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 Psychaitry & 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.
Assistant Training Director
Katie Wright, PhD
Training Supervisor, Mentor, Steering Committee
Position: Clinical Instructor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Degree: PhD, 2015, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC)
Clinical/Research: Chronic and acute pain management; Medical/rehabilitation psychology; Motivational Interviewing; Addiction and health behavior change; Multidisciplinary team coordination and care; Tailoring MI and brief interventions for use by other healthcare professionals.
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 Harborview DBT program where I provide outpatient DBT and DBT-ACES (an advanced level of DBT treatment focused on increasing employment and self-sufficiency). I also teach workshops and provide clinical supervision within the UW Psychiatry DBT program.
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.
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 within public sector settings. Recent work has focused on 1) evaluating clinician-level variables such as burnout and confidence in treating suicidal behaviors; and 2) training and dissemination of DBT-ACES.
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.<
Jennifer Gerdts, PhD
Autism and Developmental Disabilities Track Coordinator
Work
My work spans teaching, clinical, and research in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental disabilities. I direct the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) interdisciplinary training program, which prepares professionals to assume leadership roles in our field.
The demand for services related to ASD has exceeded the supply of providers throughout the United States, and I am committed both to increasing our workforce and to refining our processes to better serve patients and families throughout the population.
The majority of my direct clinical work takes place at the Seattle Children’s Autism Center where I oversee our diagnostic services, conduct diagnostic evaluations, and co-lead a social skills training program for adolescents.
Teach
I am dedicated to teaching up-to-date, evidence-based information about autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities. My teaching activities are broad and range from individual teaching and mentoring of junior clinicians, to direct teaching through lectures in the community and regular UW program coursework, to parent education about ASD, to various forms of educational scholarship through publications and regional and national presentations. Moreover, serving as UW LEND Director has been such a joy! It is so rewarding to expand the impact of training across disciplines and throughout our state.
Research
My recent research has focused on clinical and diagnostic processes in ASD and neurodevelopmental disabilities. Given the lengthy wait that families undergo for diagnostic evaluation, I am dedicated to improving general diagnostic services using evidence-based strategies and studying clinical outcomes of various models of care. I also have a background in clinical phenotypes of genetic changes/mutations related to ASD, and have a longstanding interest in understanding how genetic changes translate to observable phenotypes.
Mentor
My true passion in teaching is the individual mentorship of junior clinicians. I am energized by supporting and watching the next generation of professionals grow and develop over time. In individual supervision, I prioritize developing a trusting relationship with my mentees and my approach to clinical supervision is strengths-based. I also enjoy individualizing training experiences for students. I am cognizant of not putting my own agenda on trainees– we decide jointly what experiences would help them along their path. I am so fortunate to do this job, and to work with such passionate, bright, and committed students. There is good learning to be done on both sides!
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.
Jeff Sherman, PhD
Behavioral Medicine and Rehabilitation Neuropsychology Track Co-Coordinator
Work
I try to balance my work between clinical service, supervision, and administrative activities. I spend my time at Harborview Medical Center in both inpatient and outpatient settings. I work mainly with people who have experienced severe traumas leading to injuries like spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputation, stroke and other disabling conditions.
In addition to Co-Coordinating the BMED and RN tracks, I direct our Rehabilitation Psychology Consultation Service and our Clinical Rehabilitation Psychology Fellowship Program. I was introduced to rehabilitation psychology and inpatient consultation services by Dr. David Patterson on my internship here in 1998. I enjoyed the fast pace, multidisciplinary work and the creativity of consultation work so much that I returned to HMC and the consultation service in 2006.
Teach
Most of my teaching takes place in individual and group supervision, at bedside and hallways on the inpatient units. I am committed to providing scheduled, sit down supervision and have an open door policy because I believe that the best learning occurs in real time. I guest lecture and present at staff in-services, continuing education and conferences. I see supervision as a developmental process beginning with the resident shadowing me. The rotation and the year are a developmental process and supervision should gradually become more consultative as the rotation and year progress. The treatment approaches that guide my work include CBT, ACT and Humanistic Psychotherapy.
Research
I am not actively involved in research and publication. Instead, I have been active as the PI of the Graduate Psychology Education Grant. This grant seeks to increase the number of psychologists trained in working with underserved populations. I have been actively involved in advocacy at the state and federal level, working on attaining support for ongoing funding for psychology training, student loan forgiveness and parity for mental health reimbursement.
Mentor
The challenge for all of us is feeling like what we do means something. I try to live this way, treat my patients this way and help my mentees find their way.
Eileen Twohy, PhD
General Child Track Coordinator
Work
I spend my days at the main campus of Seattle Children’s Hospital (SCH), where my work primarily consists of clinical care and teaching. My two areas of focus are the provision of effective, trauma-informed treatment for youth and families in suicidal crises and the promotion of equitable access to behavioral healthcare. I do this work through clinical care and training in our Crisis Care Clinic (CCC), the Mood and Anxiety Program (MAP), and the Consultation/Liaison (C/L) service at SCH.
Working in a medical setting allows for rewarding interdisciplinary collaboration and the opportunity to increase awareness of and attention to the psychosocial factors that impact child and adolescent health.
Teach
Teaching is the primary reason that I chose a career in an academic setting. In addition to the occasional guest lecture, most of my teaching takes place at the bedside, in community trainings, during individual and group supervision of clinical work, and at regional and national meetings. I am happiest in my job when I am teaching families or clinicians about how to care for suicidal individuals with compassion and nonjudgment. I find it especially fun and fulfilling to work with trainees on finding the balance between science and heart that drives each of us in our work as clinical psychologists.
Research
My work focuses on the development and dissemination of least restrictive treatment approaches for youth experiencing behavioral health crises. In the Crisis Care Clinic at SCH, we are studying a novel, urgent care approach to caring for suicidal youth, aimed at reducing unnecessary hospitalization and empowering families to recognize and capitalize on their strengths. Other areas of research interest include transdiagnostic approaches to pediatric behavioral healthcare and the provision of evidence-based treatment for youth with chronic medical conditions.
Mentor
It is an honor and a joy to participate in training the developing psychologists who will soon be our colleagues. The road to becoming a psychologist is demanding and often nonlinear, and I enjoy working with trainees as they discover their areas of passion and cultivate healthy practices for a sustainable career. Without fail, I also learn in the process. I strive to reduce barriers to access for trainees of color and other underrepresented groups in our field and to implement antiracist and culturally sensitive approaches to training in behavioral healthcare.