In addition to formal in-person supervision, opportunities for didactics and participation in behavioral research lab activities are available. Further, priority is placed on attendance and active participation in extern didactics and a variety of DEI trainings offered through the division and hospital.
Potential experiences are as follows:
- Outpatient psychotherapy with children and families with a typical case load of four to six weekly patients. Common referral issues include difficulty adjusting to diabetes diagnosis, adherence to medical regimen, anxiety, depression, parent-adolescent conflict and family communication difficulties.
- Consultation, education and counseling with families of children newly diagnosed with diabetes. Outpatient education is provided for all families in a group format.
- Consultation during outpatient diabetes and endocrine clinic appointments (e.g. Type 2 Diabetes Clinic, Turner Syndrome). Attending clinics may include participant-observation experiences with physicians, nurse educators and dietitians working with children/families. Brief psychological consultations are often requested during clinic as well.
- Co-leading behavioral and psychosocial group for parents and teens with diabetes as well as assisting with programming designed to help support families with diabetes (e.g., Family Night, Halloween Party and Candy Exchange, Off to College/Transition Workshop).
- Didactics and research opportunities are available including:
- Participating in weekly research lab meetings
- Discussing relevant research regarding diabetes management in children and teenagers with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- Opportunities for research and didactics depend on days of week of externship and could also include:
- Extern didactics/DEI trainings
- Multidisciplinary diabetes team meetings
- Clinical research meetings
- Psychiatry grand rounds
- Pediatric grand rounds