Summer internships are available for undergraduates from any NYU school or college in NYU Langone’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as part of a minor in child and adolescent mental health studies (CAMS).

To participate in a CAMS summer internship, you must be enrolled at NYU as a matriculated or visiting student, and you must register for CAMS-UA 300 Internship I (two credits) during the first six-week summer session and CAMS-UA 301 Internship II (two credits) during the second summer session.

Each part-time, unpaid, 12-week summer internship takes place in a clinical, educational, or research setting focused on child, adolescent, and family mental health. Training sites include NYU Langone’s Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and various clinical and research affiliates. Students are mentored by an established faculty or professional staff member at placement sites. Interns commit to a minimum of 15 hours a week in their field placements in addition to a weekly required didactic session (Wednesdays, 12:00 to 3:00PM) for a total of at least 18 hours weekly.

2024 Internships

The following CAMS summer internships are available.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Service Internship

The Autism Spectrum Disorder Service at the Child Study Center, part of Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, is recruiting one or two summer interns to support our group programs. These include the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills, or PEERS, Social Skills as well as implementation and facilitation of group program development. The intern also serves as a behavioral coach in our summer intensive groups and attends weekly clinical supervision meetings. Attendance on specific days and times is required for training purposes.

Responsibilities of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Service intern include the following:

• monitoring the Autism Spectrum Disorder Service and PEERS email account and providing families with updated program communications
• supporting program recruitment by scheduling and conducting phone screenings and tracking family contacts
• supporting program recruitment by developing recruitment materials
• supporting group development by completing a literature review of latest treatment approaches
• attending weekly PEERS Social Skills program supervision meetings with the director, coordinator, and other personnel
• participating in teen and young adult summer PEERS conversation intensives as a behavioral coach
• updating administrative documents, recruitment materials, and resources

Faculty: Emily M. Hu, PhD, Emily.Hu@NYULangone.org, and Michelle Lee, PhD, Michelle.Lee5@NYULangone.org

Gender and Sexuality Service Internship

The Gender and Sexuality Service at the Child Study Center is seeking a summer intern to help us with ongoing programming and research projects. The intern supports administrative efforts of the Gender and Sexuality Service, including helping with the creation of psychoeducation materials, joining our weekly team meetings, completing research tasks, and supporting our monthly parent support group. Ideal candidates have a strong interest in learning more about gender and sexuality as it relates to youth mental health. Applicants with interest in minority stress, intersecting identities, and systemic inequities that impact transgender youth and their communities are encouraged to apply. The time commitment for this 12-week internship is approximately 15 hours per week.

Faculty: Samantha Busa, PsyD, Samantha.Busa@NYULangone.org, and Elizabeth A. Glaeser, PhD, Elizabeth.Glaeser@NYULangone.org

Integrated Behavioral Health Internship

The Integrated Behavioral Health Internship takes place at the Psychiatry Service at New York Foundling’s Home of Integrated Behavioral Health, a nationally recognized, award-winning, community-based mental health clinic in East Harlem. The Home of Integrated Behavioral Health responds to the needs of young people under stress with caring, culturally sensitive, evidence-based mental health treatment that is affordable to a broad range of youth and families. The service cares for clients who are simultaneously enrolled in other New York Foundling evidence-based treatment models.

Responsibilities of the Integrated Behavioral Health intern include the following:

• performing basic intake and assisting clients and families with completing intake-related documents
• learning the basics of clinical documentation
• participating in a weekly interdisciplinary clinical planning conference
• supporting research projects (literature reviews, posters, presentations, etc.)

The internship provides exposure to evidence-based models, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, identity and acceptance, and functional family therapy.

Faculty: Akeem N. Marsh, MD, Akeem.Marsh@NYULangone.org

Emma Bowen Early Childhood Mental Health Internship

The Perinatal and Early Childhood Mental Health Services at the Child Study Center seeks an intern to work at the Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center. Located at 145th and Amsterdam in Manhattan, the center provides children ages 0 to 7 years with behavioral health programs that ensure they can develop and thrive—academically, socially, and emotionally.

Mental health professional recently have begun paying more attention to the development of children in their early years. The period is now recognized as paramount in setting up children to develop, explore, and live healthy and fulfilling lives. The intern performs basic intake with families and gains an understanding of child–parent psychotherapy that is attachment focused and done in a dyadic format for families who have undergone trauma. Interns also gain a basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative research methods and learn about New York State mental health policy and grant processes.

Faculty: Divya Chhabra, MD, Divya.Chhabra@NYULangone.org

Psychiatric Research Internship

The Teixeira Laboratory uses mouse models to understand how exposure to early-life environmental factors affect behavior later in life. We specifically look at manipulations that alter serotonin and dopamine transmission. We seek one or two interns to support this research by performing behavioral tasks in mice.

Our lab has two projects running in the summer: effects of early-life exposure to SSRIs, and effects of early-life maternal separation. In addition to behavioral testing in mice, interns also have the opportunity to learn basic laboratory skills, such as using PCR to genotype mutant mice and other wet-lab skills.

Students work under the daily supervision of one of the postdoctoral fellows in the laboratory and meet once a week with the primary investigator. Animal work is performed at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research in Rockland County. Students must be able to travel to the institute to participate in this internship.

