School Consultation
During Year 1, residents will spend one morning per week for four months in local schools, under the direction of Jeff Bostic, M.D., Ed.D., Gil Noam, Ed.D., Lisa Price, M.D., Ellen Braaten, Ph.D. and Lyn Grush, M.D. Residents will continue their training in normal development by observing children as they participate in schools. School expectations for each grade level will be identified so that residents will be able to recognize when special school services may be needed for their patients. Accordingly, Chapter 766 and U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provisions will be reviewed and examined, as residents visit normal schools, therapeutic schools, residential schools and alternative schools for eight weeks, under the supervision of Dr. Jeff Bostic.

For another eight weeks, residents will train in a local middle school as part of a multidisciplinary team, with teachers, school administrators, psychologists, social workers, prevention practitioners and other relevant school personnel, under the direction of Dr. Gil Noam. Residents will develop their consultative role and techniques in this setting as they evaluate identified students and collaboratively devise Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and educational interventions, treat common school problems and assist with enhancing function of the school system. In addition, residents will have the opportunity to participate in time-limited groups, on-site, for selected students. Dr. Noam’s School-Based Resilience and Prevention Programs emphasize early detection of high-risk children and clinical intervention within school structures. In this model, there is opportunity to work with families as well as students. Appropriate triage to community health and mental health services is a core part of the program.

Residents will review contemporary directions in school development with attention to prevention and resilience factors and health promotion, as schools of the future are modified to facilitate better the development of each child and adolescent.

The morning sessions will include a didactic seminar, a review of brief readings, relevant school experiences and on-site supervision with Dr. Bostic. Group therapy supervision will occur at McLean Hospital with Dr. Joe Powers, Ph.D., in a separate seminar session.