Our Health Service Psychology (HSP) specialty track was developed to provide exceptional psychology training in the academic medical center setting. The core rotations provide a solid foundation for the application of assessment and intervention skills with adults across ambulatory, inpatient and consultation settings. Optional rotations are available to extend those skills into integrated primary care and specialty clinic settings, as well as provide opportunities for more focal training in specific intervention modalities. Interns on the HSP track have additional specialty assessment opportunities and may wish to dedicate focused time to research and scholarship. The faculty team partners with interns to develop the training plan for the year that best aligns with their individual professional development and career goals.
Required Rotation Training Experiences for Health Service Psychology Tracks:
Outpatient Psychological Treatment:
This required rotation is designed to hone skills in delivering evidence-based, best-practice interventions in the ambulatory behavioral medicine setting (Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry). Health Service Psychology track interns provide individual psychological therapy to adult patients referred by psychiatry and internal medicine/psychiatry colleagues in the department, as well as community partners. Interventions provided commonly include CBT and Third Wave CBT approaches. HSP interns may wish to pursue additional training focused on dialectical behavior therapy, ACT and evidence-based trauma-focused interventions in this rotation. This rotation runs throughout the course of the year, with HSP interns offering two full clinic days per week.
Psychological Assessment:
This experience is designed to enhance psychological and neuropsychological assessment skills, as well as increase knowledge of psychometric properties. It is important to note that the majority of the referrals are neuropsychological in nature, particularly for adults and geriatric patients. This rotation runs for two months.
Adult Psychiatry Inpatient:
The internship experience on the inpatient psychiatry service is designed to provide broad, active participation in the multidisciplinary treatment of adult psychiatry inpatients. Working closely with the team, psychology interns participate in diagnosis, treatment planning, rounds and discharge planning daily and provide direct services to selected patients in the form of brief psychological psychotherapy. They participate as co-leaders of the daily 1:15 p.m. group therapy session under the supervision of psychology faculty. This rotation is typically one month in duration.
Consultation Liaison:
HSP interns may choose between two options for this required rotation. On the Behavioral Medicine Consultation Service, interns work with a team of residents and psychiatry attendings to provide consultation services for patients in the emergency department or for patients with psychiatric concerns admitted for medical conditions. Common consultation requests focus on psychiatric emergency, risk assessment, and capacity. Dr. Weisenmuller provides clinical supervision for HSP interns who select this option. On the Family Medicine Consultation Service, interns work with a team of family medicine residents and attendings to assess and support the behavioral health needs of patients admitted for medical interventions under the care of the Family Medicine department. Dr. Scott Fields provides clinical supervision of HSP interns who select this option. For either option, interns gain experience in health psychology, the integration of behavioral health within the larger system of care and effective work within an interdisciplinary team.
Optional Rotations:
Additional Assessment Rotation Options:
- Forensic Psychological Assessment: This rotation is an option for interns who have already completed their required assessment rotation. It is important to note that this rotation is not designed to prepare you to specialize in forensic psychology but simply will provide you with the opportunity for exposure to forensic psychological assessment. The intern will work closely with forensic psychiatrists and the forensic coordinator.
- General Psychological Assessment: If an intern is interested in having some additional assessment training after their required rotation, then the intern can extend the length of their rotation. This will follow the same training opportunities as the required rotation.
- Neuropsychological Assessment: This rotation provides extensive training in clinical neuropsychology. This rotation is ideal for interns who are planning careers in the field of clinical neuropsychology. Interns will have the opportunity to collaborate with additional training sites for didactics.
Additional Outpatient Psychological Therapy Rotation Options:
Please note that these optional rotations would be available for addition to, not replacement of, the required Outpatient Psychological Treatment rotation.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Training: This rotation provides interns with the opportunity to enhance their CBT skills. Traditional CBT and "third-wave" approaches are incorporated. More in-depth study and implementation of cognitive-behavior therapy also occurs through participation in weekly CBT supervision group, in which members each have at least one case they follow.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Services Program: The CAMC DBT Services Program rotation provides broad and in-depth specialty training in all components of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) under the supervision of the DBT program faculty:
1. The Comprehensive DBT Rotation:
This option is a 12-month/year-long rotation designed to develop full competency in all modes of treatment in DBT. Interns on the Comprehensive DBT rotation maintain a training caseload of at least 2 DBT patients (which may be adults, adolescents or both). As part of training, interns (1) conduct pre-treatment consultations to determine the appropriateness of DBT for referred patients; (2) provide individual DBT/DBT-A to patients; (3) provide telephone skills coaching to their individual patients (Note: DBT telephone skills coaching is provided based on the intern's own individual limits; we strongly encourage interns observing limits to manage their well-being and DO NOT require interns to be available 24/7 for skills coaching); co-lead DBT Skill Training Classes/Groups, including leading didactic segments of skills training classes, helping to manage behavior during skill classes and reviewing patients' homework; (4) participate in and periodically lead weekly DBT consultation team meetings.
2. The DBT Skills Training Rotation:
This option is for interns who are interested in a basic introduction to DBT by learning more about some components of DBT. This rotation is for interns who are NOT interested in learning the full DBT model. This rotation consists of a commitment of either eight or 16 weeks, during which interns co-lead at least two adult and/or adolescent skills training class modules and attend weekly consultation team meetings. The emphasis is on exposure to the skills taught in DBT and to the inner workings of a DBT consultation team.
Cardiac Rehabilitation:
On this rotation interns will have the opportunity to participate in individual and/or couples therapy with cardiac patients, depending on patient need. Interns can participate in intake screening and diagnostic assessment pertinent to a cardiac population. They can co-lead or lead psychoeducational classes for rehabilitation participants and families. Interns can observe cardiac surgery if desired. Interns will become part of a close-knit multidisciplinary team while on this rotation.
Integrated Primary Care:
The Integrated Primary Care rotation offers a variety of training opportunities. Interns have the option to participate in both urban and rural primary care clinics. They are welcome to tailor their rotation experience to include an preferred combination of the following settings: CAMC Department of Family Medicine (urban), Clendenin Health Center (rural) and Sissonville Health Center (rural). The rural primary care track of this rotation is an extremely valuable opportunity to address the needs of a population of patients who have been characteristically underserved. Such patients often have difficulty accessing mental health facilities for care and are more likely to find comfort in behavioral health interventions offered in an integrated primary care setting. Interns are expected to precept during Family Medicine resident clinic hours and during the clinic day at rural health centers. Precepting affords the intern a unique opportunity to collaborate in patient care and to teach medical professionals what they know about human behavior. While precepting, interns will also learn more about the referral process for patients with behavioral health problems and will provide a valuable resource for patients at the Family Medicine and health centers.
Research:
The Research rotation provides interns with an opportunity to participate in a variety of ongoing clinically oriented research projects in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry or departments with which we partner in WVU and CAMC. Interns may participate at any level of the research process, ranging from data collection in experimental studies and serving as assessors or project therapists in clinical trials to management of research databases and presentation of research results. Interns are expected to prioritize the completion of their dissertation research and typically do not participate in a research rotation before their work with their dissertation is complete.
Women's Health:
The Women’s Health rotation offers additional experience in integrated care in outpatient clinic settings, where interns work collaboratively with OB-GYN health providers such as physicians, nurses, midwives and peer recovery coaches to meet brief intervention and consultation needs for patients. Rotation locations include OB-GYN clinics at CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Women & Family Care Center. Common concerns include peripartum concerns, infertility and pregnancy loss, trauma and abuse, substance use, sexual health concerns, physical health concerns, interpersonal relationship distress and adjustment to new motherhood.
