Ph.D. Child & Adolescent Specialization
Within the doctoral program is the Child & Adolescent Specialization, designed to facilitate students' development of psychotherapeutic skills and theoretical knowledge with a focus on intervention with children, adolescents, and their families. Through an integrated selection of courses and practicum experiences, students achieve theoretical and practical knowledge of the developmental process, the range of problems encountered and types of intervention through infancy, childhood, adolescence and young adulthood.
Academic Curriculum
The curriculum integrates course work within the general doctoral program with specialized courses on children and adolescents. A clinical practicum offers the opportunity for students to focus their learning on the treatment of children and adolescents. A research practicum, leading to and including the completion of a dissertation, assists the student in developing strong research and conceptual skills. Course work includes:
Problems of Childhood and Adolescence: This sequence of three courses addresses the broad array of challenges to development that are confronted by children and adolescents. The complex mix of environmental, neurological, physical, medical, familial, social, and emotional contributions to the child or adolescent's difficulties are considered in assessing and understanding the picture presented to the clinician. Both risk factors and protective factors are addressed throughout. Topics include developmental delays, neurological and medical problems, adjustment and reactive disorders, abuse and neglect, regulatory disorders, anxiety and depression, sleep and eating disturbances, the impact of trauma, relational disturbances, neurotic conflict, and social disorganization.
Child and Adolescent Development: The developmental sequence consists of four courses that span pregnancy to adolescence. It provides a conceptual foundation for understanding the developmental process across the domains of physical, cognitive, social/cultural, and emotional/psychological growth as it occurs in the context of family, community, and culture. A variety of theoretical approaches to development are incorporated. Wide variations within the range of normal development, and multiple pathways toward outcomes, are considered.
Clinical Practicum
The Clinical Practicum is designed to enhance our students' diagnostic and treatment skills with children, adolescents, and their families. Graduates are expected to be competent to evaluate and treat a variety of intrapsychic, interpersonal, and social disorders. Cases for study in the practicum, which are drawn from each student's clinical practice, are conducted with individual consultation with experts from the ICSW's faculty.
Case Studies: Each student is required to complete five sets of three case studies. One case study is to be devoted to the observation of an infant or child. Case studies may consist of a new case the student is working with or a treatment review of a case that has been in treatment for some time.
Treatment Cases: Each student is required to carry a total of four cases in individual treatment and a fifth case in a modality other than individual treatment (e.g., couple, family, or group therapy). The student will see at least one client twice a week, and the others not less than once a week. Two clients are seen for a minimum of two years each, and the remaining three for at least 150 total treatment hours.