Child and Family Therapy (CFT)

Interns gain clinical experience assisting families to understand issues related to both childhood development and clinical symptomatology. Common presenting concerns include parent-child conflict, family relationship difficulties, executive functioning deficits (such as those related to ADHD, medical injury, or neurodevelopmental conditions), behavioral disturbances (e.g., disruptive behavior, aggression, noncompliance), internalizing problems (e.g., generalized anxiety, depression,  phobias OCD), adjustment concerns (e.g., adverse life experiences, grief, divorce/separation), school-related difficulties (e.g., bullying, disruptive classroom behavior), and skill deficits (e.g., social skills, independent living skills). CFT provides treatment to patients and their families who come from a wide range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, religious practices, spoken language, and gender and sexual identities. Interns also gain experience adapting treatment approaches to accommodate the unique stressors faced by many families at Kennedy Krieger Institute, including financial insecurity, difficult living situations, exposure to community violence, and racism. Due to the complexities of our client base, interns engage in multidisciplinary consultation with school staff, Kennedy Krieger providers, and other professionals outside of the institute (e.g., pediatricians, psychiatrists) to achieve maximum progress in treatment.

Interns will receive training in family-based case conceptualization that is driven by both therapeutic assessment and the existing evidence base. All interns receive didactic instruction in cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and consultative parent management training to treat the wide range of presenting concerns and neurodevelopmental complexities in our client population. Full year interns will participate in a three-month Functional Family Therapy didactic series that involves both teaching and group supervision components, as well as have opportunities to co-lead therapy groups (e.g., DBT Skills, CBT for Anxiety, ACT for Racial Trauma) for CFT families. Overall, the CFT training program aims to produce well-rounded interns who are able to function as psychologists in a wide range of settings including medical centers, hospitals, private practice, and institutions working with multi-disciplinary teams.

Candidates for the Child and Family Therapy rotation should have graduate level coursework and experiences which include: 

• Family and Individual Therapy
• Behavioral, Family Therapy and Educational Assessment
• Child and adolescent development
• Child and adolescent psychopathology
• Interventions with children and families
• Supervised practica in child and/or family therapy

CFT also offers training for students with varying levels of clinical experience, including:

• Beginning practica for senior undergraduate students seeking a better understanding of the field of psychology or prior to applying to graduate school.
• Advanced externships for students in doctoral training programs in psychology
• Post-doctoral fellowships (ranging from 1-2 years)