Family and Systems Seminar (Jodie Kliman, Ph.D.)

This seminar introduces family and systemic thinking and practice with primary attention to humility and responsiveness regarding race, culture (ethnicity and religion), social class, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, immigration history and status, health, and other intersecting aspects of social location. It will offer ways of thinking systemically – at levels of family, community, and larger systems – for a wide range of clinical situations. The seminar will focus on socially just practices in family and systems work, encouraging interns to consider the impact of their own social locations, including all aspects of privilege and marginalization, on their work and their clinical assumptions. Drawing on experiential learning and discussions, the seminar will also introduce interns to reflective practices that can be used in clinical consultation, supervision, and clinical training. We will regularly engage in reflecting teams to deepen the group’s understanding of material covered in seminar, including case presentations, and to prepare interns to use reflective practices at the annual Identity Dialogue in the spring. The Family and Systems Seminar will meet 15 times over the year.
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Research & Scholarly Inquiry Seminar (Tahirah Abdullah-Swain, Ph.D.)

This one-and-a-half hour seminar will be conducted once per month. The focus of this seminar is to facilitate interns’ research interests and productivity. For many interns the primary focus will be on completing and successfully defending their dissertations during the internship year. Others may focus on submitting their research for publication and/or conference presentations, or may work towards submitting a grant application. During this seminar interns will (1) discuss and set monthly research goals, (2) gain peer and faculty supervision, support, and consultation on their research projects, and (3) explore research related career opportunities. In addition, each intern will give a formal research presentation to their fellow interns and to the faculty for critique, support and feedback.

 

Multicultural Psychotherapy Case Conference Seminar (Shamaila Khan, Ph.D.)

In keeping with the mission of the CMTP, to “train ethnic minority and other cross-culturally oriented Psychologists to work with inner-city, low income and racially/ethnically diverse populations”, this seminar offers to increase the competence of our interns in working with patients from diverse backgrounds (race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation etc.) and providing culturally-sensitive and attuned mental health care. Held throughout the year, on a monthly basis, this seminar explores clinical case material that involves multicultural issues. It aims at providing direct instruction, clinical exploration and consultation regarding culturally sensitive mental health practice. As part of the seminar, all interns are encouraged to examine their own worldviews, values and biases as well as the ways in which their personal cultural framework impacts clinical practice. They are also encouraged to learn about the values, life experience and concerns of many different cultural communities that their patients bring to fore. In preparation for the case conference presentations, interns are expected to review current theoretical models on multicultural therapy, identity development models (Racial/Bicultural, LGBT, White identity, etc.) and explore implications for clinical encounters.

 

Integrated Behavioral Health Seminar (Cara Fuchs, Ph.D., MPH)

This two-hour seminar meets on a quarterly basis. Integrated behavioral health is a rapidly changing model of health care delivery that has the potential to eliminate health disparities by expanding the reach of behavioral health services. The focus of this seminar is to provide an overview of the current state of integrated behavioral health and the multiple roles that psychologists can play in integrated care. Interns will be encouraged to reflect on the strengths of integrated care models as well as areas for improvement. Relevant research will be discussed and interpreted through a multicultural lens.

Psychological Testing Seminar

The Psychological Testing Seminar meets on the 4th Thursday for 120 minutes. It has two principal objectives: to present evidence-based concepts and practices related to psychological testing and clinical case formulation; and to review instruments and issues relevant to effective and appropriate cross-cultural assessment. Topic areas for the course include: general testing issues (e.g., ethics, report writing, test selection, logistics such as prior authorization and billing), differential diagnosis questions, working with special populations (e.g., young children, elderly, transgender individuals), and selected topics in neuropsychological assessment (e.g., memory, language).

Within each of these areas, multicultural considerations regarding interpretation, conceptualization, and diagnosis are a primary focus. Additionally, interns will continue developing competencies in working with diverse populations, particularly with respect to economic status and racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. Seminars are made up of lectures, active group discussion, and some hands on review of testing materials.

 

Forensics Seminar (John Brown, Ph.D.)

The seminar meets every month for 75 minutes per session. The seminar is designed to help students increase their familiarity with a wide range of forensically related issues from a clinical, policy, and public health perspective. Topics include the role of the mental health clinician in the criminal justice system, the distinctive aspects of forensic evaluations, the strengths and challenges within mental health services in Court and legal settings, report writing, and testifying. Sessions will include selected readings, case discussions, lectures, and may be augmented by guest speakers and local field trips.

Applications of Community Psychology to Culturally Responsive Clinical Practice Seminar (Nickki Pearce Dawes, Ph.D.)

This seminar will meet on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The purpose of this seminar will be to develop the ability of multicultural Psychologists to assume leadership positions in the field. This course will focus on current issues, ethics, supervision, historical trends, administrative/managerial challenges and strategies, budgeting, program evaluation, conflict resolution, life-balance and networking aimed at the advancement of junior colleagues as leaders in the field of multicultural Psychology. This seminar will be led by Psychologists and other mental health professionals outside an including CMTP faculty who present on various relevant topical issues in Psychology.

Integrating substance use treatment in mental health settings (Amy Yule, Ph.D.)

