Behavioral and Mental Health Outpatient Clinic Track – Full year (2 positions)
The Behavioral and Mental Health Outpatient Clinic in a part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta seeks to ensure patients receive access to behavioral and mental health services that will improve their quality of life and ability to thrive. The clinic serves children and adolescents referred from internal Children’s specialty clinics and aims to increase the continuity of care available to Children’s patients to include behavioral and mental health care. The outpatient clinic serves children with a broad range of concerns associated with anxiety, mood disorders, psychosis, somatic symptoms, medical adherence concerns, and behavioral problems. A multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, and physicians provide both assessment and treatment services for children. Treatment modalities include individual therapy, group therapy, and parent training. Evidence based treatments are used. Medication management is provided as needed for patients. Faculty have interests in treating trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, chronic pain, and developmental disabilities. The Children’s Behavioral and Mental Health Outpatient Clinic is new, opening in September 2021. This allows a unique opportunity for interns to gain experience in program development from both clinical and operational standpoints.
Interns in the full-year track will gain experiences providing therapy to clients of a variety of ages and presenting concerns. Interns will also be given the opportunity to conduct a minor rotation (1/2 day a week) in a clinic outside of the severe behavior program throughout the entire year. Minor rotations may be available in the Clinical Assessment and Diagnostics Department, Severe Behavior Program, or Feeding Department.
Possible Minor Rotations
The Clinical Assessment and Diagnostic Department (minor rotation) at the Marcus Autism Center is a multidisciplinary clinic that provides diagnostic assessments of individuals with a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders with a possible autism spectrum disorder. Children seen in the CAD clinic range from infancy to late adolescence with a focus on children ages 16 months to 6 years.
RUBI-Parent Training Program (minor rotation) at the Marcus Autism Center is an outpatient program developed and shown to decrease challenging behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between the ages of 3 and 10. The program involves teaching parents a number of strategies to prevent, manage, and reduce occurrences of problem behaviors of mild to moderate severity while promoting skill development.
The Pediatric Feeding Clinic (minor rotation) at the Center for Advanced Pediatrics and the Marcus Autism Center offers interns the opportunity to work with children ages 9 months to 21 years who do not consume enough volume or variety of food to maintain adequate growth or nutrition. Children with this level of feeding disorder fall under the broader psychiatric diagnosis of Avoidant-Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
The Early Intervention Program (minor rotation) at the Marcus Autism Center is an outpatient parent coaching program designed to support families of toddlers with or at-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in developing play, communication, social engagement, and imitation skills. The program uses the Project ImPACT curriculum, which has been shown to build skill in young children with ASD and other developmental delays through integrating behavioral and developmental treatment strategies. The program emphasizes active parent participation within and between sessions.
The Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety program (minor rotation) at the Marcus Autism Center is an outpatient therapy program. The program is aimed to treat youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and co-morbid anxiety disorders. This program is currently offered in an individual context via telemedicine. The clinic utilizes the Facing Your Fears Program, which uses cognitive behavioral principles to help youth develop their awareness and insight into their anxiety and/or fears and learn ways to effectively manage their symptoms. The program actively involves parents via a parent education component.