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UCD Clinical Psychology
Box F546
13001 E. 17th Place
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-3609
 
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Department of Psychiatry

Division of Clinical Psychology

Marion Downs Hearing Center Deaf Link Track

The Marion Downs Hearing Center (MDHC) is a center at the University of Colorado (CU). MDHC provides services, resources, education and research to support the needs of individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing (D/HH), their families and professionals; all activities value individual/family choice in communication needs and technology, and strive to optimize the quality of life for all that it serves.

The concept behind MDHC originated in the early 90s in response to the apparent lack of coordinated services for individuals who are D/HH. Historically, services for individuals who are D/HH have been fragmented with organizations catering to individuals who are D/HH based upon their hearing status or communication style. This fragmentation of services led to duplicated and uncoordinated services. In the early 90s, a variety of professionals in the field of hearing loss began working to create the MDHC based upon the vision and work of Dr. Marion Downs, Professor Emeritus, CU.

Dr. Downs, an Audiologist by training, began her career over 30 years ago. She was a pioneer in the field of Audiology and was instrumental in conducting the research that ultimately lead to the passage of federal legislation requiring that all newborns be screened for hearing loss. Dr. Downs dreamed of an organization where all individuals with hearing loss, regardless of communication modality, background, and hearing status could go to receive the services they need.

Today, MDHC continues to work towards satisfying Dr. Downs’ dream by providing a variety of services to individuals who are D/HH, conducting groundbreaking research in the field of hearing loss, and educating both consumers with hearing loss and the professions who work with them. Under the auspices of the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), MDHC provides services which include audiological, psychological, and medical services. In addition to these clinical services, MDHC also provides family support through Colorado for Hands and Voices and consumer support through the MDHC Consumer Support Services. Colorado for Hands and Voices provides parents with the needed support and education related to having a child with hearing loss. The Consumer Support Services consists of services that are not typically provided in medical settings. These services include the Telephone Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP), technical assistance related to use and management of assistive technology, educational workshops designed to develop the capacity for independence and self-sufficiency of individuals who are D/HH through support and advocacy, speech and language services, and consultation with other service providers. The research activities of MDHC include investigation of cochlear implant efficacy, brain functioning in individuals who are D/HH, strategies to improve the education of individuals who are D/HH, and techniques to use in early intervention with children who are D/HH.

Goals of the Training Rotation

MDHC is a university based program which provides interdisciplinary training with a commitment to the following goals for psychology trainees:

  1. Teach trainees about the needs and strengths of persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing and their families.
  2. Teach trainees a variety of specialized clinical skills for assisting persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, including psychological assessment, psychotherapy, and consultation.
  3. Teach trainees to work in an integrated fashion with members of an interdisciplinary clinical team.
  4. Foster development of leadership skills and scholarly activities related to the field of deafness.
  5. Introduce trainees to values involving inclusion, family and individually centered care, diversity, advocacy, and self-determinism for persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing

Objectives of the Training Rotation

  1. The psychology intern will learn to administer a variety of cognitive tests applicable for persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing including but not limited to the Mullens Scales of Early Learning, Leiter-Revised, Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT); will refine their use of more traditional cognitive tests such as the WISC-III with children and the WAIS-III for adults who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing; and will learn and utilize inventories of adaptive skills such as the Vineland Scales of Adaptive Behavior and the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised (SIB-R).
  2. The psychology trainee will learn to reliably administer two tests specifically designed for the diagnosis of autism (Autism Diagnostic Interview, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule).
  3. The psychology intern will learn the basic tenets of positive behavioral interventions and use these strategies (where appropriate) to (1) design teaching and educational strategies for persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing and (2) to design positively based interventions for unwanted behaviors to address problem behaviors based on functional analysis for persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing.
  4. The psychology trainee will learn to conduct an assessment of socio-affective functioning and to design and carry out treatments - individual, group, family, and consultative - for persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing.
  5. The psychology trainee will participate on the counseling team at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind (CSDB) and as a consultant at the Rocky Mountain Deaf School (RMDS). In the role, the intern will impart clinical information effectively and sensitively to the school, others in the community, including colleagues and family members, community agencies and other professionals, regarding diagnosis and treatment/intervention strategies.
  6. The psychology trainee will engage in a scholarly project related to deafness, either by joining an already established project with a MDHC faculty member, or developing an individual project of interest.
  7. The psychology trainee will work together as a team member with members from other disciplines including pediatrics, social work, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology and child psychiatry to evaluate and treat persons who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, and to impart information to family members and others interested in the diagnostic information.

