Venture Psychology Internship Consortium Pre-Doctoral Internship Handbook 2014-2015 Contact: Erica J. Gergely, PhD, LP 140 W. Michigan Ave Battle Creek, MI 49017 ejg@summitpointe.org
Introduction: Venture Psychology Internship Consortium The Venture Psychology Internship Consortium (VPIC) was developed to provide a doctoral training program for pre-doctoral psychology students to accommodate an increasing number of clinical psychology trainees. The Venture Psychology Internship Consortium is comprised of four current participating member training sites/rotations: Summit Pointe, Riverwood Center, Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health (formerly known as Venture Behavioral Health), and Van Buren Community Mental Health Authority. Members of the consortium follow APPIC guidelines in the selection of interns and in meeting other requirements for APPIC internships. The purpose of the consortium is to pool the resources of several sites to ensure the breadth and depth of training experiences for pre-doctoral psychology interns. By pooling the resources of several sites, VPIC is positioned to increase the exposure of pre-doctoral psychology interns to a variety of services and range of theoretical and professional orientations, enhance experiences with diverse populations, and provide opportunities for contact with more than one supervisor. The member sites are part of a regional prepaid inpatient health plan (PIHP) and work together regularly on various clinical initiatives. The VPIC program is centrally coordinated to ensure that it is organized and reflects a coherently articulated set of training goals. Member sites collaborate under the direction of the Consortium Training Director, who is administratively responsible for the training program. The Consortium Training Director, Site Directors, supervising psychologists, and clinical faculty are committed to preparing quality practitioners competent to work in culturally diverse communities. It is expected that the interns in this program will help meet the mental health needs of the diverse population in the geographic region. Overview of the Training Program The pre-doctoral internship is a 12 month, full-time, 2080-hour training experience. Interns are expected to accumulate their hours based on a 40-hour week for a minimum of 52 weeks, with 10 days of paid personal leave and 9 paid holidays. The internship year begins on the first Monday following Labor Day. Interns must provide a minimum of 10-15 hours per week in direct client contact, approximately one-quarter to one-half of their time. The rest of the time should be spent with training experiences, supervision, report writing, case conferences, meetings, research, etc. The consortium accepts students from APA-approved doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology. The internship is viewed as the integrative, transitional training experience between the intern s basic academic doctoral preparation in clinical or counseling psychology and the intern s entry into an initial professional psychology position. Each intern entering the internship program must have completed all doctoral course work and appropriate practica prior to the internship. Page 2
Interns are placed on a full time basis at one of the member sites during the course of one year or may be placed at two or more sites over the course of the year, depending on the intern s training needs and interests as well as the availability of intern slots at the member sites. Each intern is assigned to a primary supervisor at each of the sites. The supervisors and any other faculty at the sites are licensed psychologists in the state of Michigan and they represent a wide range of theoretical orientations and clinical specialties. The primary supervisor bears the clinical responsibility for the cases of the interns they supervise. Each intern receives a minimum of two hours per week of face-to-face individual supervision from their site supervisor(s). Each intern will have substantial training contact with at least two doctoral level psychology supervisors during their internship. A structured program of didactic training seminars is provided weekly at the site or in coordination with other sites. The seminars are designed to provide the conceptual basis for interns to integrate their daily clinical learning experiences with theory. The seminars address practical topics such as specific issues in psychological testing and current trends in psychotherapy. VPIC coordinates 100+ hours of face-to-face clinical training per year covering various evidence-based practices, assessment, mental health/developmental disabilities/substance abuse issues, clinical documentation, pre-admission screening, etc. In addition, interns will create a professional development plan consisting of various on-line courses (Essential Learning), literature review and review of clinical videos from the VPIC clinical resource library. On-line training, literature review opportunities, and videos are available at all times and can be accessed at the convenience of the intern and the scheduling needs of the site. In addition, the VPIC CTD coordinates monthly didactic/group supervision sessions. Interns are also invited and encouraged to participate in training opportunities available regionally and/or at each of the training sites, and to attend external learning opportunities. The VPIC CTD also assists in the coordination of regular informal opportunities for intern contact, such as collegial luncheons and