Overview
The Child and Family Psychology emphasis area provides a strong foundation for students who are interested in working with children, adolescents, and families. This includes relevant coursework, a variety of practicum experiences, and research opportunities.
Emphasis Area Curriculum
Coursework for this emphasis area consists of three foundation courses: Child Disorders and Therapy, Family Approaches, and Couples and Sex Therapy. Child and Family Psychology students are also required to complete a least one practicum focused on child and adolescent populations. Our Psy.D. students leave our program with hands on clinical training practicum experiences and practicum hours that make them competitive for child and family psychology pre-doctoral internship sites. Internship sites often look for students with a breadth of relevant experience.
Practicum Opportunities
The program provides students with numerous child and adolescent practicum opportunities, in which students have the potential to develop advanced intervention and assessment skills. Many students elect to take several by selecting among numerous practicum sites, which provides students with the ability to specialize their clinical training.
Below are examples of relevant child and adolescent practicum sites:
- Pediatric Diagnostic Clinic
- The Scott Center for Autism Treatment
- Couples Practicum site
- Brevard County Schools
- Nemours Children’s Hospital
- Lifetime Counseling Center (LCC): Child Track
- Parrish Medical Center: OB Rotation
Mentorship and Research
The two primary faculty members available to mentor students and conduct research with students within this emphasis area are Drs. Juras and Fisak. Current and prospective students are encouraged to reach out to about the Child and Family emphasis area. Overview of their clinical and research interests is provided below.
Mariana Juras, Ph.D.
Dr. Juras’ clinical experience centers on working with parents and families, particularly within the Family Courts in cases involving domestic violence and divorce. Her research program integrates clinical and forensic psychology with a focus on family and cultural
dynamics. She has conducted studies on divorce, remarriage, domestic violence, parenting interventions, and multicultural differences. Currently, she leads a cross-cultural investigation examining variations in the concept of Differentiation of Self across Latin American countries.
Faculty Profile: https://www.fit.edu/faculty-profiles/j/juras-mariana/
Brain Fisak, Ph.D.
Dr. Fisak’s clinical and research interests include child clinical psychology, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and evidence-based interventions with a particular interests in mindfulness and acceptance based interventions.
Faculty Profile: https://www.fit.edu/faculty-profiles/f/fisak-brian/