| Brief description of the typical work day for an intern at this training site |
The primary mission of the Psychology Department at FCI Terminal Island is to provide mental health services for designated and holdover inmates. Many inmates at the institution have significant histories of substance abuse and severe mental illness. Their mental health needs are addressed through individual and group treatment. Psychology staff provides mental health treatment such as improving coping skills, adjusting to incarceration, re-entry services. In addition to crisis intervention, long- and short-term mental health treatment, the Psychology staff at FCI Terminal Island offers a Residential Drug Abuse Program, Nonresidential Drug Abuse Program, Drug Abuse Education, and Mental Health Chronic Care Clinic. Each program has been developed by the Bureau of Prisons with a focus on empirically supported interventions.
COVID-19 IMPACT ON THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM:
FCI terminal Island implemented proactive, conservative procedures to ensure the safety of the inmate and staff population in response to COVID-19. This approach coincides with the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations and has thankfully resulted in a small number of positive cases as of July 2020. All staff, including interns, are provided with PPE (e.g., face masks) and have their temperatures taken upon entrance to the institution. Medical staff conduct more intensive screenings for inmates, and inmates who are high risk, suspected of exposure, or pending test results, are placed in isolation. We have been provided with extra cleaning products and are sanitizing the facilities we use on a very regular basis. Additionally, hand washing and sanitizing is encouraged with plenty of resources available for the interns. Face masks must be worn by staff and inmates at all times inside the facility. Psychology supervisors ensure that interns have no contact with inmates with known positive results from COVID-19 testing. To the extent it is physically possible, social distancing is practiced within the institution. Interns are considered full-time staff and have the same rights and responsibilities as all Bureau of Prisons employees. Interns are afforded annual and sick leave, as well as access to the same health insurance coverage afforded to all staff members. As such, they are considered "essential" personnel and are required to report to the internship as usual.
The Internship Program at FCI Terminal Island places an emphasis on the balance of health and well-being, training needs, APA/APPIC requirements for internship, and employment responsibility. As a result of the successful health and safety measures administered, the majority of internship duties and responsibilities will proceed as outlined in this brochure without significant disruption. As a safety measure, individual and group treatment opportunities held in the Psychology Department will be separated by housing assignment, meaning inmates will participate in programming on the specific day assigned to their respective unit and will maintain appropriate distance from one another. The entire department will then be sanitized at the end of each day. Also, open movement is not occurring at this time due to COVID-19. Therefore, on the days that inmates are not scheduled to participate in psychology programming, alternative clinical tasks (e.g., rounds in each housing unit) are conducted to ensure interns are still engaging in clinical and other professional opportunities. Psychology Services has a pivotal role to address the mental health concerns of inmates. Ability to perform experiential clinical duties is prioritized and the Training Committee is creative to ensure that training continues.
|
