Program Description.htm

Psychology residents are oriented to the training program during the first two days of the internship. Then, in consultation with the training track coordinators, residents indicate their preferred sequence of rotations. Depending on the track, rotations can range in length from three to twelve months and from full time to a day per week. When possible residents are assigned to rotations in such a way that maximizes a planned, graduated experience across rotations. For example, a resident's first rotation may be a more familiar setting; rotations in less familiar settings may occur later in the year.

Not all rotations will necessarily be offered every year. Psychology residents are assigned to those rotations that have space and funding available. Access to rotations that do not provide support is occasionally possible.

The internship training program is a generalist program but offers three emphasis tracks:

Rotations are primarily located at the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), Harborview Medical Center (HMC), and Seattle Children's Hospital (SCH).

Detailed descriptions of each rotation are included in the section below entitled Rotation Descriptions.

This track is designed to allow residents to experience broad-based psychological work with adults including assessment and intervention with medical and psychiatric patients on both an inpatient and outpatient basis. The three four-month long clinical rotations and sites are listed above.

The child track placements are at Seattle Children's Hospital. The overall goal of this track is to provide a resident with experiences of broad-based psychological work with children and families including assessment and intervention, short and longer term intervention, work with inpatients and outpatients, medical and psychiatric patients. Attention is paid to the integration of science and practice. Each resident will participate in the four core rotations; Inpatient Psychiatry (IPU), Consultation/Liaison (C/L), Neuropsychological Consultation Service (NP), and Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry.

Psychology residents in this track receive training in rehabilitation psychology, neuropsychology and health psychology. The University of Washington Medical School is internationally known for its contributions in the area of rehabilitation medicine. Psychology residents trained in this rotation have been competitive for positions in applied behavioral medicine settings.

At the beginning of each rotation, the psychology resident completes a self-assessment of his/her experience relative to the rotation learning objectives to focus the resident and the supervisor on the resident's needs. The self-assessment helps the supervisor try to tailor the resident’s experience on each rotation to be planned and graduated to fit the resident’s training needs. Progress will be monitored throughout the rotation. At the end of each rotation, the supervisor fills out an evaluation on the resident similar to the resident's self-assessment form. The psychology resident completes an evaluation of each supervisor and an evaluation of their experience at each rotation site. All evaluations are sent to the internship office. Copies of the resident evaluations are sent to the resident and their mentor. Copies of the resident evaluations of the supervisors are sent to the supervisor. Copies of the rotation evaluations are sent to the rotation coordinator and the track coordinator. All evaluations are reviewed by the director of the internship program before copies are sent out. The resident evaluations are summarized at the end of the year in a letter by the resident's mentor, to their graduate training program, to communicate our assessment of the resident’s progress during the year.

Each resident receives at least four hours of supervision each week, at least half of which is individual supervision. Many rotations also offer additional structured learning opportunities such as case conferences, interdisciplinary conferences, opportunities to observe faculty interviews or ongoing treatment with patients, and so forth.

Every psychology resident participates in a required weekly didactic lecture-seminar series. This series is comprised of modules such as professional and ethical issues, diversity issues, diagnosis and assessment, supervision, consultation-liaison, empirically supported therapies, and psychopharmacology. The content of didactics varies with the changing needs and interests of the residents and faculty. Subjects have included interviewing and diagnostic skills, community psychology, therapeutic methods, neuropsychology, treatment of populations with diverse cultural and personal values, and interprofessional relationships. In addition, various journal clubs meet once a month: general adult psychology, general child psychology, and behavioral medicine/neuropsychology psychology. Psychology residents are expected to attend ten journal clubs during the course of the year, they can of course attend as many as interest them. The journal clubs meet at various times, as arranged by the coordinator of each journal club.

Psychology residents may attend one or more elective seminars such as: Hypnosis and Psychotherapy, (Joseph Barber, Ph.D.)or Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (Kate Comtois, Ph.D.) or residents may also join the psychiatry residents in seminars on Interpersonal Psychotherapy or Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy taught by various members of the regular and clinical faculty on a rotating basis. Residents are encouraged to attend lectures in the University of Washington community, including the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Grand Rounds (Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences).

