Behavioral Mental Health Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship

24 Oct 2023    

The Emory University School of Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Program in Health Service Psychology is happy to be including a new fellowship track in Behavioral Mental Health for 2024-2025. The program has been in existence since 1979 and is a member of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Children’s division of Behavioral and Mental Health is a rapidly growing branch of service seeing patients within Children’s three emergency departments, inpatient medical settings, and across the spectrum of care of outpatient clinics. Our team strives to provide excellent clinical care while meeting the needs of our patients and their families. We are working to innovate the mental health care system for children in Georgia.

One postdoctoral residency position is available in which the resident will spend time within both the BHM Outpatient Clinic and the Integrated Care Team. 

The BMH Outpatient Clinic serves a general pediatric population referred from internal Children’s specialty medical clinics and aims to increase the continuity of care available to Children’s patients to include behavioral and mental health care. The outpatient clinic serves children with a broad range of concerns associated with anxiety, mood disorders, somatic symptoms, medical adherence concerns, and behavioral problems. Many patients have comorbid medical conditions and are referred from endocrinology, oncology, neurology, transplant, and orthopedics. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, nurse practitioners, and physicians provide both assessment and treatment services for children. Treatment modalities include individual therapy, group therapy, and parent training. Evidence based practices such as cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy are used. Medication management is provided as needed for patients. Faculty have interests in treating trauma, mood disorders, anxiety, chronic pain, and developmental disabilities. Postdoctoral residents will participate in monthly multidisciplinary case consultations and staff meetings. They will assist in providing supervision to doctoral interns.  

Children’s Integrate Care Team provides behavioral health in primary care and provides consultative and brief intervention services in the pediatric primary care practice at Hughes-Spalding. The practice serves a high proportion of children insured by Medicaid and is comprised of a team of pediatricians, medical residents and interns, fellows, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychologists, nurses, medical assistants, social workers, nutritionist, interpreters, and a growing team of behavioral and mental health therapists (LCSWs and LPCs). Residents can expect to provide brief behavioral and mental health consultations during patients’ medical appointments. Common presenting concerns seen in consultations include disruptive behavior, trauma, autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and depression. Postdoctoral residents will also participate in follow-up visits focusing on brief, solution-focused interventions, either in conjunction with medical visits or during standalone behavioral and mental health visits. In addition, postdoctoral residents may participate in conducting expedited autism assessments for young children.

ALL applicants for the non-neuropsychology positions must submit their applications online through APPA CAS by Monday December 4, 2023.  Application process and information can be found here.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD, ABPP, Postdoctoral Residency Training Director, Professor and Chief Psychologist (Grady), Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.  For track specific questions, contact Laura Dilly, PhD, ABPP.