PCOM Center for Brief Therapy - Pre-Doctoral Intership Program in Clinical Psychology 2007-2008

A Commitment to Training
The PCOM Center for Brief Therapy
The Pre-doctoral Internship at The Center for Brief Therapy
Intern Stipend
Pre-doctoral Internship Goals
Internship Activities
     Clinical Problems
     Collaboration with Primary Care Physicians
     Consultation Services
     Psychological Testing and Assessment
     Teaching
     Supervision
     Administration
     Research
Didactic Training
Intern Evaluation
Grievance Procedure
Application Requirements
About PCOM
Training and Supervising Faculty

A Commitment to Training

Value 1: We are committed to a practitioner-scholar model of training, particularly the "local clinical scientist" model.  Training is based on bringing scientific knowledge and scholarly practice to clinical work.  Interns are encouraged to base their interventions on both the broad research literature, and upon locally derived scientific observations.

Value 2: We are committed to a broad range of skill development encompassing a variety of skill sets that are useful to practitioner-scholars.  Training provides a broad range of experiences aimed at producing well-rounded clinicians who possess skills that can be applied in a variety of settings including clinical service, community consultation, teaching and education.

Value 3: We are committed to an emphasis on and understanding of human diversity as it affects the delivery of clinical services to diverse client groups. Training includes the opportunity to work with clients from diverse ethnic, socioeconomic and cultural groups in a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional service settings.

Value 4: We are committed to the facilitation of the development of professional identity and ethical professional practice.  Training allows interns to engage in a variety of professional roles and to do so with the expectation of a high level of professionalism and ethics.  In addition, faculty provide role models for professional and ethical practice.

Value 5: We are committed to flexibility in training.  Within the basic core structure of activities, interns are encouraged to develop unique interests and activities that will further their development as scholar-practitioners.

The PCOM Center for Brief Therapy

The pre-doctoral internship at PCOM is maintained at the on-campus comprehensive psychological services center, the Center for Brief Therapy and in affiliated PCOM healthcare centers in the local community.  The Center for Brief Therapy is located on the 5th floor of the Rowland Hall Medical Office Building, and serves as a mental health resource to the students at the medical school and the local community.  Interns at The Center for Brief Therapy perform a variety of clinical functions, including individual and group psychotherapy, diagnosis and assessment, psychological testing, in-service training, consultation with teaching medical faculty and residents, supervision, and research and evaluation.  Clinical services at The Center for Brief Therapy include:

Psychotherapy Services

• Individual Psychotherapy
• Marital and Relationship Therapy
• Family Therapy
• Group Therapy

Comprehensive Psychological Assessment Service

• Intelligence and Educational Testing
• Testing for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Learning Disabilities Assessment
• Evaluation of Psychological Effects of Medical Disorders
• Behavioral and Personality Assessment

Clinical Issues Treated

• Depression & Anxiety Disorders
• Learning Difficulties
• Psychological Complications of Cardiac Problems
• Adjustment to Medical Problems (GI problems, pain, etc.)
• Smoking Cessation
• Eating Disorders
• Child-Family Conflicts, Behavioral Conduct Problems
• Marital/Relationship Difficulties
• Substance Abuse

The Pre-doctoral Internship At The Center For Brief Therapy

The predoctoral internship in clinical psychology at the PCOM Center for Brief Therapy is designed to train future psychologists to work in health care settings as providers of comprehensive psychological services that stress multidisciplinary collaboration.  The PCOM Center for Brief Therapy strives to fulfill its mission in the on-campus PCOM Family Medical Practice, as well in community healthcare centers in three urban sites: the PCOM Roxborough Health Care Center, the New Lancaster Avenue Health Care Center in West Philadelphia, and the Cambria Health Care Center in North Philadelphia.  In each of these centers, interns interact with medical and allied mental health professionals as a fully participatory member of the total health care team.  In addition, interns provide mental health services in the Center for Brief Therapy?s outpatient clinic at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and in the Center for Academic Resources and Educational Services (C.A.R.E.S.) program, a student-focused program designed to lend academic support services to medical students and graduate students who are members of the PCOM academic community.

