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Infant & Child Track (2 positions)

In the Infant/Child track, interns do not rotate at either Charity Hospital or the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital. The infant component is conducted through the Harris Infant Mental Health Center. The Harris Center is devoted to the study and treatment of infants and young children. The Center trains psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers in evaluation, treatment, and intervention with infants and families. The focus is on relationship-based assessments and treatment for infants and toddlers in the first four years of life. Trainees also learn traditional play therapy techniques, different modalities of infant-parent psychotherapy, and relevant aspects of family and parenting methods needed to work with very young children and their caregivers. Interns participate in a two and a half-hour weekly seminar where they are taught theoretical aspects of infant development, the parent-caregiver relationship, and evaluation and therapeutic techniques when working with this population. The seminar will also incorporate presentation of clinical evaluations and treatment, much of which is videotaped for discussion by the group. There are four other components to the infant/child internship: 1) The intern will conduct outpatient therapy with referred infants and toddlers and their caregivers; 2) The intern will do infant observations with a normally developing, low risk infant twice a month and keep a journal of their observations; 3) The intern will have field placements with 1) a multidisciplinary team doing evaluations for the Orleans Parish Court system and 2) observing and doing evaluations in a day care center. The intern will have two hours of individual supervision each week with an infant supervisor in addition to group supervision with Dr. Joy Osofsky.

The Harris Infant Center Faculty include:

Joy D. Osofsky, PhD, Director
Pat Blackwell, PhD
Adrianne Brennan, PhD
Rick Costa, PsyD
Amy Dickson, PsyD
Martin J. Drell, M.D
Nancy Freeman, LCSW
Joaniko Kohchi, LCSW
Mindy Kronenberg, PhD
Marva Lewis, PhD
Michelle Many, LCSW
Mark Sands, MD
Doug Walker, PhD

The following is a summary of what an infant/child intern typically does throughout the year (please also refer to the didactic schedule):

Rotations:

1. Observation of one normally developing, low-risk infant (twice per month)
2. Treatment/Evaluation of Orleans Parish Permanency Infant Placement Team children and families (2 cases at a time; includes entire family plus any eligible caretakers)
3. Consultation, teaching, and treatment at an inner city daycare (one morning per week)
4. Outpatient psychotherapy of infants and toddlers and/or their caregivers (Harris - 0-5 year olds; 3-4 cases)
5. Outpatient psychotherapy of children and/or their caregivers (5-18 year olds; 6-7 cases)
6. Violence Intervention Program psychotherapy cases (6-18 years plus parents; 1-2 cases)
7. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Follow-up Unit at Children's Hospital (elective; 3.5 hours, twice per month)
8. Louisiana Rural Trauma Services Center (LRTSC) (Headstart through 8th grade school-based assessment/treatment services; 3-6 cases)
9. Child Assessments - developmental and/or psychological (children of all ages; 8-10 cases)
10. Elective experience, if approved and available

Supervision:

1. At least one hour of individual supervision related to infant/child psychotherapy cases
2. Child and Adolescent Treatment Team Group Supervision (one hour per week)
3. Group supervision with Joy Osofsky (2.5 hours per week)
4. Process meeting with Dr. Costa (30 minutes per week)
5. Daycare group supervision (1.5 hours per week)
6. LRTSC group supervision (1 hour per week)
7. Individual psychotherapy and assessment supervision (one hour per week)
8. Orleans Parish Permanency Infant Placement Team (meetings/group supervision are twice a week for 2.5 hours/5 hours per week)