Fellows gain supervision in a variety of formats, with opportunities for clinical observation quickly progressing to direct live supervision. Fellows are encouraged to be independent as quickly as possible, providing services with a supervisor on site. Fellows participate in 1 hour of weekly group supervision and 2 hours per week of formal 1:1 supervision from a doctoral-level licensed psychologist. Evaluation clinics consist of more direct live supervision, while treatment clinics focus on more independent service delivery. Once oriented and credentialed, fellows are expected to carry 2-3 independent treatment cases per week and conduct 2 diagnostic interviews. Total clinical time typically equals 5 half days or 20 hours per week.

LEND Didactic Seminar Course-3 hours per week (see syllabus)
University, Local, State and Federal Conferences and Meetings-We encourage our fellows to attend, participate and present at meetings including our University Center on Developmental Disability (UCEDD), Autism Across the Lifespan Conference and Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD), just to name a few!

Assessment Didactic Seminar- 8 hours per year- Review and practice our commonly used assessments (ADOS-2) with instruction and support from faculty.

PCIT Didactic Seminar (Optional)- 2 hours per week

Professors' Rounds- Hear from faculty within our department regarding current research, training and clinical topics- 1 hour per month.

Pediatric Grand Rounds- 1 hour per week (optional depending on topic). Partnership with Children' Mercy Hospital.

Psychiatry Didactics ( 1 hour per week; see attached training schedule) are available depending on topic relevance and interest.

Project ECHO- Fellows have the opportunity to participate in our Pediatric Project ECHO series. Project ECHO provides curriculum through a web-based learning collaborative with opportunities for telementoring and case-based learning. Fellows may also have the opportunity to help with planning and present at some sessions. Previous ECHO series included Autism, ADHD, Back to School, The Irritable Child and Developmental Disability Transition.

University Grand Rounds (as appropriate)-KU Medical Center provides grand rounds which feature both KU Medical Center faculty and nationally-renowned speakers. Annually, KU Medical Center Continuing Education & Professional Development provides over 800 accredited grand round sessions which are held at KUMC and off-campus locations in Kansas and Missouri. For more information, contact Andrea Shaw at 913-588-4496 or e-mail ashaw@kumc.ed

Aim of Training Program

• To prepare psychologists to be leaders in field of developmental disability through advocacy, research and family-centered, interdisciplinary care.
• To prepare psychologists to competently assess, treat and advocate for children with developmental disabilities and their families.
• To prepare psychologists for independent licensure.  Of note, this program fulfills the postdoctoral licensure requirements in the state of Kansas.

Competencies

Competency Goal 1: Ethical and Legal Standards: The fellow demonstrates good knowledge of ethical principles and consistently applies them appropriately, seeking consultation as needed.
Element 1: Displays good knowledge of ethical principles.
Element 2: Consistently applies ethical principles.
Element 3: Seeks supervision on ethical issues as needed.

Competency Goal 2: Individual and Cultural Diversity: The fellow maintains awareness and sensitivity to cultural, linguistic, socio-economic, ability and other individual differences and how those differences may impact a family's access to care and/or ability to follow psychological recommendations.
Element 1: Spontaneously raises issues relating to individual differences with families as appropriate and conveys ease in working with a range of backgrounds.
Element 2: Is aware and sensitive to individual differences and accurately self-monitors own responses to differences.

Competency Goal 3: Integration of Science and Practice: The fellow integrates current science into practice, making evidence-based decisions and recommendations for assessment and treatment.
Element 1: Demonstrates knowledge of current evidence based assessments and recommendations.
Element 2: Incorporates evidence when making decisions about assessments and treatment.
Element 3: Shares evidence base with patients, families and colleagues in an accessible way.

Competency Goal 4: Professional Collaboration: The fellow interacts professionally and collaboratively with interdisciplinary assessment and treatment teams, peers, and supervisors at all times. The fellow seeks peer support as needed.
Element 1: Interacts professionally with patients, peers and supervisors at all times.
Element 2: Works collaboratively on an interdisciplinary assessment and treatment teams.
Element 3: Seeks support in resolving professional issues as needed.

Competency Goal 5: Professional Autonomy
Element 1: The fellow takes on responsibility for key patient care tasks, autonomously ensuring that tasks are completed promptly.
Element 2: The fellow demonstrates self-direction with regard to gathering clinical and research information, in order to practice independently and competently as a professional psychologist.

