Program Overview
APA ACCREDITED
Pre-Doctoral
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Community Reach Center 3
Center’s Commitment to the Internship 3
Clinical Programs and Divisions 4
Primary Service Locations 5
Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship Program 5
Internship Rotations 6
Training and Supervision 8
Evaluations 9
Psychology Faculty 10
Training Model and Philosophy 12
Intern Goals and Requirements 14
Training Meetings and Professional Development 17
Supervision 18
Examples of Intern Schedules 20
Procedure for Application 21
Interview
Intern Selection APPIC Policies
Contact Information for Director of Training & Chief Psychologist
21 21 22 22
Community Reach Center is a comprehensive community mental
health center, which provides services to residents of Adams County,
excluding the city of Aurora. The county is adjacent to and
immediately north of Denver. As of the most recent annual report,
the Center served over 11,000 unduplicated consumers. The Center
offers services to children, adolescents, adults, and families. Services
are available for persons experiencing difficulties ranging from
school challenges to severe and persistent mental illness.
CENTER’S
COMMITMENT
TO
THE
PRE-DOCTORAL
INTERNSHIP
PROGRAM
Community Reach Center exists for the purpose of providing high quality mental health services to the citizens of Adams County, Colorado. This purpose includes a broader responsibility to participate in the training of doctoral students in psychology in order to advance and improve the field of community mental health. It is our belief that interns significantly enhance the quality of a service-providing program and contribute vitality, new perspectives, and considerable expertise. At the Center, we believe the optimal environment for interns to transition from student to professional is under the supervision and guidance of an experienced licensed psychologist. In keeping with these beliefs, the Community Reach Center has developed an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited psychology internship program for graduate students who have completed all course work necessary for a doctorate in psychology.
APA’s Commission on Accreditation (CoA) can be contacted at 750 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20002-4242, (202) 336-5979.
CLINICALPROGRAMSANDDIVISIONS
The following is a non-exhaustive list of programs and services available to clients through the Center. The list is organized by clinical divisions and programs.
INTEGRATED OUTPATIENT SERVICES The Integrated Outpatient Services division is comprised
of the six outpatient clinics within various cities in Adams County: Northglenn, Commerce City, Thornton, Westminster, Brighton, and Early Childhood Services (located in Thornton). It also houses Mountainland Pediatrics, Vocational Services and Intake Services.
COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY SERVICES The Collaborative Community Services division is
comprised of programs and services serving clients involved with community agencies as well as clients seen in outpatient settings: School Based Therapy; Pathways Day Treatment program for children and adolescents; HUD Housing; Integrated Care collaborations with various community health clinics.
RECOVERY AND TRANSITION SERVICES The Recovery & Transition Services division houses
programs offering services to clients transitioning from inpatient level of care, into adulthood, and/or needing an intensive level of support: Adolescent Dialectical Behavior Therapy outpatient program (A-DBT) and the Adult Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP); Stages (hospital alternative); ACT Team; Peer Specialists.
INTENSIVE SERVICES The Intensive Services division houses programs focused
on more high-risk consumers in need of several services: PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP AND TESTING TEAM); Emergency Services; Crisis Response Team (includes home-based services); Justice, Accountability, and Recovery team (Adult and Adolescent Forensics).
RESILIENCY AND SUPPORT SERVICES The Resiliency & Support Services division is comprised
of programs that provide services for clients living in a residential setting or needing intensive care in the community: STREET Team (in-home services); OBRA (Nursing Home Level of Care); Case Management; Crestone Place (ACF level of care); MESA House and Kiva (independent living).
MEDICAL SERVICES Medical Services are provided to all programs at the
PRIMARYOUTPATIENTSERVICELOCATIONS
The Center has seven main service locations. Each location provides outpatient services and provides office space for both clinical and non-clinical teams. Pre-doctoral internship placements are housed at one of the designated office locations ().
THORNTON OFFICE 8931HURON ST.
THORNTON,CO80260
COMMERCE CITY OFFICE 4371E.72NDAVE.
COMMERCE CITY,CO80022
NORTHGLENN OFFICE 11285HIGHLINE DR.
NORTHGLENN,CO80233 WESTMINSTER OFFICE 3031W.76THAVE.
WESTMINSTER,CO80030 BRIGHTON OFFICE 1850E.EGBERT ST.,2ND
FLOOR
BRIGHTON,CO80601 GATEWAY BUILDING 8989HURON ST.
THORNTON,CO80260 MOUNTAINLAND BUILDING 8889FOX DR.
THORNTON,CO80260
PRE-DOCTORAL PSYCHOLOGY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
he goal of our psychology internship program is to prepare doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology to provide psychological services in public mental health, managed care, and private sector settings. Our model is the scholar-practitioner model with a generalist focus and opportunities for specialization. We expect that the interns will begin the training year with knowledge of the theories, research, and models of general psychology, in addition to having basic clinical skills in therapy and assessment.
