OU Counseling Services (CS) has a commitment to the training of future mental health professionals. As a result of this commitment we offer training experiences at the master's and doctoral levels. Each year CS accepts between 6-7 students to be involved in our various training programs. We offer year-long training experiences for master's internships, doctoral speciality practica and APA approved pre-doctoral internships. Below is a listing of these experiences:

- APA - Approved Pre-Doctoral Internship

- Doctoral Speciality Practica and Master's Internship

- Internship Application




                   Clinical and School Psychology Internship Program
             OKLAHOMA HEALTH CONSORTIUM

               Fully Accredited by the American Psychological Association

OU Counseling & Testing Services

OU Athletics Department

OUHSC Counseling Services

Integris Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital

NeuroResources, PLLC

Child Guidance Centers


University of Oklahoma
Counseling & Testing Services
620 Elm Avenue, Room 201
Norman, OK 73019-0340
(405) 325-2700

Table of Contents

Introduction - Description of the Program

Application Information

Setting

Clinical Orientation

Design of the Internship Program

Scope of the Internship Program

Education and Training Objectives

Description of Clinical Training Activities

Required Clinical Activities

Primary Rotation Sites

Secondary Rotation Sites

Optional/Specialized Clinical Programs and Activities

Clinical Training Committee

Intern Stipends and Benefits

Affirmative Action Policies

Diversity Statement

Faculty - Major Clinical and Research Interests

Internship Application

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM
I. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this brochure is to inform prospective interns of the nature and scope of the predoctoral training offered by the Oklahoma Health Consortium Internship Program. An overview of the training opportunities available is intended to provide prospective interns with information for determining whether this program appropriately addresses their individual interests and training needs.

The Scientist/Practitioner model is the underlying philosophy of the Oklahoma Health Consortium. The considered integration of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, in a manner, which is responsive to the needs and skills of the student, represents the best method of ensuring professional growth and development. Although the graduate school is the primary site for training in the academic and scientific aspects of clinical psychology, and the internship site for training in the practitioner aspects, emphasis will be placed on the scientific and ethical necessity for the intern to ground all observations and conclusions in sound theory and definable data. The manifestation of this philosophy will be reflected in the ultimate goal of the training program: To graduate doctoral psychologists who discharge the responsibilities of their position in a professional, ethical, and clinically competent manner.

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II. APPLICATION INFORMATION

Our American Psychological Association (APA) accredited predoctoral internship begins August 4th of the current year and continues one calendar year through August 1st. A two-week vacation is included in this period. Applicants must be doctoral candidates in good standing in an APA accredited clinical/counseling or school psychology program, and must have completed at least three years of graduate study leading to a doctorate. The internship program also considers post-doctoral applicants who qualify for a one-year internship as the result of a major retraining program. The applicant's retraining must conform to the guidelines established by the APA Council of Representatives.

Applications will be accepted until November 8th. Review of completed applications will begin as of that date. Applicants who are invited to personal interviews with the Training Director, current interns, and selection committee members will be invited by December 1st. In order to be assured of an interview and complete site visit, invited applicants are advised to schedule these interviews as early as possible. Telephone interviews may be arranged in limited cases. The Clinical Training Committee will make final selection of interns. Internship offers will be given in full accordance with the policies of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC).

Each applicant is required to submit a complete set of application materials. A fully completed set includes: 1) a completed AAPI application form; 2) a vitae containing background information, academic and field experience; 3) three letters of recommendation (letters can be mailed to the consortium directly by the letter writers); 4) an official transcript of all graduate academic work (transcript can be sent separately by the university); and 5) a list of graduate courses yet to be completed; and 6) the Oklahoma Health Consortium site ranking form (the ranking form is used solely for setting up interview schedules and will not be used in our final selection process). Please send one copy of materials to:

  Scott Miller, Ph.D., Training Director
  Oklahoma Health Consortium
  University of Oklahoma
  Counseling & Testing Services
  620 Elm Avenue, Room 201
  Norman, OK 73019-0340

Applicants are welcome to Email Smiller@ou.edu to check the status of their application.

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III. THE SETTING

The administrative offices of the Oklahoma Health Consortium are housed in Counseling & Testing Services at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The intern's primary rotation site is determined by the intern's funding source and will be one of the following: Counseling & Testing Services of the University of Oklahoma or the Oklahoma, OU Athletics Department, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) Counseling Services. Secondary rotation options include any of the primary placements and the Cleveland County Health Department Child Guidance Clinics, NeuroResources, PLLC and INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital. As metropolitan Oklahoma City does not have an extensive public transportation system, prospective interns need to be aware that they will need their own vehicle. Interns are also required to provide certification of one million dollars of personal liability insurance (APA student insurance is acceptable) in order to participate. Interns will be required to provide this certification prior to beginning their internship.

