Clinical and Didactic Training Activities

Rotations

All adult psychology interns will spend their year in various settings throughout the week. These experiences can be categorized into the following categories:

• Adult Outpatient: Interns engage in assessment and treatment of adult outpatients and participate in weekly multidisciplinary team meetings. Clinical settings and caseloads are tailored to personal learning goals and with an effort to ensure exposure to patients with diverse cultural backgrounds, clinical presentations, and needs. Individual supervision occurs with faculty as well as community clinicians when available. Options for group psychotherapy training and practice is also offered in select clinical settings.
• Adult Inpatient: Inpatient experiences are based at Strong Memorial Hospital. Psychology interns function as full members of a multidisciplinary team and develop skills working in a fast-paced acute setting.
• Elective: Electives are designed to provide interns with exposure to clinical settings and populations that the trainee may have some curiosity or interest in, but perhaps have had limited opportunity to engage with thus far. Electives are primarily clinical in nature; however, research electives are also offered as available.

While our internship strongly emphasizes integrated care, the clinical settings for the above training experiences can be aligned to those with interest in the following four domains (all listed on the APPIC Site):

• General Psychiatry: Inpatient and outpatient experiences are available for those interested in serious and persistent mental illness (SPMI) populations.
• Health Psychology: Inpatient and outpatient experiences are available for those interested in serving medically complex populations, including chronic illness, pain, and disability.
• Deaf Wellness: A focus in serving the Deaf/Hard of Hearing population is available through URMC's Deaf Wellness Clinic.
• Lazos Fuertes: A focus in serving our community's Spanish speaking population is available through our outpatient Lazos Fuertes clinic.

The following is a sample schedule.
Actual schedules will vary depending upon rotation assignments

Elective Experiences

Interns select one elective experience with program approval.  Options vary in length of time commitment, with some being offered for the duration of the academic year and others being more intensive over a period of six months.  Examples of previous offerings are listed below; elective rotations are subject to change and new offerings may be made in the future.

Clinical Electives

• Telehealth/Geriatrics: focuses on the development of clinical intervention skills via a telehealth platform working with an aging population residing in long-term care and skilled nursing facilities in both rural and urban regions of New York state. Interns have the opportunity to provide consultation to multidisciplinary healthcare teams and can focus on development of integrated care skills.
• Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: focuses on the development of skills working as part of an inpatient interdisciplinary team serving individuals recovering from and adapting to a wide range of illnesses, injuries, and disabilities.  Exposure and skill development in neuropsychology is also available during this rotation for interested interns.
• University Mental Health Practice: Housed within the collaborative care division of the department of psychiatry, University Mental Health Practice (UMHP) provides outpatient psychological and psychiatric services for individuals who require specialized treatments. Faculty provide care for a variety of complex concerns, including: chronic pain, trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, and pre-surgical psychiatric evaluations. This elective is suited for interns with an interest in health psychology, medically complex patients, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Interns will spend a full day with our practice each week for the duration of the training year. During this elective, interns have the opportunity to 1) observe a variety of specialty care services provided by our faculty, 2) learn evidence-based behavioral assessment and interventions for chronic pain, and 3) provide psychotherapy under the supervision of the UMHP Director.

Research Electives

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to Reduce Loneliness (CBT-L) among Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder: Mentor: Lisham Ashrafioun, Ph.D. This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial to provide initial evidence of the role of CBT in reducing loneliness, improving the quality and quantity of social interactions, and reducing drug use. Participants will be randomized to either CBT-L or an active control (health psychoeducation). The intern will help with delivering the interventions and can help shape the next iteration of the CBT-L manual. If interested, the intern can also help with presentations and manuscripts.
• Telehealth in Geriatric Oncology Research: Mentor: Allison Magnuson, DO (PI); Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, Ph.D.  This is a 12 month rotation (8hrs/wk) in which interns work as a member of a research team studying an adapted memory and attention adaptation training (MAAT-G) intervention in older adults with breast cancer receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Cancer-related cognitive dysfunction is a significant issue, particularly for older adults, however limited interventions exist. MAAT-G is a cognitive behavioral therapy intervention delivered through a series of 10 sessions (approx. 30 min each) delivered through video-conferencing to participants. The overarching aim of delivering this intervention is to enhance participants' self-management and coping with cognitive failures in daily life to minimize impact on quality of life and learn adaptive, compensatory skills for chemotherapy-related memory dysfunction. Interns will deliver the intervention through televideo conferencing while based at the Geriatric Oncology Research Office (Saunders Research Building) or at the Department of Psychology offices. There will be opportunity for interns to collaborate on related abstracts and manuscripts if interested.

