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Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry

Pre-Doctoral Clinical Psychology Internship Program 2009-2010
- ADULT ROTATION

Supervisors :
Amy Combs-Lane, PhD
Kevin T. Larkin, PhD
J. Scott Mizes, PhD, ABPP, FAED
Jeannie A. Sperry, PhD

Adult Major Rotation

The Adult Major Rotation is 12 months in duration, approximately three days per week. The intern’s time will be divided between supervision by Dr. Sperry and Dr. Mizes. Dr. Sperry’s rotation is offered in the Department of Family Medicine, and may also include inpatient rounds at Ruby Memorial Hospital and a Homeless Care Clinic at the Morgantown HealthRight (free) clinic. Dr. Mizes’ rotation experiences take place in the Department of Behavioral Medicine. Several opportunities will be available to the intern in these various settings, with specific experiences to be determined by the intern and supervisor. The following clinical activities will be offered to provide a broad exposure to a variety of adult clinical problems, as well as specialized experiences in areas of expertise.

  Evaluation/Assessment:
  Adult Track interns will participate on a 12-month basis in regularly scheduled intake evaluations throughout the rotation, with interns involved in two assessments per week. Evaluation/assessment of primary care patients referred for behavioral health service will occur under Dr. Sperry’s supervision in the Department of Family Medicine. The intern will be exposed to various quantitative and qualitative measures for assessment of psychological disorders in primary care and instruction in collaboration of care. Training is also provided in brief consultations with inpatients at Ruby Hospital as well as crisis management interventions with patients presenting for primary care visits.  Initial evaluations will also occur in the Eating, Weight, and Body Image Disorders Clinic in the Department of Behavioral Medicine, supervised by Dr. Mizes.  During the initial phase of the rotation, emphasis will be given to conducting evaluations with each of the adult supervisors in his/her area of specialization. As the intern progresses, the intern will shift to performing evaluations independently with supervision. The most common problems evaluated are for mood and anxiety disorders, chronic pain management, psychological issues related to medical conditions, eating disorders, and assessment of patients’ suitability for obesity surgery.  During the internship year, the intern will also gain experience in the interpretation of objective psychological testing.
   
  Individual Therapy: 
  Adult Track interns will gain experience in individual psychotherapy throughout the year.  The major intern is expected to schedule 10 outpatient therapy appointments per week.  Supervision will be divided among Drs. Sperry and Mizes. Depending on the intern’s previous individual therapy experience, the intern frequently begins observing and modeling a supervisor providing therapy, advances to doing co-therapy with the supervisor, and then begins seeing patients independently with supervision.  A strong emphasis is placed on conducting empirically supported treatments from a cognitive behavioral perspective, both brief and more long-term interventions.
   
  Group Therapy:
  Adult Track interns may participate as therapist or co-therapist in group therapy experiences. With Dr. Sperry, interns may participate as therapist or co-therapist in group therapy experiences typically focused on behavioral health issues such as weight loss, stress management, chronic pain, smoking cessation, etc. Group experiences, when available, will typically involve approximately one to two hours per week.
   
  Consultation:
  Interns may be involved in consultation to the adult inpatient units of Chestnut Ridge Center or on the medical units of Ruby Memorial Hospital.
   
  Supervision:
  Interns will meet with their supervisors each at least one hour per week for individual supervision. Additionally, interns receive informal supervision in the course of observing therapy or doing co-therapy with the supervisor, staffing after intake evaluations, and in multidisciplinary meetings.

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Adult Minor Rotations
A Minor Rotation will be of six months duration, two days per week. The following rotations are offered, blending exposure to a number of clinical cases consistent with the individual intern's training needs:

General Adult Minor Rotation

  Evaluation/Assessment:
  Evaluation/assessment of new patients may occur with interns involved in one intake per week supervised by Dr. Combs-Lane. Additionally, interns may provide consultation to the Bone Marrow Transplant program, under the supervision of Dr. Larkin.
   
  Individual Therapy
  Adult minor interns are expected to schedule 5 outpatient therapy appointments per week, including co-therapy. Supervision will be provided by Drs. Combs-Lane and Larkin.  Depending on the intern’s previous individual therapy experience, the intern frequently begins observing and modeling a supervisor providing therapy, advances to doing co-therapy with the supervisor, and then begins seeing patients independently with supervision. A strong emphasis is placed on conducting empirically supported treatments from a cognitive behavioral perspective.
   
  Group Therapy:
  Interns will participate as therapist or co-therapist in group therapy experiences on the inpatient services one time per week. This is supervised by Dr. Larkin and will typically involve one to two hours per week.
   
  Supervision:
  Interns will meet with their supervisor(s) at least one hour per week. Informal supervision will also occur via observation, co-therapy, and staffings.

Eating Disorders Minor Rotation

 

Evaluation/Assessment:

  Evaluation/assessment of new patients, with interns involved in one intake per week in the Department’s Eating, Weight, and Body Image Disorder Clinic. Intakes will be supervised by Dr. Mizes. During the minor rotation, the intern will be able to gain experience in the interpretation of objective psychological testing. 
 

 
  Individual Therapy:
  Adult minor interns are expected to schedule 5 outpatient therapy appointments per week.  Many of these cases may come from intakes conducted in the clinic, but therapy cases may also be referred from other sources or carried over from another adult rotation. Supervision will be provided by Dr. Mizes. 
 

 
  Supervision:
  Interns will meet with their supervisor at least one hour per week. Informal supervision will also occur via observation, co-therapy, and staffings.

Family Medicine Minor Rotation
This rotation is offered in West Virginia University Department of Family Medicine. Dr. Sperry also participates in inpatient rounds at Ruby Memorial Hospital and staffs a Homeless Care Clinic at the Morgantown HealthRight (free) clinic. Several opportunities will be available to the intern in these various settings, with specific experiences to be determined by the intern and supervisor.

  Evaluation/Assessment:
  Evaluation/assessment of primary care patients referred for behavioral health service, with interns involved in one intake per week. The intern will be exposed to various quantitative and qualitative measures for assessment of psychological disorders in primary care and instruction in collaboration of care.   
   
  Individual Therapy:
 

Therapy experiences will be available, with patients drawn from the Family Medicine Clinic, HealthRight Homeless Care Clinic, and hospital rounds. A strong emphasis is placed on conducting empirically supported brief treatments from a cognitive behavioral perspective. Affective disorders, anxiety disorders, chronic pain management, and psychological issues related to medical conditions are commonly encountered.
   
  Group Therapy:
  Interns may participate as therapist or co-therapist in group therapy experiences (if available) typically focused on behavioral health issues such as weight loss, stress management, smoking cessation, etc. Dr. Sperry will work with the intern to determine the best avenue for group participation. Group experiences, when available, will typically involve approximately one to two hours per week.
   
  Supervision:
 

Precepting will occur via direct observation and video observation, as well as co-therapy. Supervision will occur daily with the exception of off-site service (such as at HealthRight, where supervision is available with on-site clinicians)

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