The Psychology Department offers predoctoral training in adult and
child/adolescent clinical psychology. In addition, postdoctoral training in neuropsychology, anxiety disorders, child/adolescent Clinical Psychology,
Psychological Assessment, General Adult Psychiatry, and cognitive rehabilitation of schizophrenia are
also offered. Specialized training opportunities in sexual perversions,
psychological trauma, behavioral medicine, psychological testing, pediatric
psychology, anxiety disorders, and schizophrenia are also available. The goal
of all of these programs is to provide trainees a diverse, well-supervised,
and in-depth training experience that prepares them to assume full
responsibility for patient care, and to function as independent practitioners
of clinical psychology. All programs begin on the first business day in
September.
Applicants must be enrolled in an APA approved Ph.D. or Psy.D. program in
Clinical Psychology and have completed a minimum of 2 years of academic and
practicum training in clinical psychology. Elevation to doctoral candidacy and
completion of all academic requirements are necessary. Applicants are expected
to have had basic course work and practicum in psychodiagnostic assessment and
psychotherapeutic interventions.
B. Application and Interview Deadlines
All internship applications, transcripts, and letters of reference must be
postmarked by November 30th. Interviews with the Training Director and members
of the training committee will be arranged by invitation after a review of all
application materials is completed. Selected applicants will be contacted to
arrange an interview. Inquiries regarding your status can be made by calling
860-545-7167. Interviews will be arranged between December 15th and January 30th.
Notification of acceptance will follow current APPIC guidelines.
The internship is participating in the match program.
Applicants need to use the
APPIC
universal application (download form at APPIC), in addition to
our brief application included on this web site. However,
please make a paper copy of your application and mail that to us. DO NOT e-mail the
application over the internet.
The faculty of the Psychology Department consists of 16 full-time and four
part-time doctoral level psychologists. The department's theoretical perspective is
broadly psychodynamic with systems/communications, cognitive-behavioral,
self-psychological, object relations, group, and family orientations also
represented. Faculty currently carry treatment responsibilities in the Child
and Adolescent Division, Adult Outpatient Clinic, Children's Outpatient
Clinic, and General Psychiatry Service. Expertise in the areas of group
psychotherapy, neuropsychological assessment, health psychology, psychological
assessment, substance abuse treatment, forensic psychology, sexual perversion,
head injury, trauma/abuse, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, brief therapy,
and psychoanalytic psychology exists within the Psychology Department. Active
research in the areas of neuropsychological correlates of schizophrenia and
affective disorders, traumatic brain injury, group psychotherapy, sexual
perversions and addiction, treatment of impaired and distressed professionals
and clergy, borderline personality disorders, the cognitive-behavioral
treatment of anxiety disorders, health psychology and psychological assessment
is also present.
The internship program has always been fully accredited by APA. All psychology
staff are involved in direct patient care, with primary treatment
responsibilities in either inpatient, partial hospitalization, or outpatient
programs.
In addition to its extensive treatment responsibilities, the Department
provides an extensive Psychological Assessment Service to all sectors of the
hospital. The Assessment Service incorporates three distinct assessment
services, each designed to meet the unique needs of the hospital's
heterogeneous patient population. Traditional intellectual and projective
testing batteries continue to be utilized when appropriate and are
complemented by an extensive neuropsychological assessment service. In
addition, the Department is responsive to the demands for evaluation of
patients soon after admission and utilizes computerized (e.g., MMPI-2, MCMI
III, SCL-90R, Rorschach-RIAP) tools, self-administered questionnaires and
objective personality instruments, and organic screening instruments. These
distinct services provide an unique opportunity for trainees to acquire the
assessment skills necessary for the present-day practice of hospital
psychology.
The clinical psychology internship has been an integral part of the Institute’s
(IOL) training mission for over three decades. The IOL specializes in the
evaluation and treatment of acute psychiatric and behavioral disorders,
including acute exacerbations of chronic conditions. Stabilization of
psychiatric crises using an integrated blend of brief psychotherapy,
psychopharmacology, case management, and contact with community resources has
become the hospital’s primary mission. The hospital has been very successful
in establishing an umbrella of care for its patients, integrating the use of
inpatient, partial hospital, and outpatient services in response to a patient’s
changing treatment needs.
The internship training program is structured such that the intern assumes
treatment and assessment responsibilities within the IOL’s integrated
healthcare delivery system. Interns assume responsibilities similar to those
of a staff Psychologist working within that same work site. Our faculty
believe that today’s training needs to be responsive to the changing context
of health delivery system throughout the country. Training occurs within a
scholar-practitioner model that values the integration of the theoretical and
empirical bases of assessment and intervention. Seminars and supervision
expose the intern to both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral models of
psychotherapy, crisis management, and case-management. Interns develop skills
necessary for effective collaboration with the managed-care industry, and will
learn to plan treatment in accordance with financial and temporal constraints.