Interns receive training and supervision in as broad a range of professional activities as possible, including: behavioral assessment, psychodiagnostics (including cognitive and personality testing); psychoeducational evaluations; clinical interventions (including individual and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, milieu therapy, and work with families); consultation; applied clinical research (including clinical outcome research); and case management (including serving on treatment teams and developing prescriptive treatment programs), as appropriate.  In addition, interns gain experience in supervision of   master?s level practicum students and multidisciplinary consultation with health care providers in a variety of contexts.

Intern Stipend

The Center for Brief Therapy is a not-for-profit clinic that is dedicated to serving the underserved in urban health centers in Philadelphia.  The annual stipend for interns for 2007-08 is $16,500 US, which we recognize is lower than the average Philadelphia regional APPIC internship figure of approximately $20,000.  Interns are entitled to 5 sick days a year, and 2 weeks of paid vacation, and are entitled to three days of paid conference time.  

Pre-doctoral Internship Goals

The internship's overarching goals are for the intern to develop and refine expertise in the following areas:

• interviewing patients, developing case formulations, and implementing treatment strategies based on empirically supported treatment paradigms for a wide array of disorders across the age spectrum;

• working within a multidisciplinary team, including experience with patients who have medical as well as psychological problems;

• understanding the roles of the clinical psychologist as a clinician, researcher, educator, and administrator in a medical or mental health setting;

• understanding the complex interaction of biological, psychological, spiritual, and social influences in psychopathology and psychological well-being;

• developing skill at implementing and evaluating the effects of evidence-based treatments for a variety of  patient populations and psychological disorders;

• conducting and/or evaluating clinical research.

Internship Activities

Clinical Problems Treated at The Center for Brief Therapy

Interns assess and treat clients with Axis I and Axis II disorders, as well as learning disorders and marital/family issues.  Typically, patients who are referred by physicians and residents in the community health care centers are seen for Axis I and Axis II disorders related to or co-occurring with medical problems.

Collaboration with Primary Care Physicians

In addition to regularly scheduled hours at the Center for Brief Therapy, interns serve rotations in the PCOM neighborhood family health care centers in three different  locations: Roxborough Center, Cambria Street Center, and the New Lancaster Avenue practice.  These centers serve an urban, lower socioeconomic, culturally diverse population that are typically underserved recipients of mental health and medical care. While on rotation in these neighborhood health care centers, interns are expected to work closely with family practice physicians and medical residents to collaborate on assessment and treatment of patients, utilizing the bio-psycho-social model of assessment or treatment.  Psychotherapy sessions may be conducted at the neighborhood health care centers, or may be conducted at the Center for Brief Therapy on the PCOM campus.  In addition to assessment and treatment, psychoeducational services may be provided to the general community, including such diverse activities as smoking cessation groups, medication compliance groups, weight management groups, anger control, parent effectiveness training, relapse prevention for substance abuse, etc.  Referrals are often made to these psychoeducational services based on close collaboration with primary care physicians in the PCOM neighborhood health care practices.

Consultation Services

Interns at the Center for Brief Therapy are expected to serve an assignment involving consultation service in a variety of health care settings in the outpatient medical practices of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.  Consultation services include individual and a small group training of staff in issues related to applied behavioral assessment, implementation of cognitive-behavioral interventions based on empirically-supported treatment packages, and in-service training seminars related to prevention and early identification and intervention of mental health problems.

Psychological Testing and Assessment

Interns are expected to complete at least 5 comprehensive psychological test batteries a year, in order to ensure competency in the assessment of a range of psychopathologies and medical problems with co-morbid mental health issues.  Assessments occur with populations across the lifespan, and often focus on specific learning disorders, testing for ADHD, and assessment of a variety of psychopathologies for the purpose of differential diagnosis, case conceptualization and treatment planning.  The Center for Brief Therapy maintains a wide variety of the most current instruments and assessment tools, including instruments used in cognitive assessment, health assessment, achievement testing, objective and projective assessment, and vocational assessment. Interns are also guided in the skill of providing feedback to consumers of psychological testing and milieu consultation, where appropriate. 
In addition, the Center for Brief Therapy serves as the primary referral resource for the C.A.R.E.S. program, as a means of assessment for academic support to the PCOM medical and graduate student community.