The agencies affiliated with the Oklahoma Health Consortium Program employ approximately 60 Ph.D. psychologists, 75 masters level psychological assistants, 25 social workers, 35 child development specialists, and 98 speech/language pathologists and audiologists. The Oklahoma Health Consortium attempts to offer all interns repeated exposure to all of the disciplines in mental health and related fields. The interns will receive their primary supervision from licensed psychologists. Allied professionals, such as physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, psychiatrists, social workers, speech/language pathologists, audiologists, physical therapists, and child development specialists are available for consultation as needed.

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IV. CLINICAL ORIENTATION

The theoretical orientation of the internship training program is diverse. The goal of the program is to provide a number of models for the intern. The purpose is to aid interns in the search for a professionally meaningful orientation or work for themselves. The supervising psychologists will utilize a variety of techniques and approaches for understanding and effecting behavior changes. The interns will be exposed to a variety of techniques and models for conceptualizing their clinical work (e.g. cognitive, psychodynamic, systems, behavioral, etc.). Interns are encouraged to gain experience in these varied approaches. It is expected that each intern will achieve some integration of theory and technique over the course of the internship year.

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V. DESIGN OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The predoctoral internship is designed to provide practical training in clinical/counseling psychology.  The internship is composed of one 12-month primary, and two secondary placements of 6-months each. Within these settings children, adolescents, and adults receive individual, couples, group, and family therapy. Placement at a minimum of three clinics or sites provides a diversity of socio-cultural experience and additional supervisors. In determining secondary placements, intern training needs and preferences are given careful consideration. By the end of the orientation week, the Training Director will decide final secondary placements with input from each intern and the Clinical Training Committee. The resources of all other participating clinics and sites are also generally available to all interns.

Each full-time intern is required to participate 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year. The internship program provides a planned sequence of weekly training seminars. Each intern is required to have a minimum of 500 hours of direct client contact, 100 hours of regularly scheduled individual supervision, 100 hours of group or additional individual supervision, and 200 hours of formal training.

These requirements enable the intern to meet or exceed all standards for APA, APPIC, the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP), the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB); and licensure requirements in all 50 states, and the Canadian Provinces.

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VI. SCOPE OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

The program is designed to address the needs of the intern so that upon completion of the internship, the intern can function as a professional psychologist. Work assignments, consultations, supervision, staffing, and all other decisions regarding the utilization of time will be made with careful consideration of the intern's training needs. All activities of the internship training program are coordinated by the Clinical Training Committee (CTC). This committee consists of the Training Director and all psychologists who assume supervisory responsibility for the interns.

Predoctoral internships are for twelve months and involve considerable individual and group consultation and supervision. The intern will receive experience and training in a variety of areas including: 1) psychological assessment and diagnosis, 2) therapeutic intervention, 3) psychological consultation and community education, and 4) evaluation of the applications of psychological procedures and techniques. The level of responsibility that the intern assumes in all of the areas of training will increase throughout the internship appropriate to the intern's development.

As a flexible approach in training must emphasize each individual's needs, professional goals, and interests, each intern and his/her primary and secondary supervisors develop an Individual Training Plan (ITP) (within the context of the overall training program). The process of developing the ITP begins when the interns complete a self-assesment. The purpose of the ITP is to assure that the program provides the specific experiences desired by each intern to strengthen his/her professional development.

Supervision of all activities is an integral part of the internship. Supervision will consist of approximately three hours of individual supervision per week and will allow for evaluation of all aspects of the intern's progress. The intern is assigned a primary supervisor, a licensed psychologist, who will supervise the intern throughout the year. Each intern will receive individual supervision from the primary supervisor, and from a minimum of two other supervisors who are also licensed psychologists (one from each of the intern's two secondary sites). Additional group supervision and case consultation is also provided for all interns on a weekly basis. Supervision will also include continued systematic evaluation and feedback from all supervisors. Written evaluations will be completed quarterly, or as necessary to meet requirements of the degree granting institution.

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VII. EDUCATION AND TRAINING OBJECTIVES

The primary objective of the Oklahoma Health Consortium is to prepare doctoral interns who are prepared to assume entry-level positions in the field of psychology. Graduates from the program are expected to discharge the responsibilities of their position in a professional, ethical, and clinically competent manner. To that end, all graduates who successfully complete the training program are expected to achieve specific competency goals in a variety of domains, including (1) Ethics and Professionalism, (2) Assessment, (3) Diagnostic, and (4) Treatment. Specific goals within each domain are set forth below:

A. Ethics and Professionalism Domain:

Interns will acquire knowledge of codes of ethics that impact the practice of psychology, including the American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles of Psychologist and Code of Conduct, and the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards Code of Conduct. In addition, interns will acquire knowledge of pertinent state and federal statutes and case law. Additionally, interns will be able to anticipate and identify potential ethical issues inherent in the practice of psychology, and be able to engage in a process of critical decision-making in order to determine how and when a potential ethical issue must be addressed.

