The purpose of the clinical child, adolescent, family, and pediatric psychology (CCAFP) concentration at GSAPP is to promote the advancement of, and formalize the competencies for, graduate training in clinical child and adolescent psychology and pediatric psychology. Extant definitions of CCAFP include education and training for research and practice that brings together the basic tenets of professional and health service psychology with a thorough background in applied clinical sciences and practices focusing on children (defined as those under the age of 18 for the purpose of this concentration) and families.

Clinical child and pediatric psychologists conduct scientific research and provide psychological services to infants, toddlers, children, and adolescents, and their families. The research and practices conducted by clinical child and pediatric psychologists focus on understanding, preventing, diagnosing, and treating psychological, cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, and family problems of children in a variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient clinics, childrens' hospitals, schools, mental health centers, and other entities in the community. Of particular importance is a scientific understanding of the basic psychological needs of children and adolescents and how their influential social contexts, such as parents, peers, and teachers, influence socio-emotional adjustment, cognitive development, behavioral adaptation, and health status of children and adolescents. Training also includes interprofessional functioning with a range of mental health and health care professionals, including physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, dieticians, speech therapists, and audiologists, among others. This CCAFP concentration recognizes a critical need for better documentation and further improvements of evidence-based assessments and treatments for the children, adolescents, and families served. Thus, a major emphasis of the formal training and practice will be guided by the most up-to-date empirical research base.

For greater information on the specialty of clinical child and adolescent psychology, and its place in the spectrum of psychological specialties, please go to: https://www.cospp.org/specialties.