JCCO Training Program
How Our Students Train at the Juvenile Court Clinics
Department of Mental Health in Suffolk County and operates the Juvenile Court Clinic (JCC) for Norfolk County under an agreement with the Division of Forensic Services of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and the Trial Court of Massachusetts. The training program sited at the Boston Juvenile Court Clinic (BJCC) provides trainees from WJC and other graduate programs with supervised experience conducting forensic evaluations of court-involved youth and families, teaches them about the systems of care for children in Massachusetts, and facilitates development of interviewing, diagnostic, case conceptualization, and consultation skills. Trainees are also provided opportunities to develop skills for inter-professional collaboration and multidisciplinary interventions.
Training
The training program is a part-time opportunity offered during the academic year to doctoral clinical psychology students at William James College, as well as social work students in master’s training programs at other colleges and universities.
Trainees conduct well-supervised comprehensive forensic evaluations of children and families who are referred by the Juvenile Court, including Care and Protection cases (child protection from maltreatment), Delinquency and Youthful Offender, Child Requiring Assistance (status offender), and Involuntary Civil Commitment for urgent inpatient psychiatric care or substance abuse treatment. Face-to-face clinical hours involve in-depth diagnostic interviews with youth and their families, interviews with collaterals, and consultation with probation officers, attorneys, judges, child protection and juvenile justice professionals. Trainees may also administer screening and psychological assessment tools when warranted by clinical need.
Trainees learn about the state child protection and juvenile justice systems, education and special education system, and the complex network of community-based and facilities-based behavioral health and other service providers.
Trainees address a variety of clinical issues including family systems and peer group dynamics, cultural and linguistic domains, individual psychopathology, substance use disorders and learning disabilities.
Postdoctoral Fellowship
William James College offers two one-year full-time supervised postdoctoral training Fellowships in child and family forensic psychology assessment and consultation. One Fellow is sited at Boston Juvenile Court Clinic, while the second is sited at the Dedham Juvenile Court Clinic. However, both fellows have the opportunity to see cases and provide consultations across Juvenile Court sites in Suffolk and Norfolk Counties. Fellows provide forensic evaluations and other services for court-ordered juveniles and families in Care and Protection cases (child protection from maltreatment), Delinquency and Youthful Offender cases, Child Requiring Assistance (status offenders), Involuntary Civil Commitment for urgent inpatient psychiatric care or substance abuse treatment, and other court-ordered evaluations. Fellows may also be called to testify in court.
Fellows participate in five WJC Blended Learning classes dedicated to relevant case law and statutes and professional “best practices” in child and family forensic psychology. Classes cover areas including divorce child custody, child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and behavioral health issues in juvenile justice. Completion of these classes leads to a Certificate in Child and Family Forensics.
Applicants must have a PhD/PsyD in psychology with an APA-accredited predoctoral internship. Child and family training and experience is required. Interested applicants can electronically send curriculum vitae, statement of purpose, a clinical writing sample, and three (3) current letters of recommendation to both Pooja Khialani, PsyD, WJC Program Director for the JCCO and John Keogh, PsyD, WJC Co-Director of Training for JCCO. William James is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.