Interview process description: |
Applicants will be interviewed by Dr. Meehan and Dr. Scanlon. They will also have a tour of the building if they come in person. Otherwise, they will be virtually interviewed for 1 hour and then have up to 1 hour with the interns who are present at the site at this time, or have a virtual Zoom interview if they are not present and the applicant is in person.
Applicants are expected to forward 2 test reports prior to their interview, one of a child and one adult, or two of each if they do not have both age groups. An emphasis on health psychology and an interest in same is preferred, as well as treatment of substance use disorder, and a strong interest in neuropsychological testing.
INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW
Our 12-month full-time 2000-hour psychology internship program, which enrolls 3 interns annually on August 31st, is designed to integrate your formal academic preparation with comprehensive clinical training. Interns have 3 hours weekly of individual supervision, and 2 hours weekly of small group supervision. The objective of the clinical training experience is to expose interns to the following:
- Neuropsychological Testing Track assessing patients with dementia and other brain disorders. Also diagnostic assessment treatment and consultation within a range of treatment modalities (EKG, integrated primary care, for additional mental health, crisis stabilization for substance using patients in recovery).
- Opportunity to work with specialists in multiple disciplines (e.g., family physicians, nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, pharmacists, social workers, nurses, case managers) during the integrated care track.
- Learn evidenced-based behavioral health interventions with patients who are diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder.
- Implement a variety of theoretical orientations (e.g., cognitive-behavioral, systems, psychodynamic).
- Work with a diverse developmental patient group (children, adolescents, adults, elderly and (and ethnic (rural, urban, Hispanic, African-American) populations.
Training model: This internship program subscribes to a developmental model of training. A developmental model of training and supervision has been suggested (Finkelstein and Teichman, 1977, Castle out and Deering, 1994; Castle and Rice, 1985; Stedman, 1997) in order to facilitate the process of developing autonomy and professional development. Viewing the internship as a developmental process, the psychologists supervising the interns individualize training to maximize the progress in transitioning from student to practitioner. Training is personalized and adapted to the trainee’s level of knowledge as new professional challenges are encountered.
Structure: To allow for a diversified clinical experience, interns participate in four, year-long tracks (integrated primary behavioral care, traditional mental health psychotherapy, substance use disorder treatment, and neuropsychological testing). The internship structure is also designed to allow for some flexibility for each intern to shape their clinical tracks to increase the breadth, depth and diversity of their training. Prior to the start of the internship and throughout the year, we work with each intern to develop a schedule that is tailored to his or her own unique clinical interests within the core framework of the program. The internship training experience is primarily focused on clinical assessment and intervention.
Location and culture: Nashua New Hampshire is located in Hillsborough County, the Southern tier of the state, consisting of ten towns plus the city of Nashua. Nashua is an outlying suburb of Boston, and the surrounding area is a variation of suburban and rural. The city of Nashua has grown in recent years, and is home to a population of 88,500. Hillsborough County as a whole is populated by 409,000 persons. Patients vary widely in terms of educational level and socioeconomic status, but tend to share common cultural values that are evident in both patient care and community interaction. A strong sense of community, allegiance to the Northeast and the state of New Hampshire, and the importance of family loyalty characterizes this region.
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