The DPHB at Brown University Medical School offers APA-approved internship training at the predoctoral level for qualified students. The primary goal of the Brown University Internship is to provide a comprehensive predoctoral training program which assures the development of adequate levels of proficiency across the basic areas of clinical psychology including assessment, therapy, consultation, and clinical research. A central mission of the Training Consortium is to promote diversity of perspective and experience in its pursuit of academic excellence in research, teaching and service.
The overall training objectives of the program reflect a commitment to the development of clinical psychologists who are scientists/practitioners with broad-based skills. Particular emphasis, however, is given to behaviorally-oriented approaches to assessment and treatment in both the Adult Clinical and Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine Tracks. Training in the Child Clinical and Clinical Neuropsychology Tracks is more eclectic in orientation. A secondary goal of the program is to provide a beginning concentration in a particular area of clinical psychology.
The DPHB at Brown University offers advanced training at the postdoctoral level for qualified individuals. The primary purpose of the fellowship is to provide a training program which assures the development of proficiency in a specific area of clinical psychology, with emphasis on clinical research and clinical service. Two years of postdoctoral training is considered optimal but a one-year commitment is available at some hospitals sponsoring fellowships. All doctoral degree requirements, including completion of a predoctoral internship, are required to be admitted to the postdoctoral program. ABD s may apply and be accepted as advanced clinical trainees until they complete requirements for their Ph.D. At that time, they officially receive the title of postdoctoral fellow . In order to graduate from the program as a postdoctoral fellow and receive a certificate of completion, the fellow must complete at least twelve months in the fellowship with a Ph.D. To date, all fellows who have participated in the postdoctoral training program have been eligible to sit for licensure in Rhode Island.
The exact nature of training (e.g., didactic experiences, direct care, exposure to ongoing faculty research, direct research involvement of the fellow, etc.) is decided on an individual basis by each of the trainees and their faculty mentors. It is the philosophy of the Fellowship Program that all postdoctoral fellows in clinical psychology should have both clinical and research exposure during their training. However, the Fellowships vary across settings such that in one instance research goals can be primary and clinical goals secondary while in another, clinical goals can be primary and research goals secondary. Allocation of time between research and clinical activities is negotiated in advance of accepting the fellowship. The allocation should be in keeping with the goals of the training program and the individual fellow.
The Associate Director for Clinical/Research Training oversees the fellowships across all the hospitals. All fellows meet with the Associate Director once per year and more often as necessary. The Associate Director also conducts the once a month evening seminar on professional issues and participates in the Friday morning seminar series. The training committee sets general policy, but most training issues fall to the individual faculty mentors/supervisors and "track" (i.e., child clinical, adult clinical, neuropsychology, and behavioral medicine) committees to decide. Each faculty mentor has the role of overseeing the specific goals of the trainee.
Specific training objectives are formulated at the beginning of the fellowship with supervisors. Evaluation is based on a competency-based format which emphasizes acquisition of special clinical skills and/or research abilities. Training objectives are achieved through an apprenticeship model where the fellow works closely with a faculty member in the provision of clinical services and/or in conducting research. The faculty member serves as primary supervisor and role model, and the close supervisory relationship permits the fellow to develop clinical and/or research skills as well as role identity. The amount of individual and group supervision varies across fellowships. The minimum amount of individual supervision is two hours per week. General guidelines for the research and clinical options are described below.
a) Research Emphasis. For a fellow to be considered in a research track, at least 60% of his/her time is spent on research. The primary goal of the research track is to develop both the knowledge base and the skills to begin an independent research career within the chosen specialty area. This will include: 1) a critical understanding of the literature and the current issues in the field; and 2) the ability to independently develop a specific research project. Fellows whose positions have a primary research focus are most often provided with experience working on grant-funded projects. Close supervision is provided for experimental design, research techniques and grant writing.
b) Clinical Emphasis. The goal for fellows who choose the clinical option is to establish clinical proficiency, while integrating a professional role that is well grounded in ethics, mental health practice, and law. By the end of the postdoctoral experience, the fellow who chooses a clinical emphasis should be thoroughly competent in the knowledge-base and proficient in the clinical skills required for their area of specialty. Criteria for competency are agreed upon at the beginning of the fellowship by the fellow and his/her primary supervisor. By the end of the first year of the fellowship, the individual should be able to practice with minimal supervision and be eligible for licensure. By the end of the second year, the fellow should feel sufficiently competent to function independently in a similar clinical program in a new location. Despite the clinical emphasis of the track, clinical fellowships require a minimum of 20% research experience.
The program offers training in four specific areas (tracks) of clinical psychology: (1) Adult Clinical; (2) Child Clinical; (3) Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine; and (4) Neuropsychology. All fellows are admitted to the training program within one of these areas of specialization which represents their career focus or interest. The four "tracks" are described below
Neuropsychology Track
The neuropsychology track fellowship is designed to provide both didactic and experiential training in assessment, consultation, and treatment methods in neuropsychology. The track is a member of APPCN. Specialization in a specific area, such as rehabilitation, gerontology, child, general medicine or neuropsychiatry, is available at the various training sites. Fellows are exposed to both quantitative and qualitative approaches to neuropsychological assessment and undertake a specific research project during training. Consistent with INS/APA Division 40 guidelines for neuropsychology training, fellows are also required to participate in didactic training. These fellowships are usually available at all of the consortium hospital.
