Psychology Training Program

Director: Jesse Bell, PhD, ABPP
UPC - Jefferson
Phone: 313.993.3415

Research and training in psychology and psychiatry have been part of Wayne State University’s mission since the late 1940s, when the university’s department of psychiatry was established. The Lafayette Clinic, a state-funded psychiatric hospital, served as a primary site for the department’s research and clinical training programs in psychology, psychiatry and social work until 1992. At that time, Wayne State moved its psychology research and training programs to the University Psychiatric Center, The Detroit Medical Center and other training sites, and began an innovative process of integrating and consolidating training and research opportunities across both sites and specialties. As part of this process, the department’s name was changed to the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences (DPBN), to reflect the strong involvement of Ph.D. psychologists in the various programs.

In 1996, the DPBN’s APA-accredited psychology internship program in General Psychology affiliated with two other APA-accredited clinical psychology internships: the Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Pediatric Psychology program at Children’s Hospital of Michigan, and the program at Hawthorn Center with an emphasis on Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology. These three independent programs share recruitment efforts and training resources, and offer interns in each program a vastly enhanced array of training sites, supervisory experiences, and rotation and elective opportunities.

The affiliated internship programs have been further enhanced by the addition of Detroit Medical Center rotations in behavioral medicine at Harper Hospital, emergency psychiatry at Detroit Receiving Hospital, as well as rotations at such area facilities as the Forensic Center and Wayne County Jail. In addition, the University Psychiatric Centers have expanded beyond the Jefferson Avenue site to include UPC-Livonia, in the western suburbs of Detroit.

The mission of the DPBN and its affiliated internship programs is to provide high quality training and state- of-the-art clinical services in the context of ongoing research through its affiliated hospitals and sites. Our commitment is to study and find solutions for the etiology and treatment of serious and chronic mental illnesses by interfacing basic and clinical research in a setting of training and clinical services.

A number of philosophical assumptions underlie this commitment. A trainee in mental health must develop an appreciation of the biological, psychological and social forces that play important roles in the etiology and treatment of emotional disorders. Such an extensive breadth of understanding, unparalleled by other health specialties, is achieved only by an eclectically balanced program. The teaching environment comprises both the biological approach (genetics, physiology, biochemistry and psychopharmacology) and the psychological approach (psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral and systems) and includes the study of people in American culture. To ensure that psychology training covers these fundamental areas, psychology trainees receive a didactic core curriculum as well as clinical experience. Further, there is interaction with training programs in related fields (including psychiatry, neurology, pediatrics, social work, nursing, and special education).

Because psychology is a young and constantly developing science, it is important for interns and fellows to be familiar with recent developments and investigations in the field. The DPBN and its affiliated internships are currently engaged in extensive research. Research projects are supported by Wayne State University, the Michigan Department of Community Health, the National Institutes of Mental Health and the private sector.

PSYCHOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMS

The psychology faculty members focus on the development of psychologists who will have the ability to assume a leadership role in clinical service, training, research and administration. Our goal is to develop professionals who possess the skills necessary to treat patients with a wide variety of psychological problems in both psychiatric and primary care settings; to perform comprehensive assessments; to initiate research; to effectively train other mental health professionals.

Psychology trainees are selected on the basis of their interest and ability to work as members of an interdisciplinary group. Both the training and research programs depend upon the integration of various disciplines and theoretical viewpoints. Hence, the framework is all-inclusive, extending from detailed attention to the psychosocial factors to the physiological and biochemical functioning of the patient.

Pre-doctoral interns receive supervised training opportunities in psychological assessment, inpatient and milieu treatment, individual psychotherapy, behavior modification, group therapy, child therapy, and family therapy with psychiatric and general medical populations.

PRE-DOCTORAL INTERNSHIPS

OVERVIEW

Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, offers Psychology Training Programs at the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral level. The department accepts pre-doctoral trainees in three independent, APA accredited clinical psychology internship programs, each with a different emphasis: in General Clinical Psychology, in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Pediatric Psychology, and in Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology. Each internship exposes interns to inpatients and outpatients at various training sites. (Candidates may apply to any or all of the three internship programs.)

The General Clinical Psychology Internship at the University Psychiatric Centers offers and emphasizes the development of psychotherapy and psychological assessment skills, based on psychological theory and research. The program requires a four-month outpatient rotation, a four-month adult rotation in psychosocial rehabilitation with chronic and acute psychoses, a four-month health psychology rotation, and outpatient therapy experiences throughout the year. The training program is customized for each pre-doctoral intern based on their training needs and career objectives. Four months of the internship entails rotations and electives with diverse populations at multiple medical and psychiatric training sites, with supervision from various theoretical frameworks. Examples of training experiences include but are not limited to psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy with children and families, consultation liaison, forensic psychology and crisis intervention.