reading/discussion groups. Interns are encouraged to initiate or participate in research opportunities when available at the sites. Interns may become involved in any or all aspects of the research process that may be of interest, from the conceptualization and design stage to publication and presentation. Philosophy and Objectives The Venture Psychology Internship Consortium is an internship program for doctoral students in psychology, providing advanced training internships from consortium-affiliated training sites. VPIC is designed to prepare future psychologists for the professional practice of psychology by providing an integrated year of pre-doctoral training that emphasizes both breadth and depth of clinical and professional experience. VPIC offers a wide range of services, giving interns experience across client ages, psychopathology, and treatment settings. The Consortium s members are strongly committed to offering an integrated internship experience with intensive supervision, didactic seminars, and opportunities for direct clinical experience. Page 3
Specific goals for the intern include: 1) Psychological Assessment: To aid the intern in developing advanced skills in diagnosis and assessment, becoming a competent practitioner who: a. Accurately selects, administers, scores and interprets a variety of psychological tests. b. Completes comprehensive written assessments to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of consumers. c. Develops comprehensive case conceptualizations and delivers case presentations. 2) Clinical Intervention: To aid the intern in becoming a general practitioner of psychology who utilizes several empirically-based theoretical orientations and interventions in the practice of psychology, becoming a competent practitioner who: a. Develops and implements effective treatment plans, within the context of relevant symptoms, diagnosis, assessment and best available evidence b. Increases familiarity and skill with a variety of psychotherapeutic techniques relevant for individuals, groups, couples and families c. Assesses treatment outcomes 3) Professional Development and Life-Long Learning: To aid the intern in developing their personal and professional strengths in current practice as well as future advancement of their skills, becoming competent practitioners who: a. Enhance their commitment to lifelong learning b. Acquire knowledge of the roles of other disciplines c. Develop skills to function effectively on an interdisciplinary treatment team 4) Multicultural Issues: To aid the intern in increasing multicultural competence in working with diverse populations, becoming competent practitioners who: a. Are aware of diversity and individual differences in their clients b. Understand how their own personal background may affect practice c. Consider cultural issues in diagnosis, assessment, and treatment planning 5) Professional Ethics and Standards: To aid the intern in furthering knowledge and application of ethical principles and standards of professional practice, research, and conduct. 6) Supervision and Consultation: To aid the intern in the development of supervision and consultation models by being both the recipient and provider of such services. 7) Scholarly Commitment: To aid the intern in the integration of theory and research into clinical practice. Page 4
Program Structure In order to offer each intern maximum exposure to a variety of consumers and settings and a range of psychological assessment and intervention opportunities, training plans allow for rotations at different sites and/or in different programs within a training site over the course of the internship year. Once the intern is accepted into the program, the intern and Consortium Training Director will develop a training plan that will indicate the selected rotations and the intern s learning objectives and goals. The plan is then reviewed with the site supervisors and training directors of the sites that are included in the plan. Development of the training plan in this manner assures that each of the core competency areas are addressed, while also allows the intern opportunities to receive training in areas of particular interest to the individual intern. Interns may request training plan changes at any point during their training year through the site training director. Training Sites, Rotations and Content All training sites within the Venture Psychology Internship Consortium are community based, non-profit behavioral health care agencies. Agencies are Community Mental Health Services Programs (CMHSPs) contracted with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to manage and provide a comprehensive array of mental health and disability services and supports to individuals with serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, and developmental disabilities. CMHSP training sites provide mental health services and each serves a different geographical area and has unique characteristics. All training sites offer a Major Rotation in Mental Health. The Mental Health rotation offers interns an opportunity to provide a comprehensive array of outpatient mental health assessment and treatment services to persons with serious mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, and persons with developmental disabilities. Consumers range from those who live and work in the community with no history of prior treatment to those with chronic mental illness and those who have been recently discharged after psychiatric inpatient treatment. Interns