Understanding of ethics is advanced through both formal training and supervised practice. Each intern is expected to gain a thorough understanding of ethical guidelines and how they impact the provision of clinical services. Formal training in ethics is accomplished through a series of didactic seminars. In addition, ethical practice is integrated through many of the other didactic seminars that are presented throughout the training year. In addition to formal didactic training interns receive continuing exposure to the application of ethical principles during supervision and case consultation. Supervision may include a combination of weekly meetings with a supervisor, serving as a co-therapist with the intern, live observation, immediate feedback through “bug-in-the-ear” technology, video, and audio taping for later review, and group supervision.

Consultation with other psychologists and other professionals is formally advanced through case consultation. Each intern is required to present several formal case conferences to the internship class. A member of the internship faculty leads these case consultations. In addition, the various sites that comprise the consortium each have their own specific case consultation requirements that results in each intern serving in both the presenter and consultant role a number of times throughout the training year.

Expected outcomes from this aspect of the training program include demonstrated knowledge of the codes of ethics and laws relevant to the profession of psychology, the demonstrated ability to anticipate and identify ethical issues arising from the practice of psychology, the demonstrated ability to engage in a process of critical decision-making in order to determine how and when a potential ethical issue should be addressed, and evidence that the intern will apply ethical decisions in the practice of psychology.

B. Assessment Domain:

Interns will be able to plan and conduct assessments, including the appropriate selection of sources of information and methods, including interviews, observations, review of records, psychological testing, and contact with collateral sources. Additionally, they will be able to integrate assessment information and arrive at accurate descriptive and diagnostic formulations including clear, relevant recommendations.

Assessment competence is advanced through the numerous opportunities to conduct a variety of different types of assessment. Throughout the training year interns have the opportunity to conduct psychological, educational, neuropsychological, behavioral, developmental, and career assessment. Interns are required to complete a minimum number of assessments, however the specific nature of these assessments can vary depending on the needs of the specific intern. Graduating interns are expected to display minimum competence in various types of assessment, depending on the interns area of specialization and interests, including cognitive, personality, behavioral, perceptual, developmental, academic, career, and neuropsychological. In addition, interns are able to build on their report writing and diagnostic skills through both formal didactic seminars as well as supervised, applied practice.

The expected outcome from this aspect of the training program is for interns to demonstrate the ability to plan and conduct assessments using appropriate methodology and instrument selection, and to integrate assessment information such that an accurate description of the client is produced followed by an accurate diagnostic formulation and clear, relevant recommendations.

C. Diagnostic Domain:

Interns will develop advanced understanding of the DSM-IV-TR such that they are able to develop accurate diagnostic formulations, including the ability to consider suitable differential diagnoses when appropriate.

The process of diagnosis is advanced in a variety of ways. Formal exposure to the process of diagnosis occurs through didactic training, with some seminars focusing specifically on diagnosis, and other seminars containing a diagnostic component. Supervised, applied diagnostic work occurs through the process of formal assessment, treatment planning, and conducting intake sessions. Finally, interns participate in a mock oral licensure exam that requires them to arrive at a diagnostic determination and formulate a basic treatment plan based on the nature of the vignette presented to them.

The outcome expected from this aspect of the training is for the intern to be able to formulate accurate diagnostic formulations based on the information available from an intake assessment or formal psychological assessment.

D. Treatment Domain:

Interns will develop the ability to formulate interventions based on his or her assessment and diagnosis of the client. Interns will develop the ability to verbalize a systematic approach to psychological treatment from which they will be able to formulate appropriate treatment goals, as well as develop and implement interventions that are empirically and theoretically sound.

Competency to provide treatment will be advanced through a variety of didactic seminars, and a wide variety of supervised practice opportunities. Several of the didactic seminars offered throughout the training year address treatment related issues. These seminars address therapeutic approaches to treatment, treatment with different populations such as children, adults, couples, and families. Additionally, didactic seminars are presented on the treatment of clients with a variety of presenting problems, such as eating disorders, attachment disorders, sex offenders, children who have suffered maltreatment, and clients undergoing physical rehabilitation. Interns are then given the opportunity to gain supervised experience with clients with a variety of presenting issues. Exposure to empirically supported treatments, as well as empirically identified common factors in therapy, is provided through didactic presentations as well as emphasized in supervision.

The expected outcome from this aspect of the training is for interns to develop a theoretical orientation that informs treatment related decision-making. Additionally, interns are expected to demonstrate the ability to conceptualize cases, develop relevant goals for treatment, and design and implement interventions that are well designed, well-timed, and consistent with empirically supported treatments when such treatments are available. In the absence of empirically supported treatments, interns are expected to develop the ability to make treatment decisions that are theoretically sound.

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VIII. DESCRIPTION OF CLINICAL AND TRAINING ACTIVITIES

The internship consists of required core clinical activities to be provided at primary and secondary rotation sites. In addition to the required core clinical activities, a variety of specialized programs and activities are utilized to round out the intern's experience.

