Internship Positions

Interns are matched to one of the following clinical tracks; Hillside Children’s Center, URMC Rochester Addiction-Forensic Clinical Research, Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Outpatient Behavioral Health (Adult), Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Integrated Care, Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Neuropsychology at the Neuroscience Institute, Rochester Psychological Assessment & Testing (RPAT), or Ontario County Mental Health (OCMH).  

Hillside Children's Center

The Hillside Children’s Center is a non-profit organization consisting of more than 100 coordinated programs in 41 locations across New York and Maryland which provide comprehensive health, education, and human services for children and families. Interns at this placement site work as part of a multidisciplinary team treating youth placed in residential care from across New York State. Interns are responsible for psychological evaluations, consultation with the treatment team including family and external funders, and delivery of evidence-based group and individual therapy. Interns placed with Hillside will work directly with youth and families who have experienced complex and intergenerational trauma. Evidence-based practices used include dialectical behavior therapy and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Interns also have the opportunity to gain experience in the school connected to the residential campus, providing evaluation services and supporting intervention plans for youth placed in residential care. This residential campus has youth with emotional and behavioral disorders as well as dually diagnosed youth (who also have a Developmental Disability). The majority of students in this school have experienced complex and intergenerational trauma. 

URMC Addiction Forensic Clinical Research at Strong Recovery

Interns in the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Addiction-Forensic Clinical Research Track at Strong Recovery will focus their time on developing expertise in clinical care and translational clinical research. Interns are integrated into a multidisciplinary team of providers, collaborating closely with psychiatrists, substance use counselors, psychologists, and other clinicians. Interns manage a caseload of clients and conduct comprehensive assessments for substance use and mental health. They also provide individual and group therapy for clients with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Interns conduct psychological testing to aid in diagnostic clarity and help shape treatment plans tailored to the needs of each client. Clinical activities utilize advanced interactive healthcare technologies to provide evidence based behavioral health care. 

Interactive technologies include the use of digital assessments, behavior tracking tools, and interactive digital health care intervention platforms (e.g., a User Friendly, Customizable Avatar Assisted CBT Platform [RITch®CBT], 3D Organ Simulation Tools for Motivational Interviewing, Virtual Reality Mindfulness Tools). Under the supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist, interns may complete court-ordered competency to stand trial assessments and mental health evaluations (e.g., Mental Health and Drug Court Evaluations). Research activities also include using the digital tools with wearable biosensor research, biomarker research, and tele-health services. Interns are expected to make substantive contributions to ongoing research projects, including developing and submitting manuscripts for publication using existing data sets, assisting with federally funded randomized controlled trials evaluating the treatments for comorbid substance use disorders and mental health conditions, analyzing dyadic data from couples in alcohol manipulation studies, as well as EMA data assessing the proximal relationships between substance use and aggression.  

Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Outpatient Adult

The RRH Adult track will provide trainees with opportunities at outpatient mental health clinics including RRH’s Evelyn Brandon Health Clinic, Greece Behavioral Health Clinic, Rochester Mental Health Clinic, and Genesee Mental Health Clinic. Four interns are placed within clinics treating adult (18+) clients. The psychiatric characteristics of clients treated includes the full diagnostic range of the DSM-5. Interns across clinics have the opportunity to conduct individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy. Interns will also engage in psychological assessment in order to provide differential diagnoses and recommendations for ongoing treatment/referrals.  

Interns will learn efficient evaluation and report writing procedures. Interns at RRH work closely with a multi-disciplinary team of licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, substance abuse counselors, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and psychiatrists.  Interns are assigned to teams of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and therapists for weekly case discussions and clinical presentations. This track allows interns opportunities to provide consultation on behavioral health leadership projects and complete inpatient consultations and evaluations on an as needed basis. Lastly, interns are provided with leadership opportunities including presentations at staff meetings, best-practice presentations, practicum student supervision, and participation in program development and behavioral health research projects.

Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Integrated Care

The RRH Integrated Care clinical rotation provides trainees with opportunities to engage in the integrated care model of treatment, providing outpatient mental health services to individuals within their primary care, family care, and/or specialty care offices. The embedded setting allows for thorough collaboration with the medical care team of each individual served, providing comprehensive care. Interns will have the opportunity to gain experience in working with our refugee community, individuals struggling with chronic pain, as well as individuals with comorbidities. Interns will have the opportunity to engage in individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy while also conducting comprehensive evaluations and psychological assessments. Interns will work on a multi-disciplinary team consisting of licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and a psychiatrist, as well as with the medical team and physicians at their sites. 

Rochester Regional Health (RRH) Neuropsychology at Neuroscience Institute

Neuropsychology interns at the RRH Neuroscience Institute receive supervision from a team of postdoctorally trained neuropsychologists. Interns conduct evaluations with a variety of neurological populations, with etiologies including ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, the spectrum of traumatic brain injuries (mTBI/concussion to severe), anoxic brain injury, brain tumor, metabolic and other encephalopathies, neurodegenerative disease/dementias, autoimmune neurologic disorders (such as multiple sclerosis), psychiatric disorders presenting with primary cognitive symptoms and others.  The age of patients served ranges from infant to geriatric.  Interns rotate through the inpatient program and all major outpatient clinics. In addition, they participate in didactics reviewing neuroanatomy, clinical disorders, as well as neuroradiology rounds. 