Specific Training Activities

Required Activities

  1. MDHC Clinic: The intern will work at the MDHC clinic one day a week. Activities will include occasionally consulting with the UCH Department of Audiology by conducting pre-operative cochlear implant evaluations, conducting psychological evaluations of individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, and providing psychotherapy for clients, ranging in age from young children to adults, presenting with a variety of problems and who are also Deaf or hard-of-hearing. Additionally, the intern will participate in group treatment and family treatment.
  2. CSDB Counseling Team: The intern will work on the CSDB Counseling Team in Colorado Springs one day each week. The counseling team provides ongoing support for the students enrolled at CSDB. Services include counseling, consultation, evaluation, group counseling, and participation in the IEP process.
  3. RMDS Consultation: The intern will work at the RMDS half a day a week. The intern will provide services to include counseling, consultation, evaluation, group counseling, and participation in the IEP process for students enrolled at RMDS.
  4. JFK Partners Developmental Disabilities Treatment Team: The intern will participate on one of several treatment/evaluation teams at JFK Partners which provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  5. Educational activities: The intern is expected to attend clinic meetings, supervisory sessions, ongoing JFK seminars, and lectures, courses, and special workshops as scheduled.

Optional Training Activities

  1. Social skills group: There are two other therapy groups---one for latency aged children and one for adolescents--in which the intern can also participate.
  2. JFK Partners Grant Projects: There are numerous ongoing JFK grant projects in developmental disabilities in which the intern may participate depending on time and interest.
  3. Developmental Disabilities Treatment Team: The trainee may participate on one of several treatment/evaluation teams at JFK Partners which provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
  4. Developmental Disabilities Research Group: The trainee may participate in this monthly seminar focused on understanding the current research in neuropsychology and neurobiology of autism and other developmental disorders. This group also generates ideas for new research projects and presents findings from ongoing studies of its various members.
  5. Additional Courses: There are a variety of seminars, courses, and lectures provided by the UAP as a whole and available to any of the trainees.

Theoretical Approaches

Although there is not a single theoretical approach that is utilized exclusively, a major philosophy of MDHC is to promote culturally competent, family focused interventions in inclusive settings. The main psychology faculty at the University of Colorado represents diverse theoretical orientations, including more dynamically oriented clinical child psychology, developmental psychology, and cognitive-behavioral psychology. There is an emphasis on child neuropsychology, as it pertains to autism and other developmental disorders, both in the research programs and in the clinical practice of the center. A developmental orientation and family systems perspective are main ways of understanding persons with developmental disabilities and their families. Each trainee also becomes quite familiar with positive behavioral approaches for behavioral growth and change.

Types of Clinical Approaches

  1. Interdisciplinary and disciplinary diagnostic services
  2. School and community consultation
  3. Positive behavioral methods for skill building and behavior management
  4. Cognitive/behavioral therapy groups
  5. Family-centered consultation and advocacy
  6. Child and adult individual psychotherap

Population of Clients

The persons referred to JFK Partners are of all ages, from infancy to old age, with a diagnosis (or a question of a diagnosis) of a developmental disability. There is a particular focus on the diagnosis and treatment of people with autistic spectrum disorders. JFK Partners serves people with disabilities throughout the Rocky Mountain region, both urban and rural settings, from all ethnic groups and from all income levels.

Supervision/Supervisors

The intern receives supervision for all clinical activities, including psychological assessment, psychotherapy and school consultation.

Assessment supervision The intern will be supervised by Dr. Robert Baldwin.

Psychotherapy supervision is generally provided in a group format by one supervisor for the entire year, 1 1/2 hours per week. Live supervision and supervision by videotape are also important components of the supervision. Each trainee is generally in two or more psychotherapy group supervisions.

Consultation supervision is provided by a primary supervisor as well as a team of supervisors where issues common to all trainees involved in the project can benefit. Supervision is delivered in a group context and averages 2 hours every other week.

Classes/Case Conferences/Scholarly Opportunities

Psychology assessment seminar: Meets for one hour weekly from September through April to address diagnostic issues specific to JFK psychology trainees.

CSDB outreach team supervision/team meetings: Meets for one hour every week, from September through May. Provide didactic information relevant to school consultation.

Deaf Link team meetings: Meets as needed.

Autism and Developmental Disabilities team meetings: Meets for 1 1/2 hours weekly to review interdisciplinary team evaluation findings. The intern will attend meetings when involved with one of the evaluation.

Developmental Disabilities Research Group: described above

Scholarly Opportunities: described above

Supervisors

Robert Baldwin, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology, Gallaudet University, 2002). Areas of expertise/interests: psychological evaluation and treatment of individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, research of brain organization and function in individuals who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing through the use of brain imaging techniques.

Psychology faculty members are on site at JFK Partners

Hal Lewis, Ph.D. (Clinical Child Psychology; University of Denver, 1984). Areas of expertise: early intervention, parent counseling, ego developmental approaches, developmental psychopathology, program development and program evaluation.

Judy Reaven, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1985). Areas of expertise/interest: family therapy, diagnostic assessment, training and supervision.

Terry Katz, Ph.D. (Clinical Child Psychology, University of Denver, 1989). Areas of expertise: assessment and treatment of young children, child psychotherapy, diagnosis and intervention in autism.

Susan Hepburn, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 2000). Areas of expertise: diagnosis and intervention in autism.

  

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