Overall, the faculty psychologists use empirically supported assessment and treatment, with most frequently a cognitive-behavioral orientation. Most of our psychiatrists who provide adjunct supervision on many inpatient and C/L rotations have a more biological orientation. Interpersonal and psychodynamically oriented supervision also is available.

Psychology residents may apply to participate in a year long program and seminar on research skills and grantsmanship training. Participation in this activity includes the provision of 6 hours per week of release time from clinical rotations to participate in a seminar devoted to teaching skills needed for developing and writing grants, and to pursue development of a grant proposal or research project under the mentorship of an internship faculty member. Participation in the program is most appropriate for those residents who have either completed or are in the latter stages of their dissertation research, are interested in research areas that can be mentored by faculty members of the internship and are looking towards career choices in which grant writing skills will be needed. Residents are not required to participate in the seminar program.

Psychology residents not participating in the grantsmanship seminar program may apply for one half-day (4 hours) of release time, per week for research (including dissertation research) with an internship training faculty supervisor.

Several committees are actively involved in the planning and organization of the internship training program. Psychology residents typically volunteer for these committees, or are elected by their fellow residents at the beginning of the year. Listed below are current committees available for resident participation.

(a) Didactic Planning Committee (Co-Chairs Jeanne Hoffman, Ph.D and Kelly Schloredt, Ph.D.)
Functions: To review, revise, organize and plan didactic modules for the following internship class.
Resident Participation: Two to four residents serve on the committee which meets in the Spring. Residents work with various faculty members and obtain feedback from fellow residents in the planning and scheduling of prospective didactic modules with specific didactic presentations.

(b) Diversity Advancement Committee (Chair: Steven Vannoy, Ph.D., MPH)
Functions: Functions: To provide training of residents and faculty on issues of individual and cultural diversity as these relate to theories and methods of assessment, diagnosis, and effective intervention; consultation, supervision, and evaluation, and research methods/design. (This diversity training includes: ethnic minorities, gender/sexual orientation, physical disabilities, SES,age, and others). To serve as a resource "hub" of information (clinical and social service resources, research, lectures, and expertise at the University of Washington and surrounding community) on diversity issues for everyone involved in the internship. To recruit and retain diverse residents, fellows, faculty, and speakers as well as those interested in diversity issues.
Resident Participation: All interested residents are encouraged to participate on the committee which remains active throughout the internship year. Residents work with regular and allied faculty members, as well as representatives from the local community.

(c) Professional Development Committee (Chair: Dawn Ehde, Ph.D.)
Functions: To provide guidance, information, and support to the residents during the internship year. Example activities that this committee sponsors include a Career Fair, Post-Doctoral Fellowship Fair, Mentoring, and opportunities to practice job talks.
Resident Participation: At least two residents serve on the committee each year who provide a crucial link to the resident class. The resident representatives play an active role in shaping the focus of the committee’s work in that particular year.

(d) Steering Committee (Chair: Joan Romano, Ph.D.)
Functions: To assist in the administration, planning, organizing, and functioning of the overall internship training program.
Resident Participation: Each of three residents serves on the committee for four months. The committee meets once every two months. Residents work with other residents, track coordinators, various faculty members, and psychologists in the local community in overseeing the administrative functioning of the internship training program..

(3) Post-Internship Opportunities

A number of post-doctoral positions at the University of Washington are available every year. Psychology residents who become productively involved with research and who exhibit superior clinical performance may compete successfully for these positions. UW-affiliated post-doctoral fellowships in psychology are typically available through the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rehabilitation Medicine, Anesthesiology, Psychology, School of Nursing, School of Social Work, and School of Dentistry. The Psychology Internship DOES NOT administer these post-doctoral fellowships. Prospective psychology residents who would like to discuss post-doctoral training possibilities should contact Joan Romano,Ph.D. (psyintrn@u.washington.edu). Alternatively, some residents opt to pursue postdoctoral positions at other Universities, entry-level faculty positions, or other positions, such as Research Scientists. Listed in the following Table is a summary of positions held by recent graduates of the internship training program.

	INTERNSHIP CLASS
POST-INTERNSHIP POSITION	2007-2008	2008-2009
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Affiliated with UW System	3	6
Post-Doctoral Fellowship Outside UW System	4	4
Faculty / Research Scientist	1	1
Other (Private Practice, Consulting Business)	1	0
Returned to Complete Dissertation	1	0