Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adolescent DBT
Our mission is to train highly skilled, ethical psychologists who contribute to the field of psychology through clinical work, research and/or education.
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is a vibrant, multidisciplinary department dedicated to advancing science and integrating this foremost mission with those of clinical innovation, educational excellence, community engagement and commitment, and professionalism and leadership development.
The Adolescent Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Fellowship at Stanford serves as the culmination of training in psychology and is guided by the scientist-practitioner model. Residents are offered diverse clinical experiences in assessment and treatment utilizing evidence-based treatments, rich didactics based on current empirical literature, opportunities for scholarly inquiry, and supervision by Stanford faculty.
Program Goals and Competencies
The primary goal of the program is to provide advanced training in the areas of clinical service, scholarly inquiry, professionalism and ethical decision-making. The program design is based on seven core competencies, including:
- Integration of Science and Practice
- Ethics and Legal Matters
- Individual and Cultural Diversity
- Theories and Methods of Diagnosis and Assessment
- Theories and Methods of Effective Psychotherapeutic Intervention
- Professional Conduct and Interpersonal Relationships
- Dissemination Beyond Clinical Care
Additionally, fellows receive training in the following areas specific to children and adolescents.
- Life Span Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology
- Child, Adolescent and Family Assessment Methods
- Intervention Strategies
- Research Methods and Systems Evaluation
- Professional, Ethical and Legal Issues Pertaining to Children, Adolescents and Families
- Issues of Diversity
- The Role of Multiple Disciplines and Service Delivery Systems
- Prevention, Family Support, and Health Promotion
- Social Issues Affecting Children, Adolescents, and Families
- Specialized Applied Experience in Assessment, Intervention and Consultation
Clinical Descriptions
The postdoc will receive in-depth training in providing adherent, comprehensive, Stage 1 DBT to adolescents with suicidal and self-harm behaviors. The postdoc will participate in all modalities of comprehensive DBT with adolescents, including individual therapy, collateral and family therapy, multifamily skills group, telephone coaching and weekly consultation team meetings. DBT services will be provided in the outpatient clinic. The postdoc will also receive intensive training in suicide risk assessment and management and take part in the Crisis Consultation Clinic, which provides brief evaluation, treatment recommendations, care linkage and evidence-based safety planning strategies for youth at risk for suicide seen in the Stanford outpatient psychiatry clinic and the Stanford ED. Participation in research related to DBT and treatment of suicidal youth may also be available. Additional clinical experiences may include treating adolescents with mood, anxiety and sleep disorders using cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches.
Clinical Training
Fellows spend 20 hours per week in direct patient care. They conduct one to two new patient evaluations each week and carry ongoing individual and family therapy cases as well as participate in groups.
Didactic Training
The fellow attends three didactic training seminars that meet on a weekly basis throughout the year including seminars focused on diagnosis and treatment of specific disorders as well as a seminar focuses on Ethics in preparation for licensure. Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds take place once a month.
Supervision and Evaluation
Fellows receive a minimum of four hours of supervision each week. The supervision is divided between two hours of individual and two hours of group. Fellows receive a copy of the competency evaluation form at the start of the fellowship during orientation and receive feedback at 3 month intervals. The feedback at 3 and 9 months is verbal and informally given during supervision. The feedback at 6 and 12 months is written using the competency evaluation forms and reviewed in supervision. Any issues regarding performance are discussed at these quarterly intervals as well as in weekly supervision.
Program Faculty
Specialty Psychologists
Questions?
For questions about the Child Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship, please contact Maryam Mossadeghian at maryammossadeghian@stanford.edu