Project Title
Women’s Mental Health Program

Supervisor
Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, Ph.D.

Project Description
The Women’s Mental Health Program clinical training will take place within the Mental Health Program of the University of Illinois at Chicago's Department of Psychiatry. The Women's Mental Health Program provides mental health services for women with reproductive and gender-related problems, such as premenstrual dysphoria, pregnancy-related mental illness, parenting problems, menopausal mood disorders, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Clinic opportunities in the Women’s Mental Health Program include:

The Women’s Clinic
A general outpatient clinic for women with gender or reproductive-related psychiatric or psychological symptoms.

Women’s Inpatient Treatment Service
A hospital service for women with major mental illness who are having a crisis or an acute exacerbation of a psychiatric illness.

Women’s Consultation Service
A team that offers psychiatric consultation to patients of obstetricians and gynecologists at UIC.

Postpartum Depression Prevention Team
A team that assesses pregnant women for risk of developing postpartum depression, and offers preventive therapies to decrease the risk.

Haymarket Maternal Addiction Center (MAC)
The Haymarket Maternal Addiction Center (MAC) and Postpartum Units: Haymarket is a comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment program. The MAC unit is designed for pregnant women with addictive disorders. The postpartum unit is designed for new mothers with addictive disorders and their infants. These units have a collaborative relationship with the UIC Women's Services Division, in that UIC staff provide psychiatric evaluation and care for dually diagnosed women receiving addiction treatment at Haymarket, and Haymarket serves as a training site for UIC residents and students.

Research Opportunities
UIC Perinatal Mental Health Project.

Roles include

• helping to evaluate the Perinatal Depression Stepped-Care Model by data collection, data entry and data analysis
• helping to design, pilot and evaluate the MotherCare Kit, a self-care kit to promote mental health and healthy eating for pregnant and postpartum women
• helping to train other health care providers about perinatal mental health, healthy eating and interventions to promote them

Educational Goals

1. To understand empirical gender differences in prevalence and expressions of psychopathology.
2. To understand biological influences on gender differences in both normal and pathological states.
3. To understand sociocultural influences on gender differences in both normal and pathological states.
4. To understand gender differences in pharmacotherapy, including pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, treatment response, side effect profiles, interactions with endogenous and exogenous hormones, psychological reactions to pharmacotherapy, and adherence to treatment.
5. To understand the influence of the female reproductive cycle on psychiatric disorders, including biological and psychological effects of puberty, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and menopause.
6. To understand both normal and psychopathological reactions to reproductive-related interventions, such as hysterectomy, treatment for gynecologic cancers, and infertility interventions.
7. To understand the spectrum of responses to childhood physical and sexual abuse.
8. To recognize the signs of, and understand the dilemmas faced by, women subjected to current domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, and physician-patient sexual misconduct.
9. To incorporate an understanding of biological and cultural gender differences into diagnostic assessment of women patients.
10. To incorporate assessment of central issues such as family context, parenting capability, family planning needs, HIV risk, and primary health care needs into psychiatric assessments.

Psychology Interns Roles and Contributions
Interns participate in all aspects of the treatment process, from initial intake, to treatment planning, to implementation of the treatment. In addition to individual, couples, family and group treatment, interns have the experience of being involved with a multidisciplinary team approach. In this rotation interns will be exposed to a variety of therapeutic styles, and they will have the opportunity to learn Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal psychotherapy, as well as learning an integrative approach. Interns are expected to attend and participate in clinic meetings and the Women’s Mental Health Tutorial, as well.


Project Title
Eating Disorders Clinic

Supervisor
Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, Ph.D.

Project Description
The Eating Disorders Clinic, as part of the UIC Women’s Mental Health Clinic, offers a full spectrum of services for the person suffering with an eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Compulsive Overeating are treated with a multidisciplinary approach. Related psychiatric diagnoses are also treated, including Major Depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Personality Disorders, and Adjustment Disorders. Common issues of treatment include relationship problems, body image, self-esteem, issues of control, need for perfection, dependency issues, treating food like an addiction, and using the eating disorder as a coping mechanism. Our staff consists of psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health counselors. Following comprehensive assessment, treatment decisions are discussed with our clients and, as indicated, their families. Options include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for bulimia, individual therapy, group therapy, couples therapy, family therapy, medication management, and liaison services. We are affiliated with other services within UIC that are sensitive to the issues of a person with an eating disorder. We offer referrals to nutritionists, physicians, and dentists who are all aware of the need for comprehensive care.

Educational Goals
In addition to learning about Eating Disorders in general, students working in the Eating Disorders Clinic will learn about:

1. The initial evaluation for eating disorders. Trainees will receive a packet of materials including; general history, a questionnaire about familial eating patterns, the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Beck Depression Inventory, a quick check for diet progress, and the Family Assessment Measure.
2. How to interview a patient who is struggling with her or his ambivalence about getting treatment for her or his Eating Disorder.
3. Common Personality Disorders and /or traits and other mental Illnesses often related to Eating Disorders.
4. Self-psychological and feminist issues related to Eating Disorders.
5. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder
6. Parenting issues for patients with Eating Disorders.
7. Couples and Family therapy for patients with Eating Disorders.
8. Gender Racial differences in the expression of Eating Disorders.
9. Pharmacotherapy with Eating Disordered patients.

Psychology Interns Roles and Contributions
Interns participate in all aspects of the treatment process, from initial intake, to treatment planning, to implementation of the treatment. In addition to individual, couples, family and group treatment, interns have the experience of being involved with a team approach. In this rotation interns will be exposed to a variety of therapeutic styles, and they will have the opportunity to learn Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal psychotherapy, as well as learning an integrative approach. Interns will also learn the particular nuances when working with patients with eating disorders. Interns are expected to attend and participate in clinic meetings as well.