Has anyone in a doctoral program moved to another location temporarily to complete an externship? My program provides great practicum opportunities in CBT, family therapy, and neuropsychological assessment, but one area that is less emphasized in our training is applied behavior analysis (ABA). I am potentially interested in working with children with developmental disabilities (specifically intellectual disabilities and autism), and therefore I want to obtain some experience with ABA, especially in regards to treating severe disruptive behaviors. Unfortunately, our university does not offer an ABA program through which I could explore practicum opportunities. Therefore, I was thinking about applying for a summer externship through the Munroe-Meyer Institute, which offers very high-quality training in ABA. I am not required to work in my advisor's research lab during the summer because my funding comes from a university fellowship, although I would lose time in the lab. However, the practicum at the Munroe-Meyer Institute offers research opportunities using small n designs, which may be a useful skill for me to bring to my lab. Does anyone have any advice - should I continue looking for opportunities locally, or would it be worth it to move for a summer to complete a high-quality externship in an area that I am interested in?
Moving Temporarily for Externship
- Thread starter ironage
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Definitely continue looking into local opportunities, yes. However, if you want to work with developmental disabilities, I'd imagine exposure to ABA might almost be a must to function competently as a clinician in that area; thus, if you can actually afford the temporary relocation, go for it. If not, just plan on getting a LOT more training in the appropriate areas during internship (and possibly postdoc).
