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Internship
in Clinical Psychology
Interdisciplinary
Geropsychology Clinical Experience
Trainees at UIC (psychology interns, externs, medical students, residents,
fellows) may choose from a variety of experiences that focus on issues
in geropsychology. Individuals typically select several rotations from
those described below, and participate in each for a minimum of 20%
time over a 6-12 month period.
Health Psychology
Consultation Service: On this rotation, trainees evaluate and treat
geriatric patients hospitalized for acute and chronic medical problems,
and work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Referrals are from a
variety of specialty areas, including oncology, transplant surgery,
geriatric medicine, pulmonary and critical care, and rehabilitation
medicine. Individuals learn to perform a thorough and integrated biopsychosocial
evaluation, collaborate with attending physicians, nurses, pharmacists,
and other consultants on issues of treatment planning, and provide follow-up
treatment to patients and their families. The most common issues addressed
in the evaluations and consultations deal with the differential diagnosis
and treatment of delirium and dementia, adjustment to chronic illness,
depression, decisional capacity, family problems, and end-of-life issues.
In addition to traditional evaluation, consultation, and treatment,
the rehabilitation medicine service includes psychology trainees in
their unit staffings of all patients. These team meetings occur twice
weekly, and are attended by physiatrists, nurses, occupational therapists,
physical therapists, social workers, in addition to psychology trainees.
Input from health psychology trainees is seen as a valuable aspect of
the treatment planning process. Major supervisors: Susan Labott, Ph.D.,
ABPP; Eric Prensky, Ph.D. ;Sarah Shelby, Ph.D.
Neuropsychological Assessment: The Neuropsychology Rotation is
designed to provide a training experience in neuropsychological assessment
for individuals interested in working with older adult, neurological
and medical patient populations. The Neuropsychology Clinic rotation
is geared toward refining skills in the neuropsychological assessment
of adult inpatients and outpatients drawn from the medical center's
Departments of Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Neuropsychiatry, Rehabilitation,
Neurology, Geriatrics, and Medicine, as well as from outside referral
sources. These referrals span the entire list of neuropathological conditions
such as dementia, cerebrovascular disorders, tumor, HIV, epilepsy, degenerative
disorders and traumatic brain injury. Trainees receive supervised experience
in planning test selection, implementing, and writing up neuropsychological
evaluations using a broad range of tests and procedures, as well as
oral communication of test results to interdisciplinary teams. Major
supervisor: Neil Pliskin, Ph.D., ABPP.
Rehabilitation Psychology Outpatient Clinic: The Rehabilitation
Psychology Clinic offers specialized training in rehabilitation assessment,
cognitive rehabilitation therapy, and psychotherapy of patients with
rehabilitation needs. Children and adults are provided individualized
services in the clinic. The outpatient service involves close consultation
with neurologists, physical, speech, and occupational therapists, and
psychiatrists. The psychotherapy portion of this experience involves
a full variety of psychological interventions with younger and older
patients recovering from stroke, brain surgeries, and closed head injuries.
Trainees learn about the acute and chronic psychological and neuropsychological
effects of a wide range of medical-neurologic disorders. The treatment
component often involves integration of cognitive rehabilitation therapy
and psychotherapy. A systematic, developmental approach to cognitive
rehabilitation is used. Trainees learn to utilize this approach in the
treatment of a variety of neuropsychological deficits in children and
adults. Often the treatment involves functional MR imaging to defining
the most effective rehabilitation treatment approach based on the patient's
functional brain activity. Supervisor: Linda Laatsch, Ph.D
Oncology Outpatient Clinic: Psychological services are provided
for geriatric patients and their families who are dealing with cancer
diagnosis and treatment. Comprehensive care is provided through collaboration
with the patient's physicians, nursing staff, and other specialists.
The patient population is being treated for a variety of hematologic
malignancies and solid tumors. They may be newly diagnosed, be undergoing
radiation or chemotherapy, may be pre- or post-surgical intervention
or stem cell transplantation. Our service provides individual evaluation
and psychotherapy for these patients and their families when they come
to their appointments in the UIC Oncology Clinic. Services are tailored
to the individual case, but may involve individual psychotherapy, family
intervention, or support groups. Typical issues involve anxiety regarding
medical procedures, compliance, depression, and end-of-life issues.