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A. REQUIRED CORE CLINICAL ACTIVITIES


1. Assessment:

Throughout the year each intern will be required to conduct brief assessments and full batteries for a total of 15 evaluations. Written reports will be required as well as verbal presentation in clinical case conference. At each site many testing instruments are available for selection by the intern depending on the requirements of the individual case.


2. Treatment:

Each intern will be expected to gain experience with a wide range of presenting problems, age ranges, and treatment modalities. This will include individual psychotherapy with adults, adolescents, and children. Opportunities are also available for interns to gain skills in the provision of couple, family and group counseling as well. Interns will also be expected to gain skills in crisis identification and management. The intern's individual interests, training needs and placement sites will determine additional experiences.


3. Consultation:

Each intern will act as a psychologist-consultant in case conferences regarding psychological assessment in particular, general issues of psychotherapy, and patient management. In addition, the intern will consult with professionals from other services of the placement site and other institutions for the purposes of admission and disposition.


4. Training Seminars:

The structured training program includes weekly, training seminars in which interns are exposed to a variety of topics and presenters as well as offering a context for discussing professional and treatment issues. Examples of some specific seminar topics include: objective assessment, projective assessment, empirically validated treatments, child abuse, HIV-AIDS, family therapy, multi-cultural counseling and service delivery, eating disorders, professional ethics and legal issues, clinical neuropsychological assessment, behavioral medicine, hospital practice, psychopharmacology, integrating test results, play therapy, suicide, mental status examination, diagnostic systems, crisis intervention, adolescent issues, professional issues/licensure process etc. All interns are required to attend these programs.

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B. PRIMARY ROTATION SITES


1. OU COUNSELING & TESTING SERVICES (3 Funded Positions)

Counseling & Testing Services is located on the Norman campus of the University of Oklahoma. Interns electing this rotation will be involved in individual and couples therapy, group therapy, outreach consultation, and psychological evaluation with the university's students, faculty and staff. Each resident will be assigned a caseload of approximately 10 clients who are dealing various presenting problems including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, loneliness, sexual identity, relationship, career, or academic problems. The agency provides primarily brief therapy involving a 16-session per academic year limit, however, opportunities exist for interns to gain experience providing longer term services.

Interns are encouraged to gain group counseling experience during their internship. Generally interns will co-lead a group with a member of the senior staff during the fall semester and then are encouraged lead at least one group during the spring semester. These groups take the form of shorter-term psychoeducational groups or longer-term process oriented groups. Psychoeducational groups that have been offered in the past include: assertiveness training, test anxiety reduction, career decision-making, or other adjustment concerns. In addition several process oriented groups are offered every semester and have included: men's issues, eating disorders, dealing with depression, general therapy group, loneliness, sexual identity, and rape or incest abuse. Interns are encouraged to co-lead and lead both types of groups.

Outreach and consultation programming are integral parts of the preventative and developmental emphases of the Counseling and Testing Services. Interns are encouraged to develop and present programs in areas of special interest and to do work with new topics or populations. Interns and senior staff often work in teams in presenting such topics as AIDS, women's issues, stress management, alcohol and drug awareness, diversity and relationship issues. The consulting role may involve such activities as working with residence hall staff on crisis intervention and management, providing training for resident advisors, or working directly with groups of students on specific issues.

Psychological testing is often utilized as a part of clinical assessment and evaluation. Interns are expected to gain experience in psychological evaluation through assessment of their own clients or those of other staff members as available. A wide variety of tests are available for selection as clinically indicated.

When opportunities exist, interns may have the opportunity to supervise practicum students from the surrounding universities as well as participate in weekly group supervision. Training and supervision of interns on their supervisory skills is done on a weekly basis. Additionally, interns gain supervisory experience in planning outreach or consultation programs with practicum students.

2. OU ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT (1 funded position)

Goals:
To develop skills useful in assessing and counseling collegiate student-athletes.
To develop a high level of sensitivity to and awareness of the nuances of the culture of division one athletics.
To acquire knowledge about the field of sport psychology and to develop skills in the delivery of performance enhancement services.

Objectives:
Assessment
Conduct evaluations of student-athletes for learning disabilities, Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder, etc. using instruments such as: WAIS-III, WMS-III, WIAT-II, MMPI-2, CAARS-S:L, and SCL-90-R.
Provide testing results, diagnosis, and recommendations.

Counseling
Conduct counseling to student-athletes (individual, couple's, and group counseling).
Provide career testing and counseling to student-athletes.
Supervision
Participate in weekly individual supervision. Supervision may involve, but are not limited to, case consultation for counseling and testing clients, education enrichment about sport psychology, support for difficulties experienced with clients and staff, etc.
Participate in biweekly collaborative group supervision meetings with SAPS graduate assistants.

Outreach Programming
Identify needs, initiate, design, and present psychoeducational outreach programs (e.g., stress management, communication enhancement, etc.) to student-athletes and/or coaches throughout the year.
Present and participate in existing outreach programs.