Competency Goal 6: Psychological Assessment of Children: The fellow is competent in the psychological assessment of children; gathering relevant data, evaluating immediate concerns (i.e. safety), proficiently administering tests used and autonomously scoring, interpreting and sharing the results (including a well written report and verbal interpretation with the family).
Element 1: The fellow gathers relevant interview data promptly, appropriately evaluating immediate concerns such as suicidality, homicidality, and any other safety issues. The fellow makes appropriate contingency plans with patient/family regarding safety issues if needed. The fellow discusses all confidentiality issues openly with patients/families.
Element 2: The fellow promptly and proficiently administers tests commonly used on this rotation, autonomously choosing the tests to be administered appropriately. All fellows demonstrate competency in administering intelligence tests and developmental assessments, if used on this rotation (e.g. ADOS-2, CARS-2, BASC-3, KABC, KBIT, Bayley Scales of Infant Development).
Element 3: The fellow autonomously interprets the results of tests used on this rotation. The fellow uses tests to inform differential diagnosis.
Element 4: The fellow can summarize and share results with the patient and family.
Element 5: The fellow writes a well-organized psychological report, answering the referral question clearly and providing the referral source with specific recommendations for patient care.

Competency Goal 7: Treatment: The fellow draws upon theoretical and research knowledge to design and implement treatments to enhance the social-emotional health (e.g., behavioral, emotional, social) and adaptive skills of children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disabilities and/or special health care needs).
Element 1: The fellow can formulate useful case conceptualizations and collaborative treatment goals as well as present evidence-based interventions that are well-timed and effective.
Element 2: The fellow will implement treatments within various settings to promote generalization and socially valid outcomes.

Competency Goal 8: Seeks Supervision
Element 1: The fellow understands the expectations of a supervisory relationship.
Element 2: The fellow seeks supervision when necessary, responds well to feedback and uses suggestions to grow and improve.

Competency Goal 9: Family-Centered Care
Element 1: The fellow works in partnership with families when planning and providing care.
Element 2: The fellow asks for suggestions when making diagnostic and treatment decisions and is sensitive to the needs of each specific family.
Element 3: The fellow provides written and verbal information in a way that is accurate, clear, comprehensive and strengths-based.

Competency Goal 10: Interdisciplinary Training and Practice.
Element 1: The fellow is able to actively and cooperatively participate in interdisciplinary care and training.
Element 2. The fellow is able to rely on and incorporate the interdependent contributions of collaborating team members. These team members may include people with disabilities and their families, health and allied health professionals and community providers.

Competency Goal 11: Advocacy
Element 1: The fellow has a basic understanding for local, state and federal policies that impact people with disabilities.
Element 2: The fellow demonstrates knowledge of how to influence these policies through advocacy.

Competency Goal (optional): Providing Supervision
Element 1: The fellow demonstrates the ability to build a positive and open working relationship with the supervisee.
Element 2: The fellow is able to express their expectations to the supervisee.
Element 3: The fellow provides positive and constructive feedback to the supervisee.
Element 4: The fellow utilizes appropriate problem resolution skills with the supervisee.

Competency Goal (optional): Research: The fellow demonstrates knowledge and leadership in the consumption and application of research and program evaluation.
Element 1: The fellow is familiar with current literature and evidence based practices related to NDD and demonstrates critical evaluation of research through peer review of journal articles and grants.
Element 2: The fellow completes required training to ensure protection of human subjects and ethical practices within all research activities.
Element 3: The fellow disseminates research and evidence based practices to families and colleagues through written and oral methods such as briefs, poster or panel presentations, manuscripts, and treatment recommendations.

Fellows will be evaluated on their progress on each competency twice per year. Competency assessments will be completed by supervising psychologists in January and July and written and verbal feedback will be given to the fellow.

Rating categories are as follows:

1. Needs foundational Knowledge
2. Remedial Work
3. Needs Regular Supervision
4. Needs Occasional Supervision
5. Ready for Autonomous Practice

All elements need to be rated as 4 "Needs occasional supervision" or 5 "Ready for Autonomous Practice" by the end of the fellowship experience in July. Fellows rated below a 3 "Needs Regular Supervision" at the January evaluation may need to create support plan to meet competency expectations.
If competency expectations are not met, then due process procedures can be initiated.

