Adult Track | Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track | Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Track | Child Track
Ty W. Lostutter, PhD
Training Director
Work
I love being a Clinical Psychologist working with at a large academic medical center because it allows me a variety of career activities within clinical work, research, and administrative duties. I joined the faculty of Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences since 2009 and my work roles has varied over the years. Currently, I spend a third of my time providing clinical services and supervising psychology residents at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; a third of my time conducting research at the Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors, and a third of my time being the Director of the UW School of Medicine’s Psychology Internship Program.
Teach
My teaching philosophy is guided by an eclectic approach influenced by social learning theory, experiential learning, and Socratic principles within a humanistic framework, providing trainees encouragement and the opportunity to grow their research and clinical skills. My approach to teaching was developed from watching my own mentors and teachers, reviewing the literature on teaching, and working with my own mentees over time. My goals are to assess “where a trainee is at” in their knowledge and skill level, collaboratively develop a set of learning goals during our work together and provide the models and opportunities to acquire new learning with ongoing feedback for improvement.
Research
My research interests are broadly defined as the etiology, prevention, and treatment of addictive behaviors and mental health disorders. I am dedicated to developing empirically supported, culturally relevant prevention and treatment programs, with particular emphasis on at-risk individuals with substance use and/or gambling problems. Most of my work has been in development and testing of indicated prevention approaches aimed at youth and young adults, including college and community populations of young adults as well as veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are pursuing higher education with support from the 9/11 GI Bill. I have also begun to pursue new research interests which complement my current clinical work at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (former known as Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, SCCA).
Mentor
I truly love being a mentor to psychology residents in either clinical or research settings. My goal for this teaching is to provide excellent clinical services while training the next generation of healthcare providers. I take my clinical teaching and supervision activities very seriously but try to infuse fun and a passion for life-long learning in our mentor-mentee relationship. My supervision model is best described as a guided-experiential approach to clinical work. Any trainee I work with begins with a self-assessment and discussion of the knowledge and skills they already possess. Collaboratively, we identify gaps in their training or areas that need further strengthening. We discuss their training goals and develop a tailored training plan. Furthermore, trainees are willing to share their expertise and teach me new and exciting ways to conduct clinical or research skills.
Ivan Molton, PhD
Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Track Co-Coordinator
Work
My work is evenly split between clinical service, research, and supervision. On the clinical side, I provide psychological care to patients with acquired disabilities, including spinal cord injury, brain injury, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. My work there focuses on adjustment to disability and on health behavior change. I also get to supervise residents and fellows during their rotations at the UW Medical Center.
Teach
Although I don’t teach formal courses, one of the best parts of my job is working with psychology residents and fellows, who come with a great deal of intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn. Mostly I try to give them the resources and information they need, without getting in their way.
Research
Like most of us in psychology, I’m interested in almost everything. Most of my work has focused on the intersection of gerontology and rehabilitation, and in looking at ways to improve healthy aging for people with mobility limitations. I also do some work in psychological approaches to manage chronic symptoms like pain and fatigue. Most recently, I’m looking at a brief psychological intervention to improve a person’s ability to cope with medical uncertainty. Over the years many residents and fellows have worked with our research team on data analysis and manuscripts.
Mentor
As a department, our goal is to mentor our trainees wherever they need it. For some trainees, that’s about developing new research skills, and for others it’s about getting training in a particular clinical approach or in working with a particular population. We also work closely with our trainees in professional development and the all-important work/life balance. I like to think our approach to mentorship is equitable and collegial, and never hierarchical.
Adam Carmel, PhD
General Adult Track Coordinator
Work
My work activities include a balance of teaching, training, clinical practice, and implementation-related projects. My clinical work takes place within the UWMC OPC clinic where I provide outpatient DBT and DBT Next Steps (an advanced level of DBT treatment focused on increasing employment and self-sufficiency). I am co-director of the Annual Comprehensive DBT Training program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UW.
Teach
One the aspects of being a psychologist in an academic medical center that I enjoy is the range of teaching activities that are available. This includes providing instruction within didactic seminars, as well as demonstrating interventions for residents via direct observation. My approach to clinical supervision includes opportunities for live supervision and receiving real-time feedback (e.g. “bug-in-the-eye” model) as well as reviewing recorded sessions and fidelity monitoring.
Mentor
As a mentor, I try to strike a balance between providing support and guidance for professional growth, (e.g. considering various career paths, applying for post-doctoral fellowships) and attending to issues relevant to personal growth (e.g. balancing career with life and family goals). In our program, psychology residents gain experience providing care within multidisciplinary treatment teams and collaborating with other disciplines outside of psychology, and I enjoy supporting residents in this element of their training.
Research
My research focuses on the dissemination and implementation of empirically supported treatments of suicidal behaviors. I’m particularly interested in developing and evaluating models of training to guide the process of rolling out EBPs in community settings. Recent work has focused on effectiveness studies of DBT Next Steps and evaluating the DBT Next Steps skills curriculum as a standalone group treatment.
Erin Olson, PhD
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track Coordinator
Work
I am dedicated to building patient access to quality mental health care by training professionals while providing service directly to neurodiverse individuals and their caregivers. My clinical work is focused on diagnostics, consultation, and parent training at both Seattle Children’s Hospital Autism Center (CAC) and the University of Washington Institute on Human Development and Disabilities (IHDD).
As Director of Training at the CAC, I support multidisciplinary trainees at all levels. I am also the Director of the RUBI Parent Training Program for caregivers of autistic youth and serve as an attending psychologist in the Specialized Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Consultation Service (SNACS) clinic where we conduct therapeutic neuropsychological evaluation and consultation with individuals who have experienced early adversity including prenatal substance exposures.