Programming for the Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Pediatric Psychology Internship at Children’s Hospital of Michigan includes supervised training in the provision of psychological services to children, adolescents and families. It is designed to provide a balance between clinical experience, supervision and formal education. Usually, direct patient contact is limited to 14 hours per week and supervision is scheduled either individually or in groups for four hours per week. All direct patient contact is scheduled with the knowledge of and is supervised by senior staff psychologists. Consultation in multi-disciplinary medical specialty clinics for children with chronic illness or handicapping conditions, where psychologists are core team members is a unique six-month training experience. Inpatient services follow a consultation-liaison model for children who are in Children’s Hospital with chronic illness or acute medical conditions. The second six-month rotation concentrates on outpatient clinical services and consists of pediatric neuropsychological assessments (traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, CNS infections, stroke, etc.), autism clinic and ADHD clinic. Throughout the training year, interns maintain a minimum of three psychotherapy cases, one in each of the following domains: individual/pediatric psychology, play therapy and family therapy.

The clinical psychology internship at Hawthorn Center emphasizes Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology, and provides interns with a comprehensive, well-supervised clinical experience with children, adolescents and families. Interns are involved in inpatient and outpatient assessment and treatment, consultation, case conferences and seminars. Inpatient treatment involves long-term and short-term cases, along with milieu and inter-disciplinary team functioning. Consultation with hospital, school personnel and community mental health caseworkers is also an important component of the program. Opportunities for specialized assessments include differential diagnosis, sexual offender, and trauma evaluations. Outpatient services provide an array of opportunities, including general outpatient therapy, intake assessments, and an early intervention program. Outpatient treatment approaches include cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic and play therapy, as well as parent child management training.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

Prospective applicants should have completed 1500 hours (including direct contact, supervision and support) of supervised clinical experience and be familiar with the rudiments of patient contact, test administration, interviewing and psychotherapy. Interested applicants should complete and submit AAPI (APPIC application for Psychology Internship) online version. No written application materials should be sent to these internship sites. The following requirements, 1-6, will be included in the online version: (1) a cover letter indicating which internship program you are applying to and why you wish to do so; (2) a completed APPIC application, including Verification of Internship Eligibility and Readiness, Practicum Documentation Form, Professional Conduct Form, and the Adult and Child and Adolescent Test Administration Forms; (3) graduate transcripts; (4) three letters of recommendation; (5) a psychological and/or neuropsychological testing report pertinent to the program to which you are applying; and (6) curriculum vitae. Please refer to the APPIC Directory for requirements for APA approval of your university’s program. Students must have candidacy status in their graduate programs prior to beginning the internship. You may apply to any of the affiliated internship programs, but must apply online separately to each program for which you wish to be considered.

INTERNSHIP STIPEND, HOURS AND BENEFITS

Internship year (September 1 through August 31) stipends are currently $18,375. Personal medical insurance is provided; interns are required to purchase their own student liability insurance, which is available for $35 through the American Psychological Association Insurance Trust. 

The 2000-hour internship experience requires 50 weeks of full-time (40 hours per week) work, and allows for two weeks of vacation and/or sick days and a number of paid holidays. Limited additional leave time (e.g., for conference attendance or dissertation work) is negotiated with program directors and site coordinators.

The internship requires a full-time commitment; as such, additional outside employment and/or course work are strongly discouraged, must be pre-approved by the program director, and will be permitted only under unusual circumstances. Given the nature of the internship structure, it will be necessary to have a vehicle for transportation between rotation sites.

SELECTION PROCESS

APPLICATION DEADLINE DATE IS NOVEMBER 15.

Step One:

The selection committee for each internship program will review all applications specific to that program and will rate the applicants for interview. Those applicants who are eliminated from consideration at this step will be notified by e-mail and/or U.S. mail by December 15.

Step Two:

An orientation session, tour of internship sites and interviews with faculty members and current interns will be arranged for selected applicants based on their rating. Applicants will receive instructions by e-mail and/or U.S. mail from the appropriate internship director(s) regarding the interviews for the program(s) to which they have applied. While telephone interviews can be arranged, face-to-face interviews are strongly preferred.

Step Three:

Each internship program will rank-order applicants for acceptance following the interviews. Each internship will independently submit its rank ordered list to National Match Service. The results of the match will be posted by NMS on APPIC Match Day, Monday, February 22, 2010.

Interns in the Child/Adolescent Program must pass a criminal background check, in accordance with Joint Commission accreditation standards. This background check will be conducted after the Match. Applicants who do not successfully pass this background check will be dismissed from the internship (see APPIC Match Policy 4a).

Wayne State University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences  welcomes applications from under-represented groups and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, age, gender, national origin, or sexual orientation.

PLEASE SEND APPLICATION MATERIALS TO INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS AS FOLLOWS:

NOTES: * Every effort will be made to provide the training opportunities described in this manual.
Individual components may be subject to amendment based on changes in faculty or program resources.

* The internship programs affiliated with Wayne State University are accredited by the
American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242 (202) 336-5979.

General Clinical Psychology Training Program

Clinical Psychology Training Program with an Emphasis on Pediatric Psychology

Child/Adolescent Clinical Psychology Training Program

Psychology Seminar Schedule

Rotations and Electives

Training Faculty

Return to Education and Training Programs