During the internship year, interns are expected to increase their knowledge of clinical psychology and their ability to intervene in ways that are sensitive to the level of the client’s psychopathology, ethnic or cultural background, and legal or ethical factors. Because the Community Reach Center holds a capitation contract with the State of Colorado to provide mental health services to Medicaid consumers living within the county boundaries, all interns gain experience with managed care. In addition, experience is gained with various insurance companies and fee-for-service situations. Interns are expected to be functioning at a beginning doctoral level by the end of internship. Interns work on average 40 to 45 hours per week, depending on time management and planning skills.
There are five full-time, one-year, Generalist training internship positions at Community Reach Center. Interns are paid an annual stipend of $24,000. Applicants should have administered and written-up five or more comprehensive evaluations (at least one of which included a Rorschach) and provided a minimum of 500 hours of psychotherapy as part of graduate training. For qualifying Bilingual (English/Spanish) interns, an additional pay differential is offered to compensate for language skills competency. Bilingual interns matched with the internship program must pass a language proficiency exam, provided by the agency, to qualify for compensation. Benefits are the same as those for all staff, including 20 days of leave time for the year (includes sick and annual leave) and health and dental insurance plans are available for the intern, family members, and domestic partners. Interns are expected to function and be treated as full professional members of the team. The 2016-2017 training year will begin on July 25, 2016 and end on July 21, 2017.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we value diversity and encourage all qualified applicants to apply.
Please refer to pages 21-22 for application and intern selection information.
INTERNSHIP
ROTATIONS
Each intern has a licensed psychologist who serves as primary supervisor for his or her clinical work for the duration of the training year. Supervision is provided for all rotations.
Primary Rotation
The primary rotation is 25 hours per week, spread across Monday-Friday, for the duration of the year. The primary assignment is at one of the outpatient office sites and includes provision of individual, family and group therapy. Approximately 3-4 hours per week is allotted for individual supervision, team meetings, and meetings with team managers. This full-year assignment allows interns the opportunity to develop a sense of stability and professional identity. It also promotes continuity of client care and experience providing intermediate and long-term treatment, though brief therapy is emphasized. Interns will additionally develop skills reflecting agency values and practice, including collaborative documentation, trauma-informed care, Trust Edge, and Feedback Informed Treatment. Each site offers the intern generalist training by providing a caseload of children (ages 7 and older), adolescents, families, and adults. Interns have a furnished individual office space with a computer dedicated to their use. All necessary software for administrative tasks and access to the agency’s medical record system are supplied. Additionally, interns receive administrative support, including assistance with scheduling, client check in/out, phone calls (e.g., appointment reminders, rescheduling/cancelling appointments), and letter writing/mailing.
Testing and Evaluation Rotation
Interns complete 12 evaluations with the Testing Team. Referrals for assessments are received from internal staff or from external sources such as social services, the probation department, and juvenile detention. Typical batteries include cognitive
assessment, objective personality assessment or behavior rating measures, and projective personality measures, including the Rorschach, as appropriate. Test batteries are individually tailored to suit each case, depending on the presenting concerns and reason for referral. Over 40 different tests are available for use, and training is provided on all available measures over the course of the training year. Computerized scoring is available for many of the core instruments used, including but not limited to the MMPI-2/MMPI-A, MCMI-III, Rorschach, BASC-2, and Vineland-II. All interns must complete a Rorschach course using the Exner Comprehensive System prior to beginning the internship training year; exposure to the Rorschach Performance Assessment System will also be provided during internship. Training and supervision are provided weekly during a three-hour assessment seminar, in addition to individual supervision with a licensed psychologist. Informal case consultation is a weekly component of the rotation, with periodic formal case presentations. Additionally, one assessment-related presentation is provided by each intern to their cohort during assessment seminar.
Minor Rotations
To complement and broaden the training gained from the primary and testing rotations, each intern is required to complete the following three rotations of 75-100 hours each:
Emergency Services Rotation (100 hours)
This rotation includes working with the Emergency Services (crisis) Team. Interns have opportunities to work side-by-side with Emergency Services staff in three programs: Crisis Stabilization Unit (Emergency Walk-In); Crisis Evaluations for Psychiatric Hospitalization; and the Mobile Crisis Unit. Duties include fielding crisis phone calls and conducting office-, hospital-, and community-based evaluations and interventions for clients at-risk for psychiatric hospitalization. The rotation is scheduled for one day a week, for 12 consecutive weeks.
SPMI Rotation (100 hours)
The purpose of this rotation is to focus on developing interns’ confidence and competence in providing clinical services to consumers with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). A wide variety of services throughout the agency are available for this rotation. In the past, duties have included providing therapy to nursing home residents or co-leading a variety of groups with adolescent or adult SPMI consumers (e.g., DBT, substance abuse). Options for SPMI rotations are provided at the beginning of the training year.
