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CONSULTATION AND TRAINING 

Externship Training Program

Spectrum Psychological Services is a private practice that provides comprehensive clinical services to individuals with Autism and their families in Manhattan, NY. As a practice, we aspire to provide excellent service in the areas of: 

•    Specialized psychotherapy
•    Executive functioning services
•    Psychological and Diagnostic evaluations
•    Adult and family support groups
•    Seminar series on autism spectrum  

 As a result of COVID-19, we are no longer in our previous shared office space with Spectrum Services, and instead, members of the collaborative continue to collaborate virtually (with some in-person work). You will find that you still have exposure to other providers throughout the training year who were a part of this original collaborative. 


As a result - externship services are primarily virtual at this time - therapy services are primarily delivered via virtual platform, assessment services are a blend of virtual and in-person, and supervision is generally conducted virtually (with the exception of live testing observation).


Spectrum Psychological Services follows a best practice, evidence-based model of service delivery. Team members have expertise in comprehensive assessment of Autism, including diagnostic testing, differential diagnostic testing (e.g. neuropsychological testing, personality assessment, and other social-emotional testing), and Adult Autism Assessment. Additionally, our team provides mental health therapy services through the lens of understanding autism and its unique processing systems and differences that impact therapeutic service delivery. 

Training Goals

The program trains students in the following domains:

  • Psychotherapeutic interventions (CBT, Behavioral Interventions, Family Systems, etc.)

  • Psychodiagnostic Assessment (with a focus upon differential diagnostic skills pertaining to the population of individuals with ASDs)

  • Support Group (virtual support groups for Family members, adults with ASD, adult women with ASD, and spouses/couples of partners with ASD)

  • Social Skills Group (virtual community-based recreational group for adults with ASDs to receive in vivo training on social skills)

  • The integration of evidence-based approaches with clinical practice

  • Improving CBT / evidence-based therapeutic skills 

  • Improving group skills

  • Improving understanding of ASD and other developmental disabilities

  • Learning diagnostic assessment measures

  • Improving report writing

  • Improving differential diagnosis skills

  • Publishing a local article (if desired)

  • Presenting to a local group (may not be available due to changes related to COVID-19; however, if opportunities arise, you will be supported)

Specific goals for the training include: 

Training Experience

Pre-Doctoral Externship: Our training experience offers the opportunity to acquire skills specific for working with individuals with ASDs and other related social learning needs (children, adolescents, adults and their family members).

 

  • Assessment: Psychology externs participate in chart reviews, consultations, assessments (testing and integrative report writing), team meetings, and feedback sessions. Trainees receive exposure to gold standard diagnostic assessment methods (e.g., ADOS-2 and ADI-R) and complex differential diagnosis (e.g., Anxiety disorders, Depressive disorders, ADHD and learning disorders, tic disorders, language disorders, cognitive impairment, and other related mental health diagnoses), using a wide range of testing measures (cognitive, social-emotional, adaptive, educational, executive functions, and neuropsychological).

 

  • Outpatient Treatment: Psychology externs participate in the provision of individual psychotherapy, family therapy and group therapy (social skills, parent education). Mental health services focus upon treating co-occurring mental health diagnoses (e.g., depression, anxiety, OCD) through the lens of services for individuals with Autism. Interns also receive training in providing therapy to a range of clients (e.g., behavior management, CBT for anxiety), across a range of ages and ability levels.

 

  • Division of Time: Each extern has a primary focus of outpatient therapy services with opportunities for assessment throughout the year. This is a blend of both therapy and assessment, with a slightly heavier focus on therapy services. 

General information about externship site:

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Director of the Program: Katherine Cody, PsyD


Length of externship (in months): 12 months


Start Date: September 2024
End Date: August 2025


How many hours a week are expected of extern?: 16-20 hours/week contingent upon level of training 
Specialty tracks: All externs receive training in both therapy and assessment


# of externs to be accepted for 2024-2025: 2-3


Minimum level of readiness (any prior experiences or level of training required for applicants: Prior experience working in the autism community is welcome, but not required. Prior experience and training with the ADOS-2 is useful, but not required. 

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We follow all guidelines as provided by NYNJADOT, and additional information regarding the application process will be located on the site profile located there.

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