The Clinical Psychology Internship Program (CPIP) is an APA-accredited internship located at Womack Army Medical Center (WAMC), in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Our primary mission is to produce highly qualified, resourceful and autonomous professional psychologists, with the competencies and professional identity that will serve as a solid basis for an Army career. A Practitioner-Scholar model guides Internship training at WAMC, with an emphasis on clinical practice validated by empirical research. Our training goals are directly related to career outcomes, and Interns are thus being prepared for the dual career of clinical psychologists and military officers.
Interns have access to a wide range of opportunities designed to build mastery of core clinical skills in adult assessment, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, and clinical consultation. Interns have opportunities for specialty training in cognitive assessment, personnel selection, health psychology, and postconcussive evaluations. By the end of the training year, Interns gain competency commensurate with entry-level readiness for independent practice in using an integrative approach to examination and intervention, linking the science of psychology with practical treatment outcomes.
At WAMC, special emphasis is placed on developing the Intern's ability to provide efficient clinical services to a large and diverse population of primarily Active Duty military Service Members. The program employs an integrative model of assessment and training that best fits the Interns’ future practice in their careers as Army psychologists, both in deployed settings as well as during non-deployed assignments across the USA and worldwide locations.
Clinical Rotations
Behavioral Health Officer (BHO) Rotation: Training at WAMC is designed to prepare Interns for the requirements of Active Duty service as psychologists, capable of practicing all of the major professional skills flexibly within a given week. Therefore, we do not train each of the major skills in separate rotation experiences, because we believe that this does not reflect actual clinical practice in the U.S. Army.
Instead, our “Train-as-You-Fight” model allows Interns to gradually develop and balance all the skills of professional psychologists during an extended 9-month BHO Rotation. In the same way that graduates will be expected to function as BHOs following completion of training, Interns learn how to integrate and balance all of their clinical skills at the same time. Via the “Train-as-You-Fight” model, Interns learn to simultaneously conduct behavioral health evaluations, provide follow-up treatment for diverse Active Duty patients, carry a small caseload of psychotherapy patients, assess and manage risk, and conduct military-specific evaluations – all while healthily attending to their own self-care. The result are Intern graduates confident in their readiness to practice independently, and can thrive professionally within the military context.
Interns making adequate progress in training may apply to complete one of the following three-month elective rotations which are awarded on the basis of merit.
Operational Rotation: This three-month rotation serves as an introduction to military Special Operations, and provides Trainees opportunities to observe and practice the fundamentals of occupational assessment and selection, leadership development and coaching, and performance enhancement skills. This rotation includes an introduction to the literature and instruments involved in assessment and selection, instruction and training in persuasion and influence, and observation of how these skills are utilized to support military Special Operations.
TBI Clinic Rotation: Interns may spend three months at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence satellite located at Fort Bragg. Interns are introduced to neuropsychological principles, develop understanding of the foundations of traumatic brain injury evaluation, and receive exposure to treating post-concussive symptoms for Service Members in both individual and group formats. Under the supervision of licensed neuropsychologists, Interns also learn the fundamentals of cognitive assessment and neuropsychological report writing.
Primary Care Rotation: On this three-month rotation, Interns work directly in a health psychology setting with psychologists serving as Internal Behavioral Health Consultants in a patient-centered medical clinic. Interns learn how to complete rapid evaluations of patients presenting with a variety of symptoms and concerns including but not limited to anxiety, insomnia, weight reduction, medical treatment adherence, lifestyle management, tobacco cessation, and diabetes management.
Child & Family Behavioral Health Rotation: We are in the process of developing this new rotation.