Elective Rotation (75 hours)
The training faculty at Community Reach Center value individual tailoring of the program to address each incoming intern’s particular interests and goals for internship. The elective rotation is a prime example of this, as it provides interns with the opportunity to pursue a specialty interest of their choice. Examples of clinical elective experiences include, but are not limited to: early childhood services; trauma-focused treatment; provision of supervision to master’s-level and doctoral-level students; integrated healthcare; services to the elderly. Examples of non-clinical elective
experiences include: program/project administration and management; clinical outcome projects; assisting with the agency’s IRB. Interns are introduced to all psychology faculty members and possible supervisors early in the year, and each intern receives faculty support in custom designing this component of the training experience.
Additional Internship Experiences
Interns are expected to develop and provide a two-hour presentation on a clinically relevant professional topic to the clinical staff at the agency. In addition, interns present two clinical case presentations and one professional topic during intern didactic seminars to the intern cohort and program faculty.
TRAINING
AND
SUPERVISION
Interns spend five to seven hours each week in training activities and group supervision, in addition to two hours per week of individual supervision, all facilitated by a licensed psychologist. Interns are required to attend their outpatient office team meetings and encouraged to attend agency in-service trainings. Time is also allotted on a weekly basis for intern cohort time; each cohort determines how to structure and use this time, which can include informal case consultation, providing support to one another, etc.
The following is a partial list of training activities:
One and a half hours every week of supervision with primary supervisor (a licensed psychologist). The primary supervisor carries clinical responsibility for the intern’s cases. All areas of the intern’s work are discussed in supervision. To allow for depth of training, the primary clinical supervisor remains consistent throughout the training year.
One hour every other week of supervision with the Director of Psychology Internship. Secondary supervision with the Director of Internship frequently focuses on psychological assessment cases, topics related to professional development, and/or supplemental supervision on therapy cases.
Two hours of didactic seminar/group supervision a week with Chief
Psychologist and/or Director of Psychology Internship. Staff psychologists and other mental health professionals provide trainings to interns in their areas of expertise. A schedule of topics is proposed at the start of the year, and refined with intern feedback, to structure didactic trainings in a variety of topics. Trainings cover a wide variety of topics, with particular emphasis on expanding interns’ knowledge and skill base relevant to the clinical population served at Community Reach Center.
Three hours a week in assessment seminar led by the Director of Psychology Internship. Assessment seminar is composed of didactic trainings on specific measures and topics related to psychological testing (e.g., ethical concerns
related to psychological testing, cultural considerations, tips for engaging children in testing, facilitating effective feedback sessions, etc.) and weekly group supervision and case consultation.
Two hours a week in Intern Time. Two hours per week are devoted intern cohort time. Interns may use this time for informal case consultation, discussions relevant to their professional development, support during times of challenge, celebration during times of accomplishment, etc. Interns determine as a cohort how to best utilize this time to enhance their training year.
EVALUATIONS
Six weeks into the training year, primary rotations are informally evaluated to see if they are meeting interns’ needs. If there are difficulties, a formal procedure is followed to address any concerns and is overseen by the Director of Internship. Interns are formally evaluated at three points during the internship year: three months, 6 months, and upon completion of the internship. Formal evaluations are completed by primary clinical supervisors and the Director of Internship (for assessment cases and professional development). Interns also meet with training program faculty 9 months into the program to review progress and to assist in planning for the remaining portion of internship. In order to ensure that Reach Center is meeting interns’ training needs, interns will complete a mid- year and year-end evaluation of the internship training program and of primary and secondary supervisory experiences. We encourage informal feedback and evaluative comments and thoughts throughout the internship year.
Formal six month and twelve month evaluations of each intern’s performance are provided to the respective graduate school (or as requested by each program). The year-end evaluation is accompanied with a letter summarizing the intern’s participation in the training program and a copy of the certificate of completion. The Director of Psychology Internship requests formal six-month and year-end written evaluations of the internship program and supervisors from each intern. Informal evaluations of individual and program performance are expected to take place in individual and group supervision throughout the year.
For each rotation, interns are provided with forms to define their goals and desired skill attainment. Interns are encouraged to operationalize these goals in order to objectively measure progress. Each intern will discuss their goals for the rotation with the Director of Internship Training and with their primary supervisor. Part of the six month evaluation process is a review of the rotations and steps are taken to adjust as needed. The rotation goals/summary forms are completed for each rotation (e.g., assessment, SPMI, elective) at the start of the rotation, and signed/submitted upon completion. Evaluation of the Emergency Services rotation is achieved as part of the intern’s evaluation at mid and end of year.
PSYCHOLOGY
FACULTY
All Core and Adjunctive Program Faculty members listed below are licensed psychologists.