The Division of Developmental & Behavioral Sciences is dedicated to supporting all trainees. We ask that trainees who are experiencing challenges in meeting the expectations of the program to share their concerns with both the postdoctoral training director and other relevant supervising faculty. Conversely, if a supervisor observes challenges of this nature for the fellow, s/he will also initiate a meeting with the fellow and postdoctoral training director to develop a plan to address the challenges.

If fellows are consistently unable to meet the requirements of program (participation in LEND course, meet hourly commitment, demonstrate conduct consistent with LEND/KUMC's standards, meet competency expectations, etc), the postdoctoral training director will notify the training committee, and the following due process procedures will be followed:

Due Process Procedures: are implemented in situations in which a supervisor or other faculty or staff member raises a concern about the functioning of a postdoctoral fellow. The fellowship's Due Process procedure occurs in a step-wise fashion, involving greater levels of intervention as a problem increases in persistence, complexity, or level of disruption to the training program.

Rights and Responsibilities: These procedures are a protection of the rights of both the fellow and the postdoctoral fellowship training program, and also carries responsibilities for both.

Fellow's Rights: Fellows have the right to be treated fairly, professionally, respectfully, and in an ethical manner. They also have the right to participate in each step of the Due Process procedures and to provide feedback regarding their viewpoints to the training committee and their supervisors. Fellows also have the right to appeal decisions.

Fellow's Responsibilities: Fellows have the responsibility to engage with interdisciplinary faculty and staff, fellow trainees, patients, and the institution in an ethical, professional, and respectful manner. They also have the responsibility to make every reasonable effort to remediate competency concerns, and strive to meet program aims whether related to professional, clinical, research, teaching, or other program expectations. They also have the responsibility to be proactive in communicating any concerns about their ability to complete tasks with program faculty/staff.

Fellowship Program's Rights: The fellowship program has the right to implement Due Process procedures as described below. The program and its faculty/staff have the right to be treated fairly, professionally, respectfully, and in an ethical manner. The program has the right to make decisions related to remediation of the fellow, including probation, suspension and termination, using the policy described.

Fellowship Program Responsibilities: The program has the responsibility to engage with the fellow and other trainees in a manner that is ethical, professional, and respectful. The program also has the responsibility to make every reasonable effort to support fellows in remediating competency concerns, and support fellows in successfully completing the program. The program has the responsibility to communicate with fellows about their status through their scheduled competency reviews.

Definition of a Problem: For purposes of this document, a problem is defined broadly as an interference in professional functioning which is reflected in one or more of the following ways:

1. an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional standards into one's repertoire of professional behavior;
2. an inability to acquire professional skills in order to reach an acceptable level of competency; and/or
3. an inability to control personal stress, psychological dysfunctions, and/or excessive emotional reactions which interfere with professional functioning.

It is a professional judgment as to when an issue becomes a problem that requires remediation. Issues typically become identified as problems that require remediation when they include one or more of the following characteristics:

1. the fellow does not acknowledge, understand, or address the problem when it is identified;
2. the problem is not merely a reflection of a skill deficit which can be rectified by the scheduled sequence of clinical or didactic training;
3. the quality of services delivered by the fellow is sufficiently negatively affected;
4. the problem is not restricted to one area of professional functioning;
5. a disproportionate amount of attention by training personnel is required;
6. the trainee's behavior does not change as a function of feedback, and/or time;
7. the problematic behavior has potential for ethical or legal ramifications if not addressed;
8. the fellow's behavior negatively impacts the public view of the agency;
9. the problematic behavior negatively impacts other trainees;
10. the problematic behavior potentially causes harm to a patient; and/or,
11. the problematic behavior violates appropriate interpersonal communication with agency staff.

Informal Review: When a supervisor or other faculty/staff member believes that a fellow's behavior is becoming problematic or that a fellow is having difficulty consistently demonstrating an expected level of competence, the first step in addressing the issue should be to raise the issue with the fellow directly and as soon as feasible in an attempt to informally resolve the problem. This may include increased supervision, didactic training, and/or structured readings. The supervisor or faculty/staff member who raises the concern should monitor the outcome.