In addition, the interns have the opportunity to work with several patients
in need of both brief and longer-term outpatient care. Advanced training in
individual and group psychotherapy provides the intern the opportunity to
further develop their competencies in the treatment of a wide-variety of
patient problems. The Psychology Department is committed to the ongoing
professional development and education of its staff and seeks to promote in
the intern group a commitment to the pursuit of scholarly interests and
post-graduate education. The Psychology Department is active in developing
means of synthesizing the delivery of direct clinical services with the use of
"soft" research methods that examines outcome data and quality
management , and which is also responsive to contemporary social and
psychological needs.
During the first week of the internship, each trainee meets with each faculty
member and various key administrative and clinical personnel in the healthcare
system.
The purpose of these meetings is to meet with key personnel and to
integrate into the flow of the department and the healthcare system. Personnel
policies, physical exams, ID badges and insurance information will also be
explained during this period.
Please note: The prevalence of drug use in today's society has
received widespread recognition. In response to recent nationwide trends among
both corporate businesses and hospital communities, the Institute has
recognized the need to establish clear drug use policies for its employees. In
light of this concern, the hospital has instituted a confidential drug testing
procedure for all new employees that began on January 1, l990. The
hospital's Employee Assistance Program has requested that all departments
notify prospective applicants of this procedure. Testing via urinalysis will
occur prior to the internship start date with employment contingent upon the
results.
Three full-time internship slots are offered by the Clinical
Psychology Department in this area. The training year has as its core six training
experiences: (1) Long-term child outpatient psychotherapy; (2) Adolescent
inpatient psychotherapy; (3) Child (ages 5-12) inpatient treatment; (4) Psychodiagnostic evaluation rotations; (5) A four-month rotation at
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC - an affiliated hospital) in
Pediatric Emergency Department evaluation and Behavioral Medicine; and (6)
Seminars.
The training year will consist of three four-month rotations: one on the child
and adolescent inpatient service, one at CCMC’s pediatric service, and one
focusing on Psychological Assessment.
The training objectives for the Child/Adolescent internship program are
centered around the premise that a sound grounding in both behavioral and
psychodynamically-informed developmental models of psychopathology and
treatment will best prepare interns for successful careers working with the
widest spectrum of patients. The continuum of care offered by the interns is
designed to expose the intern to treatment settings in which competencies in
individual, group, and family therapies can develop. In addition, exposure to
emergency department functioning, consultation to a variety of
medical-pediatric departments, and psychological testing will allow the intern
to expand beyond the traditional psychiatric system and begin learning skills
that will allow them to pursue careers interfacing with the medical
establishment. Perhaps most importantly, the internship program, through its
use of an apprenticeship/mentoring structure, provides each intern the contact
with senior Psychologists necessary for the development of a professional
identity as a Psychologist.
(1) Child Outpatient Psychotherapy
Each trainee will have 2-4 hours of direct service responsibilities
during their four month outpatient rotation consisting of child
psychotherapy cases and conjoint family therapy when indicated. This
rotation occurs at the same time as the Assessment rotation. Interns
can elect to use this time to treat patients presenting at the Anxiety
Disorders Clinic ,where standardized treatment protocols will be learned, or
may treat patients presenting at the Children’s Clinic or at the
outpatient clinic at CCMC, using a a variety
of empirically-supported methodologies. Training in techniques of Play
Therapy is also available. Many of the children are enrolled in the
Children's School, an on-grounds elementary and middle school run by the
Children's Clinic. Others are drawn from the local area. The interns
participate in a wide variety of clinical programs and receive training in
intake evaluation and diagnosis, treatment formulation, psychotherapy and
liaison with school systems. Each intern receives two hours per week of
psychotherapy supervision from the child psychology staff. From this pool of
patients, one to two year-long therapy cases will be carried during the
other rotations. These case assignments often involve active collaboration
with other providers and community agencies.
(2 & 3) Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychotherapy
The Child and Adolescent Service consists of 26 beds and is staffed by
psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, occupational
therapists and psychiatric technicians. The unit provides a range of
services, including short-term managed care treatment approaches to
longer-term services for severely disturbed patients in need of
hospitalization, many of whom have gone through unsuccessful outpatient and
short-term inpatient treatments. A broad spectrum of acute and chronic
psychotic, developmentally disabled, personality disordered, addicted,
conduct disordered, and affectively disordered patients are represented.
Each intern functions as primary therapist for up to two patients in the
service. Interns gain experience not only as primary therapists and case
managers but also in functioning as a psychologist in a multi-disciplinary
team. Three hours of supervision are provided to each intern per week.
Interns will also conduct social-skills and
process-oriented group therapies while
on the unit, and family therapy when indicated in
the treatment of their adolescents. This rotation provides an immersion into
the role of an inpatient psychologist.