My work at IHDD involves interdisciplinary diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) within the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic and Prevention Network (FASDPN). I also provide training for community providers, educators, and other entities that support people with prenatal alcohol exposure through both the FASDPN and as the Associate Director of the Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program Office with the Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI).
Teach
I’ve been drawn to teaching from a very early age. My career in education began with running summer camps and before/after school programs then becoming an early childhood educator with a goal of gaining a better understanding of challenging behaviors and supporting children with special needs, their families, and their providers. After furthering my own education and earning my doctorate, I spent 18 years teaching assessment and diagnostics within the School Psychology Program at the University of Washington. I have now transitioned to in vivo training as the Director of Training at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center. My goal is to improve access to quality patient care by training the next generations of skilled clinicians.
Research
My research has focused on early identification, caregiver and teacher training, and clinical phenotypes within neurodevelopmental disabilities. At present, I am working on program development and evaluation including patient progress monitoring for group implementation of the RUBI parent training program for caregivers of autistic youth. I am also developing an educator consultation model based upon the Families Moving Forward Foundations program for caregivers of youth with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Through the FASDPN, we are analyzing our 40-year database to identify developmental profiles of individuals with FASDs and differential symptomology among individuals with prenatal alcohol exposure with and without diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder. There are lots of opportunities for students and trainees to be involved with these projects or develop their own projects utilizing data at the Autism Center, Research Institute, and FASDPN.
Mentor
The opportunity to mentor trainees is a true passion. Each year, a renewed energy accompanies our trainees that inspires not only me but also each of our supervising psychologists. This energy is infectious, promoting a dedication to supporting trainees in our entire team of clinicians and staff. I, personally, have the privilege of providing individual and group supervision as well as mentoring for our residents and fellows. I strive to provide a supportive and trusting relationship with trainees and use a strengths-based approach for both supervision and mentorship. It is such a joy to observe the growth in both skills and confidence of our trainees! I am looking forward to learning and growing alongside our future trainees.
Ivan Molton, PhD
Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Track Co-Coordinator
Work
My work is evenly split between clinical service, research, and supervision. On the clinical side, I provide psychological care to patients with acquired disabilities, including spinal cord injury, brain injury, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. My work there focuses on adjustment to disability and on health behavior change. I also get to supervise residents and fellows during their rotations at the UW Medical Center.
Teach
Although I don’t teach formal courses, one of the best parts of my job is working with psychology residents and fellows, who come with a great deal of intellectual curiosity and a desire to learn. Mostly I try to give them the resources and information they need, without getting in their way.
Research
Like most of us in psychology, I’m interested in almost everything. Most of my work has focused on the intersection of gerontology and rehabilitation, and in looking at ways to improve healthy aging for people with mobility limitations. I also do some work in psychological approaches to manage chronic symptoms like pain and fatigue. Most recently, I’m looking at a brief psychological intervention to improve a person’s ability to cope with medical uncertainty. Over the years many residents and fellows have worked with our research team on data analysis and manuscripts.
Mentor
As a department, our goal is to mentor our trainees wherever they need it. For some trainees, that’s about developing new research skills, and for others it’s about getting training in a particular clinical approach or in working with a particular population. We also work closely with our trainees in professional development and the all-important work/life balance. I like to think our approach to mentorship is equitable and collegial, and never hierarchical.
Michelle Kuhn, PhD
General Child Track Coordinator
Work
I work out of our Magnuson building, which is the home of our outpatient mental health programs, and just down the street from the main hospital. My clinical work is focused on supporting children and teens with prenatal substance exposure, complex developmental trauma, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in the Specialized Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Consultation Service (SNACS Clinic). Our clinic uses therapeutic assessment, consultation, and parent training to help caregivers, providers, and schools fully understand a patient’s developmental and mental health needs and develop supportive accommodations and behavioral strategies to make developmental tasks and self-regulation easier. Our clinic is housed in Seattle Children’s Autism Center but sees a wide range of patients from the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit (PBMU), community referrals, and outpatient clinics including the Behavior and Attention Management (BAM) clinic with diagnostic and developmental profiles across the neurodevelopmental and mental health spectra.
Teach
Teaching (and the opportunity to consistently learn) is the primary reason that I chose a career in an academic setting. I get the chance to guest lecture to undergrads and medical students as well as our residents and fellows, develop community trainings, and speak at regional and national meetings about prenatal exposures and FASD. I am especially passionate about teaching pediatric medical and mental health professionals about ways to reduce perpetuation of stigma and bias associated with prenatal substance exposures. Our clinic also has a structured didactic curriculum that we explore through team retreats (with coffee!). Retreats and the conversations they prompt are some of my favorite days in clinic as we get to review recent literature and think about how to improve our clinical practice and professional ways of being.
Research
I research stigma, screening and diagnostic methods, and parent training interventions for children with prenatal substance exposure and FASD. We are currently evaluating the efficacy of the SNACS clinic model in meeting family needs and improving caregiver advocacy as well as gathering efficacy data on a parent training program we have adapted for caregivers of children with early adversity. Our small Early Adversity Lab is also developing best practice recommendations for stigma and bias reduction when conducting screening and psychological testing in children and youth with prenatal substance exposure.
Mentor
It is an honor and a joy to participate in training the developing psychologists who will soon be our colleagues. I work hard to create collaborative mentoring environments where all teach and all learn, supporting students to share their areas of strength and to identify and seek support for areas of growth. I feel privileged to work with children and youth, as I am constantly reminded that we all have the opportunity to grow, learn, and seek support throughout our lives and careers, with graduate training being just one phase in our developmental journey. I strive to reduce barriers to access for trainees of color, neurodiverse trainees, and other underrepresented groups in our field and to implement antiracist, developmental, and culturally relevant approaches to all mentoring relationships.
Last Modified: August 20, 2025