PROGRAM GUIDELINES FOR DOCTORAL TRAINING IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

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1 Diagnostic Practicum, Therapy Practicum, Advanced Therapy Practicum, Internship, Post-Doctoral Fellowship Gateway Foundation Chicago West 3828 W. Taylor St. Chicago, IL John M. Fusco, Psy.D., M.Div., Psychologist Direct: x 2824 Main: Fax: Real Answers for Lasting Recovery 24-Hour Helpline RECOVER About Gateway For more than 40 years, Gateway Foundation Alcohol & Drug Treatment have helped adults and teens struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. We are the largest provider of adult and teen substance abuse treatment in Illinois. Gateway provides effective and efficient drug and alcohol treatment to reduce the abuse of alcohol and other drugs, as well as the frequently co-occurring mental health problems in those we serve. We are a non-profit organization that devotes all of our capabilities to successful drug and alcohol treatment outcomes benefiting individuals, their families and their communities. Our goal is to treat both the substance use and mental health issues of clients to achieve a life of sobriety and to be productive members within their communities. Chicago West provides treatment of clients within the milieu of residential substance abuse programs for both adolescent and adult clients. The facility is a modern 110 bed site with its own large campus. It is located on the West Side of Chicago in the North Lawndale Community just 5 miles west of the famous Chicago Loop. Chicago West is served by a major expressway 2 blocks away, 2 bus lines and an El stop one mile away. Chicago West Clinical Programs Intake Comprehensive, evidence-based initial assessments L-STAR Co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders; MISA Youth Care Adolescent Males, ages years old Adult Males, ages 18 + Psychology Services at Chicago West Psychological Testing Biofeedback Consultation to Clinical Teams Psycho-Educational Groups Family Groups Group Therapy Individual Psychotherapy Page 1 of 5

2 Client Population The client population reflects the dynamic diversity of an extended urban environment encompassing. There is a significant prevalence of co-occurring mental disorders (MISA) in all programs. Most clients have prior or current forensic issues. The student s training experience will include work with a variety of individual clients. It is significant to note that shortly after admission into our residential facility, many clients report acute and/or chronic traumatic life experiences that have gone untreated. Therefore, this is an excellent training site for doctoral students who have an interest in working with clients who are experiencing moderate to severe trauma. Philosophy of Training Clinical services in Psychology are provided by all within the solid ethical framework of the American Psychological Association and the best standards of clinical practice for the welfare of clients. The mission of Psychology Services is to treat the mental health issues of clients at the same time they receive chemical dependency treatment from trained substance abuse staff. Students who train at Chicago West have a broad range of psychological services to offer, adapted to the unique professional growth of individuals while offering quality treatment to clients. Training at Chicago West encompasses a multi-generational model of learning with students at several different levels of training from the first practicum through post-doctoral fellow, including 2 psychologists on-site. In addition, students work with peer mental health professionals, as well as their supervisors and directors. The training program is designed as a safe, secure holding environment for students. Within this framework, students develop technical competencies, write impactful assessments, practice clinical interventions, develop new professional interests, expand theoretical understandings and work with clinical teams - all with the over-arching goal of substantial growth in your clinical confidence and selfesteem. Application to Train at Chicago West Students in accredited doctoral programs in clinical psychology are welcomed to apply for the year-long training at Chicago West for diagnostic, therapy (intermediate) or advanced externship practica; for internships; as well as for post-doctoral fellowships. For all applicants, please visit our website to learn about Gateway Foundation at To apply for practica and post-doctoral fellowships, please forward a letter of interest integrating your academic preparation, clinical experiences and your learning goals for the upcoming year of training at Chicago West. Please include your curriculum vitae, 3 letters of recommendations, a current transcript of grades and two writing samples. The samples may be a diagnostic report or clinical case, depending on your level of training. To apply for internship, Chicago West complies with APPIC guidelines. Please review these at your school and at the APPIC website which will have a description of Chicago West. An offer of acceptance for a year of training at all levels is dependent upon passing the standard background checks, toxicology test and employment verification status. Page 2 of 5

3 Orientation to the Training Year The training program for both internship and externship begins Monday, July 18, 2011 with 3 full days of required orientation from 9:00 AM 5:00 PM, continuing on July 19 and July 20. This Orientation covers the policies and procedures of Gateway Foundation Chicago West, client confidentiality, Program descriptions, introduction of administrative and clinical staffs, electronic documentation, etc. After you initial weeks at Chicago west, a 2 nd mandatory Orientation occurs for a full day on a Monday in late August at Gateway s Central Office in downtown Chicago for a full day. This Orientation covers the philosophy and approaches to mental health treatment within the context of substance abuse treatment. Schedule During the Training Year For both interns and externs, Monday mornings are mandatory throughout the training year for Group Supervision. For externs, the weekly number of hours is 20 hours on-site for 12 months, through June 30, Hours on site are 9:00 AM 5:00 PM for full days, while half-days may be split either in the mornings or afternoons. Included is a free hot lunch with choice of entrees and salad bar. The specific schedule for externs days on-site will be decided together as a group during Orientation in order to provide balanced coverage for clinical services Monday Friday. During the year, externs have time-off for the equivalent of 2 weeks. Holidays add an additional 2 weeks, when they occur on your usually scheduled days on-site. For interns and post-doctoral fellows, the goal is to reach 2000 hours during the year of training, a standard that will help meet most states requirements for licensure. For interns, the weekly number of hours is a minimum of 37.5 clock hours from 9:00 AM 5:00 PM, with an expectable average of 45 hours per week through July 17 th, For post-doctoral fellows, the training year may begin at any date throughout the year with hours to be arranged with the Program to which they are assigned. All students may request with the approval of the clinical supervisor to flex their days on-site to accommodate academic or other responsibilities from time to time, such as meeting with your dissertation advisor, interviews for next year s placement, etc. Consideration for time-off may also be available for serious health and family issues. Supervision Supervision consists of a minimum 4 hours each week for all students. For externs, there s 1 hour of individual plus 2 hours of group supervision, both with a licensed clinical psychologist. Diagnostic students have 1 hour of group supervision about psychological testing with an advanced students. Therapy students have 1 hour of group supervision with a doctoral intern. Interns have 2 hours of individual supervision weekly with one or both licensed clinical psychologists, along with 2 hours of group supervision with all students. Interns are also involved in the diagnostic group supervision for 1 hour each week. Each student is welcomed and expected to participate thoughtfully in all supervision, training seminars, discussions of clinical topics as well as clinical case presentations. Page 3 of 5

