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Child and Adolescent Diabetes Externship
Advanced clinical psychology doctoral students are encouraged to apply to work with the Diabetes Program team's psychology service. The diabetes team is multidisciplinary and includes physicians, nurse educators, dietitians and psychologists. Team members see every child newly diagnosed with diabetes, as well as work with individual families to assist with medical and behavioral management of the illness.
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This externship offers clinical, research and didactic opportunities. 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, poor 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. This includes addressing the impact of being diagnosed with a life-long illness and assisting the family with strategies for managing diabetes. Outpatient education is provided for all families in a group format.
- Consultation during outpatient diabetes and endocrine clinic appointments (e.g. PROUD clinic, Turner Syndrome, Reproductive Endocrinology). 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).
- Providing consultation/treatment to children with diabetes who have been hospitalized. Potential duties include reviewing medical records, interviewing children and families, case conceptualization and providing feedback (verbal and chart notes) to medical team.
- Research opportunities include investigating issues related to diabetes management in young children, participating in weekly research lab meetings and discussing relevant research regarding diabetes management in children and teenagers with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
- Opportunities for didactics depend on days of week of externship and include multidisciplinary diabetes team meetings, diabetes psychology service clinical rounds, clinical research meetings, psychiatry grand round and pediatric grand rounds.
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Formal coursework in child assessment and child psychopathology and treatment is required. Prior practicum experience in child or adolescent therapy is also required.
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Up to three positions will be offered.
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Please email a letter of interest, CV/resume and two letters of reference to:
Lauren Clary, Ph.D. | Email | 202-476-2231
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One day (eight hours) or two days (16 hours) per week. Available days for externships include Monday-Thursday.