The Cleft and Craniofacial Program offers a fascinating and rewarding experience. Psychology externs conduct psychosocial consultations of children with a variety of medical concerns. Young children through young adults are seen, with much training in child development taking place. Immediate suggestions/feedback are provided to families as appropriate (i.e., recommendations for managing challenging behavior, encouraging good sleep hygiene), and referrals for assessment or ongoing psychological treatment are provided when needed. After the brief consultation with the family, the extern will review the case with the attending psychologist and then will write up a short consultation reply and participate in the team conference with other disciplines (e.g., ENT, genetics, craniofacial surgeons, dentistry and speech and language specialists). This service is located at the main hospital on Tuesday afternoons from 1-4:30 p.m.
Within the Bariatric Surgery Program, the extern will assist in the pre-surgical psychological evaluation of candidates for bariatric surgery. This involves a clinical interview and assessment, as well as coordinating/consulting with the surgery team and preparing an in-depth report and recommendations for care. The extern will complete pre-surgical evaluations on Thursdays. Clinics are located at the main hospital or at Children's National Friendship Heights and include consults with follow-up surgery patients.
There is also the potential for taking on 1-2 outpatient cases that are pediatric/medical specialty in focus, involvement in ongoing research, participation in didactics, outpatient therapy or post-surgical consult cases, and involvement with a larger team of pediatric psychologists and trainees. Overall, the externship will include training in consult/liaison, individual outpatient therapy and brief assessment with a wide range of clients with varying presentations and ages.