4 Clinical Training Experiences Students are considered important member of the clinical teams in the Programs they are providing psychology services to. They serve as advocates of their clients as well as consultants to clinical staff. Students are required to attend at least one Staffing per week in their respective programs. Students have their primary diagnostic assignments within Intake. Therapy and advanced therapy students have their primary assignments in the Adult and/or Youth Care programs. Therapy students and interns are encouraged to have a minor rotation in another program for a few hours each week to broaden their clinical training to another population. Assessment Practicum students focus their training in 2 areas. They complete diagnostic testing with full batteries of 8-12 clients along with full written diagnostic reports. Students then provide feedback and recommendations to clients, families (with written consent) and clinical staff about test results. As a second area of training, diagnostic students conduct evidence based Intakes 1 day per week, learning to assess, diagnosis and write brief summaries of their findings. For Therapy and Advanced Practicum and post-doctoral students as well as Interns, training includes writing a Psychological Consult after the 1 st extended therapy session of 1 ½ - 2 hours. This consult follows the outline of assessments conducting by working clinical psychologists. The consult incorporates demographic data, history of presenting problems, formulation according to a theoretical orientation, DSM-IV TR diagnoses, risk assessment and treatment plan. Therapy and Advanced Therapy externs provide 8 12 hours of direct clinical service per week in individual psychotherapy, psycho-educational groups, family counseling and group therapy. The types of groups are determined in conjunction with a needs assessment by the clinical programs. Chicago West is evolving its program of clinical services to meet reduced lengths of stays of 2 to 8 weeks using a short tem, focal model of treatment. For example, this may mean therapy students and interns may provide therapy 2 or 3 times per week to a client to address mental health issues interacting with recovery. There is the possibility of providing therapy after the client is discharged for an additional 4 8 weeks when the client continues in other Gateway after-care programs. For Interns, an expectable caseload is 20 hours of direct clinical services per week which consists substantially of individual and group therapy, psycho-educational groups as well as biofeedback therapy. Interns are also scheduled 1 day per week in Intake to conduct assessments of new clients with evidence based tools. They also have a minor rotation in another program for a few hours per week. They provide an hour of group supervision each week to the therapy and advanced therapy students. In their respective programs, Interns help keep the therapy students up-to-date about client issues since they are not on-site everyday. Interns likewise assume a key role as point persons in the clinical programs, coordinating assignment of new clients to students and serving as the mental health liaison to substance abuse staff and to the team as a whole. Interns conduct at least 4 complete psychological test batteries with full reports during the training year. Post-doctoral fellows work full time providing direct clinical services at least 50% of their hours. In addition, they assume a major responsibility in training other students, such as in biofeedback or diagnostic assessment. Page 4 of 5

5 Summary We believe the training at Gateway West Side offers high quality training geared to your specific needs and learning style as a doctoral student. Please feel free to contact Dr. John Fusco at any time with your comments and questions. Primary Supervisor John M. Fusco, Psy.D. M. Div. received his doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in He previously served as Team Leader at Cook County Hospital s HIV/AIDS clinic as well as the Clinical Director at both Howard Brown Health Center and Back of the Yards Mental Health Center, in Chicago. Dr Fusco taught Behavioral Medicine for many years at the Physician Assistant Program, jointly affiliated with Malcolm X College and Stroger Hospital. Prior to becoming a licensed clinical psychologist, he earned his master s degree in theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein, IL. Dr. Fusco is a licensed clinical psychologist with a special interest in the process of psychotherapy, the integration of theoretical orientations into effective clinical interventions as well as in working cross-culturally. He is bilingual in Spanish. Secondary Supervisor Erica M. Schweitzer, Psy.D. received her doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology/Argosy-Chicago in She completed her internship and post-doc at Gateway Foundation, and has continued working there on the MISA unit as a counselor III. She also teaches at the graduate and undergraduate level at two local universities. Her prior experience includes a college counseling center, community mental health agency, and inpatient psychiatric hospital. She is a licensed clinical psychologist with a humanistic orientation and utilizes CBT, mindfulness and skills training. Adjunct Supervisor Additional supervision will be available as needed from: Phil Welches, PhD, RDDP is the Clinical Director for Gateway Foundation s Community Services Division. He is a past Director of Psychology and Psychology Training Director at Chicago-Read Mental Health Center, a State psychiatric hospital. Dr. Welches is also a past Director of Interventions Northside and Crossroads substance abuse treatment centers. His orientation is fundamentally humanistic-existential. Dr. Welches is an active member of the Dartmouth-based Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addictions Treatment (DDCAT) Learning Collaborative. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Registered Dual Disorders Professional. Page 5 of 5