Research
Assist in the conceptualization, development, and execution of a variety of research projects on topics such as substance use & abuse among student-athletes and counseling outcomes research.

Administration & Consultation
Gain insight of the culture and operations of a college athletics department by participating in projects with administrators within the OU Department of Athletics (e.g., providing consultation on the implementation of the Gender Equity and Diversity Plans).
Assist with events sponsored by the OU Athletics Department, such as National Women and Girls in Sports Convention, Department of Athletics Career fair, etc.
Sport Psychology
Acquire knowledge of research, models, and strategies in the field of sport psychology through individualized readings and training.
Implement basic sport psychology techniques with student-athletes.

Team-Centered Workshops
Assist in developing and conducting workshops to provide memorable, active learning experiences to achieve objectives such as to: build team unity, reinforce team mission, and clarify team goals and responsibilities.
Facilitate effective relations with teams and/or coaches by addressing relational conflicts, performance difficulties, etc.
Additional Information on the Student-Athlete Population & the Field of Sport Psychology
Student-athletes are a unique population to work with in terms of diversity in ethnicity, socioeconomic status, culture of student-athletes, etc. Much information is to be learned with this special group of students.
Sport psychology is a distinct field from Psychology, yet the two disciplines are related. Completing this rotation only will not adequately prepare an intern to practice sport psychology or to become certified as a sport psychology consultant. However, if an intern has previous training in the sport sciences, and in sport psychology, this rotation will provide supervised experience to count toward certification.

3. OU Health sciences Center (OUHSC) Counseling Services (1 Funded Position)

New facilities and new technology, plus prominent faculty, are continuing to make the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center the 22nd century's regional leader in education, research, and patient care. The OU Health Sciences Center serves as Oklahoma's principal education for physicians, nurses, dentists, biomedical scientists, pharmacists, physician associates and a wide range of allied health and public health professionals. Its seven colleges-Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Pharmacy, Allied Health, Public Health and Graduate-are home to nearly 3000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

The OU Health Sciences Center is located adjacent to the state capitol and is a cornerstone of the 200-acre Oklahoma Health Center complex, which includes 19 affiliated state and private institutions and agencies.

OU Health Sciences Center Counseling Services is located in the Library in the center of campus. Interns electing this rotation will be involved in individual and couples therapy, group therapy, outreach consultation, and psychological evaluations. Each intern will elect to participate in up to ten hours of direct clinical work with students from the various colleges. These students are dealing with such difficulties as anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness, relationship, career, or academic problems. Most cases are considered short-term (1-15 sessions) with allowances for longer-term cases. Cases are selected in conjunction with the clinical supervisor and an attempt is made to meet the specific training needs of the individual intern.

Outreach and consultation programming with the various colleges are integral parts of the preventative and developmental emphasis of Counseling Services. Interns are encouraged to develop and present programs in areas of special interest and to work with new topics or populations. Interns and senior staff often work in teams in presenting on such topics as test preparation, stress management, time management, and relationship skills. The consulting role may involve working with crisis intervention providing consultation with the OU Health Sciences Center faculty and staff.

Psychological testing is sometimes utilized as a part of clinical assessment and evaluation. Interns are expected to gain experience in psychological evaluation. Interns are expected to gain experience in integrating a wide variety of psychological tests including the MMPI and the Rorschach.

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C. SECONDARY ROTATION SITES


1. INTEGRIS JIM THORPE REHABILITATION CENTER (IJTRC)

Predoctoral interns may engage in a variety of training experiences while at INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center (IJTRC). The Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital (IJTRH) and the inpatient and outpatient facilities on the campus of the Southwest Medical Center (SMC) serve as the primary locations for this training. The resources of the entire INTEGRIS Health system in Oklahoma City, however, are available for the trainee. There are more than six clinical psychologists located within these settings with whom the intern can choose to work. Four of these clinicians have extensive experience in neuropsychological evaluation and treatment. In addition, a number of these licensed clinical psychologists have a strong background and interest in psychological assessment, rehabilitation, and health psychology. Due largely to the emphasis on a multidisciplinary team treatment approach, a plethora of potential interactions with other professionals also exist at IJTRC.

Among the primary rotations available for predoctoral training at IJTRC are the following:
Rehabilitation and Health Psychology Inpatient Service
Outpatient Memory Disorders Clinic
Neuropsychological Consultation Services
Community Support Groups (i.e., Brain Injury & Stroke)

Rehabilitation and Health Psychology Service

The Rehabilitation and Health Psychology Service is centralized within the INTEGRIS Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Hospital in Oklahoma City, serving other facilities in the INTEGRIS Health Care System including Jim Thorpe Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, the Southwest Medical Center and the Baptist Medical Center (BMC). The intern will function primarily as an integral member of an interdisciplinary team serving adult rehabilitation inpatients at IJTRH. Additional short-term experiences are available that focus on specialty areas of outpatient pain management, and geriatrics.

