The Child and Family Therapy Clinic (CFT) at Kennedy Krieger Institute provides a one-year postdoctoral fellowship (with the option of extending for a second year) that is designed to increase both depth and scope of child psychology experiences and clinical skills before fellows embark on independent careers in the field. The fellowship provides advanced in-depth and multifaceted training and experience in the context of a specialized team of clinical psychologists, doctoral interns, pre-doctoral externs and interdisciplinary colleagues. We emphasize specific training interests of the fellow (e.g., interest in particular presenting concerns, particular age groups). The CFT postdoctoral training program equips fellows to thrive as well-rounded psychologists in a wide range of mental health and medical/hospital settings. Our therapeutic approach is tailored to each family’s needs while grounded in a scientist-practitioner model of case conceptualization. Fellows complete the program with strong skills in family, individual, and group therapy using evidence-based models.

The CFT fellowship is focused on using a family therapy framework in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide variety of presenting concerns related to the individual and family. These presenting concerns include, but are not limited to: anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, fears, phobias, panic, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and impulse-control/executive functioning difficulties, tic disorders, anger-management/aggression, parent-child conflicts, parent-teen communication difficulties, school-related difficulties, adjustment-related concerns, stress management, emotion-regulation difficulties, self-harm, suicidal ideation, poor coping, identity development and family transition concerns. Families may also present with unique stressors regarding their child or adolescent’s behavior that include divorce/separation, bullying, peer conflict, military deployment, transition to a new environment, or lack of social support. The clinic serves children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 25 years old and their families.

Fellows participate in individual, group, and “tiered” supervision as they provide peer review and mentoring to doctoral interns and doctoral level advanced externs. Additionally, fellows attend numerous training activities, including a variety of CFT clinic didactics focused on applying Cognitive behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Functional Family Therapy (FFT) orientations to cases, consultation groups for family therapy cases, trainings to support work with our patients, departmental and clinic-wide professional development seminars, and hospital-wide (Kennedy Krieger and JHUSOM) presentations. 

CFT Postdoctoral Fellows Will Receive Training in The Following Areas:

  • Providing individual and family therapy to patients and members of their family system
  • Conducting group therapy with patients and their families. Current group opportunities include:
    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills groups
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups focused on interpersonal effectiveness (social skills)
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy groups focused on anxiety
    • Executive Functioning Groups
    • Parent Management Groups for disruptive behavior
    • Process groups to address the impact of COVID
    • Support Groups for LGBTQIA+ youth
  • Participating in trainings provided by CFT, the department and Kennedy Krieger Institute to promote health for all individuals we treat
  • Attending weekly individual and group supervision to obtain support, guidance, and collaboration in clinical and professional development areas
  • Collaborating with other professionals at Kennedy Krieger, including our legal team and our educational consultation team, to increase expertise when addressing issues related to school success, abuse and neglect, child custody, and subpoenas
  • Consulting with other members of the patient’s health and wellness team in order to provide comprehensive care
  • Obtaining advanced training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Functional Family Therapy (FFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with trained and certified licensed psychologists through didactics, supervision, presentations, consultations, co-treatments, training videos, access to treatment manuals and therapy handouts, and more
  • Receiving training and experience with specialized treatments, such as Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) with certified staff psychologists
  • Receiving training and experience working with military families to address parental deployment concerns, isolation, frequent relocation, and other stressors specific to military families
  • Presenting within the clinic and providing community outreach to schools, focus groups, parent groups, pediatricians, and other outside agencies
  • Developing an emerging leadership role within a large multi-tiered outpatient clinic

Successful applicants will have completed an APA-accredited psychology internship with an emphasis in pediatric psychology, family therapy, or child clinical psychology.