Issues for which interns may conduct psychological testing and assessment include:

1) Learning disorders, school failure, achievement problems
2) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
3) Evaluations of gifted students
4) Evaluations of patients with medical disorders and co-occurring psychological or mental health issues
5) Personality evaluation
6) Motivational assessment

Teaching

Interns are required to serve a 3-month assignment assisting in teaching activities in the Master of Science degree program in Counseling & Clinical Health Psychology at PCOM.  Supervision and mentoring from a core faculty supervisor is considered to be an integral part of this training and preparation for the role of the professional psychologist as teacher or instructor. Finally, interns are required to present a minimum of one in-service during the year to the local community or to a special interest group/support group on a topic related to their clinical interests.

Supervision

All interns at the internal internship (Center for Brief Therapy) serve as a formal ?supervisory consultant? to a Master?s level practicum trainee at the internal internship site.  Interns receive weekly supervision from a licensed psychologist who is on the core faculty and who oversees their clinical and supervisory practice.  Interns may also, with training and supervision, organize, administer, score, and review standardized patient (STEPPS) videotapes with Master?s level students in the Department of  Psychology at PCOM.

Administration

Interns are expected to engage in primary triage activities at the Center for Brief Therapy.  These duties include responding to telephonic referral inquiries, conducting intake interviews, obtaining necessary information to make a clinical determination regarding level of service and appropriateness for service, and assisting with community resources for support. Interns perform quality improvement activities and policy and procedure setting roles, as assigned throughout the training year.  Interns also serve a rotation as team leader for regularly scheduled clinical team meetings at the Center for Brief Therapy.

Research

While involvement in research activities is not a formal requirement, interns are informally encouraged to collaborate with PCOM faculty on research projects and/or pursue their own research projects as the intern?s interests and time permits.  Interns are encouraged to utilize data collected at the Center for Brief Therapy, or to use their experiences in the community-based health care centers to generate questions and research protocols that have their origins in the concept of local science.  As such, interns are encouraged to engage in research that is relevant to their clinical experiences in the field, and that will help to answer clinical questions that are generated from actual clinical experience.

Didactic Training

In accordance with APPIC internship standards, all interns are required to participate in regularly scheduled didactic training seminars at the internship site.  These training seminars are designed to ensure an experience of developmental learning.  The didactic training seminars are held every other week for 4 hours each session (9am-1pm), for an equivalent of 2 hours a week.  

The didactic training seminars at the Center for Brief Therapy focus on a broad variety of professional issues including assessment techniques, psychological testing, clinical health psychology, empirically supported interventions, ethical issues in treatment, applied behavior analysis, cultural diversity issues, case conceptualization, professional issues including legal/risk management, managed cared issues, models of psychological consultation, dealing with difficult patients, noncompliance and resistance, clinical supervisory  issues, and methods of office-based research. 

The seminars are typically led by members of the core faculty at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, supervisors in external internship sites, or by invited guest speakers.  Guest presenters have included professional staff from prestigious training facilities, including the Beck Institute and the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive Therapy.  The purpose of these seminars is to foster broad interaction and shared learning experiences, not only related to each internship site, but for the intern cohort as a whole.  The didactic training schedule for 2007-08 is below:

Intern Evaluation

Supervisors submit a semi-annual formal evaluation of each intern?s progress. Interns are evaluated after they have completed six months of their internship training and at the end of the year. A form is given to the key supervising psychologist that invites commentary on both specific areas of skill as well as general professional demeanor. These evaluation forms are to be discussed with the interns and then signed by both the intern and the supervisor. Interns are given the opportunity to respond to any comments made by the supervisor with which they disagree and to have the response included with the evaluation. Evaluations should be based on an accurate picture of each student?s work. Supervisors should observe sessions, view videotapes or listen to audiotapes of sessions on a regular basis. There should be clear on-going communication between interns and their supervisors throughout the year on areas of strength and weakness. Interns should never be surprised by the feedback they receive on the formal evaluation because they should be obtaining this information over the course of the year in supervision.

