UAMS Department of Psychiatry

Clinical Psychology Internship Program

In Collaboration With

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

11 Children's Way, Little Rock, Arkansas 72202

501-364-5150 (V), 501-364-1592 (F)

http://www.uams.edu/psych/psychint.asp

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Internship Training Program in Clinical Psychology (Program Code #:  110611- Child Focus Track, 110612- Adult Focus Track) is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.

Our 2000-hour Clinical Psychology internship, sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), emphasizes training tracks in either adult or in child, adolescent and family services.  The internship is one of the training programs of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the UAMS College of Medicine with multiple training sites – the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute, Child Study Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the Walker Family Clinic, and the UAMS affiliated Community Mental Health Center.  See below for descriptions of the two training tracks.
 

Child-Focused Track (Match Code # 110611)

The original internship was first established in 1961 and developed a child and adolescent focus in 1979.  Psychiatry Residents, Child Psychiatry Fellows, and Social Work Interns are also part of the training programs of the Department.  The internship training year is July through June of each year.

The general training model for all experiences (clinical practitioner) involves the intern’s experience and development of independent clinical functioning within several settings, including traditional outpatient office clinic, school, and community environments. Initially, the intern undergoes an intensive period of orientation, observation and supervision during which the intern works closely with and under the direction of a supervising psychologist. The intern quickly takes an increasingly independent role in clinical services. The nature and structure of supervision is subject to change according to the ability of the intern to function independently. The pace of training is such that within a month or so, the intern is expected to function within the service as a relatively independent clinician, albeit with continued supervision.

 The structure and schedule of the internship program are such that demands and expectations placed on interns are moderate at the beginning of the training year and increased as the year proceeds.  Seminars are scheduled so that early topics are more basic in nature and are aimed at providing interns with general knowledge essential to their major rotation activities. Later seminars are more oriented toward specialized minor rotation activities and to more advanced professional skills and topics.

Rotations and Training Opportunities

 Outpatient treatment (approximately 16 hours/week):  Interns obtain experience providing outpatient mental health services to a broad range of cases drawn from around the state, representing a wide range of pathology and presenting problems among child, adolescent, and adult populations in a general outpatient multidisciplinary setting.  Treatment approaches, utilizing individual, group and family therapy (where appropriate, in conjunction with medication treatment by our psychiatrists and residents), include evidence-based parenting training and behavioral and cognitive-behavioral interventions.

Among the scientifically based and empirically supported training that is provided, interns will gain experience under faculty supervision in provision of services to children and adolescents presenting with internalizing disorders (for example, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and depressive disorders) and externalizing disorders (for example, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder), as well as a wide range of other types of problems encountered in the child psychiatric population. A specialty clinic focusing on psychological treatment of externalizing disorders allows the intern to work closely with a faculty psychologist in delivering services to this population of children (mostly ages 13 and under, but also including work with adolescents and young adults) and their families.

In addition, interns on this rotation also provide outpatient and community-based services for specialty populations under the supervision of faculty with expertise in:

·    Developmental Disabilities:  Interns work closely with a faculty psychologist specializing in behavioral and functional assessment, positive behavioral support, applied by analysis and parenting with an outpatient population of children/adults with developmental disorders (for example, autism spectrum disorders, mental retardation, and rare genetic syndromes) and behavioral/emotional disorders. Community based interventions are emphasized on this rotation.

Assessment (8 hours/week), consisting of three 4-month rotations that offer training and experience in psychological assessment and evaluation with a broad range of ages and referral issues.   The three assessment rotations are:  

·       Children in an outpatient mental health clinic

·       Adolescents and adults in an outpatient mental health clinic

·       Assessment of early childhood and of individuals with developmental disorders (for example, autism, Asperger’s, mental retardation)

Inpatient mental health services (4-8 hours per week): As part of the new Psychiatric Research Institute, there will be an inpatient unit for the assessment and treatment of acute psychopathology or behavioral disturbance in children.  Each intern will have the opportunity to provide assessment, consultation, and short term intervention on this unit.  This is a wonderful opportunity to have inpatient experiences within the context of a multidisciplinary treatment team. 