Training objectives include a thorough learning of DSM-IV diagnoses,
development of advanced focal and intensive psychotherapeutic interventions,
developing group therapy skills with acute patients, and exposure to
collaborative, brief family interventions. Each intern will complete a four
month rotation on this service. Caseload will be an average of two patients
plus two hours of group therapy.
(4) Psychodiagnostic Evaluations
Each intern will perform evaluations throughout the 12 months, consisting of
cognitive and personality assessment for children and adolescents.
Each intern will spend four months being the
primary tester in the Assessment Service, providing assessments for child
and adolescent inpatients and outpatients. In
addition, interns may pursue as a minor elective, exposure to
neuropsychological assessment. Testing responsibilities will consist of one
battery per week while on this rotation and
one per month while on the inpatient service and CCMC rotation.
Interns gain experience in test administration, scoring, interpretation,
report writing and in communicating test findings to other therapists. In
addition, each intern will have up to twelve hours per week to pursue
elective interests during this rotation.
Consistent with our training mission, interns will be required to
integrate relevant psychodynamic models of interpretation with objective and
cognitive data, and further develop their ability to communicate test
findings in written and oral form. The testing service plays a vital role in
the mission of the IOL and we expect interns to develop comfort and
expertise in this consultant role. Child interns test predominantly child
and adolescent patients, but may on occasion be asked to test adult patients.Interns will be expected to complete approximately 24 assessments
during the training year.
(5) Pediatric Consultation Service
Each intern will spend four months providing consultation and brief therapy
intervention to pediatric patients hospitalized at Connecticut Children’s
Medical Center. CCMC is one of three hospitals in the state of Connecticut
that provides comprehensive medical services to children and along with
Hartford Hospital and The Institute of Living, has a long tradition of
training Psychologists. CCMC was formerly known as Newington Children’s
Hospital.
This rotation is designed to introduce interns to the role of clinical
psychology in a primary-care setting and will prepare interns to work within
a medical model health system. The interns’ primary responsibilities
involve the provision of psychiatric consultation services to the medical departments throughout the hospital. Consultation
to Oncology, Cardiology, Rehabilitation, Pulmonary, and other departments
are usual. The intern will also provide both short- as well as long-term
individual and family therapy to patients in need of adjunctive care.
Interns will be trained in a variety of empirically-based treatments that
utilize cognitive-behavioral methodologies.
(6) Seminar Program
Trainees attend a variety of seminars, offered by both the Psychology
Department and the psychiatry residency training program. We anticipate that
the following seminars will be available this year:
Clinical Inference & Professional Ethics
(Required)
Modern Readings in Personality and Psychotherapy
(Required)
Family and Group Therapies
Weekly Grand Rounds
Child Psychotherapy Seminar and Case Conference
(Required)
Three full-time positions are offered by the Clinical
Psychology Department. The training year is composed of three primary four-month
rotations. The primary training objective is to assist the intern in
acquiring the necessary skill base to achieve a high level of competence in
the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of acute psychiatric illness,
including acute exacerbations of chronic mental illness. The Psychology
Department believes that intensive training experiences within an acute
inpatient and partial hospital service provides exposure to the broadest
range of psychiatric disorders and aids in the development of confidence in
the interns diagnostic and treatment skills. An integrative treatment
orientation that is directed by a deepening appreciation of early
developmental and object-relational experiences will be provided. Interns
will be expected to integrate the use of cognitive-behavioral interventions,
skills-training methodologies (e.g. Dialectical Behavior Therapy), and psychodynamically-informed treatment planning. The training faculty wants to
assist the intern to deepen their ability to conceptualize on multiple
levels and to recognize the interactions between intrapersonal,
interpersonal, and systemic forces influencing the patients with whom they
work. The Adult rotation will prepare interns to function within a hospital
setting and to treat patients presenting with moderate to severe forms of
psychopathology.
(1) Adult Inpatient Treatment
Each intern will be assigned to the general Adult Service that admits
higher functioning patients 18 and older for treatment of acute symptoms.
This training site will prepare interns to succeed within a managed-care
environment and strengthen their brief therapy skills. Each will serve as
primary therapist for up to three patients and provide conjunctive
family/marital therapy when indicated. Many of these patients will be
referred for admission from one of our partial hospitalization programs.
The unit is milieu-based and provides short-term therapies for severely
disturbed patients in need of hospitalization, many of whom have gone
through unsuccessful outpatient and short-term inpatient treatments.
A broad spectrum of acute and high-functioning psychotic, personality
disordered, addicted, conduct disordered, and affectively disordered
patients are represented. Interns gain experience not only as primary
therapists and case managers, but also in functioning as a psychologist in
a multi-disciplinary team while learning methods of milieu therapy. Each
intern will gradually assume greater responsibility for conducting the
unit's daily intensive psychotherapy group. Along with the unit
psychologist and post-doctoral fellow, the intern will also provide consultation to
the other treatment teams. A minimum of three hours of supervision will be
provided to each intern.