 

The PCOM Director of Clinical Training will receive and read these forms. If the evaluation reveals that an intern is having minor difficulties at the internship site, the Director of Clinical Training may: (a) obtain more information from the key supervisor; b) meet with the Director of Clinical Services at the Center for Brief Therapy to discuss the nature of the difficulties, and/or (b) discuss the difficulties with the intern. If an intern appears to have significant difficulties, the following process will be initiated:

1. The evaluation will be presented to the Clinical Training Committee, consisting of the Director of Clinical Training, the Internship Coordinator, the Practicum Coordinator, the Director of Clinical Services at the Center for Brief Therapy, and at least 2 other ad hoc faculty members from the PCOM PsyD program in Clinical Psychology. A preliminary determination will be made as to whether the difficulty appears to be a long-standing one or a problem that has emerged in this particular site. Contacting the intern?s program Director of Clinical Training may be an option in attempting to determine the scope of the problem, especially if it is suspected that it is of long-standing nature.  In some cases, the problem may be of such a nature to be addressed through a discussion between the intern and the Director of the Clinical Training or through the resources of the setting itself.
   
   
2. In other instances, a second review may be necessary using any of the following resources:
   
   a) the intern
   b) the Director of the PsyD Program
   c) the supervisory staff at the Center for Brief Therapy.  As a consequence of this review, the committee may suggest that the Director of Clinical Training and/or his/her designee have regular sessions with the intern to discuss, for example, the intern's difficulty in using supervision constructively.
   d) If the aforementioned reviews and lines of intervention do not seem sufficient to deal with the problem at hand, a final decision will be made by the Student Progress Evaluation Committee (SPEC) of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology.
   
   
3. A final appeal may be made by the student to the Chair of the Department of Psychology.

 

Grievance Procedure

In his or her capacity as an intern, a student might have a grievance against any party associated with the internship (e.g., faculty member, on-site supervisor). The intern is strongly encouraged to first resolve the issue informally with the party involved. If the student has attempted to do so unsuccessfully or believes he or she is unable to do so without the assistance of an external party, the intern is encouraged to proceed through as many of the following steps as may be necessary for the resolution of the problem.

1. Discuss the issue with the Director of Clinical Training or the Internship Coordinator.  At this initial exploratory stage, the student may speak confidentially to the either of these members of the Clinical Training Committee who will help to clarify the problem. In some cases, this contact may be sufficient to resolve the complaint. 

2. If necessary, the Director of Clinical Training or the Internship Coordinator may, with the permission of the intern, perform an informal investigation which may include interviewing the parties involved or any party who has evidence concerning the validity of the complaint. 

3. If this informal investigation fails to lead to the resolution of the grievance, the Director of Clinical Training or the Internship Coordinator will assist the grievant in formulating a plan of action. This plan of action may take the form of utilizing the grievance procedure. 

4. If such procedures are used and are unsuccessful in resolving the complaint in the eyes of the student, then a formal meeting of the Grievance Panel of the Clinical Training Committee will review the complaint. Such a review is formal and requires a written complaint on the part of the student. The Grievance Panel is composed of the members of the Clinical Training Committee and an additional faculty member, typically the Intern?s supervisor. If the supervisor is already on the Panel, a member will be chosen randomly from the faculty. The Grievance Panel will render a decision about the complaint that will be communicated in writing to all parties involved.  

5. If it is impossible to resolve the matter at this level, the student may appeal to the Student Progress Evaluation Committee.    

6. If the decision involves the withdrawal of the intern from the site, or if the student wishes to make an appeal, the complaint will be reviewed by the Chair of the PCOM Department of Psychology.

A final appeal may be made to the Dean of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Application Requirements

Prospective interns are expected to apply for internship at the PCOM Center for Brief Therapy by completing the following materials.  All application materials must be received by no later than November 15.

1. APPIC Uniform Application materials (including Professional Conduct Form, Practicum Documentation, Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness, etc.)

2. Curriculum vita

3. Official Graduate transcripts

4. One assessment report (remember to remove all identifying information)

5. A written report of a case conceptualization.  The case conceptualization is to reflect a cognitive-behavioral framework for understanding the client and for intervention.

6. Three letters of reference (at least 2 must be from current supervisors)

7. NatMatch code (obtained from National Matching Services, Inc., 595 Bay Street, Suite 301, Box 29, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2C2.

Please submit all materials to:

Bruce S. Zahn, EdD, ABPP
Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
4190 City Avenue,
Rowland Hall, Suite 226
Philadelphia, PA 19131
Tel: 215-871-6498
Email: brucez@pcom.edu

About PCOM

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine offers graduate programs in the field of psychology taught by an internationally renowned, highly credentialed faculty.  All faculty members in PCOM's APA-accredited PsyD program in Clinical Psychology are teaching faculty who work closely with students to help them achieve their professional goals.  Students often have the opportunity to coauthor scholarly papers, books and professional presentations with faculty.

