Clinical Psychology Pre-Doctoral Internship Program Description

MHS Clinical Psychology Pre-Doctoral Internship Program

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

In graduate school, students are provided an intensive introduction to knowledge and skills in clinical theory and research, and are given an introduction to clinical practice. Our internship training program is planned to be the continuation of the preparation of a doctoral student in clinical or counseling psychology - as an entry level professional psychologist - with emphasis on the development of clinical assessment, treatment, and consultation skills, while utilizing knowledge of theory and research. In this approach, the preparation of a professional psychologist includes a continuous integration of theory, research, and practice with each of these sources informing the others. It is a practitioner-scholar model. It is also a model with a strong underpinning of dedication to community psychology - accessible and affordable clinical services, community consultation and community education.

The goals of the program include the mastery of basic assessment, treatment, and consultative skills enabling the graduate intern to provide these services within a community context. It is expected that at the end of the internship year, interns will be able to function independently in clinical situations with limited supervision or staff backup. They will also be able to provide clinical consultation as a psychologist to multidisciplinary teams and inter-agency personnel as well as their colleagues in psychology.

In order to attain these long-term, large-scale goals, specific objectives have been developed within each area of professional functioning as follows:

Assessment

• Accurately administers, scores, and interprets comprehensive psychological test batteries.
• Effectively conducts and documents initial assessments for outpatient and emergency clients.
• Writes reports of psychological assessment in a clear, concise, and timely manner.
• Makes appropriate recommendations and referrals based on these assessments.
• Demonstrates awareness of and sensitivity to individual and cultural diversity in all phases of assessment activity.

Treatment

• Establishes effective therapeutic relationships.
• Develops appropriate treatment plans.
• Conducts individual, group, and family therapy according to supervisory guidelines.
• Considers cultural and individual diversity in planning and implementing treatment.
• Demonstrates knowledge and skills associated with effective case management.
• Incorporates family and community resources in treatment planning and case disposition.

Consultation

• Demonstrates case consultation skills on interdisciplinary teams.
• Shows ability to interact effectively with personnel from community agencies regarding case coordination
• Utilizes knowledge of the role of individual and cultural diversity in these interactions.

The curriculum plan designed to support these goals and objectives is an extensive range of direct service experiences, in the context of ongoing seminars, intensive clinical supervision, and collaboration within the Center and the surrounding human service community. The program is designed for the psychology student who must fulfill the requirements of a one year internship for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology. It combines structured learning experiences (e.g., seminars, team meetings, workshops) supervised clinical practice with children and adults, and collaboration with professional psychologists and such community service providers as teachers, guidance counselors, police officers, lawyers and probation counselors.

Each intern carries an ongoing caseload of approximately ten clients of wide diversity in terms of age, presenting problem, and demographic variables. Assignment to two multi-disciplinary outpatient teams provides the opportunity to become familiar with basic psychological assessment measures, intake procedures, and team collaboration. Interns present and consult on cases in these teams with clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and clinical social workers. In addition, interns are assigned to one or two on-going groups as co-therapists.

Concurrent with this outpatient assignment, each intern familiarizes herself/himself with the other essential services of a community mental health center by completing a series of eight hour per week rotations on the busy twenty-four hour Emergency Service and the Mobile Crisis Unit. Interns are also given some exposure to court ordered evaluations through our Juvenile Forensic Program. In this context and others, a broad array of assessment and consultative training is provided.

The intern is exposed to an array of experts in particular treatment orientations. A relaxed hierarchy of disciplines permits students accessibility to supervision with psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and professional counselors, as well as psychologists trained in cognitive and behavioral therapies, short-term and longer term approaches, psychodynamic therapies, family and system therapies, etc. It is required that each intern will have a minimum of two hours of individual supervision per week for the assessment and individual treatment experience. In addition each rotation and the co-therapy experience in group also are individually supervised. Interns also spend approximately ten hours in didactic seminars and/or unit discussions or staffings. The selection of seminars and teams is a decision of the Training Director focussing on matching intern needs and staff expertise.

Throughout the internship, the concept of continuity of care is fostered, with the student expected to conduct case management in addition to therapy, following her or his patient through transfers of service, crisis needs, or requests for consultation with other agencies such as the courts, schools, and the Department of Family Services. The wide gamut of patient population in terms of age, socio-economic status, and type of pathology provides many possibilities for comparing short-term and long-term therapeutic approaches as well as the effectiveness of psychopharmacology and other alternatives to hospitalization.

While all interns complete a general internship with some exposure to many of the Center services, the possibility does exist for intensive child clinical experiences. As one of the earliest A.A.P.C.C. child guidance clinics, the Center has taken particular pride in its youth and family services.

Related Links

• Cover letter
• APA Approved Program
• Clinical Psychology Internship Program Description
• Breakdown of Training Time
• The Woodburn Center
• Entire document (45kb .pdf file)