Trainees participate in supervised experiences in diagnostic, therapeutic, and clinical research settings. Interns gain experience with a broad range of problems. Patients present with moderate to severe developmental, emotional and behavioral problems. They range in age from infancy to early adulthood (i.e., 21 years of age) and come from diverse cultural backgrounds and socioeconomic levels. Due to the hospital’s unique geographic location, patients from Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands are routinely served, in addition to the large Hispanic and African-American population geographically located in Miami.
Many patients present with problems related to difficulties in adjustment to a chronic/acute medical condition (e.g., Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, Epilepsy, and Asthma), neurodevelopmental disorder, psychological, abuse and/or trauma, as well as distress related to medical or surgical procedures. Presenting problems for which a psychological evaluation are indicated include academic/learning difficulty, emotional maladjustment as well as developmental delay and regression. Evaluations are also conducted to monitor overall development and guide intervention for children with chronic/acute medical conditions. Patients in this group include at risk premature infants, oncology and cardiovascular surgery patients and epilepsy surgery candidates. Presenting problems for which psychotherapy are indicated include depression and anxiety, conduct disorder, psychosis, developmental delay and trauma, eating disorder, pain/impaired body function and substance abuse. A number of theoretical orientations are represented, most prominently cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, object relations, developmental and family systems.