In addition, because it is part of a respected medical college, the Psychology Department is able to offer unique learning opportunities.  PCOM has the only psychology department in the country that provides a standardized patient program (STEPPS).  The standardized patient program presents authentic clinical learning and skills situations in which "patients" simulate mental health conditions.  Students conduct sessions with the patients, which are videotaped and reviewed by faculty to help train and assess the students' skills.  Students in the psychology program also have the opportunity for clinical experience at one of the College's urban health care centers.

 

 Training and Supervising Faculty

ROBERT A. DITOMASSO, PH.D., ABPP (Diplomate in Clinical Psychology)
Areas of Interest:  Cognitive Behavioral Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety and Stress-Related Disorders; Cognitive-Behavioral Consultation in Primary Care; Patient Non-adherence to medical advice; Instrument development and development of assessment instruments for health risk behaviors and patient satisfaction with medical services; Research design, psychometrics, methodology and program evaluation in clinical psychology.    

STEPHANIE H. FELGOISE, PH.D., ABPP (Diplomate in Clinical Psychology)  
Areas of Interest:  Coping and Adjustment with Chronic Medical Illnesses (i.e., Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS); Psycho-oncology; Sexual Health and Dysfunction, Infertility; Stress-Related Physical Disorders; Caregiver Issues; Social Problem Solving; Clinical Decision Making; Cognitive-Behavioral Case Conceptualization; Test Construction and Development; Diversity Issues in Health Care and in Primary Care Settings; Program Evaluation.

BARBARA A. GOLDEN, PSY.D. , ABPP  (Diplomate in Clinical Psychology)
DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES
Areas of Interest:  Pain Management; Somatization Disorder; CBT and Functional Somatic Syndromes; Mental Health Issues for Persons living with HIV/AIDS; Psychology and collaboration with primary care.

TAKAKO SUZUKI, PH.D.  (Assistant Director of Clinical Services; Clinical Coordinator, CARES program)
Areas of Interest: CBT treatment of mood disorders and anxiety disorders (variety of phobias, panic disorders, GAD, OCD, and trauma); multicultural issues; EMDR; Group therapy; Psychoeducational intervention with academic adjustment issues; study skills training.
   
BRUCE S. ZAHN, ED.D. , ABPP (Diplomate in Clinical Psychology)
Areas of Interest: Supervision and Training; Geropsychology; Projective Personality Assessment; Managed Care Issues; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (children and adults); Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy; CBT for depression and anxiety disorders across the lifespan.

FREDERICK ROTGERS, PSY.D., ABPP (Diplomates in Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Psychology)
Areas of Interest: Substance use disorders; Motivation and change in addictions; Brief interventions for substance use in primary care settings; Efficacy of correctional addictions treatment; Self-change of substance use disorders; Training non-specialists in identification and intervention with substance use disorders; Efficacy of non-12 step support groups for persons with alcohol/drug problems.

ELIZABETH A. GOSCH, PH.D., ABPP (Diplomate in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology)
Areas of Interest: Child and adolescent anxiety disorders; Psychotherapy outcome research; Psychotherapy process research; Parenting style; Parent training; Emotional regulation and disregulation; Interpersonal interaction patterns; Child psychopathology; Family therapy; Comparative treatment research; Family interaction observation and coding systems; Domestic abuse survivors; Postpartum depression; Rape crisis intervention.

RAY CHRISTNER, PSY.D., NCSP
Areas of Interest:  cognitive-behavioral interventions and treatments for various disorders and issues; processes of and impediments to change; consultation services; crisis intervention; parent satisfaction; school-based mental health services; and the training and preparation of school psychologists and mental health professionals.

RORI MINNISALE, PSY.D.
Areas of Interest:  Psychological testing; school psychology; assessment of learning disorders and ADHD; parent support for learning disordered children and adolescents. 

KIMBERLY SIMMERMAN, PSY.D. (Post-Doctoral Fellow)
Areas of Interest:  Psychological testing; school psychology; assessment of learning disorders and ADHD; CBT for a variety of adjustment difficulties in school-aged children; parent training; consultation with family medicine.