciplines within medical settings, communicate meaningfully, and work constructively on an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary team
- Be sensitive to the unique aspects of research with specific pediatric populations
Program History
Although the Pediatric Psychology internship program at MWPH is a relatively new program (beginning in September 2005), the Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at MWPH has extensive experience training predoctoral interns. From the early 1990’s until 2002, MWPH had a formal and contractual relationship with the Pediatric Psychology Internship Training Program at the University of Maryland Medical System.
University of Maryland Pediatric Psychology interns trained for required 6 month rotations at MWPH in the Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology, and faculty from the Division have been adjunct faculty at UMMS, participating in all aspects of the internship program.
Since the pediatric psychology internship program at the University of Maryland was put on inactive status beginning in 2002, MWPH has expanded its own training program, including extern and post doctoral training in both pediatric psychology and pediatric neuropsychology.
Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital
(Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology)
The internship is sponsored by and housed in the Division of Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital. MWPH is jointly owned by the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins University. The internship program is fully supported (both financially and in terms of resource allocation) by the administration at MWPH.
Consistent with the mission of MWPH, the highest quality of care is provided to children and their families. Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital provides assessment, consultation, and treatment services to infants, children, adolescents, young adults, and their families through several different inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment programs. At MWPH, pediatric psychological and neuropsychological services are provided through the three major inpatient programs (Pulmonary, Physical Rehabilitation, Chronic Illness), day treatment programs (Rehabilitation, Feeding), outpatient clinics (Feeding Disorders Clinic, Obesity Clinic, Neuropsychology Clinic), and outpatient services (psychological and neuropsychological evaluations and therapy).
Most of the inpatient, day treatment, and outpatient clinic programs are either interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary in nature, and interns have opportunities to train in most of these programs. The faculty and trainees at MWPH are involved in numerous service, training, and research projects. In addition to the internship, fellowships are offered in pediatric psychology and pediatric neuropsychology at MWPH.