have the opportunity to work with consumers in individual, couples, family, and group therapies. Interns will also have the opportunity to be trained in at least one evidence-based practice in use at the consortium training sites. Interns will also have an option of selecting one or more Minor Rotations over the course of the training program; placement will be jointly determined by the intern and their supervisor. Each of the training sites offers various minor rotations, some of which are described below. Summit Pointe is a Community Mental Health Services Program located in Battle Creek, MI, serving residents of Calhoun County, Michigan. Summit Pointe is accredited by the Joint Commission. Summit Pointe provides a breadth of training in a comprehensive array of mental health and disabilities services and supports, including assessment, psychological testing, and clinical services/interventions for mental illness, serious emotional disturbance (children), and developmental disabilities for residents of Calhoun County. Individual, family, and group Page 5
therapy are treatment modalities in which interns will be trained. Throughout the year interns will have the opportunity to provide individual, family, and group therapy and they will also be exposed to Behavioral Health Consultation/Integrated Behavioral Health within a primary care setting. Summit Pointe provides interns with training in evidence-based treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Behavioral Activation (BA). In addition to a major rotation in an outpatient setting, past interns at Summit Pointe have participated in minor rotations such as Neurobiofeedback, Domestic Violence and Anger Management group therapy, and Daytime Crisis Intervention. Training Director: Erica J. Gergely, PhD, LP Supervising Psychologists: Erica J. Gergely, PhD, LP and Paul E. Metler, PhD, LP, MBA Riverwood Center, founded in 1975, is celebrating almost 40 years of commitment to its mission to enhance the quality of life for individuals, families, and community through behavioral health initiatives. Riverwood is a CARF accredited, community-based, non-profit behavioral health agency serving the residents of Berrien County with offices in Benton Harbor, Niles, and Saint Joseph, Michigan. Riverwood offers psychiatric, outpatient, home-based, and outreach programs as well as a broad array of services for the developmentally disabled, and recovery oriented services to individuals with severe mental illness. Riverwood Center provides a breadth of training in a comprehensive array of mental health and disabilities services and supports, including assessment, psychological testing, and clinical services/interventions for mental illness, serious emotional disturbance (children) and developmental disabilities for residents of Berrien County, Michigan. Crisis intervention, individual, family and group therapy are examples of treatment modalities in which interns will be trained. Minor rotations that previous interns have had the opportunity to experience include: Multisytemic Therapy (MST), Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), and Home-based Services. Supervising Psychologist and Site Training Director: Bruce Hackworth, PhD, LP Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health (SWMBH) (formerly, Venture Behavioral Health) is a Prepaid Inpatient Health Plan providing Medicaid benefits management for mental illness, serious emotional disturbance (children), developmental disabilities, and substance use disorder treatment for eight counties Southwest Michigan. Training opportunities at SWMBH include utilization management, outlier management, clinical development, Medicaid requirements, and involvement in applicable regional/state Committee clinical projects. This site would be available as a secondary rotation for interns who are successfully meeting their direct client contact hours at their primary site. Supervising Psychologist and Site Training Director: Lori Ryland, PhD, LP, CAADC, CCS-M Van Buren Community Mental Health Authority (VBCMH) was established to provide mental health services to adults with severe and persistent mental illness, children with severe emotional disturbance, and individuals with developmental disabilities, residing in Van Buren Page 6
County, Michigan. VBCMH is CARF accredited and has locations in Paw Paw, Hartford, Bangor, and South Haven, Michigan. VBCMH provides a breadth of training opportunities in prevention, psychological testing and assessment, crisis intervention, treatment (including individual, family and group therapy), and supportive services. VBCMH also provides evidencebased treatments, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Therapy (CT), Family Psychoeducation (FPE), and Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT) in which interns also have the opportunity to be trained. Supervising Psychologist and Site Training Director: Suzanne Brennan, PhD, LP Supervision and Didactic Training In helping interns acquire proficiency in the core competency areas noted, a training approach is used in which internship learning objectives are accomplished primarily through experiential clinical learning under the supervision and mentoring of licensed psychologists. All work performed by interns during the internship year must be under the supervision of at least two licensed psychologists over the course of the internship year. Interns are given a wide range of experience in psychological treatment and assessment modalities provided by the site