On this service, interns are expected to engage in clinical work with a variety of consumer groups including spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neurological disorders, musculoskeletal problems, cerebrovascular accident, amputation or disability of limb(s), orthopedic injuries, and chronic pain. The most common psychological interventions are assessment and treatment for cognitive and adjustment disorders related to disability, but can extend to severe psychiatric disability or emotional disturbance, dementia related disorders and substance abuse. Psychotherapeutic modalities include individual psychotherapy, group therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy. Other treatment modalities include psychoeducation, social skills training, relaxation training, co-treatment with Music Therapy, cognitive retraining with Speech/Language Pathology, and community re-entry with Therapeutic Recreation and Vocational Counselors.

Assessment includes psychodiagnostic and brief neuropsychological evaluations. As a member of the interdisciplinary team, the intern will interact with psychologists, physicians, nursing staff, occupational/physical therapists, social workers/case managers, music, recreational, and aquatic therapists. The interns attend a weekly team staffing of their patients and develop awareness of cross-disciplinary contributions to the rehabilitation process. On occasion, the treating psychological intern is called upon to facilitate resolution of conflicts between patient and staff. Other clinical activities include crisis intervention, observation and co-treatment with other therapy disciplines and provision of community referrals.

Additionally, interns may have the opportunity to provide consultation/liaison services to acute care services at SMC or BMC. Longer-term psychotherapy training can be obtained by following an individual through the Jim Thorpe Outpatient Clinic. Supervision of a full neuropsychological assessment is available depending on the intern's prior experience of test battery administration.

2. NEURORESOURCES, PLLC

The intern will have the opportunity to provide neuropsychological services typically delivered within an outpatient neuropsychology service. NeuroResources, PLLC is a private practice operated by two licensed Neuropsychologists, psychomotrist, and various other full-time staff. Interns will serve as an integral part of the practice and receive a wealth of experience performing neuropsyhological assessments with a broad array clients and presenting issues. In general, the intern will engage in the evaluation of patients, interpretation of their test data, and treatment recommendations for them. The intern also may provide follow-up education/consultation to the treatment team and patient/family as necessary.

If available, interns will have the opportunity to participate in forensic evaluations. Focused primarily on criminal neuropsychology, the trainee may participate in evaluating prisoners at a variety of correctional facilities in the State of Oklahoma. Referral sources include the Indigent Defense System, attorneys for the prosecution (e.g., District Attorney) and the defense, and other individuals associated with mental health services for those within the Department of Corrections. Predoctoral interns may choose to assist with neuropsychological and/or psychological examinations, writing forensic reports, and preparing for depositions and/or courtroom testimony. Competency evaluations, risk assessments, determinations of mental state at the time of the offense, and mental defense (e.g., diminished capacity or not guilty by reason of insanity) are among the most common referral questions.

3. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH CHILD GUIDANCE CLINICS

Oklahoma State Department of Health Child Guidance Service operates a number of guidance clinics throughout the state. Two clinics participate in the Oklahoma Health Consortium Internship Training Program as secondary training sites. Both of the training clinics are located in Cleveland County, one in the county seat of Norman and the other located in Moore and serving the citizens of north Cleveland County (those residing in the Moore Public School District).

The focus of Child Guidance services is on children ages 12 and younger and their families. This outpatient population is composed of children and families who seek education, consultation, screening, evaluation, and/or treatment for various developmental, behavioral, emotional, social, and learning questions or concerns.

The two Cleveland County Guidance clinics' professional teams together include 1 audiologist, 1 speech/language pathologist, 3 child development specialists, 5 psychological clinicians (licensed professional counselors), 3 licensed psychologists, several psychology interns, and (from time to time) practicum trainees from psychology master's degree programs in the metropolitan area.

Both of the Cleveland County Child Guidance clinics are an integral part of their county Health Departments. Guidance staff members regularly participate in health department clinics (such as Well Child clinic and WIC clinic), as well as engaging in mutual consultation with nursing staff about developmental, behavioral, and medical subjects.

The Child Guidance Service follows the public health model of using population based education and prevention to improve the quality of life of the community. Thus, the Guidance multi-disciplinary professional team provides education, outreach, training, and consultation activities at various community locations such as day care centers, libraries, and schools, as well as at the health department.

In addition to community psychology services, the Child Guidance Clinic behavioral health staff is responsive to local needs for low-cost assessment and intervention services for children and families. Thus, traditional behavioral health services are also provided at the Norman and Moore Child Guidance clinics.

The interns on Child Guidance Service rotations have the opportunity to participate in the following clinical activities:

1) Intake interviews; 2) cognitive, psychoeducational, emotional, and personality evaluations; 3) individual, group, marital, family, and play psychotherapy, as an individual therapist and/or as a co-therapist; 4) consultation with community institutions and agencies such as the local school districts, the Department of Human Services, Head Start, and other health and mental health clinics; and 5) public education presentations and classes.

