Temporary STP- E Research Assistant - Miami

About FIU

Florida International University is a Top 50, preeminent public research university with 55,000 students from all 50 states and more than 140 countries, as well as an alumni network of more than 340,000. Located in the global city of Miami, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels, including medicine and law. FIU faculty are leaders in their fields and include National Academy members, Fulbright Scholars and Mac Arthur Genius Fellows.

A Carnegie R1 institution, FIU drives impactful research in environmental resilience, health and technology and innovation. Home to the Wall of Wind and Institute of Environment, FIU stands at the forefront of discovery and innovation. With a focus on student success, economic mobility and community engagement, FIU is redefining what it means to be a public research university.

The Center for Children and Families (CCF) at Florida International University announces Summer Treatment Program Research Assistant positions. The Summer Treatment Program (STP) provides services to children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, Oppositional-Defiant Disorder, learning problems, and related behavior problems. The program provides treatment tailored to children's individual behavioral and learning difficulties.

The dates of employment for the Research Assistant position are Monday, June 1, 2026, through Saturday, August 1, 2026. Hours of employment are 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM, Monday through Friday. Research Assistants are also required to work on Saturday, August 1 (program wrap-up).

Research Assistants will be paid $15/hour, with overtime pay for any hours in excess of 40 per week (total approximate compensation for the summer of $7,000). Current students may also be able to arrange for academic course credit through their university departments.

During the program, children and counselors are assigned to groups that remain constant for the duration of the program. Each group consists of four or five counselors and 10 to 15 children of similar age. Counselors implement an extensive behavior modification treatment program during age-appropriate activities. In addition, children participate in academic classroom activities that are staffed by teachers and classroom aides.

The program includes feedback and associated consequences for positive and negative behaviors, daily and weekly rewards for appropriate behavior, social praise and attention, appropriate commands, and age-appropriate removal from positive reinforcement.

Summer Research Assistants support the activities of the STP-E and work with data collected by the counselors and classroom staff during the program. Research Assistants will prepare data collection materials and rating scales, collect and verify parent and staff ratings and questionnaires, will verify counselor-recorded data from daily activities, videotape STP activities for supervision and training purposes, and perform duties related to medication assessments that participating children will undergo during the program such as collecting parental records of medication administration, assisting the program nurse, and preparing ratings of side-effects for data entry.

Research Assistants will also conduct reliability observations of the point system implementation and observations of treatment fidelity. Finally, Research Assistants will assist with program activities such as setup and breakdown of recreational equipment and weekly reinforcer activities.

Research Assistants will work under the supervision of experienced staff members and will receive regular feedback about their performance. During the first two weeks of employment, Research Assistants will participate in training activities consisting of lectures, slide and video presentations, testing, and daily active role-plays during which staff members will act as counselors and children during activities such as games, drills, discussions, and time out.

Research Assistants will also assist with program setup and preparation of research materials and rating forms.

The Center for Children and Families was founded by William

E. Pelham, Jr., Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Florida International University. The STP has been conducted since 1980 and was named as a Model Program for Service Delivery for Child and Family Mental Health by the Section on Clinical Child Psychology and Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services of the American Psychological Association. The STP has also been used in clinical trials conducted under the auspices of the National Institute of Mental Health and SAMHSA and has been named a program of the year by CHADD, the national parent advocacy group for children with ADHD.

Experience in the STP may be helpful to prepare students for further study or employment in the fields of education, mental health, physical education, pediatrics, psychiatry,…