Back to Institute News" USF To Place Psychology Interns Trained In Alternative Intervention Methods At African-American Charter School"
It’s almost taken for granted that when a child gets overactive and problematic in elementary school, one of the ways schools deal with it is to label the child as hyperactive and suggest medication. By early 2003, an African-American elementary charter school will look at alternative, non-medical interventions for its high risk children, thanks to a federal grant through the University of South Florida’s Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI).
USF plans to place four doctoral psychology interns at the Tampa Village of Excellence charter school in Temple Terrace who will be trained in non-medical treatment approaches that include collaboration with parents, educators, medical personnel and the faith community.
Rick Weinberg, FMHI internship director, said that the effort would be funded from a $116,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He said HHS wants to increase the number of mental and behavioral health professionals capable of providing services to underserved populations as part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach.
“This award is significant for USF,” Weinberg said. “This is the first year of the grant program and we are one of the few in the country who got funded. This grant promotes a culturally-sensitive program that emphasizes intervention more than medical treatment to maximize the students’ success.
“The interns will be trained in clinical methods that are suited for African-American children,” Weinberg said. “Research has found that, if given the choice, their parents would favor psychosocial as opposed to medical treatment approaches, and in collaboration with faith-based settings.”
The Tampa Village of Excellence, which teaches students from kindergarten through 3rd grade, was begun by the African-American Bible-based Fellowship Church of Temple Terrace.
The doctoral interns will be trained by USF faculty, including an African-American scholar and clinical psychologist, an African-American school psychologist, a Latina pediatric nurse practitioner and a USF medical school pediatrician.
A second part of the $116,000 grant will enable FMHI to learn from the experience and develop two one-day continuing education conferences dealing with African-American children who have demonstrated problematic behavior for area physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, teachers and church leaders
For more information, contact Rick Weinberg, FMHI internship director, at (813) 974-1916 or weinberg@fmhi.usf.edu.