 Minor rotation options:

Interns also may complete minor rotations as part of their training.  Specific placement options may vary from year to year but current options for minor rotations include: 

• Adult outpatient clinic:  Our clinical programs in the Department of Psychiatry’s adult division include several potential options for supervised clinical experience, including outpatient assessment and treatment, neuropsychology, forensic psychology, and others. 
• Research:  Dr. Terry Kramer supervises research experiences which are tailored individually to suit the needs and goals of the intern, the currently available research projects, and other considerations.
•  School-based mental health services:   During portions of the 9-month school year, the intern provides consultation and school-based mental health services for patients with whom they are in active treatment.  They will do this under the supervision of their faculty supervisors and in consultation with a school based mental health provider.
• Adolescent neuropsychology:  For those individuals with an interest in neuropsychological assessment, there will be the opportunity to work on outpatient cases with Dr. Jennifer Gess in the Walker Family Clinic.
• Other options arranged individually as available; see training director

Adult-Focused Track (Match Code # 110612)

The Psychology Internship is pleased to announce the addition of an adult-focused intern slot beginning with the 2009-2010 training year.  This program will include both inpatient and outpatient experiences.  Clinical training will include assessment and treatment (both individual and group) with populations that include individuals with a wide range of disorders from acute psychopathology to chronic mental illness.  The intern will work in a variety of clinical settings including a University- affiliated community mental health center, a University-based general outpatient clinic, and three University-based inpatient units.  In addition, the intern will have optional minor rotations in neuropsychology, adolescent treatment, and research.  The clinical training faculty offer training in behavioral, cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and family systems therapies, with additional training in mindfulness-based cognitive techniques, hypnosis, rehabilitation with focus on strengths, and skills training. 

Rotations and Training Opportunities

Outpatient treatment:  The interns will see patients within two clinics during their training year: the Walker Family Clinic on the main campus of UAMS, and the Little Rock Community Mental Health Center, a UAMS-affiliated clinic. 

The Walker Family Clinic- Providers in this clinic see a range of clients including chronically mentally ill patients with schizophrenia and bipolar, severe major depression, severe PTSD, personality disordered patients, generalized anxiety, eating disorders, and adjustment issues.  The psychology intern in this clinic will have the opportunity to develop their skills as a provider for adult clients in both individual and group settings.  The intern will train with faculty who have experience in behavioral, cognitive, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and systems, and family therapy models.  In addition they will have opportunities to work with faculty using mindfulness EMDR, hypnosis, and behavioral medicine.   

LRCMHC Ambulatory Clinic-

The populations served in this clinic will be adults with serious mental illness including diagnoses such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Major Depression, and other diagnoses that cause major disturbances in functioning.   Typically, persons will have multiple diagnoses and often co-occurring disorders.  Persons served in the Ambulatory Clinic are served on an outpatient basis, but many likely have had an inpatient stay at some point.   Persons served have available several programs including day treatment services, medication management, group treatment, individual psychotherapy as indicated, addictions services, and assertive community treatment. 

Interns will have the opportunity to provide psychological assessment in collaboration with psychologists and psychiatrists to help determine the best course of treatment and to develop treatment plans for persons served.  This would include both comprehensive psychological assessment to assist with diagnosis as well as psychological testing in response to specific referral questions from other providers in the clinic.  Interns will participate as an active member of the treatment team, providing psychological consultation as needed, participating in treatment staffing, and assisting with triage of patient needs.  Treatment opportunities will include both co-leading groups in the day treatment program, providing individual psychotherapy to persons who would benefit (e.g., persons with less severe mental illness or single diagnosis), and participating in the therapeutic interventions provided in the day treatment program.    Interns will also have the opportunity to participate in the development of additional evidence-based practices for the clinic including the incorporation of a comprehensive program evaluation component.

Clinic services are based on a rehabilitation model, which includes a focus on strengths, skills training, and cognitive behavioral interventions.      

