Community Settings for Clinical Interventions and Research Activities

Community settings for clinical interventions and research activities help fulfill the objectives of the CCPP--to provide a variety of training venues and to increase professional functioning in the public sector. The following is a brief description of each site, clientele and interventions, and the supervising clinicians in the Lawrence, Kansas City, and Topeka areas.

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center

The Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center runs a Child and Family Services unit for outpatient assessment and therapy as well as for family preservation interventions. This Center is a well-established licensed comprehensive facility with over 115 professionals and a wide array of services. Under supervision, CCPP trainees at the Center do assessment and therapeutic interventions for such diagnoses as Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and anxiety disorders. They also provide in-home family assessments, interventions for children at risk of being placed outside the home (e.g. Family Preservation, juvenile detention center), and ADHD groups for children and parents. Parent-child interaction therapy is a frequent therapeutic approach. The trainees consult with staff regarding other cases and provide individual, group, and family therapy for children in crises. Supervision is provided by licensed psychologists and social workers at the center (Julianne Boydston, Ph.D.). Students and faculty in CCPP also conduct clinical research projects at this Center in psychotherapy process and outcomes in the Child and Family Services unit.

KU Medical Center - Pediatric Psychology Section

Practicum students at the KU Medical Center, Pediatric Psychology Section, conduct supervised and conjoint intake interviews and outpatient therapy for such problems as Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, school problems, autism, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Additionally, outpatient cases are seen involving adjustment to chronic illnesses and consultation to children and families in inpatient medical wards regarding treatment adherence and illness adjustment issues. Licensed pediatric and clinical child psychologists affiliated with the CCPP provide supervision (Michael Rapoff, Ph.D., Martye Barnard, Ph.D., Ann McGrath Davis, Ph.D., Caroline Elder Danda, Ph.D., and Maura Duke Wendlend, Ph.D.). Program evaluation research is also conducted by CCPP students in this setting.

KU Medical Center - Child Development Unit

Students taking practicum experiences at the KU Medical Center in the Child Development Unit work on interdisciplinary teams (including social work, education specialists, speech and hearing specialists) providing evaluations of children referred for mental retardation, autism, and other developmental disabilities. These activities are supervised by licensed child and school psychologists (Matthew Reese, Ph.D.).

Intensive Mental Health Project - Lawrence School District

The Intensive Mental Health Project in the Lawrence School District (Special Education) provides comprehensive mental health services in school settings utilizing an integrated model for children who have been referred for serious behavioral, cognitive, and affective problems which interfere with functioning in regular classrooms. The children typically have multiple diagnoses, have had inpatient placements, and typically are categorized in the severe emotional disorders. Trainees (paid and practicum placements) are directly involved in class sessions, provide individual therapy (twice weekly), do daily group therapy, develop and administer the behavior management plans, and provide comprehensive diagnosis and case formulations. They also interact with the variety of professionals providing services to the family, working on case management, and consulting with the home school and parents. Supervision is provided by CCPP faculty (Vernberg, Roberts, Randall). Clinical research efforts take place in the classrooms.

Children's Mercy Hospital - Developmental and Behavioral Sciences Section

The practicum at the Children's Mercy Hospital, Developmental and Behavioral Sciences Section is primarily an advanced assessment training experience in which trainees conduct evaluations on a wide range of children for psychological and psycho-educational testing including such problems as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, mood and anxiety disorders, Learning Disabilities, and Tourette's Syndrome. Careful attention is given to report- writing skills and following up with referring professionals in a managed care environment. Students may also consult to the specialty clinics for Downs Syndrome and Autism, Craniofacial, and Tourette's Syndrome. Supervision is provided by the licensed clinical and child psychologists on the hospital staff (Vincent Barone, Ph.D., Brian Belden, Ph.D., David Bennett, Ph.D., Edward Christophersen, Ph.D., Lynne Covitz Hardy, Ph.D., Rochelle Harris, Ph.D., Victoria Little, Ph.D., Susan Mortweet, Ph.D., Kathryn Pieper, Ph.D., and Jennifer Verrill Schurman, Ph.D.). This field site also has an APA-accredited internship program in clinical child psychology. Research occurs with this unit as well.