and programs where interns are placed. The internship is primarily learning-oriented and training considerations take precedence over service delivery. Since interns enter the program with varying levels of experience and knowledge, training experiences are tailored so that an intern does not start out at too basic or too advanced a level. Generally, an intern's training on a given rotation will follow a progression from observation to increasingly autonomous, albeit monitored and supervised, activity. Interns receive a minimum of two hours of individual supervision each week by their site supervisor. The site supervisor is a fully licensed, doctoral level psychologist who has clinical responsibility for the cases being supervised. Typically, this is traditional dyadic supervision of a general nature. Supervisors also teach and provide supervision to interns in specific methods of assessment and treatment approaches (e.g., clinical interview based assessments, administration and interpretation of specific psychological tests, cognitive behavioral therapy) depending on the particular rotation and particular supervisor. A complement to the formal supervision is the role modeling and mentoring interns get from working with their supervising psychologists. In addition to the above supervision, interns also receive on average at least two hours of didactic activity for each week of internship as well as one hour of group supervision and an hour of peer review within the outpatient setting. These activities include case conferences, seminar presentations, on-line trainings, and in-service trainings. Interns may also have the opportunity to participate in clinical trainings offered throughout the SWMBH affiliation and, in some cases, trainings offered through the State of Michigan Department of Community Health. Page 7
Expectations and Requirements for Completion Interns receive a Certificate of Completion at the end of the training year upon successful completion of the internship program. To successfully complete the internship, interns are expected to meet the following requirements: 2,080 hours: The internship requires one year of full-time training to be completed in no less than 12 months. Interns receive 9 paid holidays and can accumulate 10 paid personal leave days that can be taken during the year. Supervision: Interns are required to attend 2 hours weekly individual supervision with their site supervisor at a mutually agreed upon day and time. Client Contact: Each intern is expected to average 10-15 hours per week in direct client contact, which includes all face-to-face contact with clients for any clinical services provided. Successful completion of the internship requires a minimum of 500 hours of direct client contact. Didactic Training: Interns are required to attend didactic training seminars and are encouraged to attend additional trainings as provided and approved by the intern s site supervisor. Competence in Clinical Activities: Interns will be formally evaluated twice during the internship year. Each intern must achieve a satisfactory level of competence or progress toward competence in all areas of the formal evaluation. Administrative Structure The consortium is administratively coordinated by the VPIC Training Director and Site Training Directors/Supervisors: Erica J. Gergely, PhD, LP VPIC Training Director/Summit Pointe Site Supervisor Paul E. Metler, PsyD, LP Summit Pointe Site Supervisor Bruce Hackworth, PhD, LP Riverwood Center/Northstar Center Site Supervisor Lori Ryland, PhD, LP, CAADC, CCS-M Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health Site Supervisor Suzanne Brennan, PhD, LP Van Buren Community Mental Health Authority Site Supervisor The VPIC Training Director is administratively responsible for the overall functioning, quality and integrity of the consortium program. The VPIC Training Director and site supervisors coordinate and organize the consortium-wide training program and its resources, coordinate Page 8
the selection and placement of interns, monitor and evaluate the training program s goals and activities and oversee the documentation and maintenance of inters training records. Administrative Policies and Procedures Grievance Procedures Intern s Concerns About Training: Interns have a responsibility to address any serious grievance that they may have concerning the internship program or the site. An intern has a grievance if he or she believes that a serious wrong has been committed and that a complaint is in order. A grievance may be addressed either formally or informally. Usually, an effort should be made to attempt to resolve the grievance informally. The intern may attempt to direct resolution of the grievance with the involved party, or the intern may informally address the grievance with the Consortium Training Director(s). If an informal procedure does not satisfactorily resolve the grievance, or a formal procedure is indicated, the intern should prepare a written statement describing the grievance and any action taken to try to resolve the grievance, and submit the written statement to the Consortium Training Director(s). Within 10 working days, the Consortium Training Director(s) will provide a written response describing any decisions made and any corrective actions taken. If there is any disagreement between the Consortium Training Directors regarding the course of action, the SWMBH Site Supervisor will act as arbiter. The intern also will be informed if further consideration of the grievance is