The Child and Pediatric Psychology track will offer one position for the 2024-2025 training year. The intern provides services in outpatient and residential settings including the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Psychiatry at DHMC, our community-based specialty clinic, Hanover Psychiatry, and Pediatric Primary Care.
These opportunities provide training in individual and group interventions, family therapy, and parent-management training for youth with a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, ODD, elimination disorders, trauma-related disorders, and sleep problems.
Training includes guidance on providing evidence-based interventions, e.g., behavioral therapy, CBT, ACT, mindfulness-based interventions, parent training, family systems therapy, and functional family therapy. They also participate as integral members of an interdisciplinary team of psychologists and psychiatrists to provide brief evaluations, CBT, and consultations for medication management to youth ages 2-19.
This opportunity will allow interns to work side-by-side with a psychiatrist to provide care to individuals and families. A team consisting of an intern, psychiatry fellow, and the supervising psychologist meet following each clinical evaluation to discuss the patient’s needs and then present treatment options to the patient using a shared decision making model.
The Child and Pediatric Psychology track intern provides outpatient therapy and assessment services to the Dartmouth College community through Hanover Psychiatry, including individual and group interventions and comprehensive psychological evaluations to youth in the community. The intern will also provide services in Pediatric Primary Care, which provides exposure to an integrated care setting.
Child track interns also have the opportunity to collaborate on ongoing research projects.
Clinical Training Sites
Outpatient Psychiatry at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) is located in Lebanon, New Hampshire. DHMC is the regional academic medical center where faculty and trainees of Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth provide direct care to patients from throughout New England. The Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic at DHMC is maintained by the Department of Psychiatry to provide child and adult services and manage the hospital's psychiatric inpatient and partial hospitalization units. Psychiatric emergency services are provided through the hospital's emergency department. Approximately 10,000 patients per year receive some type of service from one of the Department's units at DHMC. Approximately 4,000 adults and 1,300 children receive outpatient medication management and psychotherapy per year. Child and Pediatric Psychology track interns spend a substantial proportion of their training year providing services to the DHMC population. DHMC is also considered the academic home of the internship program, and serves at the educational hub for the program. Interns complete their didactic training elements at DHMC as well.
Hanover Psychiatry
Hanover Psychiatry, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, is a community-based psychiatric and psychological practice offering evidence-based treatment and evaluation, and is a division of the Department of Psychiatry. The practice frequently provides services to Dartmouth College students and faculty, as well as members of the surrounding communities. All clinicians practicing and supervising at Hanover Psychiatry are faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, resulting in a team of highly skilled professionals who remain abreast of best practices in mental health services.
In addition to offering clinical services, Hanover Psychiatry staff clinicians are also involved in research projects, teaching and supervising junior faculty, residents, and interns. Treatment approaches utilized at Hanover Psychiatry include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), mindfulness-based interventions, family-based treatment (Maudsley Approach), trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), relapse prevention, parenting skills building, and psychopharmacology. The Child and Pediatric track intern spends two days per week at Hanover Psychiatry.
Pediatric Primary Care
The DHMC Pediatric Primary Care clinic is a medical setting in which the Child and Pediatric Psychology track intern delivers care to children and adolescents in a collaborative manner with physicians and other allied health professionals for a range of emotional and behavioral health needs. Interns work alongside the supervising psychologist to provide brief interventions and consultations for these patients.
Training Faculty (Child and Pediatric Psychology track)
Kaitlyn P. Ahlers, PhD (University of Montana) – Dr. Ahlers joined the faculty at DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2021. Dr. Ahlers specializes in the assessment of neurodevelopmental disabilities and provides autism diagnostic evaluations through the DH Behavioral and Neurodevelopmental Services program. She also provides outpatient therapy and uses behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments for youth with a range of behavioral, anxiety, and stressor-related disorders, including children and adolescents with autism and co-occurring mental health conditions. Dr. Ahlers’ research focuses on addressing the co-occurring mental health needs of autistic youth, specifically trauma, with the goal of increasing the accessibility and effectiveness of evidence-based practices for youth on the spectrum.
James T. Craig, PhD (University of Arkansas) – Dr. Craig joined the faculty of DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2017. Dr. Craig uses behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches to treat children and adolescents presenting with conduct-related disorders, ADHD, sleep disorders, elimination disorders, anxiety, OCD and depression. He specializes in the treatment of aggressive, defiant and disruptive behaviors in children and adolescents. Dr. Craig’s research interests are in the areas of peer victimization, bullying prevention, and innovative treatments for children with aggressive and defiant behaviors that can be applied outside of traditional mental health care settings.
Christina Moore, PhD – Christina Moore is a child clinical psychologist specializing in the assessment and treatment of disruptive behavior disorder, post-traumatic stress, and gender affirming care. She provides outpatient clinical services through the departments of psychiatry and pediatrics, including through integrated primary care and endocrinology. In addition to providing clinical care, Dr. Moore conducts research focused on increasing access to evidence-based interventions for youth living in rural settings at-risk of trauma and traumatic stress.
Mary K. Jankowski, PhD (University of Vermont) – Dr. Jankowski has been a member of the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry for more than a decade. Her research interests involve improving care for traumatized children, youth and families and children affected by parental substance use disorders, implementing system change in large child serving sectors including children's behavioral health, child welfare and juvenile justice, and implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of trauma-informed care. Clinically, she specializes in treatment of trauma related disorders across the lifespan and teaches and supervises interns, postdoctoral fellows, and child psychiatry fellows.
Caroline (Carrie) Shackett, PhD, NCSP (University of Massachusetts-Amherst) – Dr. Shackett joined the faculty of DHMC and Geisel School of Medicine in 2019. Dr. Shackett provides individual therapy to children and adolescents, utilizing behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches. She also provides psychoeducational and diagnostics assessments. She has training and expertise in functional behavioral assessments and interventions. Dr. Shackett is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist and has worked in and consulted with schools on a variety of topics ranging from psychoeducational assessments to positive behavioral interventions and supports.