PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The clinical psychology internship is a year-long (12 month), APA-accredited predoctoral program, conducted by the Section of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine. We offer three training tracks: Adult, Infant/Child, and Trauma Psychology. All tracks provide training in multi-disciplinary settings, and all interns will have the unique opportunity to provide psychotherapy supervision for Year 3 psychology residents. Training sites provide a combination of in-person and telehealth clinical services depending on the needs of the patient and community at the time of training. All interns will engage in elective clinical and/or research experiences in various specialty areas, which are listed on our website.
ADULT TRACK (2 interns)
The aim of the Adult Track is to prepare psychologists to provide a variety of psychological services to adults with a focus on severe mental illness. Adult interns year-long primary placement is at the University Medical Center adult inpatient psychiatric units (20 hours). Here interns work with a multidisciplinary treatment team providing consultation, group and individual therapy, and brief psychological assessments. Additionally, Adult Track interns spend part of their clinical time in the Behavioral Science Center, an outpatient training clinic. Here they maintain a caseload of 4-5 outpatient psychotherapy cases throughout the year, and complete 8-10 full outpatient assessment batteries.
INFANT/CHILD TRACK (2 interns)
The Infant/Child track focuses on learning to comprehensively assess and treat children 0-18 years, with a major emphasis on working with children ages 0-5 years of age. Interns participate in the Infant Team (20 hours/week) where they work with biological parents and caregivers of young children who have been abused or neglected and are currently in the state's custody. On the Infant Team, interns will work on a multi-disciplinary team to complete relationship-based assessments and dyadic therapy to support these families involved in the foster care system. Interns will learn how to engage in collaborative work with numerous other providers, present in multidisciplinary staffings, write forensic reports focusing on attachment, trauma, and factors for recidivism, and how to testify to voice the needs of the young child. The Infant/child interns will complete 8-10 outpatient psychological assessments and will provide evidence-based treatment for children of all ages through the outpatient clinic. Interns will also participate in the Harris Fellowship didactics to learn about the assessment and treatment of young children.
TRAUMA TRACK (1 intern)
The Traum Track intern’s clinical work will be conducted at the affiliated Norman E. McSwain Jr, MD, Spirit of Charity Level 1 Trauma Center at University Medical Center (UMC). The intern’s primary clinical rotation will be at the Trauma Recovery Center (TRC). The TRC provides trauma-informed services, including assertive case management and evidence-based psychotherapy to trauma survivors and their loved ones, with a focus on increasing access to underserved communities. Additionally, the intern will provide clinical consultation, screening, and assessment of mental and behavioral health concerns for patients admitted to the UMC trauma surgery service who are recovering from a wide array of physical injuries, including motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, work-related injuries, injuries resulting from community violence, and other accidental injuries. The Trauma intern will also be required to complete 8-10 outpatient comprehensive psychological assessments at UMC’s Behavioral Health Center.