Competencies in rapid assessment of mental status, case formulation,
diagnosis, and focal individual and group psychotherapy will be developed.
In-depth exposure to psychopharmacological and other biological
interventions (e.g., ECT) and close collaboration with psychiatrists,
social workers, nurses, and physicians will prepare interns to assume
careers in a hospital-based settingand settings servicing the broadest
range of patient populations.
(2) Partial Hospitalization Programs
Each adult intern spends four months providing group psychotherapies
and case management to adult patients admitted to our Professionals’
Program. This is an intensive outpatient program for patients recently
discharged from the inpatient service or who are referred from community
providers who are in need of intensive services to prevent hospitalization
and restore occupational and psychosocial functioning. Patients are
generally higher functioning and are in the process of returning to work
or school. The intern will function as a staff treatment manager,
providing case management services to at least two ongoing patients, and
provide up to eight hours of group psychotherapy. This is a three-day per
week program that includes traditional process group therapies and a
variety of skill based therapies, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy
and a variety of cognitive behavioral methods. The goal of the rotation
is help interns gain experience in providing psycho-educational,
insight-oriented, and skill-based approaches to group treatment and to
learn the principles of managing high acuity patients in a less
restrictive treatment environment.
During this rotation, interns will have
the opportunity to pursue elective interest, will continue to perform two
psychological assessments, and will continue to carry a small caseload of
outpatients.
(3) Individual Outpatient Psychotherapy
Interns will be assigned to treat at
least two long-term outpatients throughout the training year. Interns may
elect to treat patients admitted to the Adult Outpatient Clinic or
patients admitted to Hartford Hospital’s Behavioral Health Service, where
they will conduct short-term or longer-term psychotherapy. Training in
the use of psychodynmaically and personality-informed models of treatment
are available within this setting. Interns will see patients admitted to
our Adult Outpatient Clinic, many of whom are referred from the inpatient
and partial hospital programs, or are referred from the community. Each intern may elect to
gain experience in the cognitive rehabilitation of patients diagnosed with
schizophrenia. The Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Clinic is a
multi-dimensional treatment program for chronic schizophrenic patients
that includes attentional retraining, computer technology, group therapy,
motivational training and individual counseling. Interns can join this
program for a range of hours and activities during their assessment
rotation. In addition, interns can elect to create a minor elective within
the Anxiety Disorders Clinic where they
will learn a cognitive-behavioral and exposure-based treatment approach to
the treatment of anxiety disorders including obsessive compulsive
disorder. As mentioned, interns interested in Health Psychology may also elect to pursue
training in the provision of short-tern psychodynamically-oriented therapy
to patients presenting at the smoking cessation and cardiac health
program.
(4) Psychological Assessment
Each intern will spend four months primarily performing psychological
assessments of adolescent and adult inpatients and outpatients. This
rotation will focus on the use of cognitive, intellectual, objectiveand projective tests, and
neuropsychological screens to assess adolescent and adult mental
functioning. Advanced thematic and Rorschach interpretation and
report writing skills will be provided. Two-to-three hours of supervision
per battery will be provided and the intern will be responsible for one
assessment per week. Referrals will come from our centralized testing
service that responds to diagnostic and risk assessment requests from all
areas of the hospital.
Interns will be expected to develop competencies in the administration,
interpretation, and communication of test findings both verbally and in
written form within a short time-frame and will gain valuable experience
functioning as a consultant to the treatment team or referring clinician.
During this rotation interns will have the opportunity to pursue
additional outpatient and group therapy training. Interests in
neuropsychological testing and forensic assessments can be pursued.Interns
can expect to have completed approximately 24-28 assessments by the end of
the training year.
(5) Seminar Program
Trainees attend a variety of seminars, offered by both the Psychology
Department and the psychiatry residency training program. We anticipate
the following seminars will be available this year:
Family and Group Therapy
Clinical Inference & Professional Ethics
(Required)
Modern Readings in Personality and Psychotherapy
(Required)
Weekly Grand Rounds (Required)
Sexuality Rounds (monthly)
Psychopharmacology
Psychosis Seminar
In addition to the required seminars, all six interns will attend the
department's weekly staff meeting where both administrative and
educational issues are addressed. Besides involving the interns in the
full workings of the department and providing an inside view of the
hospital-based practice of clinical psychology, a wide range of
educational topics is discussed. In accordance with APA guidelines, each
intern will be expected to present to the faculty case material involving
either a psychotherapy case or psychodiagnostic evaluation, research
findings, or topic of their choice, during the year.
For information pertaining to APA accreditation, please contact:
The Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation
American Psychological Association
750 First Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4242
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