Case Consultation

Psychologists on staff meet weekly on an informal basis to talk about particular cases that they find difficult or puzzling. The emphasis is on a supportive, problem solving approach to what are often very complex cases. Ethical issues and issues of psychologists working in a medical setting are frequently discussed in the context of particular cases.

Clinical Rounds and Professional Development

The Psychology Department as a whole meets bi-weekly. Sessions focus on discussions of recent research and/or theoretical or ethical issues which might be relevant to members of the department. Usually one member of the department is responsible for each session and may include a staff presenter and/or speakers from the community. Particularly interesting or difficult cases may also be presented. The student is required to present at least once during their time in the department. The Psychology department each year puts on a series of education presentations for the benefit of any hospital personnel or interested individuals from the community. Each year usually has a theme and both in-house and outside speakers are used.

Selected Topics from Professional Development Series & Clinical Rounds

In addition to the above professional and educational programs, the student is free to attend any of the various Medical or Allied Health Professional rounds presented at either of the hospital sites.

Seminars

This seminar has been offered as either a full day workshop for residents, staff, and psychologists in the community or as a series of in-house seminars for residents and staff. The focus is on ethical issues in working with children and youth and each year we have included both internal staff and outside speakers. There are also opportunities to attend ethics workshops hosted by the British Columbia Psychological Association, the College of Psychologists of British Columbia, and other institutions.

COORDINATORS/INSTRUCTORS: Dr. Sandra Clark & Dr. Ann Robson

Sample Topics :

• Informed Consent & Confidentiality
• Models of Ethical Decision Making
• Provincial and National Codes of Ethics/Standards of Practice
• Balancing Professional, Regulatory, and Institutional Policies
• Ethics & Supervision
• Ethics around the use of Social Media and Social Networking

II. PLAY THERAPY

This seminar consists of didactic training coupled with a therapy case to ensure experiential training. The Play Therapy seminars are jointly offered as an Interprofessional Educational opportunity with psychology and psychiatry.

COORDINATORS: Dr. Sarina Kot, Dr. Emily Piper & Dr. Marilyn Ransby

INSTRUCTORS: Staff within Psychiatry and Psychology

Sample Topics:

· Theoretical Approaches

· Developmental Issues

· Therapeutic Responses

· Experiential

· Case Examples

· Interdisciplinary Collaboration

III. ASSESSMENT

COORDINATORS: Dr. Christine Lilley & Dr. Ann Robson

INSTRUCTORS: Staff at Sunny Hill and BC Children’s

Sample Topics:

· Eligibility for Provincial Services with the Ministry of Education and Community Living Services

· Assessing Children with Prenatal Substance Exposure

· Assessing Children on the Autism Spectrum

· Panel Discussion: Nonverbal Assessment Tools

· New Measures for Cognitive Assessment in Young Children:

· Infant and Preschool Assessment

IV. DIVERSITY

COORDINATOR/INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Tina Wang

Sample Topics:

· Diversity, Self-Awareness, and Self-Assessment

· Awareness of Client Worldview

· Skill Development, Consolidation and Application to Clinical Practice

· Culturally Competent Health Care

· First Nations Advocacy

· Key Considerations in Cross-Cultural Mental Health

V. SUPERVISON

COORDINATORS: Dr. Ann Robson & Dr. Christine Lilley

Sample Topics:

· Theories and Methods of Clinical Supervision

· Competency Benchmarks

· The Process of Supervision & Supervisory Relationships

· Supervision Contracts and Paperwork

· Evaluation of Trainees

· Ethical and Legal Issues in Supervision

When available, residents may also participate in a co-sponsored workshop (BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health). In 2008, we had Dr. Carol Falender as the keynote speaker, who presented a full-day workshop on “Enhancing Competencies in Clinical Supervision”. In 2009, we participated in a joint session sponsored by the BC Psychological Association and the College of Psychologists to hear the APA Director of Ethics Dr. Steven Behnke present ethical dilemmas with interpretations from both the American and Canadian Codes of Ethics.

Our residents are also involved in supervision for our Practicum level students who begin their training in the spring. This allows our residents to practice skills learned in the didactic sessions and to develop their own supervision style.