Preparing Child Psychologists for Managed Care: Educational and Training Considerations

Abstract

In today's health care marketplace dominated by Health Maintenance Organizations and managed care, psychology internship and residency programs must increasingly prepare child psychologists to practice in a variety of managed care settings. Educational and training considerations are outlined to provide a framework for supervising child psychologists in such settings. Principles of practice in managed care are first addressed. Training should be guided by both the teaching of evidence-based practices and common factors research emphasizing the nontechnical aspects of care (i.e., therapeutic alliance, client/extratherapeutic factors). The utility of integrative child and family therapy models is highlighted, and training recommendations specific to managed care settings are presented. [Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 8:370-380 (2009)] KEY WORDS: managed care, child psychology training, clinical supervision, brief psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychotherapy.

Intermittent Evaluative Mediation With Enduring, Postdivorce Conflict

“…This is quite different from a psychopathology or ''illness'' orientation, as potential problems arising in the life of a child or family are viewed as an inevitable part of child development and family functioning (Pickar & Lindsey, 2008). Many problems arise as children and families move through the life cycle and accommodate to either changing developmental stages (i.e., beginning preschool, kindergarten, junior high or high school, puberty) or to crises within the family (i.e., divorce, relocation, death of a grandparent, illness, traumatic accident).…”