Faculty: Catia Martins Teixeira, PhD, Catia.MartinsTeixeira@NYULangone.org

Course Development Internship CAMS-UA 151: Cultural Perspectives in Mental Health

Students work in collaboration with the course instructor, Aaron O. Reliford, MD, to utilize references from prior exemplary research presentations and revamp or make recommendations for integration of readings and topics into the CAMS course Cultural Perspectives in Mental Health. In this context, the students review the syllabus and each lecture to propose integrating new material and updating material that is outdated or for which there is new research. Responsibilities include the following:

• standardizing appearance of presentation slides and updating their content
• updating statistics
• updating readings
• updating quiz and exam questions

Interns work with Dr. Reliford on one of several existing publications in process or develop a research project of their own related to diversity, equity, and inclusion topics relevant to the CAMS 151 course or related to a topic of their interest.

Faculty: Aaron O. Reliford, MD, Aaron.Reliford@NYULangone.org
 

Pediatric Neurodevelopment Research Internship

The Social Cognitive Affective Neurodevelopment Laboratory (SCAN Lab), led by Moriah E. Thomason, PhD, seeks one or two interns to assist with research. The SCAN Lab conducts research focused on social and environmental determinants of perinatal health and early human brain development. We use brain imaging methods such as MRI, EEG, and fNIRS to interrogate function in fetal, infant, and toddler brains, and we measure multiple aspects of behavior in both in-person and virtual settings. Our lab is also interested in biological processes that underlie linkages between individual behavior and brain development, and thus collect many types of biospecimens that allow us to measure things like hormones, microbiota, and inflammatory markers.

Research assistant interns in our lab have immersive experience in data collection, and they interface directly with research participants, gaining firsthand experience with the methodologies referenced above. It is also possible for interns to gain direct data processing experience. For example, interns may become involved in processing biospecimen materials, working with neuroimaging data or with project management, and using software tools such as REDcap, Ripple, and Flywheel. We ask candidates during their interview which of these areas interest them the most and try to match them accordingly.

Please note that because we prioritize cultural and racial and ethnic diversity in our studies, we are especially interested in candidates who are fluent in Spanish, although this is certainly not a requirement.

Program Coordinator: Maya Ruiz, Maya.Ruiz@NYULangone.org

Research Assistant Summer Internship

The Infant Brain and Behavior Laboratory (IBB Lab) led by Courtney Filippi, PhD, faculty member in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, seeks an intern to assist with research studies with infants. The IBB lab conducts research examining the neurodevelopmental origins of social–emotional development. Our research pairs brain imaging data (e.g., those from MRI and EEG) with precise measures of infant behavior to understand infant brain development. Our ongoing work uses innovative computer vision algorithms to automatically quantify infant facial expressions and prioritizes behaviors associated with the development of anxiety disorders, such as poor infant attention. Interns in our lab assist in data collection, gain experience quantifying infant behavior, and work directly with neuroimaging tools. Interns also learn how to analyze data to answer an independent research question.

Contact CC Groves (Caroline.Groves@NYULangone.org) to apply.

Development of Innovative Assessment and Treatment Methods Internship

The Selective Mutism Service and the Organizational Skills Training Program at the Child Study Center are seeking an intern to work with Richard Gallagher, PhD, and his team in measurement development and data acquisition for two projects: a self-report measure for children with selective mutism and social anxiety, and a shortened version of the Children’s Organizational Skills Scale (COSS)—Parent and COSS—Teacher versions.

The intern is also expected to help with consolidating the content for a comprehensive support program for high school students with learning disabilities that addresses skills in organization, time management, and planning and other executive functions that are needed for emotional regulation, motivation management, problem-solving, study skills, and self-advocacy. The program is currently being utilized in a single New York City public high school.

As part of this opportunity, the intern will gain an understanding of following concepts:

• the methods used to create and statistically analyze psychological rating scales
• the process of transferring abstract, clinical concepts into operationalized measurement content
• the process of adapting clinically developed treatment methods for delivery in the school setting.
• the nature of anxiety disorders, learning disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders and their emotional correlates
• how these conditions are manifested in the day-to-day lives of children and teens

Faculty: Richard Gallagher, PhD, Richard.Gallagher@NYULangone.org

Research Assistant Summer Internship

NYU Langone Health is a pediatric site for the national, NIH-funded RECOVER study on long COVID. The goals of the study are to understand how COVID-19 affects the health of children and young adults, and why some of those who get COVID are still sick many months after being infected. The Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is looking for interns to join our team for the summer, with the potential to continue volunteering through the school year. Interns participate in both patient-facing (e.g., communicating with participants about upcoming and outstanding study activities) and data-facing (e.g., assisting with data entry and quality assurance) workflows. Interns directly experience what it’s like to work on a clinical research study and learn about what is involved with fielding a large study.

Everyone working on the study is required to complete human subjects research training and RECOVER-specific training. We prefer applicants who are willing to complete these trainings before the start of the summer internship so that all approvals are in place when the internship begins. Also, RECOVER prioritizes cultural and racial and ethnic diversity, so we are especially interested in candidates who are fluent in Spanish, although this is certainly not a requirement. Up to three interns will be accepted for this placement. To apply, please email RECOVERKids@NYULangone.org.

Faculty: Cheryl R. Stein, PhD

When the Nightmare Is Real: Trauma Course Summer Internship

Course instructors Erica Willheim, PhD, and Adam Brown, PsyD, are recruiting up to two CAMS summer interns to support the updating of the CAMS course When the Nightmare Is Real: Trauma in Childhood and Adolescence. Responsibilities will include working with the course instructors to update the following:

• content and formatting of presentation slides
• statistics
• readings
• quiz and exam questions

This will also be a mentorship opportunity to meet with course instructors and learn more about child traumatic stress, as well as careers in mental health. Students who have previously completed CAMS-UA 104 will be given preference.

Faculty: Erica Willheim, PhD, Erica.Willheim@NYULangone.org and Adam Brown, PsyD, Adam.Brown2@NYULangone.org