Prospective Graduate Students
Prospective graduate students interested in working with either Dr. Gillis or Dr. Romanczyk, or both, should review the information below to improve their understanding of both opportunities and expectations. This is not a typical lab situation so we feel it best to provide students with an overview.
Current Clinical Training Opportunities at ICD:
Clinical training is primarily supervised and organized by the Director of Clinical Services, Rachel Cavalari, PhD, BCBA-D. Dr. Cavalari is an expert in the assessment and treatment of ASD and routinely conducts research at ICD. The following is a list of many of the opportunities for clinical training at ICD:
· Early and childhood diagnostic evaluations for ASD and developmental delays
· Participation in multidisciplinary child diagnostic evaluations
· Functional Behavior Assessment and Functional Analysis
· Organizational Behavior Management
· Staff training
· Peer Supervision
· Program Evaluation
· Community Outreach
· School Consultation
· Social skills interventions
· Applied Behavior Analysis
· Family/Parent Training, Sibling Workshops
· Other training depends on student interest & skill level
Expectations
Students working with Drs. Gillis and Romanczyk will be expected to contribute to the mission of ICD via clinical training, education, outreach, and research.
Graduate students accepted to work with Dr. Gillis and Dr. Romanczyk are required to be in residence full-time during summer terms to pursue research and clinical work, and are required to perform a minimum of 2 years of the Department required Community Practicum courses at ICD. Graduate students are expected to contribute to all aspects of ABA training of undergraduate students as well as that of undergraduate research assistants.
Opportunities
The ICD and ASD Research Lab also afford many opportunities for students throughout their graduate training that are unique and contribute to professional, research and clinical development in a number of areas. Summer support for students who work with Drs. Gillis and Romanczyk is routinely provided, as is additional funding to attend professional conferences. Further, student research grants and support are available through ICD.
Current Areas of Research at the ASD Research Lab:
The majority of research in our lab and at ICD focuses on applied research (e.g., intervention, assessment, staff training); however, basic research projects are also pursued. Below are ongoing areas of research.
· Behavioral Assessment of Bullying of Children
· Tele-health psychoeducation
· Evaluation of assessment and instructional procedures for children with ASD
· Parent Treatment Decision Making
· Cognitive Flexibility in ASD
· Stigma and ASD
· Staff Training Efficiency
· Social Skills
Research is often presented at the following conferences: Association for Behavior Analysis International, International Meeting for Autism Research, Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies, and New York State Association for Behavior Analysis.
About Drs. Gillis and Romanczyk
Jennifer Gillis, PhD, BCBA-D
In Spring 2013, Dr. Gillis joined Binghamton University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology. Dr. Gillis is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Doctoral-Level, a licensed clinical psychologist and a licensed behavior analyst in New York, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry of the SUNY Health Sciences Center of Syracuse. Dr. Gillis is the Director of the Binghamton Regional Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Faculty Chair of the Academic Council for the Career Development Centralized Internship program at BU. Dr. Gillis serves on the Editorial Board for Behavior Analysis in Practice and Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
With respect to research, Dr. Gillis is interested in developing behavioral assessment measures and procedures to assist in clinical practice applied to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across the lifespan, with a current focus on children and adolescents. Dr. Gillis is interested in the effectiveness of interventions delivered in naturalistic settings and addressing factors that might account for differences in delivery of treatment in the community as opposed to laboratory settings. A third area of research interest involves organizational behavior management, especially with regard to staff training.
Dr. Raymond Romanczyk, PhD, BCBA-D
Dr. Romanczyk is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Professor of Clinical Psychology at SUNY Binghamton. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and licensed behavior analyst in NY and a Board Certified behavior analyst, specializing in the problems of children.
Dr. Romanczyk is the founder and executive director of the Institute for Child Development, and is involved in research, teaching, advocacy, program development, the judicial and legislative process as expert witness, and direct services to children and families. Dr. Romanczyk is former Director of Clinical Training, served two terms as Chairperson of the Department of Psychology at SUNY Binghamton, and is a past chair of the University human subject IRB. In addition, Dr. Romanczyk is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry of the SUNY Health Sciences Center of Syracuse. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a former member of the board of the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and a Founding Director of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts. He is associate editor of Child and Family Behavior Therapy.
Research and clinical interests focus upon developmental, learning, and emotional disorders, with particular emphasis on autism spectrum disorders, developmental, and learning disabilities. Some research and practice areas are: early intervention for autism; parent/family stress; service delivery models; large scale program evaluation; and computer assisted information and program management.
Philosophy of Training:
The primary mode of training is the mentor-collaborator model within the context of the clinical science model. Emphasis is placed upon integration of science and practice, in the context of social responsibility and influencing large social-political systems as well as providing services for individuals and families. A high degree of professionalism and independence are expected.
Interested in Studying Clinical Science?
Clinical Psychology Admissions Information:
The Clinical program admits new students to a program of full-time study once a year at the beginning of the fall semester. All application materials should be submitted to the Admissions Office of the Graduate School by December 1.
Our program is committed to equity and inclusion of students who are traditionally underrepresented in psychology. As a tangible step towards this goal, the faculty voted to suspend use of the GRE in admissions decisions for the 2021 and 2022 admission cycles. The GRE General test (verbal, quantitative, and writing) and psychology subject test are not required, and scores will not be accepted, in the application to the Clinical Psychology PhD Program during this suspension period. As we will neither accept nor review GRE scores, do not submit them through the formal submission portal or directly to individual faculty members.