required. Should the above procedures fail to resolve the grievance, the intern is asked to communicate the grievance in writing to the appropriate official at the intern s university who is responsible for internship placement, with a copy of that communication to the CTD. Throughout the grievance process, everyone involved is expected to be sensitive to the privacy, confidentiality, and welfare of others. Concerns About Intern Performance: Interns are monitored and evaluated regularly throughout the training year, both informally and formally. Interns receive at least two written evaluations over the course of their internship by their site supervisors. In addition, interns receive ongoing feedback throughout the course of their internship by their site supervisor during supervision. If concerns about an intern s performance arise, these concerns should be addressed by the site supervisor. If someone other than the site supervisor has concerns about an intern s performance, they should discuss their concerns with the intern and inform the site supervisor of their concerns. The site supervisor will discuss the concerns with the intern and, if warranted, will develop a plan with the intern to address the concern(s). The site supervisor will verbally inform the site training director and the intern s graduate program of the concerns. If the intern s performance does not improve, a written plan of remediation will be developed by the site supervisor and training director with the intern to address the concerns, with written notice to the consortium training Page 9
directors and the intern s graduate program. At mutually identified times during the remediation process, the intern will present to the site supervisor and training director available documentation of progress toward completion of the remediation plan. If the concerns about the intern s performance persist, the site supervisor, training director and consortium directors will meet and make a determination about the intern s continuation in the training program. If sanctions are imposed or a decision to dismiss the intern from the training program is made, the intern will be notified in writing by the site training director and/or site supervisor and the intern s graduate training program will be notified in writing. If the intern disagrees with any decision/action taken due to a concern about their performance, the intern may appeal the decision at any point in the process by submitting a written statement within 10 days of the decision/action to the site training director with a copy to the Consortium Training Director(s). The Consortium Training Directors will appoint an Ad Hoc Review Committee comprised of the Consortium Training Directors and two other site supervisors and/or training directors, none of whom shall be from the intern s placement. The committee shall review the intern s record at the committee meeting. The Ad Hoc Review Committee can invite the intern to the committee meeting, where the intern has a right to present relevant information. If the Ad Hoc Review committee cannot reach majority (3 of 4 members in agreement), the SWMBH site supervisor will be consulted and will act as arbiter. Within 10 working days of the committee meeting, the Consortium Training Director(s) will provide a written response of its decision and any action taken. Stipends and Benefits Stipend: Interns receive a competitive stipend of $22,000 annually. Benefits: Interns are employed as full time, temporary employees through a local agency and are eligible for health insurance and dental insurance as are regular employees. Holidays and Leave: Interns receive 9 holidays and accrue 10 days of personal time that can be taken during the internship year as it is accrued. Application and Selection Procedures Internship applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a pre-doctoral internship with the VPIC: 1. Doctoral student in good standing at an APA-accredited graduate program in psychology or in an APA approved respecialization training program in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. Doctoral students in non-apa-accredited programs may be considered. 2. Approved for internship status by graduate program training director 3. U.S. citizenship Page 10
All pre-doctoral internship applicants must submit the APPIC Application for Psychology Internship (AAPI) as per APPIC procedures, as well as graduate transcripts, letters of recommendation, and curriculum vita. Application materials must be submitted by November 26 (or the date listed on the APPIC database) to the VPIC Training Director, Erica J. Gergely, PhD, LP. Once the application has been received by the VPIC Training Director, a selection committee will review applications and will make a determination as to which applicants will be granted interviews. An e-mail notification will be sent to notify those who have been selected for an interview. Qualifying applicants will be strongly encouraged to come for a face-to-face interview. Once all interviews are complete, the committee reviews and discusses each of the application packets. Consideration is given to the student s academic performance, clinical and practicum experience, letters of recommendation, and how well the applicant s goals fit what the internship has to offer. Staff members impressions from the interviews are also shared. Finally, based on the discussion, the committee will rank order all of the applicants and the VPIC Training Director will make offers for the internship. Page 11