San Juan Internship Program

The GCP provides psychological services to a broad population that requests psychological services for a wide variety of reasons. Patients are also referred from public and private agencies, schools, and professional private practices. Parents or legal guardians often request its services to treat their children diagnosed with or suffering from symptoms related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), major depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reactive attachment disorder, conduct disorders, eating disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and learning disorders, among others. The GCP also serves self-referred adults presenting similar diagnoses, as well as other conditions related to family problems; substance abuse; mood, personality, and adjustment disorders; trauma; partner relational problems; and occupational problems, among others. The CA serves a wide-range population except for patients who are involved in legal disputes, those who may be chronically mentally ill, or those with a chronic history of substance abuse.

Interns assigned to the GCP provide individual, couple, family, and group psychotherapy and psychological assessment services. The center provides psychological services to a diverse population such as: preschoolers, children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Interns are involved in crisis intervention management; administrative and clinical guidance for practicum students; and provide case consultations to school directors, parents, judicial system, and social workers.

The PAF operates under the support of the Puerto Rico Department of Family Affairs. The family preservation grants of the United States government funds this program. This is a specialized program that annually provides individual and group psychotherapy to approximately eight hundred and fifty sexually abused children and adolescents. Its facilities are located in Puerta de Tierra, a mile and a half away from the main CA site.

PAF’s main objectives are to:

1.         Provide psychotherapeutic services (individual, family, or group) to sexually abused children and their families.
2.         Perform forensic sexual abuse allegation assessments.
3.         Provide psychological consultation to social workers and foster parents from the Puerto Rico Department of Family Affairs who are caring for children who have been sexually abused. the police, and prosecutors.
4.         Promote and develop specialized training to mental health providers in order to determine the best practice for assessing and treating sexually victimized children.
5.         Develop and promote research in this specialization. Doctoral students at AU regularly conduct research with data from this program. PAF continues to encourage research among doctoral dissertation students, interns, and staff.

The recruited interns will have the opportunity to be trained in forensic assessments, identification of sexually victimized children, consultation with interdisciplinary groups, and effective evidence-based treatments and approaches with this specialized population. If interested, interns will also have the opportunity to engage in research. PAF receives referrals from social workers of the Department of Family Affairs. The process of assessing allegations of sexual abuse is based on a forensic comprehensive model (Kuehnle, 2009, 1996; Cantón Duarte and Cortés, 2008; Faller, 2007, 2003), along with the guidelines of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC, 1997). PAF is involved and collaborates with legal procedures, ensuring that child protection and therapeutic treatment occurs shortly after allegations.

The clinical staff conducts weekly multidisciplinary case conference meetings to review a patient’s psychotherapeutic treatment plans, goals, the forensic evaluation process, and results.

Interns who complete their internship in this specialized program can participate in a forensic scenario, refining their individual, group, and family clinical skills, as well as their forensic assessments and skills.

Interns receive specialized training in the management and treatment of sexual abuse. Some of the areas or topics that are covered in teaching approaches are: child development, assessment of allegations of sexual abuse, and treatment for victims of sexual abuse and their families. They also perform a broad variety of case consultations with social workers, attorneys, physicians, prosecutors, and other professionals related to the legal system, including training and consulting in expert witness dynamics, as well as writing forensic reports. Interns participate in clinical case conferences with an interdisciplinary team every three weeks.