Some interns spend six months (full time) in a service/program and then rotate to another service for the second six months, allowing two different experiences encompassing different roles, clinical teams and supervisors. Other interns remain in one placement for the entire 12 months, although their training experience builds in varied experiences to broaden their training. Anticipated rotational placements for the 2013-2014 year are as follows:
Intern 1
August-February: Adolescent Residential/Day Treatment Program
February-August: Intermountain Psychiatry and Counseling Services (outpatient)
Intern 2
August-February: Intermountain Psychiatry and Counseling Services (general outpatient)
February-August: Adolescent Residential/Day Treatment Program
Intern 3
August-August: Primary Children's Center for Counseling (general outpatient), including some work on the acute (inpatient) and residential/day treatment units.
Intern 4
August-August: Department of Pediatric Behavioral Health (hospital-based consultation/liaison services and outpatient)
Intern 5
August-August: half-time at Center for Safe and Healthy Families (trauma/abuse outpatient), half-time at Primary Children's Center for Counseling (general outpatient)
Although anticipated that the 2013-2014 training year will include the rotations as listed above, services/programs and Primary Children's staff taking interns will determine specific rotations by November of 2012. Intern applicants selected for personal interviews will be informed about proposed placements for the 2013-2014 training year.
Formal Psychology Training Program Seminars and Activities
In addition to individual training and service activities on each rotation, all interns together attend four structured weekly training activities from September/October through May. The schedule for 2013-2014 is:
Mondays:
5 to 6:30 p.m. - Family Therapy Seminar/Supervision
Fridays:
8 a.m. to 9 a.m. - Individual Psychotherapy Seminar/Supervision
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Peer Supervision
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Didactic Seminar Series
As further clarification of these group training activities:
Peer supervision: Interns meet weekly to discuss issues relevant to current cases or placements or to focus on other issues.
Family Therapy Seminar / Supervision: Systems theory utilizing a live observation team approach, review of recorded session material, and group supervision of family therapy cases.
Individual Psychotherapy Seminar / Supervision: Case presentation, with recorded session material, to discuss individual therapy and therapeutic interventions for a wide range of patients. Psychology interns meet with psychiatry residents.
Didactic Seminar: Various topics related to diagnosis, assessment, and treatment. Presenters include hospital-employed training faculty and community-based psychologists. A few of these seminars are held with psychology interns from other local APA-accredited psychology internship training programs (Utah State Hospital, The University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System)
During June through August formal training seminars are discontinued, allowing interns to spend 1/2 day each week on a "mini-rotation" developed in collaboration with their supervisor. Past interns have spent their mini-rotations learning and conducting PCIT, producing educational materials for a walk-in free clinic, engaging in research, and providing consultation/research assistance in PCMC’s Diabetes Clinic.
Each intern receives a minimum of two hours of individual supervision weekly. In some services or programs a single supervisor provides the supervision, and in other services or programs supervision is split between two supervisors. Interns in each service or program also participate in regularly scheduled staff meetings or rounds, typically including a multi-disciplinary treatment team. Individual and family therapy seminars (described above) also provide interns with two hours per week of group supervision.