INTERNSHIP/TESTINGTEAMFACULTY
NAME POSITION THEORETICAL ORIENTATION AREAS OF INTEREST
Lisa Puma, Ph.D.*
University of Akron, 1996
Chief Psychologist Humanistic Interpersonal LGBTQ Personality Disorders Psych Assessment Supervision Laurie Schleper, Ph.D. Colorado State University, 2003 Director of Internship Training Existential Cognitive Behavioral Psych Assessment Children/Adolescents Autism Spectrum Trauma Health Psychology
Sarah Gillingham, Psy.D.*
University of Northern Colorado, 2009 Psychologist Cognitive Constructivist Psych Assessment Family Intervention Positive Psychology Crystal Wildes, Ph.D. Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Argosy-Chicago, 2012 Psychologist Integrative Cognitive Behavioral Psychodynamic Systems Trauma Psych Assessment EMDR Play Therapy Parenting, Families
* Serves as a primary clinical supervisor to interns.
Serves as secondary clinical supervisor to all interns.
ADJUNCTIVE PROGRAM FACULTY
NAME POSITION THEORETICAL ORIENTATION AREAS OF INTEREST
Abigail Tucker, Psy.D.*
Nova Southeastern University, 2005
Clinical Director, Intensive Services Division
Cognitive Behavioral Emergency & Disaster Response Mental Health Police Psychology Forensics Cameron Cannon, Ph.D. University of Denver, 2013 Quality Assurance Specialist Cognitive Behavioral Constructivist Feedback Informed Treatment Staff/Org. Development Psychology/Theology Integration Treatment Outcomes Cari Cornish, Psy.D.
University of Denver, 2013
CIT Mental Health Coordinator, Justice
Accountability & Recovery
Behavioral (3rd wave) Offense specific-sexual acting out
Conduct issues Complex trauma
Jamie Posthuma, Ph.D.
Alliant Internat’l University, California School of
Professional Psychology, 2012
Program Manager, In-home Resiliency & Support Services
Psychodynamic Family Systems
Family/Couple Counseling Anxiety
Trauma Grief & Loss
Supervision & Prof. Dev. Jill Atkinson, Psy.D.
California School of Professional Psychology-Los Angeles, 1994 Clinical Director, Integrated Outpatient Services
Cognitive Behavioral Trauma
Children and Families Personality Disorders
Libbi Palmer, Psy.D.*
University of Northern Colorado, 2005 Clinical Data Analyst Cognitive Behavioral Solution Focused Trauma
Research & Data Analysis Forensic Assessment Disaster Mental Health Evidence-based Practice Matt Davis, Psy.D.
Rosemead School of Psychology, 2011 Bilingual Behavioral Health Specialist, Clinica Family Health Services Psychodynamic Emotion-Focused Integrated Care Couples Treatment Personality Disorders Men and Masculinity Diversity Issues Ryan Kirk, Psy.D.
Adler School of Professional Psychology, 2012
Program Manager, School-Based Services
Cognitive Behavioral Brief, Solution Focused Motivational Interviewing SPMI Psych Assessment Personality Disorders Supervision
Scott Sorensen, Psy.D.
Illinois School of Professional Psychology, Argosy-Chicago, 2005 Program Manager, Commerce City Outpatient Integrative Family Systems Client Centered Personality Couples Therapy Male Issues
Tiffany Erspamer, Psy.D.
Regent University, 2013
Quality Assurance Specialist
Cognitive Behavioral Systems
Adolescents & Families DBT (Suicide/Self-Harm) LGBTQ
Sexual Trauma
POSTDOCTORAL LICENSURE CANDIDATES
NAME POSITION THEORETICAL ORIENTATION AREAS OF INTEREST
Jaclyn Miller, Psy.D.
Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, 2014 Therapist, Justice Accountability & Recovery (JAR) Team Psychodynamic Trauma Forensics
Major Mental Illness Personality Disorders
TRAINING
MODEL
AND
PHILOSOPHY
The training program at Community Reach Center offers supervised experience to students from professional clinical and counseling psychology programs. The philosophy of the training program includes:
An emphasis on the professional, scholar-practitioner model
A generalist rather than specialist focus
A developmental approach in which enhancement of basic skills is followed by a focus on specialized needs
A commitment to the use of direct observation in training including the use of audiotaping, videotaping and co-therapy.
T
RAININGM
ODELWe recognize that psychologists are generally not employed publicly just to do psychotherapy, so we offer training in supervision, consultation, and assessment as well. We also provide opportunities in outcome/program development and evaluation.
We believe the optimal environment for interns to transition from student to professional is under the supervision and guidance of experienced licensed psychologists. We provide individual and group supervision. Audio and videotapes of therapy sessions are used in supervision, and sometimes the supervisor may be the co-therapist. We use the developmental model of supervision, focusing first on enhancement of basic skills, and transitioning to the special needs of the intern. Training includes academic presentation and opportunities for co-therapy and observation.
The goal of the Internship is to prepare doctoral students for professional service delivery in public mental health, managed care, or some other private service delivery setting. Our training is generalist with some opportunities for specialization.
