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Postdoc Description
The Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Behavioral Psychology Department has one postdoctoral fellowship position in the Behavior Management Clinic and one postdoctoral fellowship position in the Neurobehavioral Outpatient Clinic – available for the 2012-2013 academic year. Postdoctoral fellows have appointments through the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.

Behavior Management Clinic

The Behavior Management Clinic provides outpatient treatment to families and community care providers serving children with common behavior problems, disruptive behavior disorders, and co-morbid disorders. The clinic serves children ages 2 through 12 who present with both externalizing and internalizing disorders and varying levels of functioning, including those with typical development as well as youngsters with mild cognitive, speech, and/or motor impairment. Treatment is family centered and primarily clinic-based, but may also include some limited community based service delivery (e.g. daycare, home, school) on a case-by-case basis for purposes of advocacy and in order to tailor treatment recommendations and to facilitate generalization and maintenance of treatment gains. Fellows will be responsible for conducting intakes, comprehensive behavioral assessments, and intervention. Our clinic has an interdisciplinary focus and emphasizes a behavioral approach to assessment and treatment although cognitive behavioral therapy and group skills training may utilized. Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in an interdisciplinary Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder clinic through Kennedy Krieger’s Psychiatry Department providing assessment as well as treatment when appropriate. Additionally, there will be opportunities to provide training and supervision to undergraduate practicum students, to offer some assistance with training and supervision of graduate level externs, and to provide informal training and support to predoctoral interns. Community outreach is integral to the clinic’s mission hence Fellows will likely have opportunities to provide community talks and/or brief trainings to community providers.

Neurobehavioral Outpatient Clinic

The NBU Outpatient Clinic provides a continuum of services for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities who display severe destructive behavior such as self-injury, aggression, property destruction, pica, elopement and dangerous acts. Fellows in the NBU Outpatient Clinic will be responsible for providing direct clinical services including conducting behavioral assessments and treatments for clients, providing education and training to parents and providers, and providing services in home and school settings. Fellows will also be responsible for training and supervising Clinic staff including behavior data specialists and practicum students. Fellows will also consult with KKI professionals, as well as schools, residential programs, and other service providers in the community. Fellows will have the opportunity to be involved in clinical research on a variety of topics related to assessment and treatment of severe destructive behavior. The NBU utilizes a data-driven approach to assessment and treatment based on an evidence-based applied behavior analysis model. Each client participates in a series of intensive assessments, including functional analyses and reinforcer assessments. Based on the assessment results, individualized behavioral interventions are developed and systematically evaluated to determine their effectiveness in decreasing severe problem behaviors and increasing appropriate replacement behavior. Critical components of our treatment approach are collaboration with the client’s family and service providers, and provision of ongoing training.

The Kennedy Krieger Institute does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability. Interested candidates must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in Psychology (e.g., Clinical, School) from a APA accredited program and completed a Predoctoral internship prior to September 1, 2012. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and CV to the appropriate Clinical Director (Behavior Management Clinic – Dr. Susan Parks parks@kenendykrieger.org, Neurobehavioral Outpatient Unit – Dr. Trish Kurtz kurtz@kennedykrieger.org). Applicants should also send a full application to the Director of Training, Dr. Jen Crockett. Application information can be found at our training website (http://www.kennedykrieger.org/professional-training/training-disciplines/behavioral-psychology/postdoctoral-training).