Weekly supervision constitutes a regular part of the intern's schedule on the rotation. Interns participate in weekly multidisciplinary staff meetings. Immediate backup support and supervision are available for interns involved with mental health emergencies.


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D. OPTIONAL/SPECIALIZED ACTIVITIES & TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The following additional activities and training opportunities are considered to be an integral component of the intern's training experience. These activities are available to all interns regardless of primary or secondary placement site. Interns are therefore encouraged to involve themselves in one or more of these experiences with the approval of the intern's primary supervisor. The primary focus of these activities is to provide an integration of the theoretical and practical aspects of psychological assessment, conceptualization, and intervention. A brief description of these activities follows.

Intern Consultation & Support Group (also known as Process Group)
Led by a psychologist independent of the clinical training faculty, this group is designed to offer interns a confidential setting in which to process their training experience. The intern class as a whole selects to participate or not to participate in this experience and each year's class sets the frequency and time of meetings.

Exner Rorschach Study Group
Facilitated by Dr. Aubrey Washington of the Moore Child Guidance Clinic, this is an ongoing group dedicated to the development of specific expertise in Exner's Comprehensive System. Participating interns are expected to bring case histories and Rorschach protocols for presentation on a rotating basis. This is a serious study group that meets for 2 hours twice each month, and is open to professional psychologists in the community as well as psychology interns.

Empirically Supported Manual-Based Treatment: Parent Child Interaction Training (PCIT)
Interns who have an interest in working with children and families are encouraged to attend approximately 20 weeks of training (1 ½ hours/week) for the manual-based intervention protocol known as Parent Child Interaction Training (PCIT). The therapist delivers this very structured intervention from behind a one-way mirror to the parents who listen to coaching comments through a receiver (“bug-in-the-ear”) in order to develop or improve their positive relationship and discipline skills with their child or children. Interns are expected to complete the intervention course with 2 client families in order to receive a certificate of training completion for PCIT.

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VIII. CLINICAL TRAINING COMMITTEE

All of the clinical training programs and activities of the internship are monitored by the Clinical Training Committee. The Committee is composed of the Training Director and all of the psychologists who have direct clinical contact with the interns. Professionals representing other disciplines may participate. The Committee monitors all major policy decisions related to the training program. Interns are represented on the Committee on a rotating basis. The Committee meets monthly, usually on the fourth Wednesday of the month. The Training Director holds administrative responsibility for all academic and administrative activities of the internship program.

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IX. INTERNS STIPENDS AND BENEFITS

The Oklahoma Health Consortium Clinical and School Psychology Internship offers stipends and fringe benefits listed below. Utilization of fringe benefits may vary depending on the policies of the intern's funding agency.

A. Stipend level: $19,000.00. Funding for interns may vary from year to year depending on agency appropriations.

B. Medical Benefits: Health and Dental Insurance are provided to the intern. Coverage for dependents may be obtained at an additional cost.

C. Vacation: Ten working days (Two weeks) of vacation are given during the internship year.

E. Professional/Academic Leave: Five days of professional leave may be granted by the Training Director when utilized for attending state, regional, or national psychology conventions, or to obtain additional professional training.

F. Conference/Travel Financial Support: $900.00

C. Other Benefits: Library access and State retirement


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X. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES

The Oklahoma Health Consortium Clinical and School Psychology Internship Program takes affirmative action to assure fair and equitable treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, sexual orientation, handicapping condition, or political affiliation. Affirmative action policies address, but are not limited to: recruitment, employment, training, promotion, transfers, and termination.

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XII. DIVERSITY STATEMENT

The Oklahoma Health Consortium is sensitive to and committed to the value of diversity and the richness of human differences. Our service and training mission requires that people of all backgrounds be able to use the Consortium's resources with the expectation of respectful, non-prejudicial treatment and service. In particular, the consortium recognizes that stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination have affected training, and programming practices in the mental health field. These stereotypes are based on gender, ethnicity, race, culture, sexual orientation, age, religious beliefs, socio-economic class, and differing abilities. Thus, the consortium's policies and procedures, as well as its activities, associations, and interactions with the community, reflect and promote the dignity and worth of the individual and the value and strength of diversity in the community. As a staff, we are committed to addressing issues of prejudice, discrimination, oppression and the impact of those issues on the lives of the people we serve and train.

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XI. FACULTY - Major Clinical and Research Interests

*Primary or Secondary Supervisor

 
DOWNLOAD: INTERNSHIP APPLICATION

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MASTER'S INTERNSHIP & PRACTICA EXPERIENCES


An Overview

The Counseling and Testing Services is a department of the Division of Student Affairs. The innovative and service oriented University Counseling and Testing Services provides a full range of services and programs which promote students' developmental and psychological well being. The staff is strongly committed to programming which respects individual and cultural diversity.

