The doctoral internship program at Rogers Behavioral Health offers a broad range of experience working with child, adolescent, and adult populations. Through these experiences, the interns develop the skills and confidence needed to begin their career as practicing Health Service Psychologists. Interns are challenged and offered the support and supervision needed to be effective in their roles. There are two interns placed at the Child/Adolescent Inpatient Unit, two interns placed at the OCD and Anxiety Disorders Residential Program, one intern placed at the Adult Inpatient Unit, one intern at the Trauma Recovery Residential Program and one intern at the Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Residential Unit. Applicants must identify the track for which they are applying.
Interns placed in the Inpatient Units will refine their clinical skills by: completing case consultations and assessments, participating in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, creating and monitoring measurable treatment goals and interventions specific to patient diagnoses, designing and facilitating psychoeducational and psychotherapy groups, modeling and teaching effective clinical milieu management; and developing proficiency in individual and family therapy and in supervision of staff members. They will participate in program development and fidelity/outcome monitoring.
In the OCD and Anxiety Disorders track, the intern will focus on the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders with comorbidities such as eating disorders, depression, and body dysmorphic disorder. Treatment goals are accomplished through use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy interventions such as exposure and response prevention and other exposure therapy approaches. Interns will become skilled at developing and implementing a graduated exposure hierarchy for each patient. (EOE/MFDV). They will supervise staff or practicum students and participate in outcome monitoring.
In the Trauma Recovery Track, the interns work with patients on: 1) Addressing symptom reduction in trauma and comorbid conditions, and 2) Helping the patient develop meaning and values in life so that there prepared and have skills to grow after completing treatment. The program incorporates mainly evidence-based CBT treatments, while using evidence-supported techniques from related therapies (i.e., DBT, ACT, CFT, Schema Therapy). It is principles-based and our staff are looking for ways to support exposures for symptom reduction, while teaching skills for increasing in value-based behavioral activation, mindfulness, self-compassion, and interpersonal connection and support. Interns will be integral members of the team, participate in staffing, in program development and fidelity monitoring, and will supervise individuals on this unit.
In the Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Residential Track, the framework for interventions encompasses the six dimensions of the ASAM Criteria, which guide clinicians on the individual patient’s treatment plan objectives. These categories flow through a three- to four-week rotation and include: 1) Substance use topics, which concentrate on understanding addiction as a brain disease, recognizing roadblocks to recovery, and taking action to move toward living a productive and meaningful life that restores the individual’s sense of integrity. 2) Mental health topics, which emphasize working to change learned behaviors by changing thinking patterns, beliefs, and perceptions. 3) Recovery maintenance skills topics that focus on helping patient maintain and sustain their recovery with skills and knowledge to anticipate, identify, and manage high-risk situations that lead to relapse. Interns will participate in all aspects of this programming, will be a member of a multidisciplinary team and will offer supervision to unit staff.
The Rogers Behavioral Health Doctoral Psychology Internship has proudly obtained APA accreditation with the next accreditation review in 2021. This review has been delayed due to COVID and the site remains accredited at this time.