Didactics / Structured Training Experiences

• Advanced Topics in Psychology Series. The overall goals of this seminar are to enhance clinical fund of knowledge and general therapy skills, highlight interventions and population specific issues, and build competency in delivering select empirically based treatment for adults.
• Advanced Topics in PST/DBT. This course covers evidence-based (and evidence-informed) psychotherapeutic interventions for suicide prevention, including Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). This course is designed to provide a flexible and practical experience with interventions for reducing suicide risk among patients seeking mental health services.
• Advanced Topics in OCD. This course covers evidence-based (and evidence-informed) psychotherapeutic interventions for OCD, such as CBT and ERP (in vivo and imaginal). Diagnosis criteria and assessment tools are also reviewed.
• Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds, (weekly 1-2 hours). This weekly forum features research and clinical presentations by local, regional, and national experts in selected areas of psychiatry and psychology. In addition, our Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Culture and Equity hosts several presentations to maintain a steady focus on celebrating diversity and engaging in anti-racist activities. Occasionally, the speaker will meet with interdisciplinary trainees for an extra discussion session. Interns may also choose to attend other Grand Rounds relevant to their training goals (i.e., Primary Care, and Public Health Sciences).
• Professional Development Seminar, (some meetings combined with fellows). This seminar features a wide range of topics pertaining to both professional and academic development presented by selected psychology faculty, including community-based psychologists. Topics include Psychologists in Medical Centers, Diverse Career Paths of Psychologists, Fellowship and Job Search Strategies, and Psychologists as Administrators.
• Multicultural Experiential Learning Seminar (8-10 sessions, 1 hour). The overall goal of this seminar is to increase cultural awareness and sensitivity of psychology trainees via the lens of the APA Cultural Formulation Interview, with trainees presenting clinical case conceptualizations using the APA Cultural Formulation Interview framework. Trainees will be able to (a) recognize their own cultural identities, (b) increase their knowledge, awareness, and skills in multiculturalism, (c) recognize their personal bias, and (d) better meet the needs of a diverse patient population. This seminar will help trainees become more aware of how culture impacts clinical work, research, and teaching. 
• Ethical and Legal Practices for Psychologists (6 sessions, includes court visit). The purpose of the seminar is to provide exposure to, and information about, the types of court-related experiences psychologists may encounter in practice. Each session is facilitated by experts from mental health and legal fields who present their perspectives on a topic, followed by Q&A and discussion. Relevant Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct will be discussed. Participants include clinical psychology trainees as well as law students for mutual learning about the ethical and legal issues experienced by both professions.
• Welcome to Rochester (6 hours). The overall goals of this two-part required learning activity are to: a) learn the story of the Haudenosaunee and honor their legacy and the contributions they have made over the last 2000 years to the arts, culture and society; b) enhance trainees’ understanding of the city of Rochester and the University of Rochester Medical Center’s historical context as it relates to racial/social injustice and how past and current policies impact people from historically marginalized groups today; and, c) appreciate and honor the diverse ways that individuals from historically under-represented groups have contributed to and continue to contribute to the community or Rochester. Trainees view a video and complete readings regarding the history of Rochester and current healthcare disparities and about influential Rochesterians. For the second part and then participate in a group meeting to share reflections. For the second part, trainees will meet at the Ganondagon historic site for a guided tour with reflection.
• Amplification and Allyship (6 hours). The overall goals of this learning activity are to: a) increase appreciation and awareness for how structural racism and systematic oppression impact members of historically marginalized groups; 2) amplify the voices/perspectives of members of historically marginalized groups and 3) provide ongoing opportunities for reflection on action and allyship. Trainees will view/listen to media that address structural racism/oppression of historically marginalized groups and social justice movements in various systems (e.g., health care, education, criminal justice) as well as content that highlights the vital importance of racial/cultural joy and then share reflections related to amplification and allyship in sharing/connecting circles.
• "SafeSide"(Suicide Prevention) Workshop (5 hours). The overall goal of this video-based education is to prepare trainees with the knowledge and skills needed to conduct person-centered, standard-of-care interviews, risk assessments, safety planning, documentation, and decisions with suicidal patients. 
• CPI: Verbal Intervention w/disengagement skills (Tier 3) (5.5 hours). Verbal Intervention training equips staff with the knowledge and skills to identify a person in crisis and verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviors. In addition to verbal de-escalation training, this curriculum includes training on how to block and move away from a strike.  This is a blended curriculum consisting of both an online component (1.5hrs) and in-person class (4hrs).
• Intimate Partner Violence and HEAL Collaborative (1 hour). This presentation reviews definitions of intimate partner, interpersonal, and domestic violence and summarizes biopsychosocial correlates.  It reviews special considerations related to telehealth, confidentiality,  documentation, safety, and provider wellness/self-care. Finally, it reviews community and URMC specific resources including the HEAL collaborative, the services provided, and how clinicians can access these services for their patients and themselves.
• Leadership Projects, 1-2 hrs/wk (10 months). Each intern, in conjunction with a faculty mentor, completes a leadership project focused on developing tailored approaches for education, intervention, prevention and evaluation initiatives in Psychology. Past projects have included: “Developing a brief curriculum on trauma, caregiver stress, and resilience of kinship caregivers,” and “Identifying an adaptation framework for a diabetes prevention program for individuals with severe mental illness”. Trainees present their leadership projects in June at the Department's interdisciplinary Education Poster Day. Please go to our Scholarly Activities page to view current and past projects.
• OPTIONAL: Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders (4 meetings, 12 hours). This elective opportunity is an interdisciplinary didactic series focusing on evaluation and evidence-based treatment of eating disorders, with a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary treatment team functioning and planning.

Interns present their Leadership Projects at the Department’s Interdisciplinary Education Poster Day.