We expect that interns will begin the training year with knowledge of the theories, research and models of general psychology, in addition to having basic clinical skills in therapy and assessment. During the Internship, interns are expected to increase their knowledge of clinical psychology and their ability to intervene in ways that are sensitive to the level of the clients’ psychopathologies, ethnic or cultural factors, and legal or ethical factors. Interns are also expected to develop a continuing self-monitoring process by which their impact on clients, staff and peers is recognized and areas in need of continuing education are identified and corrected. We expect interns to be functioning at a doctoral level by the end of internship.
The Community Reach Center offers a number of unique training experiences. Interns will have opportunities to work with a wide variety of clients in their outpatient office, and further expand their clinical exposure and experience through the minor rotations. Interns work as an integral member of a number of different clinical teams, gaining experience in collaboration with internal mental health providers and external community partners. The training year is designed to develop interns’ clinical effectiveness with a variety of ages and presenting concerns in addition to enhancing their diagnostic skills, risk assessment and crisis intervention skills, psychosocial assessment (i.e., interview/intake) skills, and effectiveness working with clients who have severe and persistent mental illness. Interns round out the required components of the program by selecting from a specialized area of focus reflective of their personal goals and interests. In addition, interns will have the opportunity to perform psychological assessments with diverse populations and gain experience contributing to the training and development of fellow staff members.
What I love about my job and working at
Community Reach Center is bringing what
people learn in the classroom or research into
actual clinical practice. I get inspired watching
students develop their voices and helping people
find meaning in their work. I believe we do our
best work when we can be authentic and valued
for who we are and my job as a supervisor is to
create an environment that gets us all to our best
selves.
INTERN
GOALS
AND
REQUIREMENTS
1. Individualized Learning Program
The Center expects each intern to learn specific skills as covered in this section on goals. However, the training program provides flexibility in terms of individual training needs. For instance, interns are encouraged to choose from a wide selection for their SPMI and elective rotations.
2. Intake and Clinical Interviewing Skills
Interns are expected to become proficient with interview-based intake assessments. Professional intake interviews (psychosocial assessments) will include:
Demographic data
Presenting problem(s)
Mental status exam
Medical conditions
Drug/alcohol concerns
Assessment of suicide/homicide risk
Precipitating factors and symptoms
Individual psychiatric history
Family history
Support systems
Strengths
5-axis DSM-IV diagnosis (transitioning to DSM-5)
Treatment recommendations
Case management needs
Our Center format for compiling and organizing this information is presented during orientation. This skill is refined over time in supervision. Interns are expected to engage in collaborative documentation during the intake with the client to provide the best care possible.
3. Brief Therapy Skills
Interns will be able to clearly articulate a theoretical framework and be comfortable with various models of brief therapy, including time effective therapy. They will be able to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship and form appropriate treatment plans and effectively timed interventions. They will complete necessary paperwork in a professional and timely manner. Seminars early in the training year, and later as needed, will expose interns to different models and applications.
4. Longer-term Therapy Skills
Interns will be able to discriminate when longer-term therapy is the most appropriate mode of treatment. They will be able to articulate a theoretical framework of longer-term therapy and translate that into effective interventions. Seminars will address longer-term therapy theories, methods, and issues.
5. Group Therapy Skills
Interns are encouraged to co-facilitate groups with experienced clinicians. There is a wide variety of groups offered and each general outpatient group usually runs for 1 to 1½ hours. Interns are expected to have an active role in leading the group, have good working relationships with their co-facilitators and share the administrative
duties required of the group. They will be able to clearly articulate a theoretical framework of group therapy and be able to translate that theory into practice.
6. Consultation/Outreach Skills
Interns will demonstrate theoretical knowledge of consultation models and will be able to apply theory to practice. They are encouraged to manage administrative and program development/evaluation issues effectively. They will demonstrate facility with public visibility, agency representation, presentation and public relations. They will demonstrate the ability to coordinate services with other professionals and agencies.
7. Emergency Services/Crisis Intervention
Interns are required to complete twelve days (i.e., 1 day a week for 12 consecutive weeks) with the Emergency Services Team, involving phone and face-to-face contact with local residents and/or clients in crisis. Intensive training and on-site supervision are provided during this rotation. Experienced, licensed staff persons train the interns, modeling and teaching appropriate assessment, intervention, and referral techniques. Interns work with licensed emergency services therapists, first observing, and then being observed handling crisis situations. By the end of this rotation, interns will be able to quickly identify and clarify the nature of the client’s presenting problem, perform basic mental status exams and accurately assess the risk of suicide/homicide/grave disability. They will be able to quickly identify environmental stressors and support systems and will be able to assess for clients’ strengths and weaknesses. Interns will design appropriate short-term treatment plans with follow up as needed using community and agency resources as indicated.
8. Assessment/Psychodiagnostic Testing Skills
All interns will learn to effectively consult with referral sources and clients about assessment issues and results. They are required to complete 12 psychological evaluations (10 full and 2 short psychological batteries) and are trained in writing them via group and individual supervision formats. They will write clear, concise reports answering the specific referral questions. Interns will develop skill in determining an appropriate test battery to reflect the presenting concern(s) and purpose of the evaluation. Interns will also gain experience in determining medical necessity for this in-depth level of adjunctive clinical service.
