Training Program
The doctoral externship program in the Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment (CNaP; formerly known as the Department of Neuropsychology) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute provides doctoral students with an opportunity to work with a diversity of patient populations, age ranges, and cultural backgrounds. CNaP has a commitment to excellence in training within our doctoral externship program, our APA-accredited internship program, and our post-doctoral fellowships in Pediatric Neuropsychology and Child Clinical Psychology.
Doctoral externs will participate in one assessment day a week and will work toward participation in all aspects of the assessment, including interview, testing, scoring, feedback, and report writing.
Our training model involves participation through one or two of the following experiences listed below, allowing for doctoral students to identify an assessment experience that will help meet their training goals.
- The Child Clinical Psychology experience provides training in psychological assessment of children with a wide range of developmental disorders, including individuals with anxiety or mood difficulties, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), executive functioning weaknesses, Tourette or other tic disorders, prematurity, sleep disturbances, and behavioral concerns. Recommendations from evaluations seek to ameliorate difficulties associated with social, emotional, behavioral, and educational functioning.
- The Pediatric Neuropsychology experience provides training in neuropsychological assessment of children with a wide range of neurodevelopmental and central nervous system disorders. The clinics evaluate children and young adults with primary medical diagnoses including: hematological and oncological concerns (e.g., brain tumors, leukemia, etc.), genetic disorders (e.g., XXY, muscular dystrophies, 22q11 deletion syndromes, etc.), congenital abnormalities (e.g., spina bifida, chronic kidney disease, etc.), prematurity with multiple complications, acquired brain injury, and epilepsy. Recommendations from evaluations seek to ameliorate the impact of brain impairment on cognitive, social, emotional and educational functioning.
Commitment
The externship position at the Kennedy Krieger Institute requires the ability to complete a 12-month externship and commitment of two full days (16 hours) a week. One day is usually assigned for face-to-face contact with patients and the second day is usually reserved for report writing, didactics, other clinical duties, and supervision (though some flexibility in this schedule may be needed in light of completing assessments during COVID-19). Placements are offered at several of our outpatient centers in both Baltimore City and Columbia.
The training year typically begins on either July 1 or September 1. Prior to a position being offered, doctoral students will indicate their availability. All days of the week are available, but specific positions will vary based on the student’s and supervisor’s availability.
Generally, students have completed their second year of doctoral training prior to starting this doctoral externship. We find it beneficial that students have had exposure to the basics of testing (e.g., intellectual or academic assessment) with patients prior to starting our externship.
Compensation
Externs are paid a stipend of $2,500/year.
Supervision
Doctoral externs receive, at minimum, one hour of individual and one hour of group supervision a week. Group supervision is typically obtained through morning and noon clinic-based rounds. Supervisors typically take a developmental approach, identifying the doctoral student’s prior experience and goals, in order to help build the skills necessary for competency in psychological assessment.
Didactics
Doctoral externs are also required to participate in at least one didactic experience a week offered through Kennedy Krieger Institute or Johns Hopkins Hospital. At the start of the year, externs are provided with a list of all didactics and work with their supervisor to pick a didactic relevant to their training and that fits in their schedule.
Clinics Participating in Doctoral Externship Program
For information on the clinics in CNaP, please see CNaP Outpatient Clinics | Kennedy Krieger Institute. Please note that opportunities for externship training in these clinics is subject to supervisor availability, and may vary by training year.
Application Guidelines
For more information about the application process, including materials to submit, application deadline and the timeline for interviews, please see our position announcement.
Drs. Christine Merola and Dasal Jashar
Co-Directors of Externship Training
Kennedy Krieger Institute
Center for Neuropsychological and Psychological Assessment
1750 E. Fairmount Avenue