|
THE CORE POST-DOC FELLOWSHIP
TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Therapy Supervision
Fellows conducting therapy receive one-to-one supervision for their
work with individuals, groups, families, and children and adolescents.
Supervisors are drawn from all the mental health disciplines, and
have staff positions in Cambridge Health Alliance, are on the faculty
of the Harvard Medical School appointed through the Cambridge Health
Alliance Department of Psychiatry, or both. Each fellow usually
receives two to three hours per week of individual supervision for
therapy cases. Additional group supervision is provided in most
settings, which allows fellows to observe the work of other trainees
and staff. The quality of supervision and the clinical work with
patients are viewed by interns as two of the strongest parts of
the training program.
Testing Supervision
For neuropsychology fellows, fellows in the acute child and adolescent
services, and for other fellows seeking continued testing experience,
the program emphasizes the development of psychodiagnostic and clinical
inference skills. Fellows typically receive two to three hours of
supervision per battery. The high ratio of supervision to testing
time provides an opportunity to analyze the data in depth, and to
understand the person's psychopathology and adaptive capacities.
Precepting
The Director of Postdoctoral Training serves as a division preceptor
for all postdoctoral Fellows, and in that capacity meets individually
with fellows periodically throughout the year, and is available
for consultation and advice at any time. Fellows also meet with
the Director of Postdoctoral Training in a weekly seminar, and in
regularly scheduled Fellows Meetings. Fellows also have a psychology
preceptor at each training site who oversees the work of the Fellow,
and makes suggestions to help tailor the program around case assignments
and seminars. Fellows meet monthly with site preceptors, who also
aid the psychology division in evaluating fellows at midyear, and
at the end of the fellowship year.
Seminars and Conferences
Each fellow is required to participate in the Professional Development
Seminar.
This seminar meets weekly and discusses issues such as multicultural
competence, licensing, professional writing, supervision, research
and grant writing, teaching, and the use of library resources.
Fellows also attend weekly clinical case conferences and seminars
at their clinical sites. The Cambridge Health Alliance Department
of Psychiatry also has an extensive offering of elective seminars
and conferences which are available to the fellows, with topics
such as the treatment of severely disturbed persons from various
theoretical orientations, behavioral medicine, trauma, couples and
family therapy, treatment of narcissism, cross-cultural issues,
and psychopharmacology. Attendance is required at the weekly academic
Grand Rounds, which draws speakers on current clinical, theoretical,
and research issues. Continuing Education courses are offered throughout
the year sponsored by the Department of Psychiatry alone, or jointly
with the Harvard Medical School. These optional courses include
nationally recognized speakers on topics such as Psychotherapy,
Substance Abuse, Suicide, Women's and Men's Issues, Spirituality,
Couples and Family Treatment, and Psychopharmacology. Fellows attend
these conferences at a scholarship rate as trainees of Harvard Medical
School and Cambridge Health Alliance. Fellows may also elect to
participate in the Expert Witness Training, a simulated courtroom
experience with training offered jointly by the Department of Psychiatry
and the Harvard Law School.
|