Test batteries may include:
Clinical interview and mental status exam
Intelligence measure (e.g., WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, WAIS-IV) Objective personality test (e.g., MMPI-2, MMPI-A, PAI, PAI-A)
Projective personality tests, if appropriate ( Rorschach, TAT/CAT, drawings, etc.) Various other specialized tests and inventories (e.g., CPT-3, Vineland-II, TSI-2, etc.) Full integrated, comprehensive written report (approx. 10-12 pages in length) Feedback session to discuss results with consumer/guardian and referral source
9. Therapy for Clients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI)
Interns may choose from a wide selection of services and sites for this rotation. Interns will become proficient and comfortable working with clients who present with severe and persistent mental illness, recognizing the major diagnostic categories and understanding appropriate interventions.
10. Supervision Skills
Interns will act as professional role models with any persons they supervise and will demonstrate understanding of and adherence to ethical standards. They will understand various models of supervision, including the Developmental Model. When they have supervisees, they will aid them in diagnostic and treatment issues, establish a supportive yet challenging learning environment, and develop a good supervisory relationship respecting individual differences. Trainings will be provided on theories and issues of supervision. There are typically opportunities to supervise doctoral practicum students and Master’s level externs.
11. Adherence to Ethical Standards/Development of a Professional Identity
Each intern will demonstrate a working knowledge of and adherence to the APA ethical guidelines. Each will be aware of and appropriately function within pertinent Colorado laws governing professional practice. In initial sessions with clients, the interns will review the Center’s legal and ethical statement and obtain signatures on appropriate Disclosure Statements. During all contact with clients, interns will demonstrate concern and advocacy for client welfare and will conduct themselves ethically at all times.
12. Work with Diverse Populations
Interns will be sensitive to and be able to evaluate the special needs of diverse populations. They will become cognizant of available community resources and will make referrals when appropriate. They will become aware of their own implicit attitudes and how these affect the therapy process. They will demonstrate theoretical knowledge and the ability to use effective techniques with special populations. Discussion of multicultural considerations in providing clinical service is embedded throughout the training program, including individual supervision, group supervision, intern didactic training seminars, and agency-wide training for all staff members.
13. Variety of Training Experiences
Interns learn through a variety of modalities. Experiential learning is supported and refined through giving and receiving supervision, didactic instruction, observation, modeling, and receiving feedback on an ongoing basis. It is expected that interns regularly participate in audio and videotaping, co-therapy, and case presentation. Interns learn from each other, as well as from training staff. Interns are required to attend internship-specific training seminars, and are further encouraged to attend training workshops and professional seminars provided for staff at Community Reach Center as well as within the community.
TRAINING
MEETINGS
AND
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
The Center places a strong emphasis on excellence in training. After completing a week-long orientation, interns are provided a weekly three-hour testing seminar, two-hour afternoon didactic seminar/group supervision, and an opportunity to attend Reach Center in-service trainings. Interns also contribute to the training and development of their peers and fellow staff members by providing one all-staff professional training presentation and at least two additional trainings for the intern cohort.Weekly afternoon didactic seminars are held on a variety of topics, focusing on approaches to treating the clients seen at Community Reach Center. Topics may include:
Ethical Practice Treatment of Trauma Grief and Loss
Multicultural Diversity Issues
Severe and Persistent Mental Illness Professional Roles of Psychologists
Working with Children, Adolescents and Families Personality Disorders
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Testifying in Court
Vicarious Trauma/Compassion Fatigue Working with Victims of Domestic Violence
Assessment-specific trainings are provided in the weekly assessment seminar. Instrument-specific trainings are provided for the 40+ measures used at the agency; additional training topics include:
Cultural Considerations in Assessment Parent-Child Interactional Evaluations Assessing Child & Adolescent Clients Assessment as a Career Choice
Difficult Differential Diagnosis
Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders Evaluating Bariatric Surgery Candidates Integrating Objective & Projective Test Data
Assessment seminar was the highlight of my experience when I completed this internship program myself over a decade ago, and it remains the highlight of my work week now as Director of Training. My mission as facilitator of this training seminar is to foster critical thinking and active, engaged clinical dialogue. I am not seeking to foster practice identical to my own, but rather to foster professionals who are skilled in knowing, articulating, and justifying how and why they practice the way they do. I take very seriously the importance of staying abreast of advances in our field, and have particular interest in psychological testing research. We will learn and respect the science behind our work. Just as important, for the areas that entail subjectivity, opinion, and personal style, I strive to create a safe, supportive environment in which we embrace active dialogue and debate. In assessment seminar we challenge one another’s assumptions, we respectfully delve into areas of disagreement, and we honor and celebrate variations in perspective and opinion. In doing so, we grow together not only in our clinical knowledge, but also in our understanding of self as a professional and our competence in practice.