Inpatient Treatment: With the opening of the new Psychiatric Research Institute in December 2008 will come three adult inpatient units for the assessment, stabilization, and management of adult patients with acute psychopathology.  The adult-focused intern will have the opportunity to rotate through these units, working as part of a multidisciplinary team to take part in the care of these patients.

Assessment : Assessment experiences will be provided through the two outpatient treatment clinics and the inpatient units.  Within the Walker Family Clinic there will be opportunities for training in personality assessment and adult neuropsychological assessment.  The adult outpatient neuropsychological assessment experience would provide the intern with exposure to the process of neuropsychological assessment. The rotation would be tailored to the intern’s familiarity with neuropsychological assessment, and would include experience with a wide variety of patient populations, including gerontology, neurology, psychiatry, and medicine. Patients range in age from 18 to the elderly.

Didactic Educational Opportunities

Training methods also include a substantial didactic component, which consists of a formal seminar series and journal club as well as other educational opportunities (e.g., departmental grand rounds, divisional research conferences).  Psychology and psychiatry seminars designed to meet the training needs of the interns in the programs feature weekly presentations by training faculty and other psychologists and professionals from the medical school and surrounding community. Other didactic training opportunities are provided by the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. These include case conferences, psychiatry grand rounds, in-services, and others.  Interns attend monthly joint seminars and journal club meetings with the Psychiatry fellows in our division.  We also schedule quarterly joint seminars with the two other APA-approved psychology internships in town (at the local Veteran’s Administration medical center and at the Arkansas State Hospital). 

Program Availability & Eligibility Requirements

The UAMS Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Internship Training Programs in Clinical Psychology is available to graduate students who are declared candidates for the Ph.D. or Psy.D. degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology from graduate programs approved by the American Psychological Association.  Applicants must have completed all doctoral requirements except for the clinical internship and the dissertation (significant progress toward completion of the dissertation is strongly encouraged).  Our 2000-hour internship begins July 1 and continues through the following June 30.  

Interns must meet the following criteria for acceptance into our program:

¨    Application from APA approved doctoral program in Clinical Psychology (preferred) or Counseling Psychology

¨    US citizenship

¨    Comprehensive exams passed (if applicable)

¨    Admitted to doctoral candidacy in graduate program

¨    Submission of the standard APPIC internship application form (including program director's endorsement)

¨    Three letters of recommendation

¨    Curriculum vita

¨    Official transcript of graduate work

¨    Prefer completion of dissertation by internship start

¨    Minimum of 1000 clock hours of total practicum experiences

¨    Minimum of 3 years of pre-internship graduate training

¨    Eligibility form for master's level licensure in Psychology in Arkansas*

Post-application requirements:

¨    Personal or phone interview

¨    Successful completion of the intern matching program

Post-matching requirements:

¨    Pass criminal background checks by Arkansas State Police and FBI, including fingerprinting

¨    Pass pre-employment drug screen (interns also subject per UAMS policy to random drug screens during internship)

¨    Licensure in Arkansas at the master’s level in psychology

In addition to these formal requirements, our training committee prides itself on providing a supportive and responsive training environment.  Thus, we seek applicants who are well-trained, competent, and good team players who are able to work cooperatively with others and who contribute to a healthy and supportive work atmosphere. 

 *MASTER’S DEGREE REQUIREMENT:  Applicants must have a Master’s degree in hand by the time of application for the internship in order to make early application for licensure at the Master’s level for the practice of Psychology in the state of Arkansas. Applicants must meet all eligibility requirements for this level of licensure.  Arkansas currently allows limited supervised licensure in psychology at the master’s level (“Psychological Examiner”).  We pay or reimburse all associated licensure expenses for interns accepted for our internship to obtain this licensure with the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Psychology.  We will assist in this process, which should be undertaken prior to arrival for the internship.  