Close consultation occurs with attending oncologists and nursing staff,
and with other services in the Department of Psychiatry (e.g., evaluations
for psychotropic medication, neuropsychological testing). We also consult
with physicians and nurses in the management of difficult patients,
and collaborate in the facilitation of ongoing support groups for patients
and their families. Major supervisors: Susan Labott, Ph.D.; ABPP; Eric Prensky, Ph.D.; Sarah
Shelby, Ph.D.
Stress and Anxiety Disorders Clinic/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Clinic: The focus of the trainee's experience in the Stress &
Anxiety Disorders Clinic and in the OCD Clinic is on developing or refining
skills in the assessment and empirically based treatment of adults with
anxiety disorders. The clinics provide services to individuals diagnosed
with the full range of anxiety disorders (i.e., obsessive compulsive
disorder, panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social phobia,
post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific
phobia). The principal treatment modality is cognitive behavior therapy.
Interns learn how to complete structured diagnostic interviews, develop
cognitive behavioral conceptualizations for treatment planning, and
then implement those treatment protocols. Trainees gain experience in
providing all stages of care (i.e., inpatient, intensive outpatient,
and traditional outpatient cognitive behavior therapy) and will provide
consultative services for medical patients who have difficulty managing
anxiety and/or stress or for psychiatric inpatients who would benefit
from cognitive-behavioral interventions. Trainees also learn to function
on a multidisciplinary treatment team that is involved in providing
both traditional outpatient and/or intensive treatment. Major supervisors:
Cheryl Carmin, Ph.D., Pamela Wiegartz, Ph.D.,Sabine Schmid, Ph.D.
Menopause and cognition rotation: Trainees in this rotation work
in a comprehensive clinical-research program studying the effects of
sex steroid hormones, alternative menopausal therapies and SERMs (selective
estrogen receptor modulators) on age-related changes in cognition and
brain function. The program comprises a series of observational studies
and clinical intervention trials. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging
tools (i.e., positron emission tomography and structural and functional
magnetic resonance imaging) are used to study estrogen replacement,
botanical treatments for menopausal symptoms, testosterone supplementation,
premature ovarian failure, menstrual cycle, endogenous estrogens, hormone
suppression, and SERMs.
This program provides opportunities for geropsychology trainees to gain
clinical-research experiences in methodological approaches to the study
of cognitive aging, with a particular emphasis on pharmacological interventions.
Training includes an emphasis on research skills, conceptual foundations,
neuropsychological test administration and scoring, research design,
data management, and basic data analysis. Opportunities to administer
neuroimaging tasks and analyze neuroimaging data are also available.
Conceptual issues focus on age-related changes in cognition, endocrine
underpinnings of such changes, and mechanisms of neuroprotection. Supervisor:
Pauline Maki, Ph.D.
Competencies
Interns, trainees, and distance learners working in Geropsychology master
the following specific competencies, designed to allow them to work
effectively with elderly individuals in a multidisciplinary urban or
rural setting:
- Assessment and
treatment of geropsychological disorders stemming from cognitive,
psychiatric, and medical disability
- Selection, administration,
scoring, and interpretation of neuropsychological tests
- Case conceptualization
through integration of history, test data, and behavioral observation
- Effective communication
and collaboration with medical professionals in a variety of disciplines
- Communication
of consultation, test results, and treatment plans through written
reports and oral presentation
- Development of
a working knowledge and experiential base in neurological and psychiatric
diagnosis
- Ability to develop
a rehabilitation or accommodation program to assist the older adult
and family in maintaining the highest achievable level of independence
- Capacity for
geropsychological consultation to medicine, neuropsychiatry, neurosurgery,
neurology, pediatrics, other medical services, schools, and other
referral sources
- Provision of
feedback to patients and families
- Ability to communicate
a biopsychosocial conceptualization of psychological issues in geriatric
patients
- Provision of
individual psychotherapy to address issues of adjustment to illness
and/or disability, psychological illness, and family issues
- Proficiency in
dealing with ethical and practical issues involving decisional capacity,
advanced directives, living wills, and personal/familial end-of-life
issues.
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