Intern attendance is encouraged at Reach Center in-service trainings. Topics from the last training year included:
Neurobiology of Play Therapy Principles of Addiction Treatment Pharmacology
Attachment Focused Interventions Complex PTSD
Trauma-Focused CBT
Sexual Trauma in Children & Adolescents Disaster Field Response Training
Assessment & Diagnosis of Substance Use Disorders in Adolescents
Additionally, interns are invited to participate in clinical consultation groups available for all clinical staff. Current consultation groups include:
Family Therapy Consultation Group Play Therapy Consultation Group
Trauma Consultation Group Spanish Consultation Group
SUPERVISION
The internship program takes a developmental approach to training and supervision. Interns are viewed as colleagues-in-training with consideration given for each intern’s individual needs and skill level. The year is viewed as transitional in that interns move from the role of student to the role of professional. The supervisors are committed to helping that transition be as stress-free as possible. Interns are encouraged to use the year to challenge themselves in the supportive environment of the training program. The Center supports a variety of therapeutic
approaches within a framework that maintains the therapist-client relationship is central to effective intervention. If the intern and the supervisor are to grow professionally and personally, this relationship must be one of mutual trust, respect, honesty, and commitment to sustaining the relationship. The intent is not to pressure trainees to prematurely solidify their current theoretical orientations, but rather to encourage an open and honest examination of their developing view.
The primary supervisor for each intern is a licensed psychologist who carries clinical responsibility for the intern’s cases. This supervisor provides 1.5 hours of individual supervision per week. All areas of the intern’s work are discussed in supervision. The supervisor can also serve as advocate and consultant, and can assist the intern in decisions related to professional development. In addition, the intern has an hour of individual supervision with the
As a part of the training team, I feel privileged to work collaboratively with our psych interns. I, along with the training team as a whole, strive to provide a supportive environment that facilitates growth. As such, I/we hope to meet interns where they are developmentally to challenge as well as support with the goal of increased competence, confidence, and independence. I also feel that my relationships with interns allow me to continue to grow professionally and I am constantly learning from each intern's unique expertise. As such, it is a symbiotic relationship in which I feel lucky to participate.
Director of Internship Training every other week. This time may be spent on professional development, testing cases, independent projects, or supplemental supervision on therapy cases. Interns will also receive additional supervision for each rotation, including testing, SPMI, emergency services, and the elective rotation.
In addition to individual supervision, interns will participate in group supervision with the core training faculty. This supervision provides peer support and an opportunity to discuss clinical and administrative issues, as well as the experience and process of the internship year.
Interns are exposed on a regular basis to other staff members with experience and expertise in a wide variety of areas. Interns may co-lead therapy groups with other clinicians and have time set aside to receive supervision from the co-leader. Interns are exposed on a regular basis to a range of role models and theoretical orientations. Exposure to different orientations encourages interns to expand their perspectives and to hone their case conceptualization skills. In addition to supervisory experiences, interns are encouraged to keep abreast of current clinical literature.
Clinical supervision is one of the most valued moments of my professional time and the
opportunity to be part of our APA intern supervision is a welcome gift. Primary and
secondary supervision of APA interns each year who are fresh in their journey toward a
career in psychology expands my horizons and gives me the opportunity to share the
values that our Center has for client care, quality services, and top-tier clinical supervision.
My style of clinical supervision is much like my clinical style with those we serve: meeting
the individual where they are at and supporting their growth to their own identified goals. I
enjoy taking the time each year to get to know new interns, who they are, what they love,
what excites them about psychology and clinical care, and what are their professional goals
& growth edges. Taking that time at the onset of a supervisory relationship pays dividends
throughout the year in reaching goals, internship expectations, and in the inherent
challenges that occur when serving a diverse population within a system of community
mental health. It seems like only yesterday (although it was a lot longer than that!) that I
was an APA intern at Community Reach Center receiving the type of supervision that
positively altered the course of my career and life – I am so honored to now be a part of
the Community Reach Center family including our Psychology Faculty and in the capacity
to provide the same opportunity to others.
E
XAMPLES OF
I
NTERN
S
CHEDULES
Two sample schedules are provided below; however, schedules are largely determined by interns, will vary at different points of the year, and will reflect individual differences in rotations/clinical activities.