Overarching theme: This six-session seminar is designed to prepare multicultural psychologists to integrate substance use treatment into their clinical practice. The seminar will review topics such as screening and assessment of problematic substance use and substance use disorders in the context of a mental health condition, the adverse impact of substance use disorder-related stigma and ways to address this, strategies to decrease harm associated with substance use, and evidence-based behavioral and pharmacologic interventions to treat SUD in individuals with or without a co-occurring psychiatric disorder. The seminars will include selected readings and case discussions, and will be led by an Addiction Psychiatrist.

Preparing the Heart: Seminar on Opportunities and Obstacles in Working for Social Justice (David Trimble, Ph.D.)

In a multicultural world, social justice values are integral to culturally sensitive professional practice. In four seminars over the course of the training year, CMTP trainees are invited to participate in learning conversations about the need for solidarity across cultural, racial, professional, and personal differences as they incorporate social justice values into their professional identities. The first three meetings will address the topics of power, whiteness, and spirituality/religion. At the last meeting, toward the end of the training year, trainees will reflect on what they have learned about their own opportunities and obstacles to building solidarity with others for social justice and affirm their personal and professional goals for advancing social justice in their careers.

Early Career Psychologists: guidance on next steps (Dennis Tyrel, Ph.D.)

Whether it's starting or joining a private practice, working in community mental health, hospitals or academia, there are mentors who have walked the path and are eager to share experiences and wisdom. This monthly seminar will center interns’ career aspirations while highlighting practical steps that continue to bring implementation into sharper focus. The importance of networking, mentorship and leveraging earlier accomplishments will be further established as key aspects of career launching. Interns' passion for helping others and doing good will be honored while prioritizing self care and building a legacy/reputation that reflect your values in action. Additionally, the seminar will: 1) identify and practice habits that promote career longevity while undermining burnout in the field; 2) help interns to further embrace their unique gifts for healing, teaching and evaluating individuals or programs; 3) identify and practice early career skills that are important to career launching but were not included in grad school curriculum.

Considerations when Working with Refugees and Asylum Seekers (Linda Piwowarczyk, M.D., MPH)

This four-session seminar is meant to raise awareness as to the specific challenges faced by the refugee and asylum seeker population. We will speak of triple trauma, which relates to potential persecution in the country of origin, in transit, and after having arrived in the United States. We will look at the specific ways in which the immigration legal system differentiates between these two distinct populations, and the inherent implications. Moreover, we will address clinical issues including the relevance of social determinants of health, work with interpreters, the role of spirituality, screening for torture, and mental health stigma. Sessions will include selective readings. Finally, we will learn about the elements of an asylum seeker evaluation for immigration purposes using the Istanbul Protocol.

Clinical and Systems Seminar on Gender & Sexuality (Avy Skolnik, Ph.D.)

This monthly seminar will explore a range of both clinical and systemic issues that affect the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and communities, with the goal of increasing interns' knowledge, awareness, and skills in working with patients across a range of gender identities and sexual orientations. Areas addressed will include addressing anti-LGBTQ sentiment within families from a range of various cultural and religious backgrounds; practicing gender affirming psychotherapy in the context of the current socio-political context in the U.S; gender identity at the intersections of race, culture, religion, and social class; and the therapist’s role in bridging access to gender affirming medical care. The seminar will draw from readings and clinical case material and is designed to be supportive and interactive, with the goal of assisting interns to build upon their existing theoretical knowledge and clinical skills. Interns will be encouraged to explore their own values and belief systems, as well as their own experiences of both privilege and marginalization related to these dimensions of identity. The schedule is flexible – please feel free to suggest other topics or readings of interest to you. We will also make time each seminar for discussion of cases and for other issues related to internship and the development of your professional identity as a psychologist.

Topical Seminars in Multicultural Psychology (All Staff)

This seminar will meet on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The purpose of this seminar will be to develop the ability of multicultural Psychologists to assume leadership positions in the field. This course will focus on current issues, ethics, supervision, historical trends, administrative/managerial challenges and strategies, budgeting, program evaluation, conflict resolution, life-balance and networking aimed at the advancement of junior colleagues as leaders in the field of multicultural Psychology. This seminar will be led by Psychologists and other mental health professionals outside an including CMTP faculty who present on various relevant topical issues in Psychology.

On Practicing Morally in an Immoral Society (Alice LoCicero, Ph.D.)

The central question of this seminar is how we, as clinicians, can continue to provide services in a moral, ethical, and competent way, while holding awareness of the immorality and unlawful actions of the larger society of “the west,” exemplified by the US and European countries, and implemented through institutions and even professional societies. At CMTP, where training focuses on serving poor, ethnically diverse, urban clients, the very act of providing egalitarian, strength-based, culturally humble, competent services is inherently an act of radical resistance to the status quo. Still, clinicians must engage in self-reflection and peer consultation, to continue providing services that encourage clients toward self-empowerment and self-advocacy. All this within a system that is not designed to welcome such advocacy or empowerment. And clinicians must make decisions for their careers in light of these stark realities.
We discuss specific approaches to therapy in this difficult context, including our obligations to ourselves and our clients. As we consider the immorality of wealth disparities, acceptance of violence, and the conditions of war, we will also consider the responsibility of clinicians in safety towards those in unsafe conditions. How can we hold awareness and provide assistance to our colleagues? What specific actions of accompaniment, support, and even relief can be provided? And how can our connection with colleagues all over the world inform our proactive efforts towards humanitarian values.