The process of applying for licensure is a simple one, and those selected for our internship are given support and guidance in completing this process. By having our interns establish provisional licensure at the master’s level during their internship, we are able to bill for their services in most cases, which helps greatly in maintaining the internship’s financial strength.  However, our program strongly emphasizes training over billing or productivity concerns, and interns have no expected level of billing.  Many interns have actually found it helpful to go through the licensure process and thus familiarize themselves with the process that they will soon encounter in their professional career. Also, experience with billing requirements will assist the intern in learning the role of insurance, managed care and administrative issues in the clinical delivery of services. Other interns have utilized this opportunity to take the national psychology exam (EPPP) at a time convenient to them, although this is not necessary and trainees may choose to complete their internship without taking the exam if they wish.

To certify that you qualify for applying for licensure at the Master's level in Psychology, please complete the Statement of Eligibility form (which attests to your completion of a master's degree in Psychology), and return it to us with your application or prior to your interview.  Eligibility for licensure as a Psychological Examiner requires the equivalent of two years of full-time graduate study in Psychology, including a Master’s Degree in Psychology from an accredited institution.   Note: As part of the application for licensure process, applicants must pass criminal background checks by Arkansas State Police and FBI, including fingerprinting.

For detailed rules and regulations regarding requirements for licensure at the master’s level as a Psychological Examiner, see the board’s webpage at: http://www.state.ar.us/abep/Law_&_Regulations_Rules_&_Regulations.htm#5.3

or contact us

DUE DATE FOR ALL APPLICATION MATERIAL IS NOVEMBER 15.

Our Internship’s Program Codes are:

 Child Focus Track- 110611

Adult Focus Track- 110612

The internship site 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 applicant prior to Uniform Notification Day.  We participate in the APPIC Internship Matching Program.

Complete application (Due NOV. 15) must include:

(Note: components of packet do not have to be sent all at once)

1.      Completed APPIC standard application form (including statement from your Director of Clinical Training that you are eligible for Internship), available at: http://www.appic.org/match/5_3_match_application.html

2.      Official transcript of all graduate work (can be included in mailed packet)

3.      Three letters of recommendation

4.      Personal Vita

5.      Statement of eligibility for Master’s level licensure in Arkansas (click here for form)

INTERVIEWS:  We contact applicants to schedule a telephone or on-site interview following receipt of all materials.  Applicants will be notified by December 15 if they will not be considered for a position.  Interviews typically are scheduled in January. 

STIPEND:  Current stipend is approximately $27,000 plus the fringe benefit package.  Stipends are determined each year in the University of Arkansas Medical College annual budget. 

Fringe Benefits

Psychology Interns are considered Medical School House Staff and participate in all fringe benefits allotted to Medical Interns and Residents as set forth by University Hospital and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. These include, but are not limited to, paid professional liability insurance coverage, paid hospitalization insurance policy for the intern, plus benefits at nominal cost for dependents.

• Paid attendance at 2-day conference of the Arkansas Psychological Association, including one-day lecture by a nationally recognized speaker.
• Free parking.
• Fifteen days of personal leave plus holidays.

STATEMENTS

No eligible person will be excluded from participation or be denied the benefits of this Internship Training Program in Clinical Psychology on the grounds of gender, race, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation.

UAMS clinical staff, including all trainees, are subject to pre-employment drug testing as part of the hiring process and are also subject to random urine testing for drugs of abuse during their employment.  Interns who are matched to our site can complete pre-employment screening upon arrival for the internship year or after matching but prior to arrival in Little Rock.  Contact the training director for details. 

TRAINING FACULTY AND STAFF:

*We also provide additional training experiences by staff from other disciplines and departments, including psychiatrists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, psychiatric nurses, and others, as well as psychologists from other departments and the community at large. 

For additional information, please contact:

Gayle Pipkin, Assistant

UAMS Clinical Psychology Internship

UAMS Child Study Center

11 Children's Way, #654

Little Rock, AR 72202-3591

tel: 501.364.5150

fax: 501.364.1592

Our internship training program is fully accredited by the American Psychological Association.  To contact the APA:

American Psychological Association,

750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242
Telephone: (800) 374-2721 or (202) 336-5500

http://www.apa.org/