INTERN 1:COMPLETING EMERGENCY SERVICES ROTATION (SPLIT CELLS = ALTERNATING WEEKS)
M T W TH F 8:00 Intern Time Emergency Services Outpt Office Outpt Office Outpatient Office Testing session Testing: Report writing 8:30 9:00 Assessment Seminar 9:30 10:00 Second. Sup Outpatient Team Meeting Outpt Office 10:30 11:00 Lunch Lunch 11:30 12:00
Lunch & travel Lunch
Didactic Seminar
Outpatient Office
Lunch & travel 12:30 1:00 Sup w/Primary Supervisor Emergency Services Meet w/Outpt Manager 1:30 2:00 Intern Time Outpatient Office 2:30 Outpatient Office 3:00 Travel 3:30 Outpatient Office 4:00 4:30 5:00
INTERN 2:COMPLETING SPMI&ELECTIVE ROTATIONS,FINISHED WITH ESROTATION
M T W TH F 8:00 Intern Time Testing Testing: Report writing Sup w/Primary
Supervisor Elective: Early Child. Serv. SPMI: Dual Dx Grp Outpt Office 8:30 9:00 Assessment Seminar 9:30
Outpt Office Outpt
Office 10:00
10:30 11:00
Lunch & Travel Lunch Outpt Team Mtg 11:30
Lunch 12:00
Lunch & Travel Lunch
Didactic Seminar Outpt Office Lunch 12:30 Second Sup 1:00 Outpt Office Testing/ Report writing Outpt Office 1:30 Outpt Office 2:00 Intern Time 2:30 3:00 Travel 3:30 SPMI: Seeking
Safety Group Outpt Office 4:00 Meet w/Outpt
Manager 4:30
P
ROCEDURE FOR
A
PPLICATION
To apply for the psychology internship, please submit the following online through APPIC by November 6, 2015 by midnight (Mountain Standard Time):
1. Completed APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI).
Community Reach Center General Internship is APPIC PROGRAM CODE 117011
2. Three standardized reference forms or letters of recommendation, with two being from persons who have directly supervised clinical work.
3. Graduate Transcripts (from all graduate schools attended).
4. Curriculum Vita (CV)
5. Supplemental material:
A de-identified integrated psychological evaluation report, which must include: a WAIS-IV or WISC-WAIS-IV or V, MMPI-2/PAI or MMPI-A/PAI-A (or other comprehensive self- or parent-report inventory if evaluation was completed on a child), and a Rorschach. Applicants are required to submit a report using real client data rather than a report completed as part of coursework or a fictitious case.
Please note: If unable to submit an integrated report that includes the Rorschach as part of a comprehensive battery, please include an additional sample write-up of a Rorschach.
INTERVIEW
An interview is required of all applicants being considered after applications have been thoroughly screened and reviewed. Training faculty prefer the candidate interviews by attending one of the on-site interviews, but phone interviews can be arranged in special circumstances. Interviews will be held January 6th, 13th, and 20th from 8:30am-4:00pm. Applicants are invited to spend a day on site to get a good feel for the training program. The interview day will include an individual interview with two or more training staff and possibly a current intern, participation in morning assessment seminar and afternoon didactic seminar, as well as lunch and Q&A time with current interns. Applicants will be notified via e-mail no later than December 15, 2015 at 5:00pm (Mountain Standard Time) of their interview status.
INTERN
SELECTION
Application review is completed by the Director of Internship Training and Chief Psychologist, with additional support provided by psychology faculty members and interns interested in assisting with the process. Each complete application has, at minimum, two readers: a primary reader (either the Director of Internship or the Chief Psychologist) and a secondary reader (e.g., psychology faculty member and/or current intern). Readers provide content-specific ratings, an overall rating, and recommendation to either invite the applicant for interview or remove the applicant from consideration. An additional rating is provided by the Director of Internship based specifically upon the sample psychological evaluation report(s) submitted and assessment experience, and the ratings by all reviewers are combined to guide the decision to invite for interview or remove the applicant from further consideration.
A number of factors are considered when reviewing applications, including prior training and experience, grounding in theoretical orientation, exposure to a variety of treatment modalities, experience with clients of varying ages, backgrounds, and clinical presentations, assessment experience, progress in academic program, and candidate’s goals for the internship year. Ideal candidates for the internship program at Community Reach Center display investment in serving underserved populations, interest in community mental health, and demonstrate clinical competence and practice grounded in theory and science. Training faculty favor applicants who value diversity, seek generalist training, and demonstrate dedication to continued learning and professional development.
Care is taken to avoid review of application materials by staff or interns previously familiar with an applicant to ensure a fair and objective review of all applications.
APPIC
POLICIES
The Community Reach Center Psychology Internship agrees to abide by the APPIC policy that no person at this training facility will solicit, accept, or use any ranking related information from any intern applicant. As an APPIC internship we adhere to APPIC match policies.
Thank you for your interest in our Pre-Doctoral Psychology Internship. If you have
questions, please feel free to contact:
Laurie Schleper, Ph.D.
Director of Internship Training
(303) 853-3554
l.schleper@communityreachcenter.org
Lisa Puma, Ph.D.
Chief Psychologist
(303) 853-3685
l.puma@communityreachcenter.org
APPLICANTS WHO MATCH WITH COMMUNITY REACH CENTER MUST ALSO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING, COMPLETED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AT COMMUNITY REACH CENTER:
Application for employment, reference checks, education verification, and background check (including submission of fingerprints for clearance of child abuse and criminal history). Any information gathered by the Department of Human Resources that raises concern about the appropriateness of employment could result in termination of the agreement.
