Schizophrenia Treatment Services:
Residency in the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program
The
Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital offers a one-year, full-time,
postdoctoral clinical training position in the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation
Program (SRP). Our program utilizes specialized treatment and rehabilitation
services, with an emphasis on neurocognitive rehabilitation. This position is
part of the Psychology Department Postdoctoral Residency Program and begins
September 1st.
The Postdoctoral Residency Description
The postdoctoral
resident serves as the primary clinician for up to eight outpatients with
schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Primary responsibilities include:
providing cognitive rehabilitation sessions, co-leading treatment groups,
providing individual and family therapy, and performing clinical case management.
The postdoctoral resident will supervise practicum students
or interns on rotation in the program, and conduct neuropsychological
evaluations within the program under the supervision of a neuropsychologist.
Under the supervision of program
psychologists and neuropsychologists, the postdoctoral resident will also complete
a project related to program development of the SRP, or participate in ongoing
clinical research related to clinical services provided at the SRP.
Opportunities to develop grant-writing skills and conduct funded empirical
research are also available.
Training Objectives
- Obtain in-depth knowledge of schizophrenia
spectrum illnesses and the full range of treatment and rehabilitation
interventions.
- Obtain a specific conceptual understanding
of, and supervised experience in, conducting cognitive rehabilitation
interventions.
- Develop therapy and clinical case
management skills.
- Develop supervisory skills through guided
supervision of interns or practicum students.
- Develop neuropsychological assessment
skills.
The
postdoctoral training year in the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation track prepares
the trainee for advanced practice competence in the areas of treatment,
evaluation and rehabilitation of adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
The postdoctoral resident provides neuropsychological assessment; individual,
group and family therapy; case management; cognitive remediation; and
psychoeducational services to intensive outpatient program participants.
Because the program is a research as well as clinical program, the postdoctoral
resident assists with ongoing applied research projects and is encouraged to
develop and conduct original research.
The SRP is
designed to conduct and incorporate the latest research on treatment and
rehabilitation of schizophrenia to develop a best-practice model for assessment
and intervention. Areas of research incorporated into the program include
vocational interventions and outcomes; cognitive interventions and outcomes;
psychopharmacological interventions for positive, negative and cognitive
symptoms; drug compliance; fMRI studies; schizophrenia Rorschach indices of
thought disorder; and behavioral interventions.
Supervision and Professional Education
The discipline of psychology is well represented in the
program and the hospital, with approximately 30 staff psychologists and trainees
in the Psychology Department. There are five licensed clinical psychologists
working at the Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program. Psychotherapy supervision
is provided by a licensed clinical psychologist, cognitive testing supervision
is provided by the program neuropsychologist, weekly group supervision is
provided in the program, and postdoctoral residents participate in weekly group
training meetings with the chair of the Psychology Department.
The SRP clinical team meets four times per
week to review clinical cases, including reviews with the psychiatrist and
psychopharmacology team for medication management. Educational opportunities
include weekly grand rounds, lectures, weekly psychology staff conferences, SRP
in-service meetings, and neuropsychological didactic training. Additionally,
the postdoctoral resident, along with the entire SRP staff, participates in the
annual conference on Cognitive Remediation in Psychiatry co-hosted by The
Institute of Living and Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
The Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program
The Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program
provides state-of-the art intensive outpatient (IOP) treatment and
rehabilitation services to adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The
program is designed to provide rehabilitation for cognitive deficits and negative
and positive symptoms of schizophrenia in order to help clients return
to meaningful and productive activity in the community. Clients undergo
extensive evaluation of neuropsychological, vocational, and psychiatric
functioning upon entering the program. This information is used by the
multidisciplinary team to guide treatment. Clients participate in a 3-5 day/week
program of structured, small group, and individual activities, such as
computer-based cognitive rehabilitation, exercise-oriented motivation groups,
vocational counseling, and psychoeducation. The treatment team collaborates with
families and community service providers to enhance and generalize treatment
efforts and support return to work. Most clients are also participants in
ongoing research regarding the efficacy of program rehabilitation efforts on
cognitive and vocational functioning.
Compensation
The yearly stipend for this position is
approximately $28,000. Healthcare insurance is provided. Benefits include health
care insurance, twelve personal/vacation days, seven fixed and three floating holidays, and
twelve sick days.
Applicant Background
The applicant is required to have completed
an APA-approved pre-doctoral internship, and graduated from an APA-accredited
doctoral program in Clinical Psychology granting the Ph.D. or Psy.D. Degree.
Experience and demonstrated interest in schizophrenia, cognitive remediation,
and/or neuropsychological assessment is preferred.
For further information and application, please contact:
Warren Thime, Ph.D., Program Manager
Schizophrenia Rehabilitation Program
(860) 545-7680
wthime@harthosp.org

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