Formal Review: If a fellow's problem behavior persists following an attempt to resolve the issue informally, or if a fellow receives a rating below a "3" on any competency on a supervisory evaluation, the following process is initiated:

1. Notice: The fellow will be notified in writing that the issue has been raised to a formal level of review, and that a Hearing will be held with the training committee.
2. Hearing: The supervisor or faculty/staff member will hold a Hearing with the Training Director (TD) and fellow within 10 working days of issuing a Notice of Formal Review to discuss the problem and determine what action needs to be taken to address the issue. If the TD is the supervisor who is raising the issue, an additional faculty member who works directly with the fellow will be included at the Hearing. The fellow will have the opportunity to present his/her perspective at the Hearing and/or to provide a written statement related to his/her response to the problem.
3. Outcome and Next Steps: The result of the Hearing will be any of the following options, to be determined by the Training Director and other faculty/staff member who was present at the Hearing.

This outcome will be communicated to the fellow in writing within 5 working days of the Hearing:

1. Issue an "Acknowledgement Notice" which formally acknowledges:
   a) that the faculty is aware of and concerned with the problem;
   b) that the problem has been brought to the attention of the fellow;
   c) that the faculty will work with the fellow to specify the steps necessary to rectify the problem or skill deficits addressed by the inadequate evaluation rating; and,
   d) that the problem is not significant enough to warrant further remedial action at this time.
2. Place the fellow on a "Remediation Plan" which defines a relationship such that the faculty, through the supervisors and TD, actively and systematically monitor, for a specific length of time, the degree to which the fellow addresses, changes and/or otherwise improves the problematic behavior or skill deficit. The implementation of a Remediation Plan will represent a probationary status for the fellow. The length of the probation period will depend upon the nature of the problem and will be determined by the fellow's supervisor and the TD. A written Remediation Plan will be shared with the fellow in writing and will include:
   a) the actual behaviors or skills associated with the problem;
   b) the specific actions to be taken for rectifying the problem;
   c) the time frame during which the problem is expected to be ameliorated; and,
   d) the procedures designed to ascertain whether the problem has been appropriately remediated.

At the end of this remediation period as specified in ‘c' above, the TD will provide a written statement indicating whether or not the problem has been remediated. This statement will become part of the fellow's permanent file. If the problem has not been remediated, the Training Director may choose to more to Step D below or may choose to extend the Remediation Plan. The extended Remediation Plan will include all of the information mentioned above and the extended time frame will be specified clearly.

3. Place the fellow on suspension, which would include removing the fellow from all clinical service provision for a specified period of time, during which the program may support the fellow in obtaining additional didactic training, close mentorship, or engage some other method of remediation. The length of the suspension period will depend upon the nature of the problem and will be determined by the fellow's supervisor and the TD. A written Suspension Plan will be shared with the fellow in writing and will include:
a) the actual behaviors or skills associated with the problem;
b) the specific actions to be taken for rectifying the problem;
c) the time frame during which the problem is expected to be ameliorated; and,
d) the procedures designed to ascertain whether the problem has been appropriately remediated.

At the end of this remediation period as specified in ‘c' above, the TD will provide a written statement indicating whether or not the problem has been remediated to a level that indicates that the suspension of clinical activities can be lifted. The statement may include a recommendation place the fellow on a probationary status with a Remediation Plan. In this case, the process in #2 above would be followed. This statement will become part of the fellow's permanent file.

D. Termination: If the problem is not rectified through the above processes, or if the problem represents gross misconduct or ethical violations that have the potential to cause harm, the fellow's placement within the fellowship program may be terminated. The decision to terminate a fellow's position would be made by the Training Committee and a representative of Human Resources and would represent a discontinuation of participation by the fellow within every aspect of the training program. The Training Committee would make this determination during a meeting convened within 10 working days of the previous step completed in this process, or during the regularly scheduled monthly Training Committee meeting, whichever occurs first. The TD may decide to suspend a fellow's clinical activities during this period prior to a final decision being made, if warranted.

All time limits mentioned above may be extended by mutual consent within a reasonable limit.