Counseling and Testing Services offers individual, couples, and group counseling for students, faculty and staff who are dealing with anxiety, decision making, depression, eating disorders, loneliness, sexual identity, relationships, career decision, academic problems, life planning, chemical abuse/ dependency and other life adjustment concerns.

Outreach programming such as assertiveness training, test anxiety, study skills, time management, interpersonal communication, and rape prevention are an important component of our services as well. Some of these skills training and personal growth workshops are off-site. For example, alcohol prevention and wellness training has been offered in the University Student Union, and an HIV therapy group was offered at United Campus Ministry. Many of these programs occur after hours and interns earn comp time when these are performed.

Career counseling and testing is also offered to help both prospective and current students gain a better understanding of themselves in relation to a potential career. As a result, Counseling and Testing Services offers a series of personal and career inventories. The student first meets with a counselor to determine the individual's needs or concerns, is assisted in determining which inventories would be helpful, and after completing the tests, meets for an interpretive session to go over the results of the tests and answer questions.

Setting and Facilities

University Counseling and Testing Services is located on the main campus of the University of Oklahoma across the street from the Main OU Library. Counseling and Testing Services is on the second floor of Goddard Health Center. Goddard is a modern, well-equipped health facility that is nationally regarded as one of the best university health centers. Counseling and Testing Services has three group conference rooms as well as individual offices equipped with audiotape recorders and computer terminals.

University Counseling and Testing Services has a strong commitment to maintaining close working relationships with other departments of the Division of Student Affairs, including Career Planning & Placement, the University Housing, and Minority Student Services.

GENERAL TRAINING REQUIREMENTS

Student Training Philosophy

The training program at the University of Oklahoma Counseling and Testing Services provides intensive training with a variety of professional activities. To further the student's personal and professional growth this training program provides a wide variety of training opportunities so that students gain exposure to the various roles of staff member in a university counseling center. Each student's training experiences will be tailored to meet individual needs and preferences. Students have the opportunity to receive training in the following core areas:

1) Psychological intervention and treatment with a culturally diverse population, including individual, marital, family (limited basis) and group psychotherapy;
2) Psychological assessment and diagnosis of a culturally diverse population, utilizing a broad range of instruments, methods, and clinical interviewing techniques;
3) Methods of psychological research, and the application of critical thinking and research to professional practice;
4) Professional ethics and legal and professional issues and their application to the practice of psychology;
5) Appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity, and sensitive appraisal of the impact of such diversity on professional practice;

Duration

A full time practicum or internship experience must consist of a two-semester commitment that involves 16-20 hours of work on site per week. Leave during the training period should be arranged through your primary supervisor. Students are encouraged to take vacation time during the breaks between semesters or other university vacations, as these are times we experience a decrease in clientele.

Supervision

upervision will consist of one hour per week of individual supervision. In addition opportunities will exist for students to meet for group supervision throughout the year to be presented with didactic experiences, discussion of cases, and processing of training experience.

AGENCY SPECIFIC STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Individual and Couples Therapy

Each student will carry a weekly caseload of approximately 8-12 clients. Clients are generally seen once per week, though more or less frequent meetings are arranged depending on the need. These clients are students, faculty and staff and their dependents who are dealing with anxiety, decision making, depression, eating disorders, loneliness, sexual identity, relationships, career decision making, academic problems, life planning and more severe, long standing disorders. Student cases are considered short-term (1-16 sessions). Cases are selected in conjunction with the supervisor and an attempt is made to meet the specific training needs of the individual student in case selection.

Group Therapy

Students are involved in providing group therapy at Counseling and Testing Services. A possible training opportunity would involve a student to run at least one process-oriented group. These groups may take the form of eating disorders, children from dysfunctional families, assertiveness training, test anxiety, career decision-making, or other adjustment concerns. Besides the process-oriented groups, there are psychotherapy groups dealing with depression, eating disorders, loneliness, sexual identity, and rape or incest abuse. Students are encouraged to be involved in leading both types of groups. Opportunities to gain group experience may depend on the number of groups being facilitated each semester

Outreach

Outreach and consultation programming are integral parts of the preventative and developmental emphases of Counseling and Testing Services. Students will be required to complete a number of outreach programs during the training year and students are encouraged to develop and present programs in areas of special interest and/or to work with new topics and populations. Students and Senior Staff often work in teams in presenting programs on such topics as AIDS, women's issues, minority and relationship issues. In addition, students may be called upon to provide consultation services. The consulting relationship may involve such activities as working with residence hall staff on crisis intervention and crisis management, providing training for resident advisors, or working directly with groups of students on specific issues, such as grief counseling.

Crisis Services

Students will gain exposure in working with clients that are experiencing immediate crisis. This exposure will be gained through either the student's individual case load or by taking part in the agencies on-call counselor rotation system. Students will receive supervision in working with clients in crisis and will be encouraged to talk about these experiences with their individual supervisor or during group supervision experiences.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or wish to be considered for a student internship/practicum experience, contact Dr. Scott Miller at 325-2700.

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