Available for the 25-26 training year
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: thinkSMART is a novel, 12-week behavioral intervention, designed to target executive functioning weaknesses in adolescents. The focus of the group is to teach compensatory strategies to teens and their parents (concurrently) to target weaknesses in areas of time awareness/management, planning, problem solving, task initiation/completion, and organization. Teens and their parents are also taught mindfulness strategies, emotion regulation techniques, and provided psychoeducation about executive functioning. Sessions are structured to include mindfulness, homework review, didactic presentation, learning activities, and problem-solving obstacles. Parents are aided in ways to support and prompt their teens for use of the skills.
Client population served: thinkSMART® is appropriate for adolescents ages 12-18 and their parents. Teens often, but are not required to, have diagnoses associated with attention, mood, anxiety or neurodevelopmental disorders. All teens have at least average cognitive functioning and are able to tolerate a mainstream classroom setting.
DAY, TIME, AND LOCATION: Mondays, 4:00 – 8:15 pm (Fall Session Only) Mondays, 4:00 – 6:30 pm (Winter/Spring Sessions)
HOURS PER WEEK: 2.5-4 hours per week approximately (2.5 in Winter/Spring, 4.25 in Fall) This includes an hour for supervision, 90-min session, and 30-min debrief. The supervision hour is flexible and does not have to be in the hour before group. Trainees can opt to rotate through the program for 3, 6, or 12-months.
FACULTY AND STAFF: Alissa Ellis, Ph.D., Director
TRAINING PROVIDED: Training and weekly group supervision are provided to learn skills in implementing a cognitive-behavioral intervention for improving executive functioning in adolescents. Trainees will be actively engaged with co-leading the weekly sessions.
SUPERVISION PROVIDED: Method of Supervision: Direct observation, Didactics Format: Group and Individual, as needed Hours Per Week: 1 (.25 of group, .25 of individual) Days and Times: Mondays 4pm-5pm Names of Supervisor(s): Alissa Ellis, PhD