APPEAL Process: If the fellow wishes to challenge a decision made at any step in the Due Process procedures, he or she may request an Appeals Hearing before the Training Committee. This request must be made in writing to the TD within 5 working days of notification regarding the decision with which the fellow is dissatisfied. If requested, the Appeals Hearing will be conducted by a review panel convened by the TD and consisting of him/herself (or another supervisor, if appropriate) and at least two other members of the training faculty who work directly with the fellow. The fellow may request a specific member of the training faculty to serve on the review panel. The Appeals Hearing will be held within 10 working days of the fellow's request. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The review panel may uphold the decisions made previously or may modify them.

If the fellow is dissatisfied with the decision of the review panel, he/she may appeal the decision, in writing, to the Developmental Behavioral Division Chief. If the fellow is dissatisfied with the decision of Division Chief, he/she may appeal the decision, in writing, to the Chair of Pediatrics. Each of these levels of appeal must be submitted in writing within 5 working days of the decision being appealed. The Department of Pediatrics has final discretion regarding outcome.
Grievance Procedures: Grievance Procedures are implemented in situations in which a psychology fellow raises a concern about a supervisor or other faculty member, trainee, or any aspect of the fellowship training program. Fellows who pursue grievances in good faith will not experience any adverse professional consequences.

For situations in which a fellow raises a grievance about a supervisor, staff member, trainee, or the fellowship program:

Informal Review: First, the fellow should raise the issue as soon as feasible with the involved supervisor, staff member, other trainee, or the TD in an effort to resolve the problem informally.
Formal Review: If the matter cannot be satisfactorily resolved using informal means, the fellow may submit a formal grievance in writing to the TD. If the TD is the object of the grievance, the grievance should be submitted to assistant training director. The individual being grieved will be asked to submit a response in writing. The TD (or assistant training director, if appropriate) will meet with the fellow and the individual being grieved within 10 working days. In some cases, the TD or assistant director may wish to meet with the fellow and the individual being grieved separately first. In cases where the fellow is submitting a grievance related to some aspect of the training program rather than an individual (e.g. issues with policies, curriculum, etc.) the TD and assistant training director will meet with the fellow jointly. The goal of the joint meeting is to develop a plan of action to resolve the matter. The plan of action will include: a) the behavior/issue associated with the grievance; b) the specific steps to rectify the problem; and, c) procedures designed to ascertain whether the problem has been appropriately rectified.
The TD or assistant training director will document the process and outcome of the meeting. The fellow and the individual being grieved, if applicable, will be asked to report back to the TD or other faculty in writing within 10 working days regarding whether the issue has been adequately resolved.

If the plan of action fails, the TD or assistant training director will convene a training committee review panel consisting of himself/herself and at least two other members of the training faculty within 10 working days. The fellow may request a specific member of the training faculty to serve on the review panel. The review panel will review all written materials and have an opportunity to interview the parties involved or any other individuals with relevant information. The review panel has final discretion regarding outcome.

If the training committee review panel determines that a grievance against a staff member cannot be resolved internally or is not appropriate to be resolved internally, then the issue will be turned over to the Human Resources in order to initiate the agency's due process procedures.

Our program has 6 licensed psychologists who are immediately available for supervision. We also have partnerships with other psychologists in Behavioral Pediatrics and Psychiatry, who can provide additional training and supervision as needed.

• Skylar Bellinger, Ph.D., LP
• Lisette Swails, Ph.D., LP
• Jessica Schuttler, Ph.D., LP
• Rene Jamison, Ph.D., LP
• Jamie McGovern, Ph.D., LP

Stipend and Benefits

Fellows receive a stipend of $61,008, which is competitive with NIH recommendation and other programs in our region. In addition, to the stipend, we provide our fellows with health insurance, PTO and additional fringe benefits.

Additional Resources

Our two postdoctoral fellows share a large office with personal desks, file cabinets and computers. They have access to multiple printers, including a color printer. Fellows have access to clinic space in the Division of Developmental & Behavioral Resources (DDBS). As part of orientation and on-boarding, they receive access to our Electronic Medical Record (EMR) System, EPIC 02 to complete record reviews and documentation. Fellows have clinical administrative support from the Department of Pediatrics schedulers and coordinators. Within the DDBS, we have a social worker who follows up with families to provide additional support if needed. In addition, our LEND administrative assistant provides logistical support related to LEND training goals and projects.

Applicant Requirements

Doctoral Degree in Clinical, Counseling, or School Psychology
Degree must be from an APA/CPA accredited doctoral program
Completion of an internship meeting APPIC standards