Ponce Health Sciences University

By Rob Davis / November 22, 2021

Program Type	Predoctoral Internship
Location (City/State)	Ponce, Puerto Rico
Point of Contact: Name	Maria Garrido
Point of Contact: Phone number	7872375159
What is the APPIC Member Number?	1791
Are there opportunities to work with Spanish-speaking populations?	Yes
Which of the following H/L groups can be seen at this site?	Caribbean Hs/Ls Mexicans South American Hs/Ls Central American Hs/Ls Hs/Ls with multi-racial ancestry
What percentage of the client/patient population is Spanish-speaking?	>50%
Is supervision by a Spanish-speaking supervisor available?	Yes
Population served	Pediatric Adults Older Adults
Diversity of clients/patients	Hispanic/Latinx Black/African American LGBTQ+
Are there opportunities to work with interpreters?	Yes
Types of referrals	Neurodegenerative/Memory Disorders Epilepsy (general, pre/post-surgical) Stroke Traumatic Brain Injury Genetic Disorders Developmental Disorders (Intellectual Disability, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Learning Disorder, etc.) Psychiatric Disorders (Mood, Personality, etc.) Rehabilitation
What type of neuropsychological training opportunities are available?	Assessment Report Writing Feedback Supervision of Students Research
Opportunities for psychotherapy	Individual Psychotherapy Group Therapy Family Therapy Couples Therapy Substance Abuse Intervention
Treatment/theoretical approaches	Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Dialectical Behavior Therapy Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Mindfulness
Didactic opportunities available	Neuroanatomy/Neuropathology Professional Development
Approximately how many INTERVENTION hours in Spanish does a fellow acquire per week?	20
Approximately how many ASSESSMENT hours in Spanish does a fellow acquire per week?	15
Approximately how many SUPERVISION hours in Spanish does a fellow acquire per week?	10

HNS is a cross-cultural society &
welcomes members from all ethnic groups.

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DELIA SILVA, PSYD, ABPP

Dr. Silva’s parents immigrated from Panama and Chile to the United States, and she was born and raised in melting pot that is New York City. She grew up speaking Spanish at home and feels fortunate to have grown up in an environment where cultural diversity was the norm, not the exception.

During her training to become a neuropsychologist, Dr. Silva was often asked to work with Spanish-speaking patients, though most training sites did not have supervisors who also spoke Spanish or had sufficient cultural knowledge relevant to Latinx populations. She joined HNS as a student and found mentorship and training resources that helped her gain competency in providing neuropsychological services to these patients. Dr. Silva has served on the HNS Board as Member-at-Large (2014-2016) and Secretary (2019-2022). She has also been involved with several committees over the years and is currently serving as the Chair of the Information Technology (IT) Committee. She views HNS as the main organization to promote development of professional resources and scientific advancements in neuropsychology that are specific to Latinx groups; she is honored to help the organization in any way she can.

Dr. Silva is the owner of Pacific Neurobehavioral Clinic, PC, a group practice in San Diego, California that offers neuropsychological evaluation and psychotherapy services to adults with various neuropsychiatric conditions. She engages in clinical and civil forensic work and oversees the clinic operations.

Educational, training and professional experiences include:

Doctorate in Clinical Psychology – Florida Institute of Technology
Post-doctoral fellowships – Fullerton Neuropsychological Services, St. Jude Medical Center (one year; neurorehabilitation) and University of California San Diego (one year; clinical neuropsychology)
Staff neuropsychologist at Sharp Memorial and Grossmont hospitals from 2009-2012
Board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Clinical Neuropsychology
Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) for the state of California
Treasurer and Current Chair of California Psychological Association-Division 8 (Neuropsychology)

In her spare time, Dr. Silva enjoys playing and making music (piano and electronic instruments; she recently took up learning how to play the theremin), playing tennis, karaoke, and spending time with family and friends.