Child Clinical—Developmental Psychopathology Focus

The clinical area of the psychology department at Northern Illinois University offers a focus in child clinical—developmental psychopathology for students with strong research and/or clinical interests in child development and developmental psychopathology. The focus area is based on the premise that the understanding of normal developmental processes and outcomes is essential for understanding and treating abnormal behavior in children and adolescents. Students in the child clinical—developmental psychopathology focus can prepare themselves for academic careers in clinical and developmental psychology as well as careers in clinical work with child and adolescent populations. This focus offers students a broad range of courses, research opportunities, and practicum experiences.

Specialized child clinical courses that students are expected to take include:

• PSYC 645: Developmental Psychopathology
• PSYC 646: Psychological Assessment of Children
• PSYC 647: Psychological Interventions with Children and their Families

In addition, students take coursework providing foundational knowledge of child and adolescent development including:

• PSYC 665: Behavioral Development
• PSYC 676: Social-Personality Development

Students gain many experiences providing clinical services to children, adolescents and their families. All students start in a practicum run through the Psychological Services Center, which is located within the psychology department that serves NIU and the broader community. After this initial clinical training they gain further experiences on clinical externships (i.e., external clinical placements). We have several working relationships with providers in the broader community including:

• A pediatric development center in a rural community, where students get trained on the ADOS (the gold standard in autism spectrum disorder assessment) and providing assessment and intervention services.
• Multiple private practices providing opportunities to provide therapy and assessment services to children, adolescents and families.
• An intensive outpatient program for children with selective mutism.

While these externships have long-standing relationships with the program, some students have also successfully arranged specific experiences with a child neuropsychologist and with a psychologist working in a pediatric department at an area hospital.

Students in the child clinical—developmental psychopathology focus have opportunities to conduct research under the supervision of clinical, developmental or school psychology faculty. The following are the child clinical—developmental psychopathology faculty (see the departmental faculty webpage for more details of their research):

Other child clinical developmental psychopathology faculty include:

Students pursuing this focus are encouraged to regularly attend the child brown bag series, which is held multiple times each semester. This brown bag series is organized by students and faculty in the child clinical, developmental, and school areas. Research presentations on topics of interest to this group are given by NIU students and faculty as well as outside speakers

Students interested in this focus should apply to the clinical area and indicate their interest in this focus on the application materials. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Laura Pittman, Ph.D. (lpittman@niu.edu) for additional information.