There are also opportunities for intern involvement in stroke and dementia support groups, as well as opportunities to supervise practicum/extern students. Within the comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program, interns will assess and treat the widest range of ages, neurological conditions, including etiologies noted above as well as traumatic or nontraumatic spinal cord injuries.  Interns will learn efficient evaluation and report writing procedures and hone psychotherapy skills within the inpatient setting.  Interdisciplinary collaboration and presentations at staff conferences are regular components of the intern’s inpatient rehabilitation experience. The outpatient clinics provide opportunity for more comprehensive neuropsychological assessment with a variety of patient populations.  

The memory clinic provides neuropsychological evaluation to assist with differential diagnostic clarification including dementia subtypes versus other neurological or psychiatric factors.  At the memory clinic, interns will collaborate with our neurology partners, including the opportunity to learn about advanced neuroimagery.  In addition, the concussion clinic exposes the intern to the complexities of post-concussion disorder that can often have premorbid and psychological factors that may prolong and exacerbate the symptoms.  Furthermore, the general outpatient neuropsychological clinic provides a context for training in comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation and report writing with a wide range of neurological patient populations.  Interns may also provide psychotherapy with neurological patients in the outpatient context, addressing emotional adjustment, coping, and existential concerns.  

Rochester Psychological Assessment and Testing (RPAT)

Rochester Psychological Assessment and Testing (RPAT) was founded to provide additional psychological assessment and psychotherapy services to the greater Rochester, New York area. RPAT internship track offers the unique opportunity to gain experience working within a multidisciplinary private practice.  Interns will receive supervision from RPAT’s team of licensed psychologists who draw from a wide range of training and practice backgrounds.

The RPAT clinical and assessment track provides trainees with opportunities to further develop skills in the primary areas of therapeutic intervention and psychological evaluation, along with a number of additional experiences tailored to each intern’s interests. At RPAT, interns conduct evidence-based treatment and psychological assessment in an outpatient office setting. In addition, the internship track provides an opportunity to learn about business practices and considerations when pursuing self-employment and independent practice. Furthermore, interns will have the opportunity to work with both children and adults and may consult with the RPAT team to emphasize either pediatric or adult practice, if desired.   Psychological assessment at RPAT includes evaluations for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, learning and cognitive functioning, court ordered evaluations, adaptive behavior assessment, sex offender risk assessments (if a desired experience), police officer candidate evaluations, and assessment for gender affirming medical and surgical treatment. 

Psychotherapy interventions are tailored to each individual client and can include a range of cognitive-behavioral, applied behavioral, exposure and response prevention, family systems, and mindfulness/meditation interventions.  RPAT serves a wide range of clients with varying presenting concerns and demographics. RPAT provides services for the full diagnostic range of those in need of therapy or assessment; however, cases are driven by the individual needs of our clients. Additionally, interns consult and collaborate with referral sources that include primary care physicians and pediatricians, clinic and community therapists, psychiatrists and nurse practitioners, schools, and various community agencies. The goal of the RPAT internship track is to provide interns with lasting knowledge and experience working with a variety of cases and providing a range of services within an outpatient private practice setting.  

Ontario County Mental Health (OCMH)

The Ontario County Mental Health (OCMH) Department is situated in the heart of Western New York, in the Finger Lakes Region. OCMH clinic’s Director of Community Services, Jessica Mitchell, Ph.D., through the Local Government Unit (LGU), is responsible for the distribution of funds (federal, state and/or local dollars), oversight and compliance of programs with State regulations, and the development of local plans for behavioral health services for individuals living with developmental, mental health, and/or substance or alcohol abuse disabilities in the community.  OCMH operates a certified outpatient mental health clinic treatment program, licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) through the Mental Health Department.

The OCMH clinic serves individuals from ages 5 through adulthood, with a wide-range of psychological conditions or presenting concerns, from depression or anxiety, trauma or co-occurring disorders, to serious mental illness or emotional disturbances. The clinic offers evidence-based practice within the context of a multidisciplinary team approach, including psychiatric/medical providers, social workers, mental health counselors, peers/case workers, and in collaboration with other helping professionals or systems of care to support individuals’ recovery. These include the Departments of Social Services, Public Health and Probation, school districts, primary care offices, Health Homes case management providers, crisis service providers, local hospitals, etc. OCMH’s internship training program includes a broad range of clinical and professional experiences within a rural, community-based setting, which can assist psychology interns in the development of their professional identity as providers of psychological services. 

Psychology interns will have opportunities to participate in didactic or training opportunities, as well as to develop, integrate, and synthesize their professional skills through a) direct clinical work; b) consultation and involvement in county/community-based committees or programs; and c) provision of psychological testing and evaluations for clients of the clinic and/or court-ordered evaluations. Psychology interns will also have opportunities to offer supervision to social worker or mental health counseling interns, offer in-service or educational training to clinical staff or other county/community partners, as well as opportunities to observe or participate in school-based clinic work or consultation groups depending upon interest.